Digital Commons Network^™

[Letter From Lianna Etchberger, Associate Vice President And Professor], Lianna K. Etchberger

Moab Time Capsule 2022

Greetings from 2022! I hope the campus is thriving and folks are excited to retrieve the time capsule.

Monarch, Philip Walzer (Editor)

Monarch Magazine

Winter 2022 issue of Monarch, the Old Dominion University Magazine.

Subtitled: President Brian O. Hemphill, Ph.D., First Lady Marisela Rosas Hemphill, Ph.D. - Moving ODU forward

Development And Validation Of A Raman Spectroscopic Classification Model For Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia (Cin), Damien Traynor, Shiyamala Duraipandian, Ramya Bhatia, Kate Cuschieri, Prerna Tewari, Padraig Kearney, Tom D'Arcy, John J. O'Leary, Cara M. Martin, Fiona Lyng

Articles

The mortality associated with cervical cancer can be reduced if detected at the precancer stage, but current methods are limited in terms of subjectivity, cost and time. Optical spectroscopic methods such as Raman spectroscopy can provide a rapid, label-free and nondestructive measurement of the biochemical fingerprint of a cell, tissue or biofluid. Previous studies have shown the potential of Raman spectroscopy for cervical cancer diagnosis, but most were pilot studies with small sample sizes. The aim of this study is to show the clinical utility of Raman spectroscopy for identifying cervical precancer in a large sample set with validation in …

Mirna-Mediated Fibrosis In The Out-Of-Target Heart Following Partial-Body Irradiation, Barbara Tanno, Flavia Novelli Flavia Novelli, Simona Leonardi, Caterina Merla, Gabriele Babini, Paola Giardullo, Munira Kadhim, Damian Traynor, Dinesh Medipally, Aidan Meade, Fiona Lyng, Soile Tapio, Luca Marcetti, Anna Saran, Simonetta Pazzaglia, Mariateresa Mancuso

Articles

A causal association between radiation exposure and various types of non-malignant diseases, especially cardiovascular diseases, has been extensively reported [1,2]. The risks of radiation-induced heart disease (RIHD) were described in therapeutically exposed cohorts of patients with thoracic tumors in which a high incidence of long-term complications (i.e., pericarditis, cardiomyopathy, coronary artery disease, valvular heart disease, conduction abnormalities and myocardial fibrosis) increased the risk of heart-disease-related mortality [3]. Patients who received post-mastectomy radiotherapy for left-sided breast cancer were at a 2–3-time higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease, due to the apex and anterior wall of the heart being exposed to doses …

Hidden Homelessness: A Trauma-Informed Narrative Approach To Treating Rural Families Facing Homelessness, Benjamin Akers, Kara Richard

Student Projects

Housing is a crucial part of survival and one’s ability to engage in life. There is an increasing population of both individuals and families who live without safe, quality, stable housing. Housing insecurity is a concern in both urban and rural areas, with rural homelessness presenting unique characteristics and challenges. To better understand rural homelessness and its effect on families, research was conducted on many factors including: population statistics, characteristics and common issues, problems, risk factors, engagement, terminology, and frameworks. It becomes evident that homelessness has severe implications physically, emotionally, and mentally for both children and adults. This synthesis of …

“You Think You Know What Nature Is”: The Literary And Historical Ecologies Of Lake Hopatcong, Peter Astras

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the unseen effects between human activity and nature, and more broadly the relationship between humans and a single local environment, Lake Hopatcong. My methodology is archival, drawing whenever possible on an array of sources to articulate a broad set of time periods and perspectives. This study utilizes foundational ecocritical texts as anchor points and referential lenses with which I examine the contextual and situational “truth” of each period. To get a comprehensive look, there are historical texts, scientific reports, travel journals, tourist materials and newspapers, along with archival materials at the Hagley Center in Wilmington, Delaware. Through …

The Prevalence Of Writing In Elementary Teacher Preparation Courses In The Pacific Northwest, Chelsea Mabie

Theses and Dissertations

Writing continues to be an underserved content area within English Language Arts instruction in elementary school classrooms. This sequential mixed-methods study was designed to develop a current state of practice for writing pedagogical training within the Pacific Northwest. Course descriptions were analyzed for specific references to writing, or terms inclusive of writing, from five teacher preparation programs in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. Grounded in expertise theory, the implications for this work are aimed at schools of education as well as teacher licensing bodies reflecting on if their training practices are supportive in developing a solid foundation for preservice educators …

Posthuman Queer Ecosexuality: Shakespeare And Earthly Consummation, Lisa Robinson

Theses and Dissertations

“Posthuman Queer Ecosexuality” explores the culminating productivity of a queer landscape fertilized by dead bodies. Tragedy as a genre provides a higher queer possibility simply because it does not contend with picture perfect happy endings. By seeing an inherent connection between queerness and death, the paired couples of the specific Shakespearean tragedies explored in this project, King Lear (1605), Othello (1604), and Antony and Cleopatra (1607), fertilize the respective landscapes within their plots. These main six characters are queered by forced connections to nature due to their gender, race, or function as a ruling body. Once they are placed in …

Regulation Of Interferon- Induced Interleukin-8 And Pd-L1 Expression In Ovarian Cancer Cells, Sveta Padmanabhan

Theses and Dissertations

Interferon-γ (IFNγ) is a pleiotropic cytokine that has a crucial role in immune response and tumor immunity. Because of its anti-tumor effects, IFNγ has been used in cancer treatment. However, IFNγ also has tumor-promoting functions that are less well understood. Here, I show that IFNγ induces expression of the pro-inflammatory and pro-angiogenic chemokine interleukin-8 (IL-8, CXCL8) in ovarian cancer (OC) cells. The IFNγ-induced IL-8 expression is dependent on JAK1, STAT1, and p65 NFκB, and is associated with an increased occupancy of K314/ 315 acetylated p65 NFκB and Ser-727 phosphorylated STAT1 at the IL-8 promoter. Neutralization of IL-8 using anti-IL-8 antibody …

Pbk/Topk Inhibitor Ots964 Resistance Is Mediated By Abcg2- And Abcb1-Dependent Transport Function In Cancer, Yuqi Yang

Theses and Dissertations

Accumulating evidence has suggested that multi-drug resistance (MDR) in cancer cells is a phenotype whereby cancer cells have attenuated sensitivity to drugs. ATP-binding cassette super-family G member 2 (ABCG2/BCRP) and ATP-binding cassette sub-family B member 1 (ABCB1/P-gp) are members of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter family and involved in MDR. OTS964 is a potent inhibitor targeting to PDZ-binding kinase (PBK)/T-lymphokine-activated killer cell-originated protein kinase (TOPK). Herein, we aimed to explore the relationship between MDR-associated ABC transporters, including ABCG2 and ABCB1, and the regulation of OTS964 efficacy. PBK/TOPK inhibitor OTS964 resistance is mediated by ABCG2-dependent transport function in cancer: in vitro …

The Craft Of Language: An Analysis Of Associations Between A Metalinguistic Writing Course And Reading Comprehension, Anna Incognito

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines associations between writing instruction with a focus on explicit sentence syntax and reading comprehension in a sample of students receiving special education services. While the outcome data does not show direct causation between student enrollment in a treatment writing course using Systemic Functional Linguistics and reading scores on state testing, the significant associations between variables imply possibilities for improvements in reading pedagogy. Reading comprehension depends on how accurately readers capture an author’s intended meaning while reading. Current research shows this has less to do with decoding words in a sentence, and more to do with recognizing communicative …

Dithiocarbamates Mancozeb And Disulfiram Induce Striated Muscle Myopathy And Neuropathy In Long-Evans Rats, Olivia Stephenson

Theses and Dissertations

Mancozeb (MZ), an ethylene bis-dithiocarbamate complexed with the metals manganese and zinc, is a broad-spectrum fungicide used primarily on orchards and vineyards. Disulfiram (DS, Antabuse®), a diethyldithiocarbamate, is an FDA-approved drug used for alcohol aversion therapy. Both dithiocarbamates (DTCs) have shown neurological effects including motor impairment, muscle weakness, and hind-limb paralysis, although the mechanism of toxicity is not understood. The purpose of this study is to determine how these neurotoxic compounds are damaging striated muscle of rats. Adult, male Long-Evans rats were administered either 250mg/kg MZ or 750mg/kg DS via oral gavage 3x/week for four weeks. Animals were euthanized 24 …

Tepotinib Reverses Abcb1- And Abcg2-Mediated Multidrug Resistance In Cancer, Zhuoxun Wu

Theses and Dissertations

Overexpression of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters ABCB1 and ABCG2 in cancer cells have been linked to the development of multidrug resistance (MDR), an obstacle to cancer therapy. Therefore, it is important to inhibit ABCB1/ABCG2 activity in order to maintain an effective intracellular level of chemotherapeutic drugs in drug-resistant cancer cells. Tepotinib is an ATP-competitive MET kinase inhibitor approved for the treatment of adult patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer harboring MET exon 14 skipping alterations. In the present study, we identified that the MET inhibitor tepotinib can reverse ABCB1- and ABCG2-mediated MDR by directly binding to the drug-binding site …

The Ethylenebis(Dithiocarbamate) Backbone Of Mancozeb Alters Glutathione Status And Divalent Essential Metal Homeostasis In Rat, Benjamin Kistinger

Theses and Dissertations

Mancozeb is a fungicide used globally on a variety of crops. Studies on mancozeb attribute its toxicity to oxidative stress. There is debate if oxidative stress is caused by mancozeb’s metal components, manganese and zinc, its ethylenebis(dithiocarbamate) backbone, or both together. The ability of mancozeb to alter metal homeostasis and chelate copper has also been implicated in its toxicity. Manganese, zinc, copper, and iron are essential in the body such that deficiency results in disease. However, these metals in excess have toxic consequences. We sought to study the mancozeb’s ability to alter essential metal homeostasis, induce oxidative stress, and affect …

Maternal Literacy Practices And Beliefs Impact Infant Development, Deirdre Cruz

Theses and Dissertations

Infancy is a pivotal time in the development of a human’s cognitive ability. There is a lack of research in this area, specifically on mothers and their beliefs about literacy practices and the home learning environment. By utilizing Bronfenbrenner’s ecological framework, this study explores the beliefs of mothers and how they impact the infants’ preliteracy skills and knowledge, which are paramount to success in kindergarten and beyond. Using a phenomenological study, the researcher interviewed mothers on their views of literacy, their infant’s home learning environment, and how they perceive their culture and mothering style impact their infants.

Functional Modulation Of The Cav3.1 Calcium Channel By Alternative Splicing At The C-Terminus, Ruizhi Wang

Theses and Dissertations

The CACNA1G gene encodes for Cav3.1, the alpha-1G subunit of a low-voltage-activated T-type calcium channel, which plays crucial roles in cardiac and smooth muscle cells and neurons by influencing the transmembrane potentials and regulating intracellular Ca2+ signaling. Heterozygous missense mutations in the CACNA1G gene cause spinocerebellar ataxia-42 (SCA42), a heterogeneous group of neurodegenerative disorders characterized by brainstem and cerebellum degeneration, and mice that are null for this gene present severe motor coordination defects, abnormal electrical conductance in the heart, aberrant action potentials in the brain, disrupted sleeping patterns, and absence epilepsy. Different splice variants of Cav3.1 have been described, and …

Chemical Proteomic Identification And Functional Studies Of Cardiac Protein Glutathionylation, Maheeshi Yapa Abeywardana

Wayne State University Dissertations

Elevated intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) are associated with induction of oxidative stress. Increased levels of ROS participate in development of cardiovascular diseases by modifying proteins reversibly or irreversibly. Especially, the cysteine residues can undergo oxidative post-translational modifications such as glutathionylation. Glutathionylation is an important regulatory reversible thiol oxidation. Identification and quantification of glutathionylated proteins is important for the understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind initiation and progression of many diseases. Our lab previously developed a click chemistry-based method to detect and identify glutathionylation in cells by synthesizing clickable-glutathione.We established a mass spectrometry-based strategy coupled with clickable glutathione …

The Impact Of Terminal Doctoral Level Credentials On Physician Assistant/Associate And Physician Collaboration, Alicia Klein

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Physician assistants/associates (PAs) are regarded as valuable members of the healthcare team and work in a team-based collaborative model with physicians. In recent years, there has been a debate regarding the most appropriate entry-level and terminal degree for PAs and an urgency to explore optimal team practice. Due to the important collaboration between the collaborating physician (CP) and the PA, how this degree change may impact the quality of relationship is broadly unknown. The purpose of this study was to describe the demographic characteristics of physician assistants/associates (PAs) who have doctoral degrees, describe work-related characteristics of PAs who have doctoral …

Application Of Artificial Neural Network To Predict The Properties Of Permeable Concrete, Hatem H. Almasaeid, Donia G. Salman

Faculty and Student Publications

The structure of permeable concrete has been the primary reason for its use in construction. Permeable concrete is composed of water, cement, aggregate, and little-to no-fines resulting in the presence of a significant number of voids. This makes permeable concrete an ideal solution to water accumulation issues as it acts as a drainage system. This study employs a feedforward backpropagation artificial neural network model that combines experimental laboratory data from previous studies with appropriate network architectures and training techniques. The purpose of the analysis is to develop a reliable functional relationship, based on water-cement ratio, aggregate-cement ratio, and density parameters, …

Using Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy To Study Secondary Structure Of Horseradish Peroxidase: A Laboratory Experiment In Biochemistry, Shemaiah Kamran, Sarah E. Bultje, Kumar Sinniah

Summer Research

• We present a laboratory experiment in biochemistry to study the Far-UV Visible secondary structure of a protein (horseradish peroxidase, HRP) that can be adapted for a single-session laboratory experiment or a multiple-session laboratory project.
• A Circular Dichroism (CD) spectrometer provides structural information of proteins as a function of environmental changes such as pH and temperature. We present secondary structural information for the protein, horseradish peroxidase, at pH 3 and pH 7 in the temperature range 30-80° C in phosphate buffered solution (PBS).
• HRP has many applications in biochemistry and biotechnology. It is frequently used as a reporter enzyme in diagnostics …

A Novel Chelator For Pb-212/Bi-212-Based Alpha-Particle Radiotherapy For Cancers, Eric Doorn, Mengshi Li, Brianna Cagle, Nicholas Baumhover, Zhiming Dai, Dijie Liu, Ivy Vance, Frances Johnson, Michael K. Schultz

Summer Research

Lead-212 ( 212Pb) has been identified as a promising candidate for alpha(α)- particle radiotherapies for cancers in preclinical and clinical studies. Using a low molecular weight peptide, the radiotherapy will target with high affinity selective markers highly expressed in cancer cells but found in low concentration in healthy tissue. A radiometal is coupled to a chelator moiety linked to the peptide to deliver the α-particle radiation destroying cancer cells.

To develop a novel Pb specific chelator (PSC) that will provide high affinity to Pb212 and improve the in vitro and in vivo binding pharmacokinetics and stability of progeny of the …

Editing Genes In Baker’S Yeast To Model Rare Mitochondrial Diseases, Alyssa Dekker, Amy Wilstermann, Rachael Baker

Summer Research

BCS1L is a nuclear-encoded mitochondrial member of the AAA+ (ATPases associated with various cellular activities) family of proteins. BCS1L functions as a translocase in the integration of the Rieske Fe/S protein into respiratory chain complex III during assembly. BCS1L may also play a role in mitochondrial morphology

Exploring The Role Of Ahr Activation In Bladder Cancer Models, Hyeon Jin Kim, Peter Jones, Josh Jang, Justin Kulchycki

Summer Research

Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy was designed to reinvigorate immune cells to bind and kill cancer cells. However, the treatment that was intended to help patients resulted in hyper progressive disease (when the tumor shows accelerated growth, leading to an explosion of tumor growth in a short period of time). We searched for a particular gene that could function as a biomarker for hyperprogression. Upon inspecting tumor samples, we discovered a biomarker called CYP1A1. We thought to test if a tumor that expressed high levels of endogenous CYP1A1, treated with immunotherapy, ultimately led to hyper progression. Every step of the project …

Targeting Histone Reader Enl With Protac Degrader, Josiah Harsh, Zhaoyu Xue, Fan Xuan, Xiaobing Shi, Hong Wen

Summer Research

ENL is a histone reader that is part of the super elongation complex and is primarily involved in chromatin and gene expression regulation. ENL has also been found to play an essential role in the progression of a spectrum of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Some hotspot mutations of its reader module, the YEATS domain, have been found to be oncogenic. For this reason, we explored the efficacy of a newly developed ENL PROTAC degrader in its ability to degrade wild-type and mutant ENL protein and suppress oncogene expression in cancer cells.

The Role Of Integrins In Hiv-1 Infection Of Intestinal Endothelial Cell Stimulated Resting Cd4+ T Cells, Jessica Eddy, Fisher Pham, Nathan Dapprich, Anding Shen

Summer Research

A major barrier to eradicating HIV is latent reservoirs in resting CD4+ T cells. Antiretroviral therapy is effective in bringing the viral load down to undetectable levels but is unable to eradicate the latent reservoir. Previous data from our lab revealed that when stimulated by intestinal endothelial cells (IEC), resting CD4+ T cells can be directly infected while remaining in a resting state, allowing formation of latent reservoirs. An additional study found that integrins, which are cell surface molecules, play a role in the interactions between endothelial cells (EC) and T cells. Our research further examines the role of integrins …

A Tale Of Two Toxicants: How Trichloroethylene (Tce) And Perchloroethylene (Pce) Metabolites Affect Immune Cell Viability Upon Co-Exposure With Lipopolysaccharide (Lps), Eleanor Scheeres, Sean Harris, Erica Boldenow

Summer Research

• TCE and PCE are volatile organic solvents used in industrial processes, such as metal degreasing and dry cleaning, and known human carcinogens.
• GBS is a common bacteria in the vaginal flora but can lead to complications such as preterm birth during pregnancy.
• Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a gram-negative bacterial cell wall component that induces inflammatory immune responses and is used as an infection model.
• Co-treatment (GBS+DCVC) in placental membranes lead to inhibition of pathogen stimulated cytokine secretion (Fig. 1).
• We hypothesized that DCVC and TCVC (PCE’s metabolite) would produce decreased cell viability, and DCVC+LPS would produce further immune inhibitory effects, which …

Comparing Plant Diversity In Native Landscaping At Calvin University, Rine Wakeman, Dave Warners

Summer Research

Calvin University is home to several naturally planted sites, including woodland areas, three rain gardens, and several landscaping beds. The plants that populate these areas are native to Calvin’s watershed and West Michigan. Until this year, no database existed to keep track of which species of plants grow on campus and where. Over the summer, native sites on campus were surveyed to compile a database of the unique species found to examine the capacity for non-human, non-plant diversity on campus. How does the diversity of native sites compare to traditionally planted sites of similar size or position on Calvin University's …

Er-Golgi In Membrane Repair In Cardiomyocytes, Visakuo Tsurho, Hsin-Yu Chen, Daniel Michele

Summer Research

Impaired membrane repair leads to muscular dystrophies like Miyoshi Myopathy and LGMD2B1. The mechanism behind membrane repair is not well understood, and there are few studies on membrane repair in cardiomyocytes. Research in nonmuscle cells suggest that lysosomes are a source of membranes for repairing injuries2. Few lysosomes were found in cardiomyocytes compared to non cardiomyocytes. Therefore, we investigated the ER and Golgi as potential organelles involved in membrane repair in cardiomyocytes. We used Sec22b to investigate ER to Golgi in membrane repair in cardiomyocytes because it is an ER-Golgi protein involved in membrane fusion and Golgi vesicle trafficking in …

Floodplain Monitoring – Plaster Creek Segment At Shadyside Park, Alin Stoica, Julie Wildschut

Summer Research

• High stream velocity and flow rate during precipitation events endanger the urban areas through bank erosion and potential of flooding due to steep entrenchment of streambeds. An urban creek, Plaster Creek was impacted by this phenomenon throughout its watershed.
• Plaster Creek Stewards restored the segment of Plaster Creek located within Dutton Shadyside Park, Mi in 2018 by receding the walls of the tall banks that were entrenching the stream.
• The restored floodplains provide improved distribution of overflow water onto the plain, lowering bank erosion and sediment transportation. Native riparian vegetation planted along the plain improves biodiversity, strengthening the creek banks, …

Urinformed Summer 2022, Urinformed

URInformed: The URI Employees' Newsletter

No abstract provided.