Digital Commons Network^™

Supporting Latine Children’S Informal Engineering Learning And Spatial Thinking Through Tinkering And Storytelling, Diana Acosta

Dissertations

In the United States, the Latine community is the fastest growing minority group. Projections estimate that by the year 2060, they will represent 28% of the total population. Yet, Latines continue to be underrepresented and underserved in STEM fields and careers. Providing equitable informal STEM learning opportunities to young children may be a way to increase access and interest in STEM, to address the broader goal of increasing representation. Importantly, for these learning experiences to be truly equitable they must be meaningful and engage everyday cultural practices. Guided by a strengths-based approach, the current study examines how oral stories as …

Maternal-Fetal Attachment And Its Relationship To Quality Of Life In Pregnant Women With Diabetes, Cheryl Ann Angel

Dissertations

Background: Maternal-fetal attachment (MFA) is the bond between a mother and her unborn child during pregnancy. Pregnant women with diabetes are considered high-risk and their numbers are expected to increase as levels of obesity rise and women wait longer to have children. This researcher has observed health care providers instructing pregnant women with diabetes about diabetes self-management (DSM) activities such as “dietary management” and encouraging the women to make those changes for their baby. However, some women remained unable to successfully engage in DSM behaviors despite having exhibited signs of MFA, e.g., expressing “thoughts of the fetus” to health care …

B Cells In The Gut Associated Lymphoid Tissue (Galt), Ameera Bukhari

Dissertations

The gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) is the largest mass of lymphoid tissue in the body, and it is a unique line of defense where immune cells are in constant contact with gut commensals and pathogens. B lymphocytes constitute most of the lymphatic tissues of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and they play a critical role in protecting from infections, promoting tolerance, and shaping microbiota in the gut through the production of immunoglobulins (Ig). Previous studies on GALT B cells in human showed that large B cell clones in the body partition into two broad networks: one includes the blood, bone marrow, …

An Ethics Of Doctrinal Emergence: Reading Newman With Augustine And Contemporary Information Theory, Jeffrey John Campbell

Dissertations

Jeffrey J. CampbellLoyola University Chicago AN ETHICS OF DOCTRINAL EMERGENCE: READING NEWMAN WITH AUGUSTINE AND CONTEMPORARY INFORMATION THEORY The aim of this essay is to begin the process of a reconfiguration of the theological category of doctrinal development and to integrate an “emergent doctrinal ethics of belief” as an inextricable dimension of this category. Most scholarly writing on doctrinal development has taken place in the wake of the Enlightenment with its focus on epistemology, and doctrine is conceived of as “referencing” a quasi-metaphysical “res.” I attempt to “update” the guiding metaphors of doctrinal development with the goal of moving discussions …

Harnessing The Power Of Interdisciplinary Research With Psychology-Informed Cyberbullying Detection Models, Deborah Hall, Yasin N. Silva, Brittany Wheeler, Lu Cheng, Katie Baumel

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Cyberbullying has become increasingly prevalent, particularly on social media. There has also been a steady rise in cyberbullying research across a range of disciplines. Much of the empirical work from computer science has focused on developing machine learning models for cyberbullying detection. Whereas machine learning cyberbullying detection models can be improved by drawing on psychological theories and perspectives, there is also tremendous potential for machine learning models to contribute to a better understanding of psychological aspects of cyberbullying. In this paper, we discuss how machine learning models can yield novel insights about the nature and defining characteristics of cyberbullying and …

Attempting Genetic Inference From Directional Asymmetry During Convergent Hindlimb Reduction In Squamates, Samantha Swank, Ethan Elazegui, Sophia Janidlo, Thomas J. Sanger, Michael A. Bell, Yoel E. Stuart

Biology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Loss and reduction in paired appendages are common in vertebrate evolution. How often does such convergent evolution depend on similar developmental and genetic pathways? For example, many populations of the threespine stickleback and ninespine stickleback (Gasterosteidae) have independently evolved pelvic reduction, usually based on independent mutations that caused reduced Pitx1 expression. Reduced Pitx1 expression has also been implicated in pelvic reduction in manatees. Thus, hindlimb reduction stemming from reduced Pitx1 expression has arisen independently in groups that diverged tens to hundreds of millions of years ago, suggesting a potential for repeated use of Pitx1 across vertebrates. Notably, hindlimb reduction based …

Discordant Population Structure Among Rhizobium Divided Genomes And Their Legume Hosts, Alex B. Riley, Michael A. Grillo, Brendan Epstein, Peter Tiffin, Katy D. Heath

Biology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Symbiosis often occurs between partners with distinct life history characteristics and dispersal mechanisms. Many bacterial symbionts have genomes comprising multiple replicons with distinct rates of evolution and horizontal transmission. Such differences might drive differences in population structure between hosts and symbionts and among the elements of the divided genomes of bacterial symbionts. These differences might, in turn, shape the evolution of symbiotic interactions and bacterial evolution. Here we use whole genome resequencing of a hierarchically structured sample of 191 strains of Sinorhizobium meliloti collected from 21 locations in southern Europe to characterize population structures of this bacterial symbiont, which forms …

Gut Dysbiosis In Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma Is Characterized By Shifts In Relative Abundances Of Specific Bacterial Taxa And Decreased Diversity In More Advanced Disease, Madeline J. Hooper, T.M. Lewitt, Y. Pang, F.L. Veon, G.E Chlipala, L. Feferman, S.J. Green, D. Sweeney, K.T. Bagnowski, Michael B. Burns, P.C. Seed, J. Choi, J. Guitart, X.A. Zhou

Biology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Background Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) patients often suffer from recurrent skin infections and profound immune dysregulation in advanced disease. The gut microbiome has been recognized to influence cancers and cutaneous conditions; however, it has not yet been studied in CTCL.ObjectivesTo investigate the gut microbiome in patients with CTCL and in healthy controls.MethodsA case-control study was conducted between January 2019 and November 2020 at Northwestern’s busy multidisciplinary CTCL clinic (Chicago, Illinois, USA) utilizing 16S ribosomal RNA gene amplicon sequencing and bioinformatics analyses to characterize the microbiota present in fecal samples of CTCL patients (n = 38) and age-matched healthy controls (n …

Runoff And Discharge Pathways Of Microplastics Into Freshwater Ecosystems: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, J. Wang, K. Bucci, P. A. Helm, T. Hoellein, M. J. Hoffman, R. Rooney, C. M. Rochman

Biology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Although many studies have focused on the importance of littering and (or) illegal dumping as a source of plastic pollution to freshwater, other relevant pathways should be considered, including wastewater, stormwater runoff, industrial effluent/runoff, and agricultural runoff. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis focused on these four pathways. We quantified the number of studies, amount and characteristics of microplastics reported, and the methods used to sample and measure microplastics from each pathway. Overall, we found 121 studies relevant to our criteria, published from 2014 to 2020. Of these, 54 (45%) quantified and characterized microplastics in discharge pathways. Although most focused on …

Microplastic Accumulation In Riverbed Sediment Via Hyporheic Exchange From Headwaters To Mainstems, Jennifer D. Drummond, Uwe Schneidewind, Angang Li, Timothy J. Hoellein, Stefan Krause, Aaron I. Packman

Biology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

In rivers, small and lightweight microplastics are transported downstream, but they are also found frequently in riverbed sediment, demonstrating long-term retention. To better understand microplastic dynamics in global rivers from headwaters to mainstems, we developed a model that includes hyporheic exchange processes, i.e., transport between surface water and riverbed sediment, where microplastic retention is facilitated. Our simulations indicate that the longest microplastic residence times occur in headwaters, the most abundant stream classification. In headwaters, residence times averaged 5 hours/km but increased to 7 years/km during low-flow conditions. Long-term accumulation for all stream classifications averaged ~5% of microplastic inputs per river …

Feminist Academic Organizations: Challenging Sexism Through Collective Mobilizing Across Research, Support, And Advocacy, Lauren Gurrieri, Andrea Prothero, Shona Bettany, Susan Dobscha, Jenna M. Drenten, Shelagh Ferguson, Stacey Finkelstein, Laura Mcvey, Nacima Ourahmoune, Laurel Steinfield, Linda Tuncay Zayer

School of Business: Faculty Publications and Other Works

This paper examines the establishment of a feminist academic organization, GENMAC (Gender, Markets, and Consumers; genmac.co), serving gender scholars in business schools and related fields. In so doing, it builds on the emerging literature of feminist academic organizations, as situated within feminist organizational studies (FOS). Through a feminist case study and by assessing the reflections of GENMAC's board members, we tell the story of the emergence of GENMAC and detail the tensions the organization encountered as it formally established itself as a feminist organization within the confines of a business school setting, a patriarchal system, and a neoliberal university paradigm. …

Biocatalytic Intramolecular C−H Aminations Via Engineered Heme Proteins: Full Reaction Pathways And Axial Ligand Effects, Yang Wei, Melissa Conklin, Yong Zhang

Chemistry: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Engineered heme protein biocatalysts provide an efficient and sustainable approach to develop amine-containing compounds through C−H amination. A quantum chemical study to reveal the complete heme catalyzed intramolecular C−H amination pathway and protein axial ligand effect was reported, using reactions of an experimentally used arylsulfonylazide with hemes containing L=none, SH−, MeO−, and MeOH to simulate no axial ligand, negatively charged Cys and Ser ligands, and a neutral ligand for comparison. Nitrene formation was found as the overall rate-determining step (RDS) and the catalyst with Ser ligand has the best reactivity, consistent with experimental reports. Both RDS and non-RDS (nitrene transfer) …

Molecular Mechanisms Of Oxidative Stress-Induced Corneal Damage And The Use Of Antioxidants And Therapeutics, Anita Kirti Ghosh

Dissertations

Dry eye disease represents an urgent unmet clinical need. This dissertation explores the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of ocular surface disease in small and large animal models and provides feasibility for the development of antioxidants as novel therapeutics for dry eye disease. Dry eye disease affects 50 million Americans every year, and costs about $55 billion annually in the USA. The disease manifests as ocular irritation, burning, foreign body sensation, and blurry/cloudy vision. While it is widely accepted that oxidative stress plays a critical role in the pathophysiology of the disease, little is understood about the underlying molecular mechanisms. The purpose …

Abl2 Promotes Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease Via Ppar Gamma Regulation, Gregory Malnassy

Dissertations

Alcohol-associated liver disease (AALD) is an umbrella term for a spectrum of diseases resulting from chronic alcohol (e.g. ethanol) abuse ranging in severity from reversible conditions such as alcohol-induced steatosis to advanced and largely irreversible liver pathologies including alcoholic steatohepatitis (ASH), alcoholic hepatitis (AH), fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). AALD is one of the primary causes of chronic liver disease worldwide and accounts for 44% of liver disease deaths in the United States. Drinking rates, both in the United States and globally, have increased year over year for the past three decades, a trend which has resulted in significantly …

Las Chingonas: An Ecological Approach To Latina Student Mothers’ Journey Through College, Emely Elizabeth Medina-Rodriguez

Dissertations

Women with children are one of the growing student sub-populations in higher education. However, the support student mothers receive in colleges and universities has been historically unreliable and their experiences in college have not been studied in depth. This is especially true for student mothers from minoritized backgrounds with differing racial, ethnic, sexual, gender, and ability identities. This research aims to understand the experiences Latina graduate student mothers from an ecological and critical perspective. Guided by Critical Human Ecology and Black Feminist Thought, eight open-ended interviews were conducted and analyzed. Themes and categories came out of the patterns in the …

Elucidating The Role Of Kmt2d In Her2+ Breast Cancer, Emily Ma

Dissertations

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women in the US. Histone modifications are common epigenetic changes that have been implicated in several breast cancers, including HER2+ breast cancers. Current therapies, such as trastuzumab, block the HER2 receptor to reduce tumor growth. Unfortunately, HER2+ breast cancers have found ways to overcome these therapies, leading to tumor resistance, metastases, and poor survival outcomes. A better understanding of the underlying mechanisms contributing to HER2+ breast cancer resistance may lead to the discovery of novel therapeutic strategies to improve patient outcomes.One prognostic marker for poor survival in women with …

Determination Of The Ecological Water Quality In The Orienco Stream Using Benthic Macroinvertebrates In The Northern Ecuadorian Amazon, Federico Sinche, Manuel Cabrera, Lenin Vaca, Edin Segura, Pablo Carrera

School of Environmental Sustainability: Faculty Publications and Other Works

In recent years, pollution of watercourses in nearby protected ecosystems has increased due to urbanization. Standard physiochemical methods and probes are one way to monitor watercourses for quality. However, they often do not provide the full ecological status of the body of water. In this work, we set out to assess the ecological water quality of an urban stream by using benthic macroinvertebrates as bioindicators. We conducted the work on the Orienco stream in Lago Agrio in the province of Sucumbíos in the Northern Ecuadorian Amazon (NEA). The stream has become a sink of raw domestic sanitary wastewater from rural …

“An Umbrella For All Things”: Black Daughter's Sexual Decisions And Paternal Engagement, Marquitta S. Dorsey

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

Objective: The purpose of this article is to highlight the value of Black fathers to the sexual decision-making processes among Black adolescent and young adult daughters. Background: Various contextual factors, such as fewer sexual health resources in poorer communities and federal funding cuts to family planning service agencies, ultimately contribute to the sexual health decision-making of adolescent young women and may be linked to sexual health disparities among Black adolescent women. Recent studies have reported the protective nature of a Black father’s engagement to be beneficial to the behavioral outcomes of adolescent daughters. Method: Findings from 17 semistructured interviews conducted …

Fairness And Inclusion For Users Of Surface Transport—An Exploratory Thematic Study For Irish Users, Ajeni Ari, Maria Chiara Leva, Lorraine D'Arcy, Mary Kinahan

Articles

This paper explores the conditions of public transport with respect to user accessibility, design of infrastructure, and safety from a gendered perspective. Our investigation aims to understand the factors that direct a citizen’s choice of whether or not to use public transport. Our discussion is focused on gender disparities among user experiences, so we confine our focus to that of women’s perspectives and their experiences with public transport use. A framework for our discussion was formed with consideration of the theoretical aspects of fairness, justice, and gender in transport, as well as user statistics. We identified several spaces where public …

Impact Of Dry, Particle-Size Fractionation On Protein And Amino Acid Content Of Three Seaweed Species, Laura Healy, Xianglu Zhu, Milica Pojic, Mahesa Poojary, James Curtin, Uma Tiwari, Carl Sullivan, Brijesh K. Tiwari

Articles

Market demand for “clean and green” food products is increasing, and so there is growing opportunity for the seaweed aquaculture industry to take a position as a key food producer in this area. In this study, in order to investigate the impact of dry fractionation on seaweed protein qualities, dried and milled seaweed powder from three seaweed species was sieved into 6 fractions (F1 to F6) of different particle size from >710 μm toμm. True protein, total protein and amino acid profiles were analyzed to evaluate the protein content and quality of three brown seaweed species commercially harvested in Ireland; …

Synthesis, In Silico And Pharmacological Evaluation Of New Thiazolidine-4-Carboxylic Acid Derivatives Against Ethanol-Induced Neurodegeneration And Memory Impairment, Shagufta Naz, Lina Tariq Al Kury, Humaira Nadeem, Fawad Ali Shah, Rehan Zafar Paracha, Muhammad Imran, Shupeng Li, Aman Ullah

All Works

Introduction: Several studies revealed that alcohol utilization impairs memory in adults; however, the underlying mechanism is still unclear. The production of inflammatory markers and reactive oxygen species (ROS) plays a major role in neurodegeneration, which leads to memory impairment. Therefore, targeting neuroinflammation and oxidative distress could be a useful strategy for abrogating the hallmarks of ethanol-induced neurodegeneration. Moreover, several studies have demonstrated multiple biological activities of thiazolidine derivatives including neuroprotection. Methods: In the current study, we synthesized ten (10) new thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid derivatives (P1-P10), characterized their synthetic properties using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1 H-NMR) and carbon-13 NMR, and further …

Upregulation Of Irisin And Vitamin D-Binding Protein Concentrations By Increasing Maternal 25-Hydrovitamin D Concentrations In Combination With Specific Genotypes Of Vitamin D-Binding Protein Polymorphisms, Spyridon N. Karras, Erdinç Dursun, Merve Alaylıoglu, Duygu Gezen-Ak, Fatme Al Anouti, Stefan Pilz, Pawel Pludowski, Edward Jude, Kalliopi Kotsa

All Works

Dyshomeostasis of vitamin D-binding protein (VDBP) has been implicated in the patho-genesis of various pregnancy complications, including preeclampsia, preterm birth, gestational di-abetes, and adverse metabolic profiles in the offspring. VDBP polymorphisms have been consistently reported to contribute to this intriguing interplay. Until recently, the effects of VDBP poly-morphism heterogeneity on maternal and neonatal adipomyokine profiles have not been investi-gated, specifically after incorporating the different maternal and neonatal 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration cut-offs at birth. We aimed to investigate the potential effects of maternal and neonatal VDBP polymorphisms on adiponectin, irisin, and VDBP concentrations at birth, according to different cut-offs of vitamin …

An Examination Of The Impact Of Covid-19 On Assessment Practices In Higher Education, Ziene Mottiar, Greg Byrne, Geraldine Gorham, Emma Robinson

Articles

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a rapid pivot to online learning across many higher education institutions globally. This paper investigates to what extent assessment strategies changed as a result of this pivot. It explores the case of Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin) in Ireland and finds that 95% of respondents altered their assessment practices in some way. Beyond identifying changing practice, the paper also develops a TARC (Typology of Assessment Responses to COVID-19) model which shows four categories of responses. Reactors are those academics who simply moved their assessments online. Adaptive Responders modified assessments slightly for the online environment. While …

Towards An Active Foveated Approach To Computer Vision, Dario Dematties, Silvio Rizzi, George K. Thiruvathukal, Alejandro Javier Wainselboim

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

In this paper, a series of experimental methods are presented explaining a new approach towards active foveated Computer Vision (CV). This is a collaborative effort between researchers at CONICET Mendoza Technological Scientific Center from Argentina, Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), and Loyola University Chicago from the US. The aim is to advance new CV approaches more in line with those found in biological agents in order to bring novel solutions to the main problems faced by current CV applications. Basically this work enhance Self-supervised (SS) learning, incorporating foveated vision plus saccadic behavior in order to improve training and computational efficiency without …

Quantitative Raman Analysis Of Carotenoid Protein Complexes In Aqueous Solution, Joy Udensi, Ekaterina Loskutova, James Loughman, Hugh Byrne

Datasets

Carotenoids are naturally abundant fat-soluble pigmented compounds, with dietary, antioxidant and vision protection advantages. The dietary carotenoids, Beta Carotene, Lutein and Zeaxanthin, complexed with in bovine serum albumin (BSA) in aqueous solution, were explored using Raman spectroscopy to differentiate and quantify their spectral signatures. UV visible absorption spectroscopy was employed to confirm the linearity of responses over the concentration range employed (0.05-1mg/ml) and, of the 4 source wavelengths, 785nm, 660nm, 532nm, 473nm, 532nm was chosen to provide the optimal response. After preprocessing to remove water and BSA contributions, and correct for self-absorption, a partial least squares model with R^{2 …}

Comparison Of Schedules, Stress, Sleep Problems, Fatigue, Mental Health And Well-Being Of Low Cost And Network Carrier Pilots, Marion Venus

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Objective

This research investigates and compares working-conditions, duty rosters, stress, sleep problems, fatigue levels, mental health, and well-being of pilots working for network (NWCs), and low-cost carriers (LCCs). This study extends previous research by investigating working conditions, pilots’ actual rosters, fatigue and mental health of two groups of pilots flying for LCC or NWC.

Method

A comprehensive cross-sectional online survey was completed by N=338 pilots (185 NWC, 153 LCC pilots). All pilots reported their roster data of the last 2 months during peak flight season, psychosocial and work-related stress (e.g., high job insecurity, less total flight-experience, lower income, more time …

3d Printing Technology In Aerospace Industry – A Review, Mohammad Suhel Karkun, Sathish Dharmalingam

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

In the modern era, several new technologies are being developed for the most convenient and easy usage of materials. Due to its effortless and quick usage properties, 3D printing technology has a vast application range nowadays in different fields. The application of 3D printing technology in the aerospace industry has been developed in the past few decades, but now it has been enhanced to a new level. 3D printing technology now has several applications in the aeronautical and space sectors. Soon, 3D printing technology will be used for building habitations on other planets and for the printing of spacecraft and …

Highlights From International Conference On Cancer Health Disparities 2021, Murali M. Yallapu, Jorge L. Teniente, Andrew Tsin, Subhash C. Chauhan

School of Medicine Publications

The first International Conference on Cancer Health Disparities (ICCHD) was held on August 13-14, 2021, in Harlingen, TX, USA. This two-day ICCHD-2021 was organized by the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, School of Medicine (UTRGV-SOM). About 200 national and international delegates from 10 countries attended this hybrid meeting in person and through online digital platforms. The event delegates were representatives from National Institutes of Health (NIH), Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT), and the City of Harlingen, in addition to clinicians, faculty, researchers, scientists, bioinformaticians, geneticists, bioethicists, and others. Under the theme of Cancer Health Disparities, this …

Investigating ‘Active Citizenship’: A Journey Toward The Political Heart Of Education In The Company Of Hannah Arendt., Kevin Richard Walker

Plymouth Institute of Education Theses

The formation of ‘active citizens’ has become a desirable educational outcome in mainstream secondary and adult education in the UK. However, there is a wide range of interpretations regarding what being ‘active’ as a citizen actually involves and a lack of consensus on the role of education in this process. Drawing on Arendt’s conception of action as the basis of political activity where “to be free and to act are the same” (Arendt 1968a: 153), I propose an understanding of ‘active citizenship’ which involves the appearance of an individual citizen in relationship with the shared public world. It is argued …

A Riverine Ecosystem Service Cascade Model (Rescam) Framework For Assessing Ecosystem Service Provision As Applied To English Geomorphic River Types, Claire Bithell

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Riverine ecosystems are considered the lifeblood of the Earth and because of this, have been exploited for centuries for social, agricultural and industrial development, resulting in their environmental degradation and simplification. This has led to a shift in the natural processes and functions and thus their ability to provide a full range and overall high levels of regulating, provisioning and cultural ecosystem services, which humans rely on. An ecosystem service and nature-based approach is being increasingly recognised as a useful tool to help evaluate, protect and restore river ecosystems for maximising the delivery of ecosystem services sustainably. Riverine ecosystem services …