Spatiotemporal Calcium Signaling Patterns Underlying Opposing Effects Of Histamine And Tas2r Agonists In Airway Smooth Muscle, Stanley Conaway, Joshua Richard, Deepak A. Deshpande

Center for Translational Medicine Faculty Papers

Intracellular calcium (Ca²⁺) release via phospholipase C (PLC) following G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) activation is typically linked to membrane depolarization and airway smooth muscle (ASM) contraction. However, recent findings show that bitter taste receptor agonists, such as chloroquine (CQ), induce a paradoxical and potent relaxation response despite activating the Ca²⁺ signaling pathway. This relaxation has been hypothesized to be driven by a distinct compartmentalization of calcium ions toward the cellular periphery, subsequently leading to membrane hyperpolarization, in contrast to the contractile effects of histamine. In this study, we further investigate the spatiotemporal dynamics of Ca²⁺ signaling in …

Investigating Biomarkers Linking Tobacco Use With Cadiovascular Disease Occurrence, Kennedy Dorsey, Nubaira Rizvi, Donald Mercante, Micahel D. Celestin Jr., Tung-Sung Tseng, Qingzhao Yu

Journal of the Louisiana Public Health Association

Background: Smoking has been associated with negative cardiovascular health outcomes. We analyzed data from The Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study to investigate whether certain biomarkers collected were related to both cardiovascular disease (CVD) occurrence and cigarette or ecigarette use. Methods: A total of 6,473 participants were grouped into cigarette users, e-cigarette users, and non-users. Among them, 6,020 (93%) developed CVD and 453 (7%) did not over PATH Study Waves 1 to 5. All participants were adults, had valid tobaccouse and biomarker data, and no pre-existing CVD prior to Wave 1. We conducted mediation analysis using nonlinear multiple …

Vol 5 May '25 Full Issue, Donna L. Williams

Journal of the Louisiana Public Health Association

No abstract provided.

Socioeconomic Disparities In Breast Cancer Survival: Examining Potential Mediator Role Of Oncotype Dx(Odx) Test And Stage At Diagnosis Among Hr+/Her2- Breast Cancer Women, Pratibha Shrestha, Qingzhao Yu, Edward S. Peters, Edward Trapido, Mei Chin Hsieh, Tekeda Ferguson, Quyen D. Chu, Xiao Cheng Wu

School of Public Health Faculty Publications

Background: Women with a lower socioeconomic status (SES) have an increased risk of dying from breast cancer (BC) than those with a higher SES. The association of SES with BC survival may be partially mediated by factors such as Oncotype DX (ODX) testing and stage at diagnosis. This study aims to examine SES disparities in survival among HR+/HER2- BC women and to quantify the mediating effects of the ODX test and stage. Methods: We used data from the Louisiana Tumor Registry to identify women aged 20–90 years diagnosed with stage I–II in 2011–2014 and stage I–III in 2015–2017 HR+/HER2- BC …

From Epidemics To Experimental Treatments: Amphibian Mass Mortality Events And A Potential Treatment For Chytridiomycosis, Daniel Callahan

Graduate Masters Theses

Worldwide, amphibian populations have experienced dramatic declines due to a variety of threats. Among them, disease has been particularly deleterious and continues to impact populations. In the United States and Canada, the three leading causes of amphibian mass mortality events are ranavirosis, chytridiomycosis, and severe perkinsea infection, all caused by infectious pathogens. While research and policy have helped populations recover from these diseases, more work needs to be done to develop practical and efficient treatments for these infections. Of these three diseases, chytridiomycosis has had the most devastating effects on amphibian populations globally. Caused by the chytrid fungi Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis …

Adaptation And Discovery In The Ethiopian Highlands: Testing Rules, Cryptic Shrews, And Patterns Of Montane Mammal Diversity, Evan W. Craig

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Montane landscapes of the Horn of Africa harbor exceptional but incompletely documented biodiversity. Focusing on rodents and shrews—the dominant but least studied of Ethiopia’s high-elevation fauna—this dissertation integrates repeat faunal surveys, genomic taxonomy, and phylogenetically informed modelling to clarify how small mammals distribute, diversify, and morphologically adapt across steep elevational gradients.

A century‐scale resurvey of Simien Mountains National Park (1927-2015) revealed significant upward range shifts for multiple species and a persistent mid-elevation richness peak, implicating warming temperatures as a driver of community reassembly. Museomics using genome-skimming and craniodental morphometrics subsequently uncovered a deeply divergent miniature shrew lineage within the Crocidura …

Oregon State Rank Assessment For Siskiyou Iris (Iris Bracteata), Nora Dunkirk

Institute for Natural Resources Publications

Oregon state conservation status assessment for Siskiyou iris (Iris bracteata) using NatureServe methodology, 2025.

Impact Of A Sepsis Quality Improvement Initiative On Clinical And Operational Outcomes, Christopher B. Thomas, Benjamin Wyler, Claude M. D’Antonio, Mark Laperouse, Shannon Alwood, Kristen Richard, Alyse Grantham, Roya Sheybani, Matt G. Sorrells, Wei Jien Tan, James W. Teague, Hollis O’Neal, Tonya Jagneaux

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Background/Objectives: Sepsis is a costly and life-threatening condition caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. Lack of a reliable, timely diagnostic for sepsis leads to under- and overdiagnosis, suboptimal outcomes, and strained hospital resources. Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center (OLOLRMC) implemented a sepsis learning health program to evaluate and improve outcomes through standardized ED workflows and the incorporation of a novel sepsis diagnostic test. Methods: We report the results of the first year of experience following the implementation of the learning health initiative and sepsis testing. Data from the Epic EHR were analyzed across two groups: …

Living In Action: A Critical Phenomenological Study Of School-Based Mental Health Counselors’ Engagement In Social Justice Practices, Kerry Whiterell

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

This study argues that a problem facing school-based mental health counselors is that neither traditional counseling psychology practices nor the public educational system in the United States were designed to meet the needs of students experiencing intersectional oppression. This study therefore described and compared traditional counseling psychology theory and practices with that of liberation psychology, and outlined social justice frameworks that are applicable to school-based mental health counselors. The overarching research question for this study then asked, “What are the experiences of social justice-oriented mental health counselors who work within public schools in Massachusetts?” To answer this question, a critical …

Microplastic Production And Toxicity Of Marine Ropes On Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, Amelia Lawson

Graduate Masters Theses

Marine environments have been affected greatly over the last 50 years by anthropogenic marine waste, particularly plastic. Plastic waste in the oceans comes from many sectors, such as textiles, shipping, and the fishing industry. As plastic litter degrades, it produces microplastics, including five major forms: foam, films, fragments, beads, and fibers. Fibers are the most prevalent microplastic type and are often formed from marine ropes, which are frequently discarded or lost at sea. These ropes contribute to entanglement, ingestion hazards, and microplastic pollution. While the shedding of microplastic fibers from ropes during active use has been studied, much less is …

"We Walk The Same Path But Have On Different Shoes: Wounded Healers And A Halfway House In Boston, Ma", Julie Labagnara

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

This study explores the processes, procedures, and relationships in a women’s reentry house, the New Hope Home (NHH), in the Grove Hall neighborhood of Boston, MA while also examining the evolution of the home and the relationships within the NHH.  This project is based on interview and participant observation data of the staff and residents of the home to ascertain multiple viewpoints and experiences of people critical to the home’s existence and success or struggles. The home opened in April 2022.  This research begins at the grand opening of the home and continues through early 2025.  Finally, neighborhood resident interviews …

Investigating Testosterone And Cortisol In Romantic Relationships, Rylei Donovan

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Romantic relationships are a primary relationship in adulthood. Relationship satisfaction has been suggested to decline over time across couples with and without children but explanations as to what might lead to decreased relationship satisfaction are lacking. Combining internal factors with external factors is likely to provide a more thorough understanding of what relationship satisfaction looks like after the major life change that is parenthood. The current dissertation focuses on understanding how hormones (i.e. testosterone and cortisol) and interpersonal interactions such as social support and partner investment might help explain what romantic relationship satisfaction looks like in parents. This project uses …

Multilingual English Teaching: Challenges And Possibilities In The Secondary Mainstream Classroom, Vannessa Quintana Sarria

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines how multilingual English language teachers (MLETs) reshape mainstream secondary education through asset-based, linguistically inclusive pedagogies. Using an ethnographic, participatory design grounded in second-generation Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT), the study investigates a Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) program at East Summer High (ESH), a public, four-year high school located northwest of Boston, Massachusetts. ESH serves approximately 1,394 students and offers a range of academic and vocational programs, including structured SEI pathways that support English Learners (ELs) at various proficiency levels, such as SEI-1, SEI-General Education, and SEI-Special Education. Over three years of immersive fieldwork, data sources include in-depth …

Methylation Risk Score Of C-Reactive Protein Associates Sleep Health With Related Health Outcomes, Ziqing Wang, Danielle A Wallace, Brian W Spitzer, Tianyi Huang, Kent D Taylor, Jerome I Rotter, Stephen S Rich, Peter Y Liu, Martha L Daviglus, Lifang Hou, Alberto R Ramos, Sonya Kaur, J Peter Durda, Hector M González, Myriam Fornage, Susan Redline, Carmen R Isasi, Tamar Sofer

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

C-reactive protein (CRP) reflects inflammation status and is linked to poor sleep, metabolic and cardiovascular health. Methylation (MRS) and polygenic risk scores (PRS) reflect long-term systemic inflammation, and genetically-determined CRP, respectively. To refine understanding of inflammation-linked sleep and health outcomes, we construct PRS-CRPs using GWAS summary statistics and a previously-developed MRS-CRP in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos. Via survey-weighted linear regression, we estimate associations between blood-, PRS-, and MRS-CRP, with multiple sleep and health outcomes (n = 2217). MRS-CRP and PRS-CRPs are associated with increasing blood-CRP level by 43% and 23% per standard deviation. MRS-CRP is associated with …

Circulating Tumor Dna Monitoring And Blood Tumor Mutational Burden In Patients With Metastatic Solid Tumors Treated With Atezolizumab, Charles Swanton, Russell W Madison, Candice Francheska B Tambaoan, Funda Meric-Bernstam, Christopher J Sweeney, Razelle Kurzrock, Howard A Burris, David R Spigel, Hanna Tukachinsky, Jason Hughes, Julia Malato, Bongin Yoo, Tania Szado, Cheryl Schwab, Lincoln W Pasquina, Amaya Gasco, Katja Schulze, Claire F Friedman

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Immune checkpoint inhibitors are important for treatment across tumor types but are not universally effective in controlling disease. Early understanding of tumor response, or lack thereof, can inform treatment decisions. This study evaluates changes in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and blood tumor mutational burden (bTMB) for associations with response to programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) blockade. We sequenced cell-free DNA collected at the start of therapy, on treatment, and at the end of therapy for 153 patients treated with atezolizumab as part of the pan-tumor MyPathway study (NCT02091141). ctDNA tumor fraction (TF) and bTMB were assessed …

Proceedings Of The 3rd Multidisciplinary Scientific Conference (Mdsc), Sultan Qaboos University

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

Structural And Functional Characterization Of Sos Pathway Genes (Sos1, Sos2, Sos3) In Avicennia Marina: Insights Into Salinity Stress Tolerance, Mariam Obaid Alzaabi

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Abiotic stress is a major challenge for agricultural productivity. Salinity stress is a vital environmental constraint that significantly limits plant growth and reduce crop yield worldwide. Halophytes, such as Avicennia marina, offer unique opportunities to dissect adaptive mechanisms underlying salt tolerance. This study focuses on the structural and functional characterization of the Salt Overly Sensitive (SOS) pathway genes (SOS1, SOS2, SOS3) from A. marina. Full-length cDNAs of AmSOS1, AmSOS2, and AmSOS3 were cloned and characterized. The sequecne analysis of these genes compared to the respective orthologs revealed high similarities and conservation of all important domains. For AmSOS1 and AmSOS3, one …

Protein Word Detection Using Text Segmentation Techniques, Ashish V. Tendulkar, Sutanu Chakraborti, Ganesh Devi

Journal of Global Awareness

Literature in Molecular Biology is abundant with linguistic metaphors. There has been works in the past that attempt to draw parallels between linguistics and biology, driven by the fundamental premise that proteins have a language of their own. Since word detection is crucial to the decipherment of any unknown language, we attempt to establish a problem mapping from natural language text to protein sequences at the level of words. Towards this end, we explore the use of an unsupervised text segmentation algorithm for the task of extracting "biological words” from protein sequences. We demonstrate the effectiveness of using domain knowledge …

Notes From The Editor, Jay Nathan

Journal of Global Awareness

No abstract provided.

Genetic Factors Associated With Myocardial Infarction In Saudi Arabia, Abdullah Saeed, Abdullah Alshafea, Hussain Aldaghaies, Abdullatif Saeed, Abdulrahman Alshehri

Journal of the Saudi Heart Association

Introduction:

Myocardial infarction (MI) is one of the leading causes of mortality in Saudi Arabia, with individuals sharing genetic, lifestyle, and environmental risk factors. The present investigation aimed to review the literature on genetic susceptibility to MI among Saudi individuals, with a specific emphasis on genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for coronary artery disease (CAD) and MI. Studies have revealed the relationship between polymorphisms in genes such as proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP), and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2B antisense RNA 1 (CDKN2B-AS1), which are involved in lipid metabolism, inflammation, and endothelial function.

Methods:

This PROSPERO-registered …

Nova Prime Challenge: Integrating Ai And Game-Based Learning In Earth And Life Science, Mary Geraldine C. Yumang

Annual Research Congress for High School and Elementary Teachers, Researchers, and Scholars (ARCHERS)

The Nova Prime Challenge is a collaborative game-based activity designed for Senior High School students in the Earth and Life Science class adapted from the learning process of Game-based Learning (GbL) Platform with an AI approach. It immerses learners in a futuristic space colonization scenario where they must apply scientific inquiry, ecological principles, and problem-solving skills while addressing SDG 4: Quality Education and SDG 15: Life on Land to enhance learners’ understanding of biological adaptation, ecological interactions, and sustainability through an AI-assisted simulation of scenario generation. Set in the year 2125, learners in a group assume different roles as commander, …

Effectiveness Of A Contextualized Interactive Multimedia For Grade 8 Science Students, Richard G. Cadizal, Ma. Cristina Bandarlipe

Annual Research Congress for High School and Elementary Teachers, Researchers, and Scholars (ARCHERS)

The Computer-Assisted Instruction is undertaken widely to catch interest and to improve student’s performance. This Descriptive and Quasi- Experimental research was anchored in determining the effects of the developed and validated Contextualized Interactive Multimedia (CIMM) to the non-equivalent groups of grade 8 students of Tanglag National High School in their Science subject. To determine the level of interest of the population toward Science subject, the researcher utilized a 10-item survey-questionnaire called Test of Related Science Attitude (TORSA). Additionally, a researcher-made pretest and posttest questionnaires were administered to determine the academic performance of the respondents. Findings showed that there is an …

The Consequences Of Technology In Player Piano, I, Robot, And Feed, Chehalis D. Eno

Student Research

With the rise of technologies coined as “artificial intelligence,” the question of human agency in society has never been more pressing. The literary genre of science fiction (SF) holds crucial clues to answering the question. Authors of texts such as Player Piano, I, Robot, and Feed each construct societies shaped by the technology they create and postulate drastic consequences as a result. Using Althusserian Marxism to analyze the ideological and repressive state apparatuses of each author’s society and posthumanism to analyze the resulting interactions with technology, this essay seeks to recognize patterns in human behavior that create technological …

Optimizing Concrete Strength: How Nanomaterials And Ai Redefine Mix Design, Dan Huang, Guangshuai Han, Ziyang Tang

Physics and Engineering Science

Nanomaterials and supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) are typically used together in efforts to enhance the performance of concrete and mitigate the environmental impact of concrete construction. However, the complex interactions between nanomaterials, SCMs, and cement make concrete mix design a challenging, iterative, and labor-intensive process, often relying on trial-and-error experimentation. Machine learning (ML) offers an opportunity to better understand the influence of input parameters and to accelerate the optimization of mix designs through data-driven insights. This study proposes an open-source and easy-to-access framework, Canopy, to support the concrete research community in optimizing mix design. Using a dataset collected from the …

Building A Grounded Theory Of Resilience Among Survivors Of Chronic Ischemic Stroke, Erin Marie Tompkins Doan

Dissertations

Abstract

Stroke is disruptive with elusive recovery and adjustment. Beyond traditional aspects of stroke rehabilitation, literature suggests adjustment to stroke should also include intervention with focus on resilience. A gap exists between conceptualization, theoretical models, and strategies for supporting resilience in persons with chronic ischemic stroke. This three-manuscript dissertation research comprised a scoping literature review, a pilot study, and a phenomenological case study. We employed a convergent mixed methods design in which we implemented and studied outcomes of an adaptive mindfulness intervention. We implemented eight focus groups with eight adults and four individual interviews over 13 months. The Brief Resilience …

Ene 262 - 011: Intro To Environmental Engr, Taha Marhaba

Civil and Environmental Engineering Syllabi

No abstract provided.

A Hyperspectral Approach For Retrieving Inherent Optical Properties, Phytoplankton Pigments, And Associated Uncertainties From Non-Water Absorption, Brice K. Grunert, Audrey Ciochetto, Colleen Mouw

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

Aquatic ecosystems and associated biogeochemical cycles are dynamic and driven by spatiotemporally diverse processes, including increasing impacts from more extreme weather and climate-related stressors. Ocean color datasets collected by airborne and satellite sensors provide platforms capable of observing distinct ecosystem features at requisite spatial and temporal scales; however, many of the tools used, including novel tools developed for hyperspectral datasets, rely on assumptions to retrieve component optical properties that are tied to specific ecosystem traits, such as phytoplankton pigments and spectral features affiliated with carbon concentration and composition. The original Derivative Analysis and Iterative Spectral Evaluation of Absorption (DAISEA) algorithm …

Pride Flags And Five-Headed Monsters: A Portrait Of A Transgender College Student's Experiences In Campus Housing, Andrew Bamford

Theses and Dissertations

This study seeks to develop an understanding of how transgender students experience living in on-campus housing and how these experiences affect their senses of wellbeing, inclusion, safety, and connection with their college. Additionally, this study solicits suggestions from its participant that can help campus housing departments identify ways to best serve their transgender student populations. Imperative due to the precarity suffered by the transgender community, especially during the notoriously anti-trans second Trump administration (Francois, 2025), this research focuses on transgender student experiences in housing due to the heightened vulnerability they experience in the confines of their on-campus housing assignments (Brauer, …

Are Cycles Of Neural Activity The Algorithm Of The Brain?, Edwin Omondi Onyango

Computer Science Senior Theses

We propose that precisely timed neural activity cycles can serve as structural primitives for memory and computation in a system that exhibits associative learning like the brain. Inspired by biologically grounded mechanisms such as calcium-dependent plasticity, spike-timing-dependent learning, and phase-sensitive excitability, we construct a spiking neural network model in which repeated temporal coincidences drive the formation of self-sustaining activity loops. These cycles, once formed, persist as dynamic memory traces: not stored as static weights, but as reverberating patterns that replay in time when these loops are restarted. We show that noise alone fails to induce stable structure, but even sparse, …

Stathmin-2 Enhances Motor Axon Regeneration After Injury Independent Of Its Binding To Tubulin., Melinda S Beccari, Olatz Arnold-Garcia, Michael W Baughn, Jonathan W Artates, Melissa Mcalonis-Downes, Jaisen Lim, Dulce Fernanda Leyva-Cázares, Hugo Isaac Rubio-Lara, Andrea Ramirez-Rodriguez, Carol N Bernal-Buenrostro, Brian Murgia-Bay, Carolina K Rangel, Dong Hyun Kim, Ze'ev Melamed, Cathleen Lutz, Clotilde Lagier-Tourenne, Kevin D Corbett, Jone López-Erauskin, Don W Cleveland

Faculty Research 2025

Stathmin-2 (also known as SCG10) is encoded by the STMN2 gene, whose mRNA is one of the most abundantly expressed in human motor neurons. In almost all instances of ALS and other TDP-43 proteinopathies, stathmin-2 encoding mRNAs are cryptically spliced and polyadenylated in motor neurons, a pathogenic consequence of nuclear loss of function of the RNA binding protein TDP-43. While stathmin-2 has been shown to enhance regeneration after axonal injury to axons of cultured motor neurons, here, we show that after crush injury within the adult murine nervous system of wild-type or stathmin-2-null mice, the presence of stathmin-2 reduces …