Digital Commons Network^™

Re-Indigenizing And Collaboratively Tending Urban Greenspaces, Divinity Nnenne Adewale

University Honors Theses

This work details the active process of land tending with the intention of re-Indigenization in the Pacific Northwest at several Portland sites; The Native American Student Community Center, PSU Oak Savanna, and the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. Land tending is an intuitive process, one rooted in love and respect for life of all forms as well as becoming the perpetual student; land tending is not a skill to be mastered, only practiced. Unlike environmental management, tending cannot be done separate from the earth, in a classroom or otherwise. Connections are what tending is built on top of: the foundation; effort …

From Sampling To Simulating: Single-Cell Multiomics In Systems Pathophysiological Modeling, Alexandra Manchel, Michelle M. Gee, Rajanikanth Vadigepalli

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

As single-cell omics data sampling and acquisition methods have accumulated at an unprecedented rate, various data analysis pipelines have been developed for the inference of cell types, cell states and their distribution, state transitions, state trajectories, and state interactions. This presents a new opportunity in which single-cell omics data can be utilized to generate high-resolution, high-fidelity computational models. In this review, we discuss how single-cell omics data can be used to build computational models to simulate biological systems at various scales. We propose that single-cell data can be integrated with physiological information to generate organ-specific models, which can then be …

Womb, Gravity, And Space: Shifting Towards The Cerebellum-Basal Ganglia Paradigm In Dystonia, Diego Iacono

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Bio-Preparedness In A Global Context: Multi-Site International Study Investigating Global Health Security Challenges In Egypt, Oman, And The United States, Rima M. Al Balushi

Theses & Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed myriad vulnerabilities globally within public health systems, from inadequate bio-risk management in laboratories to overwhelming utilization of hospital resources and disparities in vaccine access and uptake. The Global Health Security Index (GHSI), which critically evaluates health security domains including health systems and risk environments, reports serious weaknesses in global health security. This dissertation aims to investigate critical aspects of global health security domains by examining factors impacting biosafety and biosecurity capacities in laboratories in Egypt, healthcare resource utilization in hospitals in Oman relating to acute respiratory infections (ARI), and COVID-19 vaccine uptake in the United States. …

Investigating Anomalous Experiences In Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders, Pavan Brar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The self-disorder model provides a phenomenological framework for understanding how the core symptoms of Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders (SSDs) are rooted in an instability of minimal selfhood. This instability involves a range of ‘anomalous experiences’: transformations in an individual’s perceptual field and sense of being an agent of action. The explanatory value of this theoretical model can be summarized in two claims about the role of anomalous experiences in self-disorders: (1) anomalous experiences express a common trait-like disturbance that is characteristic of SSDs, and (2) anomalous experiences contribute to the progression of self-disorders into SSDs. Although hypotheses consistent with the first …

State Of Utah Plaintiff/ Appellee V. Alan Dudley Hamberlin Defendant/ Appellant : Brief Of Appellee, Utah Court Of Appeals

Utah Court of Appeals Briefs (2020 –)

Appeal from a conviction for wanton destruction of wildlife, a third degree felony, in the Sixth Judicial District, Kane County, the Honorable Mandy Larsen presiding

Freyja Johnson, Rachel Phillips Ainscough, Counsel for Appellant

NATALIE M. EDMUNDSON, SEAN D. REYES, JEFFREY N. STOTT, Counsel for Appellee

Novel Digital Anomalies, Hippocampal Atrophy, And Mutations Expand The Genotypic And Phenotypic Spectra Of Cnksr2 In The Houge Type Of X-Linked Syndromic Intellectual Development Disorder (Mrxshg), Mohammad Reza Ghasemi, Sahand Tehrani Fateh, Afif Ben-Mahmoud, Vijay Gupta, Lara G. Stühn, Gaetan Lesca, Nicolas Chatron, Konrad Platzer, Patrick Edery, Hossein Sadeghi, Bertrand Isidor, Benjamin Cogné, Heidi L. Schulz, Ilona Krauspe-Stübecke, Radhakrishnan Periyasamy, Sheela Nampoothiri, Reza Mirfakhraie, Sahar Alijanpour, Steffen Syrbe, Ulrich Pfeifer, Stephanie Spranger, Kathrin Grundmann-Hauser, Tobias B. Haack, Maria T. Papadopoulou, Tayrine Da Silva Gonçalves, Eleni Panagiotakaki, Alexis Arzimanoglou, Seyed Hassan Tonekaboni, Yves Lacassie, Et Al

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

The Houge type of X-linked syndromic intellectual developmental disorder (MRXSHG) encompasses a spectrum of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by intellectual disability (ID), language/speech delay, attention issues, and epilepsy. These conditions arise from hemizygous or heterozygous deletions, along with point mutations, affecting CNKSR2, a gene located at Xp22.12. CNKSR2, also known as CNK2 or MAGUIN, functions as a synaptic scaffolding molecule within the neuronal postsynaptic density (PSD) of the central nervous system. It acts as a link connecting postsynaptic structural proteins, such as PSD95 and S-SCAM, by employing multiple functional domains crucial for synaptic signaling and protein–protein interactions. Predominantly expressed in dendrites, …

Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonist Mediated Weight Loss And Diabetes Mellitus Benefits: A Narrative Review, Alan D. Kaye, Nathan Lien, Christopher Vuong, Matthew H. Schmitt, Yusra Soorya, Bushirat A. Abubakar, Luke Muiznieks, Noah Embry, Harish Siddaiah, Adam M. Kaye, Sahar Shekoohi, Giustino Varrassi

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are chronic diseases with increasing prevalence, underscoring the urgent need for effective treatment and management strategies. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) have emerged as an essential class of drugs for managing both obesity and T2DM, offering additional benefits for cardiovascular and kidney health. GLP-1 RAs work by targeting GLP-1 receptors, mimicking the effects of the natural hormone GLP-1 to regulate blood glucose levels, promote weight loss, and provide potential benefits for cardiovascular health. This narrative review evaluates the mechanisms of action, clinical efficacy, and broader roles of GLP-1 RAs in promoting weight …

Revisiting Territorial Sovereignty: Origins, Legitimacy, And Modern Implications, Henan Hu

San Diego International Law Journal

The conventional linkage between territory and sovereignty in international law requires reevaluation, with territorial rights shifting from states to nations. Drawing on Anthony Smith’s theory of historical continuity between pre-modern ethnic communities and modern nations, this article argues that legitimate claims to territory are grounded in the historical consolidation of social, economic, and political ties by ethnic groups to specific lands. It traces the evolution of territorial rights from loosely defined ethnic living areas and fluid state boundaries to the modern conception of national territories under effective control. By distinguishing sovereignty as a construct of the state and territory as …

Ifrd1 Is Required For Maintenance Of Bladder Epithelial Homeostasis, Bisiayo E Fashemi, Amala K Rougeau, Arnold M Salazar, Steven J Bark, Rayvanth Chappidi, Jeffrey W Brown, Charles J Cho, Jason C Mills, Indira U Mysorekar

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The maintenance of homeostasis and rapid regeneration of the urothelium following stress are critical for bladder function. Here, we identify a key role for IFRD1 in maintaining urothelial homeostasis in a mouse model. We demonstrate that the murine bladder expresses IFRD1 at homeostasis, particularly in the urothelium, and its loss alters the global transcriptome with significant accumulation of endolysosomes and dysregulated uroplakin expression pattern. We show that IFRD1 interacts with mRNA-translation-regulating factors in human urothelial cells. Loss of Ifrd1 leads to disrupted proteostasis, enhanced endoplasmic reticulum (ER stress) with activation of the PERK arm of the unfolded protein response pathway, …

The Occurrence And Biogeochemical Cycling Of Quaternary, Ternary And Volatile Amines In Marine Systems, Mark Fitzsimons, Ruth Airs, Yin Chen

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

This review provides a critical assessment of knowledge regarding the occurrence and behaviour of volatile, low molecular weight amines, particularly methylamines and quaternary amines, in marine aquatic systems. It provides an up-to-date evaluation of their presence within marine ecosystems, the processes likely to control their flux across the sea-air interface, and analytical techniques associated with their measurement. Interest in the occurrence and cycling of these groups of compounds in seawater has increased within the last 10–15 years, due to their potential role in climate regulation. As such, the need for wider measurements and mechanistic studies to elucidate their role within …

Impact Of Global Environmental Changes On The Range Contraction Of Eurasian Moose Since The Late Pleistocene, Magdalena Niedziałkowska, Marcin Górny, Joanna Gornia, Danijela Popović, Mateusz Baca, Urszula Ratajczak-Skrzatek, Oleksandr Kovalchuk, Maciej Sykut, Małgorzata Suska-Malawska, Paweł Mackiewicz, Emilia Hofman-Kamińska, Rafał Kowalczyk, Maxim Czarniauski, Kamilla Pawłowska, Daniel Makowiecki, Larisa Tataurova, Alexey Bondarev, Andrey Shpansky, Albert V. Protopopov, Aleksandr Dmitrievich Sorokin, Urmas Saarma, Pavel Kosintsev, Ulrich Schmölcke, Jarosław Wilczyński, Grzegorz Lipecki, Adam Nadachowski, Gennady G. Boeskorov, Gennady F. Baryshnikov, Roberto Zorzin, Nadezhda Vorobiova

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Climatic oscillations are considered primary factors influencing the distribution of various life forms on Earth. Large species adapted to cold climates are particularly vulnerable to extinction due to climate changes. In our study, we investigated whether temperature increase since the Late Pleistocene and the contraction of environmental niche during the Holocene were the main factors contributing to the decreasing range of moose (Alces alces) in Europe. We also examined whether there were significant differences in environmental conditions between areas inhabited by moose in Europe and Asia, that could support the division of moose into western and eastern forms, as suggested …

Rna-Dependent Rna Polymerase Of Predominant Human Norovirus Forms Liquid-Liquid Phase Condensates As Viral Replication Factories, Soni Kaundal, Ramakrishnan Anish, B Vijayalakshmi Ayyar, Sreejesh Shanker, Gundeep Kaur, Sue E Crawford, Jeroen Pollet, Fabio Stossi, Mary K Estes, B V Venkataram Prasad

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Many viral proteins form biomolecular condensates via liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) to support viral replication and evade host antiviral responses, and thus, they are potential targets for designing antivirals. In the case of nonenveloped positive-sense RNA viruses, forming such condensates for viral replication is unclear and less understood. Human noroviruses (HuNoVs) are positive-sense RNA viruses that cause epidemic and sporadic gastroenteritis worldwide. Here, we show that the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) of pandemic GII.4 HuNoV forms distinct condensates that exhibit all the signature properties of LLPS with sustained polymerase activity and the capability of recruiting components essential for viral replication. …

Scientifically Improving Human-Nature Relationship In Desertification Areas, Bojie Fu, Yanxu Liu, Shuai Wang, Junfeng Song, Zejiang Li

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The expansion trend of desertification in China has been fundamentally restrained. In the new era, scientifically improving the relationship between human and nature in desertification areas to promote regional sustainable development has become an important demand for desertification combat in China. We summarize four key challenges to sustainable development in desertification areas, including increasing human demand on water, increasing land use intensity, increasing climatic risk, and insufficient industrial innovation. Based on the theoretical understanding of the coupling relationship between human and nature, the evolution of human-nature relationship in combating desertification can be divided into four stages, namely, extensive land exploitation, …

Bile Acids In Inflammatory Bowel Disease: From Pathophysiology To Treatment, Samantha H Bai, Arun Chandnani, Siyan Cao

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic condition that affects about 7 million people worldwide, and new therapies are needed. Understanding the complex roles that bile acids (BAs) play in IBD may lead to the development of novel IBD treatments independent of direct immunosuppression. This review discusses the latest discoveries in the roles BAs play in IBD pathogenesis and explores how these discoveries offer promising new therapeutic targets to treat IBD and improve patient outcomes. Several therapies discussed include specific BA receptor (BAR) agonists, dietary therapies, supplements, probiotics, and mesenchymal stem cell therapies that have all been shown to decrease …

Sisa's Vengeance: Rizal And The Mother Of All Insurgencies, E. San Juan Jr.

Kritika Kultura

A new appraisal of Rizal is needed today in the light of 9/11, the collapse of finance capital, state terrorism, and neoliberal decadence and barbarism. Rizal’s revolutionary critique can be discovered by shifting the center of inquiry to the Dapitan years and after, the Liga’s resonance, and the Sisa-Maria Clara-Salome nexus. By exposing the limits of Simoun’s romantic idealism, Padre Florentino’s eschatological impulse, and the carnivalesque colonial world bereft of god/nomos, Rizal anticipates the post-capitalist predicament. Women’s vengeance against patriarchal nihilism lies submerged in Rizal’s communicative action to the Malolos collective, mobilizing emergent and residual historical forces in a dialectical …

Childhood And Family In Contemporary Children's Fiction: Resilience, Agency, And Emergence Of New Gender Norms, Rosario Torres-Yu

Kritika Kultura

New awareness of re-thinking childhood in the emergent field of childhood studies inspires production of new discourse on social construction of childhood in literature. This paper looks at contemporary children’s literature in the Philippines from this perspective and within the context of the globalization and transnationalization of care giving. Its interrogation of selected children’s books and literature for young adult reveals that the traditional concept of childhood is now being challenged and resisted. Cognizant of the need to sustain this direction of literary production, this paper posits that children’s literature in the country should mainstream this new thinking so that …

“Weevils Floated On The Gravy”: Disgusting Food In African Fiction, Igor B. Cusack

European Journal of Food Drink and Society

This paper examines the uses of food in several African novels where descriptions of food might trigger the reader’s disgust. Visceral disgust might be elicited either by the senses, such as taste or smell, or by the nature and history of an object, that has been termed “ideational disgust." Visceral disgust differs from moral disgust, when an individual might feel something is profoundly wrong. Fictional descriptions of something disgusting may elicit similar emotions to those evoked by the material object, and this imagining has been called “the paradox of fiction." The reactions of individual readers may differ according to cultural …

Neuroqueering As Culturally Sustaining Practice, Nathan Hughes, Meaghan Krazinski

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

This article explores how neuroqueering can be a complementary component to culturally-sustaining practices (Paris & Alim, 2014), and explores how culturally sustaining frameworks can affirm neurodiversity. Issues such as criminalization of Autistic people of color, and implications of diagnosis disparities and barriers to receiving services are well known (Kearl, 2021). As Gordon (2021) notes, Centering Autistic culture (#BlackAutisticJoy) and ways of being is an important part of affirming Autistic students' identities. Culturally sustaining practices (Paris & Alim, 2014) that seek to provide supportive classroom spaces that affirm students’ culture and identity must also include attention to …

From Margins To Mainstream: Embracing Neurodiverse Needs For An Inclusive Workplace, Ricardo Twumasi, Lewis Burton

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

This article critically examines the dominance of neurotypical norms in contemporary workplaces and explores the potential for inclusive, neurodiverse workplaces to move from the margins to the mainstream. We offer a brief scoping review of the existing review literature on neurodivergence at work. Focusing on the more common neurominority differences such as autism spectrum, dyslexia and ADHD we apply the neurodiversity framework to challenge traditional notions of workplace "professionalism" and productivity. By synthesizing current research we propose constructive suggestions for creating truly neurodiverse work environments. Our analysis shows that the research community is calling out for long-term, scientific intervention trials …

A Computational Framework To Optimize Piezoelectric Power Harvesting From A Uav Wing, Hassan Koko, Gihad Ibrahim

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

This paper proposes a computational framework to optimize the ambient power harvesting from an unmanned air vehicle wing by means of piezoelectricity. First, the wing shape and material are selected based on specific design factors. The wing is then subjected to a vibrational analysis in order to predict the first torsional frequency required to calculate an optimum charging speed. The harvester module is then selected so that the vibration frequency of the charging speed fails within the resonance frequency of the harvester. A finite element modeling is conducted to predict the harvester output voltage during the chagrining speed. Finally, a …

The Camden Study - A Pregnancy Cohort Study Of Pregnancy Complications And Birth Outcomes In Camden, New Jersey, Usa., Stephanie Shiau, Xinhua Chen, Ayana April-Sanders, Ellen C Francis, Shristi Rawal, Megan Hansel, Kehinde Adeyemi, Zorimar Rivera-Núñez, Emily S Barrett

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy is a unique stage of the life course characterized by trade-offs between the nutritional, immune, and metabolic needs of the mother and fetus. The Camden Study was originally initiated to examine nutritional status, growth, and birth outcomes in adolescent pregnancies and expanded to study dietary and molecular predictors of pregnancy complications and birth outcomes in young women.

METHODS: From 1985-2006, 4765 pregnant participants aged 12 years and older were recruited from Camden, NJ, one of the poorest cities in the US. The cohort reflects a population under-represented in perinatal cohort studies (45% Hispanic, 38% non-Hispanic Black, 17% White …

Studying The Dynamics Of Neuromodulators In The Brain By Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging, Pingchuan Ma

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Neuromodulators in the brain are fundamental to neuronal functions and animal behaviors in health and diseases. The modulatory actions of neuromodulators highly rely on their spatiotemporal dynamics. Recent research has demonstrated the importance of both sustained and transient change in neuromodulators, likely due to tonic and phasic neuromodulator release. However, no traditional methods could simultaneously record both types of dynamics. Fluorescence lifetime of optical reporters could offer a solution because it both allows high temporal resolution and is impervious to sensor expression differences across chronic periods. Nevertheless, no fluorescence lifetime change across the entire classes of neuromodulator sensors was previously …

Exploring The Homeostatic Functions And Driving Forces Of Lymphatic Outflow Pathways From The Central Nervous System, Zachary Matthew Papadopoulos

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lymphatic drainage from the central nervous system (CNS) has been noted and described for several hundred years, yet its physiological roles have remained unclear. The fluid homeostasis of the CNS has long stood as an area of scientific interest due to primary disorders including hydrocephalus. However, the early days of neuroimmunology leaned on the lack of lymphatic vasculature in the CNS as a contributing explanation for ‘immune privilege’ in the CNS. As a result, the importance of lymphatics in CNS homeostasis has remained poorly understood and controversial. Following a renaissance in interest in the contribution of lymphatics to CNS homeostasis, …

Mechanism Of Impaired Cd8+ T Cell Activation During Ross River Virus Infection, Christopher Bullock

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ross River virus (RRV) is a mosquito transmitted virus endemic to Australia that infects humans and causes acute symptoms of rash, fever, myalgia, and fatigue. Although systemic viral infection subsides within a few weeks, joint pain lingers in many patients for months. Active viral replication is not readily detected in this chronic phase, although persistent viral RNA has been found in the synovial fluid of patients. This can be studied in mice, which can be productively infected with RRV when inoculated in the foot. Like in humans, in the chronic phase of disease, viral RNA is still present in the …

Cas Connections- 2024 Fall Term - December, Dean's Office College Of Arts And Science

CAS Connections

No abstract provided.

Two Decades Of Climate Measurements Reveal El Niño's Role In Andean Elevation-Dependent Warming, Luke Davies

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Driven by climate change, elevation-dependent warming (EDW) has become a critical issue in the Cordillera Blanca of Peru. This study focuses on gathering evidence of EDW and determining the relationship between El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events and micrometeorological forcing in two proglacial valleys. A climate monitoring network was maintained through a 20-year collaboration between Bridgewater State University (BSU), Universidad Nacional Santiago Antúnez de Mayolo (UNASAM), and the Autoridad Nacional de Agua (ANA). Fieldwork in June 2023 and June 2024 included repairing weather stations, installing new Lascar sensors, and downloading data loggers to sustain and improve the climate record. Data …

Probing The Interactions Of Anticancer Drug Doxorubicin To Dna Using Optical Tweezers, Jason Martin

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Doxorubicin (Doxo) is a historically significant anti-cancer drug that has been used to treat multiple types of cancers for half a century. The drug targets DNA of cancer cells through a binding mode called intercalation, acting as roadblock during DNA replication to stop tumor formation. While Doxo has been extensively studied through traditional methods, only a handful of research has utilized single molecule methods, which can provide new insights at the molecular level. In this study, we used dual beam optical tweezers to isolate single DNA molecules and mechanically manipulate the DNA in the presence of Doxo. We conducted two …

Southern Adventist University Commencement Program Winter 2024, Southern Adventist University

Commencement Programs

Program for Southern Adventist University Winter 2024 graduation. The commencement service took place on December 19, 2024 at 7 pm in Iles Physical Education Center.

A Phenomenological Analysis Of African American Clergy And Congregation Weight Loss Interventions, Linda Fay Carper

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This phenomenological study examines the lived experiences of Houston African American clergy regarding their roles and effectiveness in leading weight loss interventions within their faith-based communities. The research addresses the gap in peer-reviewed literature on the impact of Houston-area African American faith-based leadership on the success of weight loss initiatives. Grounded in the Transtheoretical Theory, the study explores clergy perceptions of decisional balance, self-efficacy, and processes of change to inform future health interventions. Ten purposive participants, meeting the inclusion criteria of being clergy leaders in Houston-based congregations with at least 50% African American membership, shared their insights. Data were collected …