Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluating Novel In Silico Tools For Accurate Pathogenicity Classification In Epilepsy-Associated Genetic Missense Variants, Ludovica Montanucci, Tobias Brünger, Christian M Boßelmann, Alina Ivaniuk, Eduardo Pérez-Palma, Samden Lhatoo, Costin Leu, Dennis Lal

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective: Determining the pathogenicity of missense variants in clinical genetic tests for individuals with epilepsy is crucial for guiding personalized treatment. However, achieving a definitive pathogenic classification remains challenging, with most missense variants still classified as variants of uncertain significance (VUS) and with the availability of many computational tools which may provide conflicting predictions. Here, we aim to evaluate the performance of state-of-the-art computational tools in pathogenicity prediction of missense variants in epilepsy-associated genes. This will assist in selecting the most appropriate tool and critically assess their use in clinical setting.

Methods: We assessed the performance of nine in silico …

Nasal Virus Infection Induces Asthma Exacerbation Through B-Cell-Dependent Recruitment Of Inflammatory Monocytes, Kody A Waldstein, Arman Issimov, Maria Ganama, Valerie Jinge, Stephen Tilley, Xiaoyang Hua

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Upper respiratory viral infections (URVIs) are responsible for 80% of asthma exacerbation episodes. However, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood.

Methods: In this study, we used a mouse model of URVI and examined the impact of URVI on asthma phenotypes and the underlying mechanisms.

Results: Previously, we have reported that nasal-restricted infection with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) only produces mild sino-nasal inflammation and mucus production, without causing direct lung infection. However, such nasal-restricted infection dramatically enhanced TH2 and TH17 inflammatory responses in the lungs and increased airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) in mice with house dust mite (HDM)-induced asthma. Additionally, nasal-restricted …

Expanded-Access Use Of Elamipretide Improves Quality Of Life In Patients With Rare Mitochondrial Disorders Characterized By Ophthalmic Symptoms: A Case Series, Sharique Ansari, Mary Kay Koenig

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

This case series presents the use of elamipretide in two patients with different progressive mitochondrial disorders (chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia [CPEO] plus and neuropathy, ataxia, and retinitis pigmentosa [NARP] syndrome) characterized by ophthalmic traits. Elamipretide was well tolerated and both patients demonstrated improvement in symptoms while on therapy.

Politisasi Identitas Kabihu Pada Pemilihan Kepala Daerah Di Kabupaten Sumba Timur Tahun 2020, Umbu Manggana, Yohanes Mardimin, Daniel Daud Kameo

Antropologi Indonesia

Following the 1998 reform, the implementation of direct regional head elections in Indonesia increased the prevalence of identity politics in various regions. Not only religious and tribal identities, but various group identities in society are politicized to achieve political victory. This article analyzes the identity politicization during the 2020 East Sumba Regency regional head election. The research utilizes a qualitative method by employing a case study approach. The study demonstrates several notable findings. (1) The 2020 East Sumba Regency regional head election witnessed identity politicization, albeit inexplicitly. (2) Various group identities in East Sumba, including religious affiliation, ethnicity, social class, …

Mechanistic Diversity And Functional Roles Define The Substrate Specificity And Ligand Binding Of Bacterial Pgp Phosphatases, Wei Niu, Joanne Shi Woon Lam, Trung Vu, Guangwei Du, Hao Fan, Lei Zheng

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Phosphatidylglycerol is a critical membrane phospholipid in microorganisms, synthesized via the dephosphorylation of phosphatidylglycerol-phosphate (PGP) by three membrane-bound phosphatases: PgpA, PgpB, and PgpC. While any one of these enzymes can produce phosphatidylglycerol at WT levels, the reason for the presence of all three in bacteria remains unclear. To address this question, we characterized these phosphatases in vitro to uncover their mechanistic differences. Our assays demonstrated that all three enzymes catalyze the hydrolysis of PGP but exhibit distinct substrate selectivity. PgpB displays a broad substrate range, dephosphorylating various lipid phosphates, while PgpA and PgpC show a higher specificity for lysophosphatidic acid …

A Shared Mechanism For Tnp-Atp Recognition By Members Of The P2x Receptor Family, Xiao-Bo Ma, Chen-Xi Yue, Yan Liu, Yang Yang, Jin Wang, Xiao-Na Yang, Li-Dong Huang, Michael X Zhu, Motoyuki Hattori, Chang-Zhu Li, Ye Yu, Chang-Run Guo

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

P2X receptors (P2X1-7) are non-selective cation channels involved in many physiological activities such as synaptic transmission, immunological modulation, and cardiovascular function. These receptors share a conserved mechanism to sense extracellular ATP. TNP-ATP is an ATP derivative acting as a nonselective competitive P2X antagonist. Understanding how it occupies the orthosteric site in the absence of agonism may help reveal the key allostery during P2X gating. However, TNP-ATP/P2X complexes (TNP-ATP/human P2X3 (hP2X3) and TNP-ATP/chicken P2X7 (ckP2X7)) with distinct conformations and different mechanisms of action have been proposed. Whether these represent species and subtype variations or experimental differences remains unclear. Here, we show …

Deep Subseafloor Sediments In Guaymas Basin Harbor Cosmopolitan Microbiota And Traces Of Hydrothermal Populations, Paraskevi Mara, David Beaudoin, Ivano Aiello, Yuki Morono, David Geller-Mcgrath, Virginia P. Edgcomb, Andreas Teske

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Environmental factors shape subsurface microbial ecosystems, and well-characterized sites are ideal for determining how environmental parameters shape sediment communities. Sediments from eight geologically and thermally distinct sites were drilled during International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 385 in Guaymas Basin, an expedition focused on the hydrothermal deep biosphere. Using high-throughput 16S ribosomal nucleic acid sequencing, cell counts, phylogenetics, metatranscriptomics, and mineralogical/elemental X-ray spectroscopy, we examine linkages and feedbacks between mineral composition, temperature, geochemistry, and microbial populations. We show subsurface life is dominated by heterotrophic, cosmopolitan prokaryotes that thrive within a range of sediments and temperature conditions across Guaymas Basin. Hydrothermally-affiliated lineages …

Private Landowner Interest In Prescribed Fire In California: Findings From Workshops In The Sierra Nevada, Kate M. Wilkin, Amanda M. Stasiewicz, Susan D. Kocher

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Background: Globally, prescribed fire political interest and practice has been rekindled following recent devastating wildfire seasons. This phenomenon was especially acute in areas with dual wildfire and forest health crises, like California. Previous research has investigated prescribed fire on public lands or on private lands in other regions, but little is known about prescribed fire practice or interest on private lands in California. Therefore, we sought to understand private land managers’ perceptions of prescribed fire compared to other land management techniques, treatment pathways, motivations, and barriers to complete these treatments in California. Results: Before workshops on prescribed fire for private …

A Multiscale Approach To Understanding The Shared Blue-Orange Flower Color Polymorphism In Two Lysimachia Species, Mercedes Sánchez-Cabrera, Eduardo Narbona, Montserrat Arista, Pedro L. Ortiz, Francisco J. Jiménez-López, Amelia Fuller, Benjamin Carter, Justen B. Whittall

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Background: Polymorphisms are common in nature, but they are rarely shared among closely related species. Polymorphisms could originate through convergence, ancestral polymorphism, or introgression. Although shared neutral genomic variation across species is commonplace, few examples of shared functional traits exist. The blue-orange petal color polymorphisms in two closely related species, Lysimachia monelli and L. arvensis were investigated with UV-vis reflectance spectra, flavonoid biochemistry, and transcriptome comparisons followed by climate niche analysis. Results: Similar color morphs between species have nearly identical reflectance spectra, flavonoid biochemistry, and ABP gene expression patterns. Transcriptome comparisons reveal two orange-specific genes directly involved in both blue-orange …

Beyond Boundaries: Governance Considerations For Climate-Driven Habitat Shifts Of Highly Migratory Marine Species Across Jurisdictions, Bianca S. Santos, Elliott L. Hazen, Heather Welch, Nerea Lezama-Ochoa, Barbara A. Block, Daniel P. Costa, Scott A. Shaffer, Larry B. Crowder

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The mobile nature of migratory marine animals across jurisdictional boundaries can challenge the management of biodiversity, particularly under global environmental change. While projections of climate-driven habitat change can reveal whether marine species are predicted to gain or lose habitat in the future, geopolitical boundaries and differing governance regimes may influence animals’ abilities to thrive in new areas. Broad geographic movements and diverse governance approaches elicit the need for strong international collaboration to holistically manage and conserve these shared migratory species. In this study, we use data from the Tagging of Pacific Predators program to demonstrate the feasibility of using climate-driven …

Delineating Genetic Influences On Neurodegenerative Disorders And Infectious Diseases Through Advanced Computational Methods, Xiaowei Zhuang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Genetics plays a critical role in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative disorders and pathogen evolution in infectious diseases. For example, identifying genetic variants associated with a disease phenotype uncovers functional pathways that could lead to potential drug targets and therapeutic interventions. In addition, tracking the genetic evolution of pathogens enables early detection and warning of infectious disease outbreaks. In both applications, given the large amount of genetic data, advanced computational methods, including longitudinal and multivariate models, could significantly boost the statistical power and capture interrelationships among traits, environmental factors and genetic influences. This dissertation focuses on four applications of …

The Bridge Newsletter Winter 2024, Missouri University Of Science And Technology

The Bridge Newsletter

• TED x Missouri S&T: Unveiling Resilience
• ElGawady named interim chair
• Ma named inaugural Kummer Impact Professor
• Sensor patent granted
• Burken awarded ASCE President’s Medal

Heavy Metals In Rural Soils: A Case Study In Jennings County, Indiana, Madeline Hill

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Heavy metals, such as lead and mercury, can be toxic if exposure levels are too high. People are often concerned about lead exposure from water or paint, but soil is another potential exposure avenue for many metals. While some heavy metals, including mercury and lead, are found in emissions from coal-burning power plants and from incinerators, many metals accumulate in soils from past uses (ex. lead paint, leaded gasoline, chemical spills, industrial emissions, and natural occurrences). It is important to have soil tested to check metal concentrations because consumption or inhalation of these metals can lead to permanent damage and …

The Impact Of E-Commerce On Digital Marketing Hopes And Ambitions: A Case Study In Airline Reservation Offices In Iraq, Anas Maaroof, Abdullah Oğrak

Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences

Purpose: The current study aims to identify the impact of e-commerce with digital marketing in airline reservation offices in the Republic of Iraq. The study consists of two main variables: the independent variable that included e-commerce, which consisted of four dimensions: Business-to-Business, Consumer-to-Business, and Consumer-to. - Consumer, Business-to-Government, and the dependent variable represents digital marketing, the dimensions of which are: website design, social media marketing, search engine optimization, and email marketing. Theoretical Framework: Upon on Maaroof, A. (2021) This study highlights the importance of e-commerce and digital marketing, such as booking corners during digital transactions in airline reservation offices, as …

Alternative Agrifood Systems And The Economic Sustainability Of Farmers' Cooperatives: The Chinese Experience, Zhanping Hu, Qian Forrest Zhang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Most registered farmers' cooperatives in China are de facto private enterprises; while many bring economic gains to farmers, they do not function as cooperatives. Among the small minority that started as authentic cooperatives, however, most struggled to provide economic benefits to members, unable to achieve economic sustainability. The failure of true farmers' cooperatives in China has been widely studied; the success of the few that did become economically sustainable, however, remains poorly understood. Using a sample of 70 farmers' cooperatives across the country and comparing three “extreme cases”—cooperatives that are both authentic and economically successful—with the rest, this study argues …

The Rage, Fall 2024, Aspen Humphries, Savannah Moore, Lottie Taylor

The Rage Zine

The Rage zine is published in collaboration with Students Advocating Gender Equality and CCU Women's and Gender Studies. Volume 3, Issue 1.

The Relationship Between Salvinia Molesta Infestation And The Microbial Ecology Of Wetlands At Caddo Lake, Tx, Usa, Martin Hadsell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Wetlands are known to host many beneficial geochemical processes such as nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration. These processes are primarily driven by the microbial communities within a wetland. The establishment of non-native invasive species within wetlands has the potential to alter the once beneficial functionality of wetland microbial communities due to the sensitivity microbes have towards environmental changes. Because of this, several metagenomic studies have been conducted to assess microbial community response to aquatic plant invasion; however, there haven’t been any studies researching the influence of Salvinia molesta (D.S. Mitch.), commonly known as Giant Salvinia, on microbial communities. The goal …

Bioremediation Of Effluent Water In A Coal Ash Disposal Area: Optimizing Microbial Sulfate Reduction, Ryka Shea

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Coal combustion residues (CCR) pose a serious environmental threat, even long after they are disposed of in specialized landfills, due to their complex composition and potential for leaching into waterways. This study focuses on the issue of elevated sulfate concentrations at the Martin Lake Steam Electric Station (MLSES) A-I Disposal Area in Panola County, Texas, where CCR are disposed of in a permanent landfill. Currently, this site is exceeding its regulatory limit of sulfate concentrations in its effluent and is in need of a cost-effective and sustainable solution to this problem. This research utilized benchtop experiments to investigate sulfate reducing …

Establishment Of Structure-Property-Processing Relationships For Design Of Sprayable Hydrogels And Amyloid/Peo Electrospun Composites, Xianjun Wang

Dissertations

The focus of this dissertation is the design, synthesis, characterization, and prototyping of bio-inspired materials to understand the role of structure, intermolecular interactions, and processing technique on the self-assembly, bioactive properties, and mechanical properties of the biomaterials. This work is divided into three research areas: 1) sprayable and adhesive glycopolymer based hydrogels; 2) decapeptide-based composite nanofiber mats; and 3) prototyping sutures and meshes via electrospinning. The established structure-property-processing relationships provide a foundation for designing biomaterials in the future.

The first chapter provides an introductory overview of the requirements necessary for the development of hydrogels, glycopolymers, and peptides, including relevant processing …

A Practical Guide To Avoiding Biased Communication In Reproductive Biology, Zoe Baker, Virginia Hayssen

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

When cultural biases pervade communication, whether visual or text-based, objectivity is impaired. Anthropocentrism (human-centered bias) and androcentrism (male-centered bias) in particular distort perspectives in mammalian reproductive biology. This paper provides a resource for professionals who understand how cultural biases can be reinforced with language, visuals, and conceptual framing. After brief explanations, we present neutral alternatives to biased terminology as well as ways to avoid bias in illustrations. Since this paper is animal-centric, we hope to inspire the creation of similar resources across a more diverse biota and, thus, move towards a more neutral perspective across reproductive biology.

Early Detection And Intervention Of Preschool-Aged Children Using Android-Based Monitoring During The Covid-19 Pandemic In Central Java, Triwiji Lestari, Elisa Elisa

Jurnal Keperawatan Indonesia

Preschool age is widely recognized as a critical phase in child development, often referred to as the golden period, the window of opportunity, and the critical period. Alarming statistics from the Indonesian Ministry of Health reveal that 16% of Indonesian toddlers, amounting to 0.4 million children, experience developmental delays, encompassing fine and gross motor skills, hearing impairments, reduced cognitive abilities, and speech delays. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of an Android-based early detection and intervention system on the development of preschool children during the challenging circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic in Central Java. The research employed a quasi- …

Hildegard Of Bingen’S Embryology: Enabling Women’S Reproductive Power Without Seed, Minji Lee

Department of Religion Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This paper examines Hildegard of Bingen’s embryological theory within the intricate landscape of medieval medicine and religion. It situates Hildegard’s understanding of conception within ongoing historical debates surrounding the roles of male and female reproductive substances, particularly the concept of seed or semen. By analyzing her conceptual framework against prevailing classical and medieval reproductive theories, the research illuminates Hildegard’s distinctive contribution to understanding conception as a holistic bodily process. Classical embryological discourse predominantly oscillated between Aristotle’s one-seed theory—which positioned men as sole generative agents—and Galen’s two-seed theory, which marginally acknowledged female reproductive participation. While technically aligning with Aristotelian principles by …

Proactive And Reactive Sibling Aggression And Their Mediating Effects On The Relationship Between Exposure To Parental Violence And Adulthood Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration, Ayleen Flores, Ruby Charak

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

It is generally understood that individuals who experience exposure to parental violence (EPV) during childhood may come to perpetrate violence, but not all will. Research has shown that individuals who experience EPV can model maladaptive modes of problem-solving that can later be seen in sibling relationships as aggression. This can lead to a heightened risk of adulthood intimate partner violence perpetration (IPV). This study aimed to examine the mediating role of proactive and reactive sibling aggression in the associations of three forms of childhood EPV—violence directed from mother-to-father, father-to-mother, bidirectional—and perpetration of sexual and physical IPV types during adulthood. Participants …

Reevo: Large Language Models As Hyper-Heuristics With Reflective Evolution, Haoran Ye, Jiarui Wang, Zhiguang Cao, Federico Berto, Chuanbo Hua, Haeyeon Kim, Jinkyoo Park, Guojie Song

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The omnipresence of NP-hard combinatorial optimization problems (COPs) compels domain experts to engage in trial-and-error heuristic design process. The long-standing endeavor of design automation has gained new momentum with the rise of large language models (LLMs). This paper introduces Language Hyper-Heuristics (LHHs), an emerging variant of Hyper-Heuristics that leverages LLMs for heuristic generation, featuring minimal manual intervention and open-ended heuristic spaces. To empower LHHs, we present Reflective Evolution (ReEvo), a generic searching framework that emulates the reflective design approach of human experts while far surpassing human capabilities with its scalable LLM inference, Internet-scale domain knowledge, and powerful evolutionary search. Evaluations …

Genetic Aspects Of Resilience In The Foundational Seagrass Halodule Wrightii: The Role Of Genetic Variation And Gene Expression In Maintaining Primary Production, Anastasia M. Konefal

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Seagrasses are coastal foundation species which significantly contribute to the primary production of shallow water ecosystems and provide several services. However, seagrasses, like other coastal foundation species, are threatened by myriad anthropogenic stressors. Conservation is difficult in ecosystems under multiple threats where the factors that contribute to production are not easily elucidated. Genetic diversity and gene expression may be related to the function and stability of populations but are rarely considered in management plans. High genetic diversity and the associated trait variation within a population are known to contribute to higher function and stability of a population. Additionally, individual-level changes …

Eigenbin Compression For Reducing Photon-Counting Ct Data Size, Taly Gilat Schmidt, Zhye Yin, Jingwu Yao, Jiahua Fan

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Background

Photon-counting CT (PCCT) systems acquire multiple spectral measurements at high spatial resolution, providing numerous image quality benefits while also increasing the amount of data that must be transferred through the gantry slip ring.

Purpose

This study proposes a lossy method to compress photon-counting CT data using eigenvector analysis, with the goal of providing image quality sufficient for applications that require a rapid initial reconstruction, such as to confirm anatomical coverage, scan quality, and to support automated advanced applications. The eigenbin compression method was experimentally evaluated on a clinical silicon PCCT prototype system.

Methods

The proposed eigenbin method performs principal …

Inhibitory Activities Of Phytoconstituents From Azadirachta Indica And Murraya Koenigii As Potential Drugs For Secondary Infection Of Atopic Eczema Disease - In Silico Study, Mikidadi S. Gurisha, Pulapa V. Kanaka Rao, Laxmikanth Cherupally

Tanzania Journal of Science

Atopic Eczema (AE) disease is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that is caused by a person’s inability to repair damage to the skin barrier. Staphylococcus aureus (SA) is a virulent pathogen that plays an important role in the progression of secondary infection in AE patients, thus intensifying the disease's virulence. In this study, the inhibitory activities of phytoconstituents from Azadirachta indica and Murraya koenigii against the SA (Protein Data Bank ID: 7TIO) using an in silico approach are presented. Site-specific docking analysis was carried out on the virulent pathogen with the docking center at X: 1.65044, Y: 1.7980, Z: 3.1878, …

Impact Of Pegylated Liposomes On Cytotoxicity Of Tamoxifen And Piperine On Mcf-7 Human Breast Carcinoma Cells, Klaudi K. Vaiphei, A Prabakaran, Singh Snigdha, Satyajit Laxman Murkute, Purusottam Mohapatra, Rakesh Kumar Sahoo, Sanya Batheja, Umesh Gupta, Anu Puri, Upal Roy

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

Tamoxifen (TMF) is an anticancer agent used for managing estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. It has limited therapeutic efficacy against breast cancer, which could be enhanced by the coadministration of herbal drugs like piperine (PIP). However, the hydrophobic nature of TMF and PIP restricts their therapeutic application. Therefore, the present study focuses on the impact of the anticancer activity of TMF in combination with PIP and after entrapping them into liposomes (TMF-PIP-LPs and TMF-PIP-PEG-LPs). The liposomes were prepared using the thin film hydration method. In addition, the morphology of the prepared liposomes was found spherical after SEM and TEM analyses. Further, …

Public Health Emergencies And The Second Amendment, Amy Swearer, Paul J. Larkin

Denver Law Review

For many decades, gun control advocates, hoping to shift the terms of the debate to more favorable terrain, have argued that gun violence should be viewed primarily through the lens of public health. In September 2023, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and New Mexico Secretary of Health Patrick Allen pushed that rationale to its extreme and beyond. Under the auspices of the state’s public health emergency laws, they issued an executive order and agency directive that effectively eliminated the right of ordinary citizens to bear arms in public in the state’s most populous county. That attempt to circumvent the …

"Recognize Me As Who I Am": Names, Pronouns, And The Intersection Of Title Vii And Title Ix, Ariell Bachman

Denver Law Review

In 2020, the Supreme Court decided Bostock v. Clayton County, a case about Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Bostock interpreted Title VII to prohibit employers from using an employee’s sexual orientation or gender identity in adverse employment decisions. Many federal circuit courts and the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) have used Bostock’s reasoning to conclude that Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 prohibits schools from treating a student adversely based on that student’s sexual orientation or gender identity. However, many states and school districts have mandated the intentional use of the incorrect name and …