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The Crucial Role Of The Ahr-Ilc3-Il22 Pathway In I3c-Mediated Protection Against Colitis And Associated Microbial Dysbiosis, Chandani Mitchell

Theses and Dissertations

Colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease characterized by dysregulation of the immune system that results in chronic inflammation and dysbiosis. Previously we showed that a naturally sourced aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) ligand, indole-3-carbinol (I3C), was effective in the reduction of colitis-associated disease severity through innate lymphoid type 3 cells (ILC3s) in an interleukin-22 (IL-22) dependent manner. In one of our studies, we used single cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) analysis of colonic lamina propria cells from colitis models treated with I3C. Our results indicated that there were changes in the expressions of genes integral to IL-22 signaling when I3C was used …

Evaluating Nutrient Limitation Of Phytoplankton Growth In North Inlet Estuary, Sc, Catherine Schlenker

Theses and Dissertations

The biolimiting nutrients nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are vital components of molecules essential to life. In marine systems, N:P ratios tend to follow the “Redfield ratio” of 16:1, which is often used to infer nutrient limitation of phytoplankton biomass. Traditionally, estuaries are thought to be N-limited (N:P < 16), but there have been increasing instances of P-limitation (N:P > 16) in coastal waters worldwide. Over the last few decades, nutrient loading in North Inlet Estuary (NIE) has changed such that dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN):dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) ratios have increased by ca. 130%. This increase suggests that the estuary may be transitioning to N and P colimitation or primary P-limitation. We …

Environmental Implication Of Environmental Disclosure, Jie Lian

Theses and Dissertations

Recent environmental incidents and disasters have intensified awareness and concerns about environmental issues, making the reduction of the private sector’s environmental impact a pressing necessity. The path to better environmental performance depends on enhancing environmental disclosure. While an increasing number of firms are embracing environmental disclosure, and legislative efforts are steering towards mandating such disclosures, the comprehensive understanding of the environmental implications of these disclosures remains surprisingly limited. A significant gap exists in understanding the challenges of environmental disclosure in promoting sustainability and complex consequences in various contexts.

The dissertation aims to fill this literature gap by focusing on the …

Erodibility Of Sand-Silt-Xanthan Gum Mixtures, Edwin Kotey

Theses and Dissertations

The high frequency of earthen embankment failure recorded during floods has led to the general rule that embankments should not be overtopped. This notwithstanding, overtopping cannot be entirely avoided particularly during extreme events, such as winter storms and hurricanes. Reducing soil erodibility is thus fundamental to prevent and control disasters caused by embankment failure. Recent studies have explored the use of environmentally friendly additives, such as biopolymers, to improve soil properties. Geotechnical tests have shown that biopolymers can effectively increase soil strength, but little is known about biopolymer-treated soil resistance to erosion by flowing water. Results of flume experiments to …

Absolute Quantification Of Human Myosin And Titin Isoforms In Disease By A Mass Spectrometry Approach, Nitha Aima Muntu

Master's Theses

Heart failure (HF) is the leading cause of death worldwide and produces an immense economic burden. Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), characterized by contractile weakness and chamber dilation, is a significant cause of HF. The sarcomeric proteins play a crucial role in regulating the contractile properties of the heart. As the primary motor protein, the expression of cardiac myosin isoforms (α-MHC and β-MHC) dictates the performance and cardiac energy utilization of the sarcomere. Titin is the giant spring protein in the sarcomere, and titin isoform expression impacts the passive stiffness of the myocardium. Small changes in the α-MHC/β-MHC and titin isoform ratios …

Investigating The Oncogenic Role Of Nkx3.1 In Prostate Cancer, Audris Budreika

Master's Theses

Prostate cancer is a unique disease in that it is fueled by androgen receptor (AR) signaling. In the clinic, AR signaling is disrupted by removing androgens via chemical castration and employing AR-antagonists such as enzalutamide. Unfortunately, these therapies are short-lived, resistance sets in, and tumors evolve to a form of the disease called castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). At this stage, therapeutic options are virtually exhausted and palliative care is pursued. There is a growing need to characterize other molecular players that cooperate with AR or play a unique role in CRPC on their own. One such potential candidate is the …

A Comprehensive Review And Meta-Analysis Of Breast Cancer Gene Expression Data: Understanding The Molecular Complexity Of A Silent Epidemic, Ifeanyichukwu O. Nwosu

Theses and Dissertations

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer type and the leading cause of cancer death; it accounts for 23% of total cases and 14% of deaths, with over 2 million new cases diagnosed and 600,000 deaths in 2020. This is a huge public health burden. Traditionally, clinical subtypes of breast cancer are defined based on a patient's immunohistochemistry profile. These profiles are determined by the combined expression status of three receptors: estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. It has also been observed that women of African descent, more commonly present with ER, PR and …

Sleep Restores An Optimal Computational Regime In Cortical Networks, Yifan Xu

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Computation within the brain necessitates consistency and robustness, as no complex system can function effectively without these fundamental attributes. However, maintaining this robustness requires active efforts due to the inevitable perturbations (Turrigiano & Nelson, 2004). To unlock the unifying principle of how brain works, it is essential to identify an optimal set point that the system strives to maintain and restore, ensuring stability and functionality. Our lab recently demonstrated that cortical dynamics are homeostatically organized around criticality (Ma et al., 2019), a computational regime that optimizes information processing, such as information capacity and dynamic range (Shew & Plenz, 2013). This …

Intouch Week Of August 19, 2024, New York Medical College

InTouch

• NYMC Forms Academic Affiliation with Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach
• Making Strides Against Obesity
• From the Collection of Edward C. Halperin, M.D., M.A.
• Chancellor Halperin Hosts Virtual Town Hall Meeting
• Srihari S. Naidu, M.D., Raises Awareness About HCM Through New Children's Book
• Student Spotlight: Identical Twins Esther and Elisheva Miller Share a Dream in Medicine

Discovery And Generalization Of Tissue Structures From Spatial Omics Data, Zhenqin Wu, Ayano Kondo, Monee Mcgrady, Ethan A G Baker, Benjamin Chidester, Eric Wu, Maha K Rahim, Nathan A Bracey, Vivek Charu, Raymond J Cho, Jeffrey B Cheng, Maryam Afkarian, James Zou, Aaron T Mayer, Alexandro E Trevino

Staff and Researcher Publications

Tissues are organized into anatomical and functional units at different scales. New technologies for high-dimensional molecular profiling in situ have enabled the characterization of structure-function relationships in increasing molecular detail. However, it remains a challenge to consistently identify key functional units across experiments, tissues, and disease contexts, a task that demands extensive manual annotation. Here, we present spatial cellular graph partitioning (SCGP), a flexible method for the unsupervised annotation of tissue structures. We further present a reference-query extension pipeline, SCGP-Extension, that generalizes reference tissue structure labels to previously unseen samples, performing data integration and tissue structure discovery. Our experiments demonstrate …

Factorial Trial To Optimize An Internet-Delivered Intervention For Sexual Health After Breast Cancer: Protocol For The Wf-2202 Sexual Health And Intimacy Enhancement (Shine) Trial, Kelly M. Shaffer, Jennifer Barsky Reese, Emily V. Dressler, Jillian V. Glazer, Wendy Cohn, Shayna L. Showalter, Anita H. Clayton, Suzanne C. Danhauer, Michelle Loch, Mai Kadi, Caleigh Smith, Kathryn E. Weaver, Glenn J. Lesser, Lee M. Ritterband

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Background: Although most survivors of breast cancer report substantial sexual concerns following treatment, few receive support for these concerns. Delivering sexual health care to survivors of breast cancer via the internet could overcome many of the barriers to in-person treatment. Even when delivered remotely, survivor time constraints remain a leading barrier to sexual health intervention uptake. Objective: Guided by the multiphase optimization strategy methodological framework, the primary objective of this study is to identify the most efficient internet-delivered sexual health intervention package that is expected to provide survivors of breast cancer the greatest benefit with the fewest (and least-intensive) intervention …

Relationship Between Anti-Seizure Medication And Behaviors That Challenge In Older Persons With Intellectual Disability And Epilepsy: A Review, Rohit Shankar

Peninsula Medical School

Introduction: There is increased focus on the negative impact of the overprescribing of medication, specifically psychotropic medication, including anti-seizure medications (ASM), in people with Intellectual Disability (ID). This is particularly important for the older adult population, where multi-morbidity and polypharmacy are more common. ASMs are associated with psychiatric and behavioral adverse effects. Furthermore, there is growing awareness of the anticholinergic burden for older adults with epilepsy and ID and the relationship with behaviors that challenge (BtC). Areas covered: This review defines the older adult population and outlines the relationship between epilepsy and ID. BtC is outlined in the context of …

Simulation Of Crispr-Cas9 Editing On Evolving Barcode And Accuracy Of Lineage Tracing, Fengshuo Liu, Xiang Zhang, Yipeng Yang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

We designed a simulation program that mimics the CRISPR-Cas9 editing on evolving barcode and double strand break repair procedure along with cell divisions. Emerging barcode mutations tend to build upon previously existing mutations, occurring sequentially with each generation. This process results in a unique mutation profile in each cell. We sample the barcodes in leaf cells and reconstruct the lineage, comparing it to the original lineage tree to test algorithm accuracy under different parameter settings. Our computational simulations validate the reasonable assumptions deduced from experimental observations, emphasizing that factors such as sampling size, barcode length, multiple barcodes, indel probabilities, and …

Children Sustain Cooperation In A Threshold Public-Goods Game Even When Seeing Others’ Outcomes, Patricia Kanngiesser, Jahnavi Sunderarajan, Sebastian Hafenbrädl, Jan K. Woike

School of Psychology

Many societal challenges are threshold dilemmas requiring people to cooperate to reach a threshold before group benefits can be reaped. Yet receiving feedback about others’ outcomes relative to one’s own (relative feedback) can undermine cooperation by focusing group members’ attention on outperforming each other. We investigated the impact of relative feedback compared to individual feedback (only seeing one’s own outcome) on cooperation in children from Germany and India (6- to 10-year-olds, N = 240). Using a threshold public-goods game with real water as a resource, we show that, although feedback had an effect, most groups sustained cooperation at high levels …

Ga-Gesrgan: Document Images Super Resolution Using Gabor Filters, Esrgan Models And Genetic Algorithms, Zakia Kezzoula, Djamel Gaceb, Ayoub Titoun

Emirates Journal for Engineering Research

In the last decade, we have witnessed significant progress in image super-resolution, thanks in particular to the emergence and improvement of deep learning models, which can adapt to the complexity of tasks and improve image quality. This article presents a novel approach to image super-resolution GA-GESRGAN to enhance the quality of document images through a multi-step methodology. Initially, document images are processed using Gabor filters to extract features across various spatial frequencies. These extracted features are then utilized to train Enhanced Super-Resolution Generative Adversarial Network (ESRGAN) models. Once improved images are obtained through ESRGAN models, a Genetic Algorithm combines these …

Design, Synthesis, And Evaluation Of Oleyl-Wrh Peptides For Sirna Delivery, Mrigank Shekhar Rai, Muhammad Imran Sajid, Jonathan Moreno, Keykavous Parang, Rakesh Kumar Tiwari

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Delivering nucleic acid therapeutics across cell membranes is a significant challenge. Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) containing arginine (R), tryptophan (W), and histidine (H) show promise for siRNA delivery. To improve siRNA delivery and silence a model STAT3 gene, we hypothesized that oleyl acylation to CPPs, specifically (WRH)n, would enhance STAT3 silencing efficiency in breast and ovarian cancer cells. Using Fmoc/tBu solid-phase peptide chemistry, we synthesized, purified, and characterized the oleyl-conjugated (WRH)n (n = 1–4) peptides. The peptide/siRNA complexes were non-cytotoxic at N/P 40 (~20 μM) against MDA-MB-231, MCF-7, SK-OV-3, and HEK-293 cells after 72 h incubation. All peptide/siRNA complexes showed serum …

Challenges In Assessing Repellency Via The Behavioral Response By The Global Pest Tribolium Castaneum To Protect Stored Grains, Leslie Catherine Rault, William R. Morrison Iii, Alison R. Gerken, Georgina Bingham

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Background: Food security is an increasingly pressing global issue, and by 2050, food production will not be sufficient to feed the growing population. Part of global food insecurity can be attributed to post-harvest losses, including quantity and quality losses caused by stored-product pests like insects. It is thus timely to find management strategies to mitigate these losses and counteract food insecurity. The red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), a global stored-product pest with a wide range of food sources, was used in this study to assess repellency to a selection of essential oils. Methods: Multiple behaviorally relevant methods …

The Meaning Of Work For Generation Y And Baby Boomer Individuals During The Pandemic: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study, Tabitha Coates

The Qualitative Report

Findings on generational differences and similarities are inconclusive and inconsistent. There is a need to conduct research that focuses on a deeper understanding of generations, that can help overcome stereotypes in the workplace. The uncertainty and disruption of the pandemic generated an opportunity to understand the lived experience of constructing and reconstructing meaning in relation to work. This article presents findings from a hermeneutic phenomenological study conducted to understand the meaning of work during the pandemic among seven participants, four Generation Y individuals and three Baby Boomers, and in what ways, if any, their meaning of work changed. Five essential …

Scorpions Of The Horn Of Africa (Arachnida: Scorpiones). Part Xxxiii. Three New Species Of Gint From Ethiopia And Somaliland (Buthidae), František Kovařík, Hassan Sh A. Elmi, František Šťáhlavský

Euscorpius

Three new species, Gint sahil sp. n. from Somaliland and Gint abshiri sp. n. and G. derbiae sp. n. from Ethiopia are described and compared with other species of the genus. Additional information is provided on the taxonomy and distribution of the genus Gint, fully complemented with color photos of specimens of the new species, as well as of their habitats. Furthermore, alongside the analyses of external morphology and hemispermatophores, we have provided description of the karyotype of G. abshiri sp. n. This species exhibits karyotype with 2n=27. Included is distribution map and a key for the genus Gint …

An Accountant’S Case Against Merging The Accounting Major With Stem Education, Harvey Gilmore B.S., M.S., J.D., Ll.M (General Business), Ll.M. (Taxation)

Lincoln Memorial University Law Review Archive

As many of us know, “STEM” is the acronym for academic programs in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Over the last couple of years, two House Resolutions have sought to adopt the accounting major into the STEM family: the Accounting STEM Pursuit Act of 2021, and the Accounting STEM Pursuit Act of 2023. The Senate has also introduced similar legislation, the STEM Education in Accounting Act of 2021.I was a practicing accountant for nearly ten years, with my area of specialization being in tax, which I have taught for nearly twenty-six years now. I also went to a STEM high …

Seasonal Marine Inorganic Carbon Dynamics On The Northern Gulf Of Alaska Continental Shelf, Addie Norgaard

Oceanography

The Northern Gulf of Alaska supports many socioeconomic and ecosystem services but is subject to increasing ocean temperatures, marine heatwaves, and freshwater runoff, harmful algal blooms, and ocean acidification. In addition, large natural variability in biological and physical drivers complicates characterization of the progression of ocean acidification and variability in seawater inorganic carbon conditions. Here, we present two years (2019-2021) of in situ moored upper-ocean partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2) and pH data on the outer continental shelf of the Northern Gulf of Alaska. The observations show that subsurface pCO2, pH and aragonite mineral saturation state (Ωarag) were highly …

A Systematic Characterization Of Southeast Alaska’S Oceanography, Dana Bloch

Oceanography

Continued anthropogenic warming of the world’s surface oceans will lead to increased thermal stratification and decreased vertical nutrient supply, resulting in an expected decline in the rate of photosynthetic carbon production. Decreased primary productivity will alter the marine food web, and may impact subsistence, commercial, and recreational fisheries in Southeast Alaska (SEAK), which are important sources of food and income for local communities. Historic oceanographic data in SEAK are spatiotemporally sparse, and consistent measurements are necessary to understand present patterns and predict long term change. We analyzed the physical, chemical, and biological oceanography of SEAK from 2022-2024, initiating what is …

Isotopic, Geochemical And Petrographic Analysis Of The Otuk Formation, Northern Alaska, Robin M. Carbaugh

Geosciences

The Triassic-Jurassic boundary is associated with one of the big five Phanerozoic mass extinction events and is characterized by global negative δ13C excursions, indicating a major disruption in the carbon cycle. The end-Triassic extinction event was caused by Central Atlantic Magmatic Province volcanism, that initiated the breakup of the supercontinent Pangea. Abundant greenhouse gas emissions, including CO2 and CH4, from the volcanic activity, affected multiple environmental factors. Global warming, ocean acidification, deoxygenation, mass mortality, and lithological change are documented across the boundary. These environmental fluctuations are also observed due to human-induced global climate change, making understanding the end-Triassic extinction significant. …

The Ghost In The Text: Metaphorical Hauntings As Inquiry Into Social Injustices In Arctic Literature, Delcenia Cosman

English

Since the Golden Age of Arctic exploration, the Arctic has been habitually situated as a place in which the supernatural can thrive. Arctic-based ghost stories possess a particular environmental flavor and, focusing on specific traumas created by late-stage capitalism and extractive colonialism, reveal crimes that have been buried, with the ghost returning to demand retribution. Beyond the traditional revenant, ghostly behavior may also be attributed to living people or nonhuman objects that work to uncover hidden crimes and gain justice or revenge. Broadening the scope of what can be defined as a ghost to include metaphorical modes of haunting allows …

Metabolism And Thermogenesis In The Hibernating Arctic Ground Squirrel, Moriah M. Hunstiger

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Arctic Ground Squirrels (AGS) tolerate up to eight months of fasting, inactivity, and large fluctuations in body mass. AGS utilize their fat stores Fat stores, which account for 25-50% of the total body mass, as a fuel source through the hibernation season to maintain a heterothermic body temperature pattern. Body temperature covers a 42°C range, requiring tight regulation to ensure survival. There are two main groupings of heat production that contribute or may contribute to temperature regulation: shivering and non-shivering thermogenesis (NST). The latter includes uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) and sarcolipin (SLN) uncoupling of the sarcoendoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase (SERCA). …

Exploring The Covid-19 Infodemic In Alaska, Emily Maxwell

Interdisciplinary Studies

The onset of the COVID-19 global health crisis coincided with an unprecedented rise in health misinformation and false narratives related to the disease. This simultaneous spread of accurate and inaccurate information, referred to as an infodemic, has had observable impacts on the trajectory of the pandemic and the future of public health. While health misinformation has been a factor in previous outbreaks, the increased prominence of social media as an information platform allowed misinformation to spread more widely and rapidly than ever before. This investigation aims to assess the impacts of COVID-19 misinformation in Alaska using a mixed methods approach. …

Ballad Of The Laablaaqs: The Relational Worlds Of Sámi Reindeer Herders In Alaska, Varpu Lotvonen

Anthropology

The recruitment of Sami reindeer herders from North Sapmi to Alaska by the United States government, starting in 1894, opened a new transnational space between Fennoscandia and North America. Known for their deep Indigenous knowledge of reindeer herding, Sami experts were hired to pass on their art to Alaska Native apprentices and facilitate the expansion of reindeer herding in Alaska at the turn of the 20th century. The legacies of their involvement, which lasted until 1937, include family lines that unite people in Sapmi and North America, unique artistic expressions, broad circulation of visual culture, and multifaceted interest in Alaskan …

Transformations And Deep Intrusions Of Particles And Plankton In The Global Oceans: Which Particles Sink Deeper And Why, Stephanie Hicks O'Daly

Oceanography

Sinking marine particles transport carbon from the ocean’s surface to the deep ocean, thereby contributing to atmospheric carbon dioxide modulation and benthic food supply. Many studies have shown that particle size is not a good predictor of particle sinking speed or behavior. Thus, the overarching question of this dissertation: why do certain particles sink faster or deeper than others, and is there a way to predict what depth a particle will reach in the ocean? Multiple facets of the ocean’s biological carbon pump are investigated using a combination of sediment traps, in situ particle imaging, and machine learning technology. In …

A Phenomenological Exploration Of Behavioral Health Aides’ Perceptions Of Telebehavioral Health Services With Rural Alaska Native And American Indian Beneficiaries In Interior Alaska, Omar B. Gomez Sadalgo

Psychology

Alaska Native Persons (ANPs) living rurally and remotely in Alaska face substantial barriers in addressing behavioral healthcare. Improved technologically driven communications and interventions via telebehavioral health services enhance service delivery alternatives and accessibility. This transcendental phenomenological study aimed to explore the perceptions of Alaska’s tribal health workers utilizing what they term video teleconference (VTC) with AN rural beneficiaries as part of their role and involvement in the Behavioral Health Aide (BHA) Program. In the past decade, the program has trained, certified, and deployed multiple providers across tribal health organizations to help mitigate high mental health rates. The largest tribal health …

Development Of A Bayesian Framework For Canadian-Origin Yukon River Chinook Salmon Inseason Abundance Projection And The Exploration Of Run Timing Information On Run Size Projection Accuracy, Aaron Wallace Lambert

Fisheries

The Yukon River is the longest river in Alaska, stretching 3,700 km from British Columbia, Canada to the Bering Sea. Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) harvest in the U.S. portion of the river is managed by the Alaska Department of Fish & Game (ADF&G), which requires robust inseason abundance predictions for returning Canadian-origin Chinook salmon to regulate fisheries and comply with the Yukon River Salmon Agreement. Chinook salmon returning to the Yukon River are an important resource for residents of the region; however, in recent years little-to-no harvest opportunity has been available due to low run sizes which are complicated by …