Digital Commons Network^™

Intervisit Reproducibility Of Foveal Cone Density Metrics, Iniya Adhan, Emma Warr, Jenna Grieshop, Joseph Kreis, Danica Nikezic, Ashleigh Walesa, Katherine Hemsworth, Robert F. Cooper, Joseph Carroll

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose: To assess longitudinal reproducibility of metrics of foveal density (peak cone density [PCD], cone density centroid [CDC], and 80th percentile centroid area) in participants with normal vision.

Methods: Participants (n = 19; five male and 14 female) were imaged at two time points (average interval of 3.2 years) using an adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscope (AOSLO). Foveally centered regions of interest (ROIs) were extracted from AOSLO montages. Cone coordinate matrices were semiautomatically derived for each ROI, and cone mosaic metrics were calculated.

Results: On average, there were no significant changes in cone mosaic metrics between visits. The average …

Moral Content Diminishes Preference Falsification, Maxine Bonneau, Tanya O'Garra, Praveen Kujal

ESI Working Papers

We examine how the moral (or neutral) content of an issue influences the tendency to falsify attitudes, given varying social and monetary incentives to engage in such ‘preference falsification’. We conduct an incentivized two stage online experimental study where, in a prior first stage, attitude strength over moral and neutral issues is elicited. Then, in the second stage participants in groups of ten were asked to express their preferences regarding the moral or neutral issues for each possible combination of supporters and opposers in their group, each associated with varying monetary payoffs. More than half of the participants falsify their …

The 2022 Symposium On Dementia And Brain Aging In Low- And Middle-Income Countries: Highlights On Research, Diagnosis, Care, And Impact, Raj N. Kalaria, Gladys Maestre, Simin Mahinrad, Daisy Acosta, Rufus Akinyemi, Suvarna Alladi, Ricardo F. Allegri, Faheem Arshad, David Oluwasayo Babalola, Noe Garza

School of Medicine Publications

Two of every three persons living with dementia reside in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The projected increase in global dementia rates is expected to affect LMICs disproportionately. However, the majority of global dementia care costs occur in high-income countries (HICs), with dementia research predominantly focusing on HICs. This imbalance necessitates LMIC-focused research to ensure that characterization of dementia accurately reflects the involvement and specificities of diverse populations. Development of effective preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic approaches for dementia in LMICs requires targeted, personalized, and harmonized efforts. Our article represents timely discussions at the 2022 Symposium on Dementia and Brain Aging …

Ambeat Sa Imo!: Wika At Kultura Samga Awiting Visayas (Vispop), Mikaella Rianne Elfa, Juliana Krishna Guevarra, Abbygail Solano

Katipunan

Itinatampok ng VisPop o Visayan Pop Music ang isang uri ng kontemporanyong sining na layong magbahagi ng pagkakakilanlan at kultura sa katimugan ng Pilipinas. Bilang pagsabay sa kulturang popular, nagiging lunsaran ito ng kasaysayan, karanasan, at damdamin na madalas na hindi nabibigyang-pansin sa mga usaping pambansa at pandaigdig. Sa kabila nito, higit namang pinalalawak ng social media platforms gaya ng TikTok ang saklaw ng VisPop dulot na rin ng mga pakanang uso na may nakaaaliw na katangian para sa mga video, sayaw, at iba pang uri ng pagtatanghal. Nilalayon ng papel na alamin ang kaakibat na mensahe at impluwensiya ng …

A Review Of The Interaction Between Potassium Nutrition And Plant Disease Control, C. C. Ortel, T. L. Roberts, J. C. Rupe

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Potassium (K) is an essential macronutrient involved in many physiological and biochemical functions that affect a plant's susceptibility to disease. These processes include stomatal regulation, enzyme activation, and solute transport, each of which is often discussed through the lens of either plant nutrition or plant disease control. However, the interaction between these stresses and the resulting physiological and agronomic impact is an important consideration when managing a cropping system as a whole and is scarcely addressed in the literature. Therefore, a review of the literature was focused on the interaction of K nutrition and the resulting impact on plant disease …

Myocardial Infarction Suppresses Protein Synthesis And Causes Decoupling Of Transcription And Translation, Shijie Liu, Vaibhav Deshmukh, Fangfei Wang, Jie Liang, Jenna Cusick, Xiao Li, James F Martin

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Gene expression involves transcription, translation, and mRNA and protein degradation. Advanced RNA sequencing measures mRNA levels for cell state assessment, but mRNA level does not fully reflect protein level. Identifying heart cell proteomes and their stress response is crucial. Using a cardiomyocyte-specific mouse model, we tracked protein synthesis after myocardial infarction. Our results showed that myocardial infarction suppresses protein synthesis and unveils a decoupling of translation and transcription regulation in cardiomyocytes.

Determination Of Water Quality And Efficient Removal Of Arsenic And Iron From Groundwater Using Mahogany Fruit Husk And Banana Peduncle Charcoals, Molla Rahman Shaibur, Yasmin Khatun, Masum Howlader, Md. Mirajul Islam, Md. Wasikur Rahman, Abu Shamim Khan, Balram Ambade

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

The groundwater (GW) of Bangladesh is predominantly contaminated with arsenic (As) and iron (Fe) which has a bad impact on human health. We tried to remove these elements with easily available mahogany-fruit (Swietenia mahagoni) husk charcoal (MHC) and banana (Musa acuminata) peduncle charcoal (BPC). The trial was implemented with 3 replications throughout the research. The sampled GW contained 0.06 mg As L−1 and 4.83 mg Fe L−1. Firstly, the pH was 3, 5, 7, and 9 with a 250 mg L−1 dose. The MHC removed almost 91.05 % of As at pH 5.0, and BPC removed almost 86.67 % of …

Trace Element Contamination In Urban Soils: Testing And Management, Melissa Chilinski, Melanie Stock, Paul R. Grossl, Eli Oliver

All Current Publications

Trace elements, often referred to as heavy metals, naturally occur in the soil at low levels. Certain land use histories can elevate the concentrations of trace elements to levels that present health risks. Understanding which elements and soil test values may impact human or crop health is an important aspect of gardening and micro-farming, particularly in urban environments that are at increased risk of soil contamination. This fact sheet provides instructions on interpreting soil test results for trace elements through the Total Element Composition EPA 3050B Soil Test (#S19) at Utah State University Analytical Laboratory.

A Phase 1/2 Study Of Pepinemab In Children, Adolescents, Or Young Adults With Recurrent Or Refractory Solid Tumors: A Children’S Oncology Group Consortium Report (Advl1614), Emily Greengard, Robin Williams, Branden Moriarity, Xiaowei Liu, Charles G Minard, Joel M Reid, Terrence Fisher, Elizabeth Evans, Desa Rae Pastore, Maurice Zauderer, Stephan Voss, Elizabeth Fox, Brenda J Weigel

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

PURPOSE: Pepinemab, a humanized IgG4 monoclonal antibody, targets the SEMA4D (CD100) antigen to inhibit binding to its high-affinity receptors (plexin B1/PLXNB1, plexin B2/PLXNB2) and low-affinity receptor (CD72). SEMA4D blockade leads to increased cytotoxic T-cell infiltration, delayed tumor growth, and durable tumor rejection in murine tumor models. Pepinemab was well tolerated and improved T cell infiltration in clinical studies in adults with refractory tumors. SEMA4D was identified as a strong candidate proto-oncogene in a model of osteosarcoma. Based on these preclinical and clinical data, we conducted a phase 1/2 study to determine the recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D), pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and …

Introducing A Novel Innovative Technique For The Recording And Interpretation Of Dynamic Coronary Angiography, Thach Nguyen, Duc Khiem Ngo, Tri Loc Vu, Hien Q. Nguyen, Dat H. Pham, Mihas Kodenchery, Gianluca Rigatelli, Aravinda Nanjundappa, Michael Gibson

School of Medicine Publications

In the study of coronary artery disease (CAD), the mechanism of plaque formation and development is still an important subject for investigation. A limitation of current coronary angiography (CAG) is that it can only show static images of the narrowing of arterial channels without identifying the mechanism of the disease or predicting its progression or regression. To address this limitation, the CAG technique has been modified. The new approach emphasizes identifying and analyzing blood flow patterns, employing methodologies akin to those used by hydraulic engineers for fluid or gas movement through domestic or industrial pipes and pumps. With the new …

Predicting Seagrass Ecosystem Resilience To Marine Heatwave Events Of Variable Duration, Frequency And Re-Occurrence Patterns With Gaps, Paula Sobenko Hatum, Kathryn Mcmahon, Kerrie Mengersen, Kieryn Kilminster, Paul Pao Yen Wu

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Seagrass, a vital primary producer habitat, is crucial for maintaining high biodiversity and offers numerous ecosystem services globally. The increasing severity and frequency of marine heatwaves, exacerbated by climate change, pose significant risks to seagrass meadows. Aims: This study acknowledges the uncertainty and variability of marine heatwave scenarios and aims to aid managers and policymakers in understanding simulated responses of seagrass to different durations, frequencies and recurrence gaps of marine heatwaves. Materials and Methods: Using expert knowledge and observed data, we refined a global Dynamic Bayesian Network (DBN) model for a specific case study on Halophila ovalis in Leschenault …

Improving Mangoes' Productivity And Crop Water Productivity By 24-Epibrassinosteroids And Hydrogen Peroxide Under Deficit Irrigation, Mahmoud Abdel-Sattar, Rashid S. Al-Obeed, Essa Makhasha, Laila Y. Mostafa, Rania A.E. Abdelzaher, Hail Z. Rihan

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

In nature, plants are frequently subjected to a wide range of abiotic stresses that drastically reduce crop productivity. Deficit in irrigation is one of the main factors of abiotic stresses that affect agricultural productivity. Nevertheless, not much research has been done on how to use water with brassinosteroids (Br) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)in deficit water conditions in order to reach comparatively good values of mango tree growth, productivity, and fruit quality as well as crop water productivity (WP_C). A split-plot experiment in a complete randomized block system design study with 3 regulated deficit irrigation …

Ascc1 Structures And Bioinformatics Reveal A Novel Helix-Clasp-Helix Rna-Binding Motif Linked To A Two-Histidine Phosphodiesterase, Naga Babu Chinnam, Jennifer M Soll, Nima Mosammaparast, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Activating signal co-integrator complex 1 (ASCC1) acts with ASCC-ALKBH3 complex in alkylation damage responses. ASCC1 uniquely combines two evolutionarily ancient domains: nucleotide-binding K-Homology (KH) (associated with regulating splicing, transcriptional, and translation) and two-histidine phosphodiesterase (PDE; associated with hydrolysis of cyclic nucleotide phosphate bonds). Germline mutations link loss of ASCC1 function to spinal muscular atrophy with congenital bone fractures 2 (SMABF2). Herein analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) suggests ASCC1 RNA overexpression in certain tumors correlates with poor survival, Signatures 29 and 3 mutations, and genetic instability markers. We determined crystal structures of Alvinella pompejana (Ap) ASCC1 and Human (Hs) …

Acceptance And Commitment Therapy Plus Usual Care For Improving Quality Of Life In People With Motor Neuron Disease (Commend): A Multicentre, Parallel, Randomised Controlled Trial In The Uk, Rebecca L. Gould, Christopher J. Mcdermott, Benjamin J. Thompson, Charlotte V. Rawlinson, Matt Bursnall, Mike Bradburn, Pavithra Kumar, Emily J. Turton, David A. White, Marc A. Serfaty, Christopher D. Graham, Lance M. Mccracken, Laura H. Goldstein, Ammar Al-Chalabi, Richard W. Orrell, Tim Williams, Rupert Noad, Idris Baker, Christina Faull, Thomas Lambert, Suresh K. Chhetri, John Ealing, Anthony Hanratty, Aleksandar Radunovic, Nushan Gunawardana, Gail Meadows, George H. Gorrie, Tracey Young, Vanessa Lawrence, Cindy Cooper

Peninsula Medical School

Background: Motor neuron disease is a progressive, fatal neurodegenerative disease for which there is no cure. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a psychological therapy incorporating acceptance, mindfulness, and behaviour change techniques. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of ACT plus usual care, compared with usual care alone, for improving quality of life in people with motor neuron disease. Methods: We conducted a parallel, multicentre, two-arm randomised controlled trial in 16 UK motor neuron disease care centres or clinics. Eligible participants were aged 18 years or older with a diagnosis of definite or laboratory-supported probable, clinically probable, or possible familial …

Marine Protected Areas Can Increase The Abundance Of Invasive Lionfish (Pterois Miles), Periklis Kleitou, Sian E. Rees, Demetris Kletou, Holden E. Harris, Leda L. Cai, Stephanie Green, Louis Hadjioannou, Ioannis Savva, Ioannis Giovos, Carlos Jimenez, Jason M. Hall-Spencer

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Marine protected areas (MPAs) can protect and restore marine biodiversity and fisheries, but there are concerns that they may also benefit invasive species. The spatial and temporal colonization of invasive lionfish (Pterois miles) in the eastern Mediterranean was compared across zones with varying fishing restrictions (no fishing, recreational and commercial fishing, and commercial fishing only), and stations where targeted removal events were conducted by volunteer SCUBA divers. Lionfish density in no fishing areas was nearly double that of areas with commercial fishing only, and over four times greater than in areas where both commercial and recreational fishing were allowed. Lionfish …

Outcome Measures In Psychiatry, Rohit Shankar

Peninsula Medical School

Measuring what medical care does to improve the lives of patients must be at theheart of what we do (Ryland, Carlile and Kingdon, 2021). A crucial part of achievingthe ambition of parity between physical and mental health is for psychiatry to embrace,use and promote outcome measures as a way of demonstrating the positive impactthat well-resourced and structured mental health services can have for patients, theirfamilies, and society more widely.The Royal College of Psychiatrists strongly endorses and recommends the routine useof patient- and clinician-rated outcome measures in psychiatric practice (Tracy et al.,2022). Outcome measurement can improve care planning, progress-tracking, qualityimprovement, service …

Towards Understanding The Post-Colonial In The Development Of Irish Economics, Joseph K. Fitzgerald Dr., Brendan K. O'Rourke

Conference Papers

This conference contribution is prompted by recent work where theories used to understand the economists in countries like France, Britain, Germany, and the USA (Fourcade, 2009; Maesse, 2015) were used to study the development of Irish economics profession. Work on Ireland (FitzGerald & O’Rourke, 2023), though using these frameworks, revealed the importance of Ireland’s colonial and post-colonial experiences in the social status of economics in today’s Ireland. Escobar (2011) points to the power of economists in development discourses focussing particularly on the case of Columbia and the interaction between USA economics with its southern neighbours in the period since the …

Locality-Aware Tail Node Embeddings On Homogeneous And Heterogeneous Networks, Zemin Liu, Yuan Fang, Wentao Zhang, Xinming Zhang, Steven C. H. Hoi

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

While the state-of-the-art network embedding approaches often learn high-quality embeddings for high-degree nodes with abundant structural connectivity, the quality of the embeddings for low-degree or nodes is often suboptimal due to their limited structural connectivity. While many real-world networks are long-tailed, to date little effort has been devoted to tail node embeddings. In this article, we formulate the goal of learning tail node embeddings as a problem, given the few links on each tail node. In particular, since each node resides in its own local context, we personalize the regression model for each tail node. To reduce overfitting in the …

Clonality And Epidemiological Studies Of E. Coli Strain Collected From Abu Dhabi Emirate Using Ngs And Bioinformatic Tools, Ahmed Abdelrahman Mohamed

Theses

In the current landscape, where antibiotic resistance in bacteria is steadily rising, the role of bacterial genomics has assumed increasing significance. Therefore, it is necessary for microbiologists to acquire proficiency in the utilization of these methods and tools to harness their potential in gaining valuable insights into bacterial genomes. This can facilitate the development of innovative strategies for managing and treating bacterial infections. Here we present the power of the whole-genome sequencing technology in characterization of multidrug resistant Escherichia coli isolates. Fourteen Escherichia coli isolates were selected for this study. Following the standard microbiological techniques to confirm the sample identification, …

Mathematical Modeling Of An Epidemic In Scalefree Network With Imperfect Vaccination, Heba Hameed

Theses

In light of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the mathematical epidemiological model has proven to be essential for understanding the disease dynamic and finding the best control tool to help contain the disease and minimize its impact. This thesis investigates the dynamics of an infectious disease spread with latent infection and vaccination. The aim is to study this model’s dynamic in a network that reflects the heterogeneity of the environment where the disease spreads. The vaccination is assumed to be not perfect, which means that vaccinated persons are likely to be infected and that the vaccinated person could lose their immunity, …

The Anticancer Activity Of A Novel 8-Hydroxyquinoline Derivatives Against 5-Fluorouracil Resistant Colorectal Cancer Cells, Mazoun Talal Al Azzani

Theses

Cancer is a global health crisis for which 20 million new cases were diagnosed in 2022 alone, with 9.3 million cancer-related deaths. Nearly 900,000 deaths were due to colorectal cancer (CRC), which is the third leading cause of cancer related mortality. In the United Arab Emirates, 550 new cases of CRC were reported in 2022. A major clinical challenge with CRC treatment is the development of resistance to 5-fluorouracil (5FU)-based chemotherapy regimens, which are the standard treatment for CRC. In the present study, the anticancer activity of two novel 8-hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ) derivatives AS45 and AS47 was examined against 5FU-sensitive (HCT116) …

Relationship Between Parents’ Feeding Styles, Nutrition Practices And Risk Of Obesity Among 3-5 Years Old Children In The United Arab Emirates, Reem Mohamed Alkarbi

Theses

Previous studies suggest that parental feeding practices shape preschool eating and physical activity habits, ultimately influencing children's weight status. Despite the high obesity rate in UAE youth, preschoolers’ nutrition habits and their links to parental feeding styles are explored. This study aims to describe parental feeding styles: Emotional (E), Instrumental (I), Prompting and Encouragement (PE), Control Over Eating (COE)), and their associations with nutrition practices, socio-demographic factors, and obesity in UAE preschoolers. Using an online questionnaire, a cross-sectional study surveyed Emirati families with 3-5-year-old children. Data was analyzed using SPSS v.29. 70 preschool Emirati children living in Abu Dhabi participated. …

Salivary Microbiome Signature In Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Ghaidaa Mohammed Mesto

Theses

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a complex disorder characterized by chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). IBD mainly includes two distinct diseases, namely Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). To date, the precise etiology of these conditions is not fully elucidated, although a strong relationship between microbial dysbiosis in the GIT and IBD has been proposed. In general, limited data is available on the oral microbiome of IBD patients, despite its recognizable role in impacting gut health. There is a paucity of research on IBD in the pediatric population, although this disease is becoming more prevalent than in …

The Differences Between Metacognitive Reading Strategies Used By Native Arabic Speakers In The Uae When Reading Digital Versus Printed Materials, Razan Majed Shehadeh

Theses

This study explores the differences between the metacognitive reading strategies that native Arabic speakers college students use in the UAE when reading digital vs. printed texts. A convergent Mixed-Methods Design was employed to achieve the purpose of this study. The first data comprised a background questionnaire and two metacognitive reading surveys reflecting reading from digital materials that were conducted with college students (n=100), and the second data set comprised semi-structured interviews with a subset of students sampled from the original pool (n= 8). This study's participants were college students selected randomly from some of the UAE universities. Generally, the results …

Mitochondrial Control Of Tumorigenicity And Immunogenicity Of Colorectal Cancer, Maram Esam Ahmed

Theses

The Methylation-controlled J protein (MCJ), also known as DNAJC15, serves as an endogenous negative regulator of mitochondrial respiration. MCJ plays a crucial role in cellular bioenergetics by regulating cellular metabolism, and its expression is inversely proportional to the extent of mitochondrial ATP production. In the current study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between MCJ expression and the tumorigenicity and immunogenicity of colon adenocarcinoma. To this aim, we utilized MCJ knockout (KO) mice to assess the impact of tumor-extrinsic MCJ expression in host cells, particularly immune cells, on anti-tumor responses. Comparing the growth of MCJ-expressing cancer cells in wild-type vs. …

Diversity, Distribution, And Determinants Of Bacterial Communities In Arctic Soil, Amna Khaleefa Alhemeiri

Theses

Arctic soils host diverse bacterial communities crucial for ecosystem functioning and nutrient cycling. Understanding the factors shaping their diversity and distribution is essential to assess ecosystem responses to climate warming. This study aimed to assess and compare bacterial diversity and community structure between high- and sub-arctic ecosystems and explore the environmental and climatic factors determining their distribution. We collected 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequence data from 999 samples of high- and sub-arctic soils. All the data was pre-processed and quality-controlled using a similar bioinformatics methodology, followed by statistical analyses including alpha and beta diversity assessments, and volatility analysis using QIIME2. …

Produced Water Management From Production Sites In The State Of Kuwait, Feras Adel Alsalem

Dissertations

Extraction of crude oil also produces large volumes of water, termed produced water (PW). PW is by far the most significant by-product in the process of extracting hydrocarbons from the subsurface. Consequently, managing PW has become a great concern to oil and gas producers. The increasing amounts of PW and more stringent environmental and safety regulations in regard to PW make more efficient treatment methods necessary, where sustainable long-term solutions for PW management need to be provided. The focus of this study is on PW from onshore operations as the majority of the oil and gas extraction operations (upstream processes) …

Germination And Seedling Growth Of Native Uae Plant Species: The Combined Effects Of Elevated Co2 And Temperature, Nour Elhouda Debouza

Dissertations

Understanding how indigenous plant species respond to arid environmental stressors is critical for biodiversity preservation and the development of sustainable agricultural practices in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This study investigated the morphological and physiological aspects of the germination and early growth stages, along with the adaptation strategies of three indigenous plant species—Senna italica, Prosopis cineraria, and Tephrosia nubica. The controlled chamber experiments aimed to subject the three selected indigenous species to elevated CO2 (400 ppm ambient to 800 ppm) and temperature (35°C ambient to 50°C) for simulating future atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and temperature scenarios. …

A Case Study: Impacts Of A Building Retrofit On Employee Efficiency And Productivity, Rigo Zepeda

Construction Management

This case study explores the effects of retrofitting building systems on operational efficiency and employee productivity in the contemporary office environment. As concerns over sustainability and the well-being of employees are now at the forefront of modern workplace design, the retrofitting of outmoded building systems has been seen as an option to enhance energy efficiency and occupant satisfaction. This research paper focuses on the recently retrofitted Performance Contracting office building in Benicia, California. As heating and ventilation systems, and lighting are two big contributors to energy consumption in buildings and comfort, analyzing these systems provided insight into its building performance. …

Atp1a3 Disease Spectrum Includes Paroxysmal Weakness And Encephalopathy Not Triggered By Fever, Chetan Immanneni, Daniel Calame, Song Jiao, Lisa T Emrick, Miguel Holmgren, Sho T Yano

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Heterozygous pathogenic variants in ATP1A3, which encodes the catalytic alpha subunit of neuronal Na+/K+-ATPase, cause primarily neurologic disorders with widely variable features that can include episodic movement deficits. One distinctive presentation of ATP1A3-related disease is recurrent fever-triggered encephalopathy. This can occur with generalized weakness and/or ataxia and is described in the literature as relapsing encephalopathy with cerebellar ataxia. This syndrome displays genotype-phenotype correlation with variants at p.R756 causing temperature sensitivity of ATP1A3. We report clinical and in vitro functional evidence for a similar phenotype not triggered by fever but associated with protein loss-of-function.

METHODS: We …