Digital Commons Network^™

Genomes Of Bacteroides Ovatus, B Cellulosilyticus, B Uniformis, Phocaeicola Vulgatus, And P Dorei Isolated From Gut Cavernous Fistulous Tract Micropathologies In Crohn’S Disease, Vaidhvi Singh, Gail West, Claudio Fiocchi, Fabio Cominelli, Caryn E Good, Michael R Jacobs, Alexander Rodriguez-Palacios

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Surgically removed bowels from Crohn's disease patients exhibit a novel form of micropathologies known as cavernous fistulous tract microlesions (CavFT), resembling fissures. We announce the genomes/plasmids and antimicrobial resistance genes of six CavFT bacterial isolates representing the Bacteroidota genera Bacteroides and Phocaeicola. Plasmids were identified in Bacteroides cellulosilyticus and Phocaeicola vulgatus.

Evaluation Of The Michigan Water School: Water Education Program For Local Leaders, Heather A. Triezenberg, Jennifer Hunnell, Erick Elgin, Bindu Bhakta, Mary Bohling

Journal of Extension

Local leaders are essential for helping Michigan achieve its 30-year water strategy goals. The Michigan Water School is an Extension nonformal educational program to address the knowledge gap of local leaders. We evaluated programs conducted from 2017-2019. Results revealed program outcomes in knowledge, attitudes, perceptions of criticalness to work, and stewardship and behavioral intentions aligned to water quality, water quantity, and field experience units. Growth areas for program improvement include water policy, economics, planning, and finance as well as expanding the focus of the program for transformational leadership and to broaden recruitment efforts.

Lead Compound Development Of Src-3 Inhibitors With Improved Pharmacokinetic Properties And Anticancer Efficacy, Dong Lu, Jianwei Chen, Li Qin, Imani Bijou, Ping Yi, Feng Li, Xianzhou Song, Kevin R Mackenzie, Xin Yu, Bin Yang, Sandipan Roy Chowdhury, James D Korp, Bert W O'Malley, David M Lonard, Jin Wang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Steroid receptor coactivator 3 (SRC-3) is a critical mediator of many intracellular signaling pathways that are crucial for cancer proliferation and metastasis. In this study, we performed structure-activity relationship (SAR) exploration and drug-like optimization of the hit compound SI-2, guided by in vitro/in vivo metabolism studies and cytotoxicity assays. Our efforts led to the discovery of two lead compounds, SI-10 and SI-12. Both compounds exhibit potent cytotoxicity against a panel of human cancer cell lines and demonstrate acceptable pharmacokinetic properties. A biotinylated estrogen response element (ERE) pull-down assay demonstrated that SI-12 could disrupt the recruitment of SRC-3 and p300 in …

Adult Brain Tumour Research In 2024: Status, Challenges And Recommendations, Karin Purshouse, Helen J. Bulbeck, Alasdair G. Rooney, Karen E. Noble, Ross D. Carruthers, Gerard Thompson, Petra Hamerlik, Christina Yap, Kathreena M. Kurian, Sarah J. Jefferies, Juanita S. Lopez, Michael D. Jenkinson, C. Oliver Hanemann, Lucy F. Stead

Peninsula Medical School

In 2015, a groundswell of brain tumour patient, carer and charity activism compelled the UK Minister for Life Sciences to form a brain tumour research task and finish group. This resulted, in 2018, with the UK government pledging £20m of funding, to be paralleled with £25m from Cancer Research UK, specifically for neuro-oncology research over the subsequent 5 years. Herein, we review if and how the adult brain tumour research landscape in the United Kingdom has changed over that time and what challenges and bottlenecks remain. We have identified seven universal brain tumour research priorities and three cross-cutting themes, which …

Chemotherapy Activates Inflammasomes To Cause Inflammation-Associated Bone Loss, Chun Wang, Khushpreet Kaur, Canxin Xu, Yousef Abu-Amer, Gabriel Mbalaviele

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Chemotherapy is a widely used treatment for a variety of solid and hematological malignancies. Despite its success in improving the survival rate of cancer patients, chemotherapy causes significant toxicity to multiple organs, including the skeleton, but the underlying mechanisms have yet to be elucidated. Using tumor-free mouse models, which are commonly used to assess direct off-target effects of anti-neoplastic therapies, we found that doxorubicin caused massive bone loss in wild-type mice, a phenotype associated with increased number of osteoclasts, leukopenia, elevated serum levels of danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs; e.g. cell-free DNA and ATP) and cytokines (e.g. IL-1β and IL-18). Accordingly, …

Targeted Deletion Of Nr2f2 And Vcam1 In Theca Cells Impacts Ovarian Follicular Development: Insights Into Polycystic Ovary Syndrome?†, Nicholes R Candelaria, Joanne S Richards

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Defining features of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) include elevated expression of steroidogenic genes, theca cell androgen biosynthesis, and peripheral levels of androgens. In previous studies, we identified vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM1) as a selective androgen target gene in specific NR2F2/SF1 (+/+) theca cells. By deleting NR2F2 and VCAM1 selectively in CYP17A1 theca cells in mice, we documented that NR2F2 and VCAM1 impact distinct and sometimes opposing theca cell functions that alter ovarian follicular development in vivo: including major changes in ovarian morphology, steroidogenesis, gene expression profiles, immunolocalization images (NR5A1, CYP11A1, NOTCH1, CYP17A1, INSL3, VCAM1, NR2F2) as well as …

The Grizzly, April 11, 2024, Marie Sykes, Ellie Burns, Sean Mcginley, Maddie Wilson, Vaughn Dibattista

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Lavender Graduation: Recognizing LGBTQ+ Seniors • Check Out These Senior Honors Projects! • The Arts at COSA • Bear Innovation Contest • Crossword: Solar Eclipse Edition! • UC Softball Crossword • Walking On, Standing Out: The Jay Sims Story

Bacterial And Viral Co-Infections In Aquaculture Under Climate Warming: Co-Evolutionary Implications, Diagnosis, And Treatment, S Vega-Heredia, I Giffard-Mena, M Reverter

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Climate change and the associated environmental temperature fluctuations are contributing to increases in the frequency and severity of disease outbreaks in both wild and farmed aquatic species. This has a significant impact on biodiversity and also puts global food production systems, such as aquaculture, at risk. Most infections are the result of complex interactions be - tween multiple pathogens, and understanding these interactions and their co-evolutionary mechanisms is crucial for developing effective diagnosis and control strategies. In this review, we discuss current knowledge on bacteria-bacteria, virus-virus, and bacterial and viral co-infections in aquaculture as well as their co-evolution in the …

Multisensory Flicker Modulates Widespread Brain Networks And Reduces Interictal Epileptiform Discharges, Lou T Blanpain, Eric R Cole, Emily Chen, James K Park, Michael Y Walelign, Robert E Gross, Brian T Cabaniss, Jon T Willie, Annabelle C Singer

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Modulating brain oscillations has strong therapeutic potential. Interventions that both non-invasively modulate deep brain structures and are practical for chronic daily home use are desirable for a variety of therapeutic applications. Repetitive audio-visual stimulation, or sensory flicker, is an accessible approach that modulates hippocampus in mice, but its effects in humans are poorly defined. We therefore quantified the neurophysiological effects of flicker with high spatiotemporal resolution in patients with focal epilepsy who underwent intracranial seizure monitoring. In this interventional trial (NCT04188834) with a cross-over design, subjects underwent different frequencies of flicker stimulation in the same recording session with the effect …

Testing Resilience Of Microalgae Biofilms When Exposed To Hydrothermal Liquefaction Aqueous Phase, Davis Haag

Student Research Symposium

Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is a process that transforms wet biomass into a mixture of aqueous phase (AP), biochar solids, biocrude oil, and biogas.

The HTL process is not economically viable on a large scale partially because the HTL-AP is a toxic waste product with no current use.

The HTL-AQ contains high amounts of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), but also environmental toxins such as phenolic compounds. The N and P could potentially be used to grow algae if it can survive the toxins.

Rotating algal biofilm reactors (RABRs) provide a method to grow algae biomass as a biofilm on plastic …

Chemical-Mediated Mate Attraction In Clover Root Curculio; Sitona Hispidulus (F.), A Below Ground Pest, Kristin Leutgeb

Student Research Symposium

Few control options

• Registration of broad-spectrum soil fumigant insecticides discontinued
• Effective monitoring is time- and resource-intensive

Crop damage from feeding on root nodules by soil-dwelling CRC larvae

• Nodules are a symbiotic relationship between the plant and rhizobia, which provide nitrogen to the plant host
• Curculionid beetles can sense the nodules

Mating by pheromones. CRC produces contact and volatile chemicals for mating and egg laying (oviposition).

• Utilize pheromone during active mating above ground

Variable Drought Impacts On Stream Habitat Across The Northwestern Us, Sophia Withers

Student Research Symposium

The United States has been in a continuous drought since 2002. Stream quality, specifically in the context of fish habitat, depends on many variables, including vegetation quality. Drought conditions affect vegetation conditions, however it is unclear how drought conditions impact stream habitat quality for fish. Objectives for my project include:

• How does stream habitat quality relate to drought across National Forests of the Northwestern US?
• Has drought increased impacts on riparian vegetation over the past 20 years?

The Dynamic Interplay Of Self-Regulated Learning, Academic Emotions, And Cognitive Load Theory In Student Learning, Shaf Ahmed

Student Research Symposium

The Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate the dynamic interaction between SRL, academic emotions, and CLT to address a significant gap in educational research, focusing on their collective impact on student learning.
• Examine the complex, bidirectional relationships among academic emotions, SRL, and CLT, considering their changes over time and across different educational contexts.
• Advance understanding of student engagement and learning outcomes by merging theoretical insights with practical strategies for educators, aiming for a comprehensive approach.
• Develop targeted educational interventions by offering a holistic perspective that integrates key psychological and cognitive factors, tailored to meet the needs of students in diverse settings. …

Modulating The Default Mode Network To Enhance Central Executive Network Function: A Pilot Rtsm Study, Pandurang Bharne, Jennifer Ross, Adrian Curtin, Banu Onaral, G. Peter Gliebus

Tower Health Research Day

No abstract provided.

Medical-Dental Staff Topics, 1988, V22 N1, January, Advocate Health - Midwest

Historical Documents - Combined

St. Luke's Hospital, Milwaukee, WI: An issue of "Medical-Dental Staff Topics". This was an internal publication for ASLMC staff members reporting on news, research, events, and staffing updates. Includes a staff calendar and information on continuing education opportunities.

Medical-Dental Staff Topics, 1988, V22 N4, April, Advocate Health - Midwest

Historical Documents - Combined

St. Luke's Hospital, Milwaukee, WI: An issue of "Medical-Dental Staff Topics". This was an internal publication for ASLMC staff members reporting on news, research, events, and staffing updates. Includes a staff calendar and information on continuing education opportunities.

Behavioral Health Preferences Among Foster And Biological Families In A Primary Care Clinic For Families With Social Complexity, Andy Liao, Alanis D. Perez, Ann Cushwa, Daniel T. Vader, Jordan S. Wilson, Hope Vega, Kristine H. Schmitz, Emily A. Spengler

Tower Health Research Day

No abstract provided.

Measuring Fibrinogen To Shorten Post-Alteplase Administration Window, Ahmad Hamid, Jennifer A. Ross, Mandy J. Binning

Tower Health Research Day

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Fungal Biopesticide Doses On Mortality In Bumble Bees, Colton Burris

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Agricultural practices often include the use of pesticides to produce meaningful crop yields. While the pesticide may be used to target “pest” insects (e.g. thrips, aphids, whiteflies), it can also have negative effects on important pollinating insects such as bees. Neonicotinoid pesticides have been found responsible for widespread decline in bee biodiversity, and were even banned in Europe (Sgolastra et al. 2020) . Beauveria bassiana, sold as Botanigard, on the other hand, is a fungal biopesticide that is marketed to be a safer alternative for bees, and has been found to have other possibly harmful effects to the inner …

Chemtrails: Deadly Skies Or Dangerous Misinformation?, Abigail Foust

Undergraduate Research Symposium

A common sight on a clear day is a thin strip of white across the otherwise blue sky: A contrail. Most people do not think anything of these contrails, and assume they have little to no impact on the world at large. Suppose for a moment, however, that they are not as harmless as some believe. Suppose these cloud trails are actually composed of dangerous chemicals, and are being used by sinister forces in a conspiracy to kill off the weak, mind-control the population, or simply dull our minds in preparation for a government takeover. As far-fetched as this may …

Effects Of Process Design And Light Quality On Biomass Growth And Nutrient Uptake In Rotating Algal Biofilm Reactors, Emily Hanson, Hayden Harrison, Colby Hamson, Shanelle Sorensen

Student Research Symposium

Goal: Produce algae, to be used as bioproducts, from wastewater containing high concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorous. Determine if a single-stage or a two-stage reactor has a higher algae biomass yield.

Approach: Use single-stage and two-stage reactors to conduct experiments in triplicate to determine the reactor design that leads to the highest biomass yield and nutrient uptake.

A Rare Gastrointestinal Spectacle - Primary Gastric Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma., Ayushma Acharya, Swarup Sharma Rijal, Parth Desai

Tower Health Research Day

No abstract provided.

Multi-Omics, Big Data, And How Machine Learning Is Revealing New Biological Insights In Pediatric Brain Cancers, Shehbeel Arif

Tower Health Research Day

No abstract provided.

Competition Or Prey: C. Elegans Populations In The Presence Of P. Pacificus, Charles Greene, Elena Zobel, Andrea Scharf

Undergraduate Research Conference at Missouri S&T

The predatory and territorial behaviors of the model organism P. pacificus provides a useful opportunity to study territorial defensive behaviors and optional predatory behaviors in relation to availability of preferred food sources. P. pacificus will be grown with C. elegans in shared cultures, in which E. coli will be placed and used to feed both species of worm. The number of predation events and territory defense events by P. pacificus against C. elegans will be recorded and tracked at differing levels of food concentrations. One potential issue is the different mouth morphs found in P. pacificus, with the stenostomatous (in …

The Application Of Poly-Ε-Caprolactone Nanoparticles For Endotoxin Removal, Mikaela Ritchie

Undergraduate Research Conference at Missouri S&T

Lipopolysaccharides (LPS), also known as endotoxins, are toxins released from the cell walls of gram-negative bacteria upon their death. Ingestion of LPS by humans or animals can initiate inflammatory immune responses, resulting in blood vessels dilation, organ dysfunction and potential death. These toxins contaminate a variety of manufacturing processes from the pharmaceutical industry to animal feed production, posing a risk to humans and animals alike. This study details the production of PCL nanoparticle capable of removing LPS from water and a preliminary analysis of the removal efficiency. The outcomes of this research hold significant implications for industries reliant on bacterial …

Neurodiversity And Openness In Responses To Al In Writing, Joely Grace Hall

Undergraduate Research Conference at Missouri S&T

Neurodivergent individuals encompass a broad spectrum of cognitive profiles, including autism, ADHD, dyslexia, depression, anxiety and other neurological differences and learning disabilities. Over the past decade, artificial intelligence (Al) technologies have rapidly evolved, permeating various aspects of society, from healthcare to education and employment. Al often makes mistakes when analyzing papers written by neurodivergent students and flags them for plagiarism, when there is no plagiarism in the paper. We want to investigate why this happens and ways to work around this. We have put together a Prolific survey to get general opinions on Al, neurodiversity types and writing classes. With …

A New Genetic Tool For Quorum-Sensing Ba, Amelia Markwell

Undergraduate Research Conference at Missouri S&T

This current research project focuses on the use of cell-to-cell communication in Bacterial Strain competition, specifically in soybean plants. Soybean plants are a high-yield crop produced here in the midwest, bringing in more than 8 billion dollars in monetary output for our state. The lab work focuses on one specific bacteria strain farmers commonly find in soybeans; this is called Bradyrhizobium japonicum. This nitrogen-fixing bacteria improves plant growth drastically. Cells have a way of communicating with each other in order to share information and adjust gene regulation accordingly. This is known as quorum sensing. My research last year focused on …

Modality's Effect On Aesthetic Ratings Of Poetry, Jessica Frame

Undergraduate Research Conference at Missouri S&T

Previous research has shown that vividness of evoked imagery is the strongest contributor to aesthetic pleasure for poetry. However, it is 114 unknown whether modality of the poem has an effect on the relationship between vividness and aesthetic appeal, as past work has only used written poems. In this study we want to evaluate rating of vividness, valence, arousal, and aesthetic appeal based on the modality in which poems are presented (listening only, reading only, or combined). Participants were randomly assigned to one of the three modalities: text-only (N=81 ), audio-only (N=74), or combined audio/text (N=78). Our results showed that …

Biosensors For Antibacterial Medical Applications, Ryan Fagan, Shelby Wallen

Undergraduate Research Conference at Missouri S&T

Healthcare associated infections are significant concern in medicine and as antibiotics are becoming less effective, we need new alternative methods to treat them. We are testing various materials that can be used to prevent infections in healthcare settings and in wound treatments. These materials include bioactive glass and modified hydrogel materials. From these studies we've learned these are effective in killing bacteria and preventing infections. The goal of this project is to determine the mechanism at which these materials kill bacteria. Our approach is to construct biosensor strains that can indicate bacterial stress response to antimicrobial agents. We have used …

How Does The C-Terminus Of Iqg1 Work In Cytokinesis?, Rae Tordilla, Katie Shannon

Undergraduate Research Conference at Missouri S&T

During cytokinesis, the division of the cytoplasm between cells is controlled by the contraction of an actomyosin ring. Iqg1, a crucial regulator of cytokinesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is needed for the assembly and contraction of this ring. Already, it has been found that a domain in the Iqg1 C-terminus is crucial for S. cerevisiae survival. In this study, a regulated Iqg1 allele is introduced to yeast. This will allow researchers to turn off the wild-type allele of the Iqg1 gene under specified conditions, which allows for the study of the effects of the C-terminal Iqg1 deletion. Progress towards making the …