Digital Commons Network^™

Post-Modeling Adjustments And Delivered Dose Verification Of The 6fff Beam Model Commissioned For The Monaco Treatment Planning System, Grant C. Debevec

LSU Master's Theses

External beam radiation therapy has been shown to be an effective treatment method for tumors and abnormalities of the spine and vertebral region. Treating the spine using a stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) technique can reduce toxicity to the spinal cord. The 6 MV flattening filter free (6FFF) beam model is currently used to plan and calculate dose for SBRT treatment plans, and the treatment plans are delivered using a linear accelerator (LINAC).

The commissioned beam model represents an invariant component of a LINAC. For volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) treatment plans, the multileaf collimator (MLC) positions are changing throughout …

In Memoriam: Prof Yuri Alexandrovich Trotsenko (1941-2021), Rich Boden

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.

Effects Of A Mentorship Program On High Need College Students: Reflections From Mentors And Mentees, Stephen Miske, Olusegun Sogunro

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

On average, the college graduation rates for minority and/or high-need students are generally low. To address this situation, a Mid-Atlantic Consortium recently secured a grant to improve 4-year graduation rates of high-need students (i.e., new first-time students and transfer students who qualify as low-income students, first-generation college students, adult students, and/or students of color) by 20% over each selected college’s baseline. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the experiences of students and faculty mentors toward accomplishing this goal. Data were transcribed, coded, and analyzed thematically. Some of the effects identified in this study included enhanced academic …

Enhancing First-Year Stem Student Success Through Peer Mentoring, Nkasa Bolumbu

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

Peer education plays a pivotal role in supporting first-year undergraduate students, especially those pursuing STEM fields like biology. STEM students are no exception when it comes to the benefits of peer mentoring. In this presentation, we will delve into the role of supplemental instruction, mentorship, and collaborative learning.

"Redlining" : The Significant Impact It Created On Health In Waterloo, Iowa, Madeline Bickley

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

Following the Great Depression, FDR created The New Deal. The New Deal included The National Housing Act of 1934. Since more people were able to afford homes, The Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC) created Residential Security Maps, to “ensure” that the recipients of these loans would be able to repaid the banks. These maps were the redlining maps responsible for housing segregation in many cities within America.

Redlining maps color-coded neighborhoods based on the “quality” and “financial risk” that each neighborhood reflected. One common pattern within redlined neighborhoods, was that recipients were considered higher risks for loans. Often times, the …

Peer Tutoring Strategies For Science Major And Non-Major Undergraduate Students, Thomas Manternach

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

Introduction

• Peer tutors tailor their strategies to the unique needs of individual students, distinguishing between science majors and non-majors
• Science majors typically possess a deeper understanding of fundamental scientific concepts
• Non-major students often require assistance in building foundational understandings
• Science majors are tasked with achieving a heightened level of comprehension, as outlined in Bloom’s or SOLO taxonomy, in contrast to their non-major counterparts
• Science Peer tutoring strategies encompass a spectrum of approaches, including metacognition, goal-oriented methods, procedural guidance, Socratic questioning, study aids, and problem-based learning techniques

The Partus Effect: An Inquiry Into Inherited Incarceration In The Modern Prison System, Holly Tubbs

LSU Law Journal for Social Justice & Policy

No abstract provided.

Modeling An Infection Outbreak With Quarantine: The Sibkr Model, Mikenna Dew, Amanda Langosch, Theadora Baker-Wallerstein

Rose-Hulman Undergraduate Mathematics Journal

Influenza is a respiratory infection that places a substantial burden in the world population each year. In this project, we study and interpret a data set from a flu outbreak in a British boarding school in 1978 with mathematical modeling. First, we propose a generalization of the SIR model based on the quarantine measure in place and establish the long-time behavior of the model. By analyzing the model mathematically, we determine the analytic formulas of the basic reproduction number, the long-time limit of solutions, and the maximum number of infection population. Moreover, we estimate the parameters of the model based …

The Effects Of Ocean Acidification On Sea Urchin Larval Survivorship And Development In Lytechinus Variegatus And Arbacia Punctulata, Emily Pace, Kacie Miller*, Nancy Dalman, Margaret (Meg) Smith

Georgia Journal of Science

Accumulated carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is one of the driving factors in ocean acidification as oceanic absorption of carbon dioxide alters ocean chemistry. Lower concentrations of carbonate ions and higher concentrations of hydrogen ions in the water adversely affect marine organisms, including sea urchin larvae, that use calcium carbonate in their skeletal structures. While there is a wide body of literature demonstrating an impact of lowered pH on sea urchin larval development and survival, it is unclear if the method of pH manipulation and the species being studied influences the results. To address this, we compared two commonly employed …

2024 April 08 - Faculty Senate Agenda And Minutes, Faculty Senate, East Tennessee State University

Faculty Senate Agendas and Minutes

No abstract provided.

Trauma-Informed Teaching Perspectives Of Arts And Non-Arts Educators: A Mixed Methods Study For Transformational Change, Annie C. Shrawder

Education Doctorate Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand and answer the overarching research question: To what extent are PA educators prepared to recognize and respond to students impacted by trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)? This question is investigated using a mixed methods action research design on the preparedness of k-12 arts and non-arts educators within one school district. This study unpacks the level of preparedness of educators teaching students with trauma and adverse childhood experiences. The data analysis provided perspectives of non-arts teachers and arts teachers in one school district. Additionally, academic research revealed that the arts positively counteract …

The Rider (2024-04-08), Natalie Lapsley

The Rider Archives

Vol.9 No.26

Can A Congregation Make A Difference? The Relationship Between Social Support And Latter-Day Saint Lgbtq+ Adolescent Well-Being, Aubrey Bardsley

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the relationship between social support at church and the well-being of adolescents who currently or previously belonged to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS, formally known as Mormon), differentiating between LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ adolescents. Past studies show that social support is negatively related to suicidality for adolescents. However, open questions remain about if this relationship is similar for LDS adolescents who identify as LGBTQ+ compared to those who do not. To test this question, I used data from the Family Foundations of Youth Development, a project that randomly sampled adolescents from Utah, Arizona, and …

24 Conference Program - Delivery Of Nucleic Acid Therapeutics Ii: Biology, Engineering And Development, Steven F. Dowdy, Laura Sepp-Lorenzino, Matt Stanton

Delivery Of Nucleic Acid Therapeutics II: Biology, Engineering And Development

No abstract provided.

Arsenic Contamination Needs Serious Attention: An Opinion And Global Scenario, Abhijnan Bhat School Of Food Science And Environmental Health, Kamna Ravi Health, Engineering & Materials Sciences (Hems) Hub, Furong Tian Nanolab Research Centre, Baljit Singh Micra Biodiagnostics Technology Gateway

Articles

Arsenic (As) contamination is a serious global concern, polluting our natural resources, including water and soil, and posing a danger to the environment and public health. Arsenic is present in the groundwater of several countries and this contaminated water is used for irrigation, drinking, and food preparation, which poses the greatest threat to public health. Nearly 106 countries are affected by groundwater arsenic contamination and an estimated 230 million individuals worldwide are exposed to its adverse health effects, including increased cancer risks, associated cardiovascular disease and diabetes, skin lesions, neurological effects, kidney damage, and foetal or cognitive development-related complications. Arsenic …

Re-Shaping The Definition Of Eating Disorder Recovery By Amplifying Adolescent Voices: An Arts-Informed Phenomenological Inquiry, Lauren Porter

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

Adolescence is known as being a critical period of development, especially for adolescent girls. During this developmental stage, young girls may fall susceptible to concerns about body-image, weight, shape, and appearance, and are deeply influenced by the perceptions of others, particularly their peers. Eating disorders constitute a significant public health concern, with adolescent females being particularly vulnerable. Recovery from eating disorders remains a complex and multifaceted phenomenon, characterized by varied definitions within the literature (Bardone-Cone et al., 2010). Despite the rampant nature of eating disorders among this age group, there is limited literature denoting the recovery experiences of female adolescents …

Association Of Psychological Quality Of Life Scores And Adverse Experiences In Stop2 Multi-Center Clinical Trial, Blessed Mbogo

Undergraduate University Honors Capstones

Background: Prior research has observed the relationship between psychological stressors and onset of chronic diseases as well as increased severity. This begs the question of whether psychometric qualities in Health-Related Quality of Life instruments can preliminarily predict participant risk of pathology or adverse events (AE) in clinical trials. Specifically, in studies of cystic fibrosis (CF), a genetic disease that primarily affects the lungs, pancreas, and other organs due to mucus accumulation. Methods: The study design was an ancillary analysis of a clinical trial (STOP-2) examining duration of intravenous antimicrobial treatment for pulmonary exacerbations in CF (n=908). Demographic characteristics, genotype, clinical …

Nursing Professionals' Attitudes That May Impact Diagnostic Outcomes Among Patients With Disabilities, Louvisia Conley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

People with disabilities have been identified as representing the largest marginalized group worldwide. A negative attitude towards people with disabilities has been an extended paradigm in American society. Improving the treatment of people with disabilities has led to national policy and legislation changes. However, health inequities continue to be a significant issue faced by people with disabilities. Bourdieu's Theory of Practice provided the theoretical basis for this research. Using the Scale of Attitudes Toward Disabled Persons survey, this quantitative descriptive research aimed to examine factors that may impact attitudinal barriers among three groups, graduate nursing students, current practicing nurses, and …

A Naturalistic Evaluation Of Mindfulness Training And Practice As Self-Care Resources For International Graduate Students In High-Stress Fields, Julie Laveglia

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Drawing on Social Constructionism (Berger & Luckmann, 1966; Gergen, 2009), this naturalistic evaluation (Guba, 1987; Lincoln & Guba, 1985) describes the effectiveness of mindfulness training and practice as self-care resources for international graduate students in the high-stress field of healthcare. The purpose of the study was to examine and understand the experiences of international graduate students trained in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and analyze the ways that the training and practice shaped the wellbeing of the students. This evaluation also helped me, the administrator responsible for student affairs for this group of students, to better understand how they used the …

Factors Associated With Youth’S Perceptions Of Parenting: The Role Of Social Ecological Assets, Anissa Garza

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Minimal research has examined factors that contribute to youth’s perceptions of maternal parenting practices. The current study included 263 mother-youth dyads. Mothers were aged 23-64 (Mage=36.42, SD=7.89, 82.9% Black) and youth were aged 8-17 (Mage=12.11, SD=2.77, 88.2% Black, 58.9% girls). A multivariate linear regression was used to examine how youth’s behavior problems and internal, peer, school, and community assets were related to their perceptions of positive and negative maternal parenting, while accounting for youth age, gender, socioeconomic status, and maternal adversity exposure. The model was significant (F(9, 236)= 7.24, p<.001, R2=.22) for positive parenting perceptions and for negative parenting perceptions (F(9, 236)=6.76, p<.001, R2=.21). Younger age, more internal assets, and more community assets were related to greater positive parenting perceptions, while more behavior problems and fewer community assets were related to more negative parenting perceptions. Findings could inform the development of family-focused, multisystemic interventions that enhance the mother-child relationship.

Navigating The Size Extremes Of Quantum Chemistry: Rovibrational Spectroscopy Of Metal Carbides And Cluster Modeling Of Enzymes, Donatus Atsu Agbaglo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Magnesium tricarbide isomers are studied herein with coupled cluster theory and multireference configuration interaction to support their possible detection in astrochemical environments such as the circumstellar envelope surrounding the star IRC +10216 or in terrestrial laboratories. Overall, this work offers quantum chemical insight of rovibrational spectroscopic data for MgC3 using a quartic force field (QFF) based on CCSD(T) and CCSD(T)-F12 levels of theory at the complete basis set (CBS) limit. Additional corrections with small basis set CCSDT(Q) and scalar relativistic effects are also included in the analysis. Coupled cluster-based composite energies and multireference configuration interaction both predict that the 1A1 …

Examination Of Greenhouse Conditions That Influence Scale Infestation Rates On Begonia, Madeline M. Cusick

Honors College Theses

Scale insects are common pests within greenhouse and agricultural settings. I quantified scale infestation on Begonia x Richmondensis, also known as the Dragon Wing begonia, within the Armstrong Campus Greenhouse from March to November of 2023. Six different treatments accounted for variations in sunlight, humidity, and temperature within the greenhouse with the goal of determining the insect’s preferred environmental conditions. Morphological comparisons were also made between host plant Dragon Wing begonia and other begonias present within the greenhouse. Analysis indicated a significant difference in scale presence on replicate plants by zone and sunlight treatments, with more plants hosting at least …

Uncomplicating The Complicated: The Definition Of Life, Jennifer S. Primatic

Honors College Theses

The issue of defining life has long been debated by biologists and philosophers alike, but the issue surrounding it has been that the definition is overcomplicated and attempts to include so many definitions from previous scientific discussions. The proposed definition is– a living thing consists of an organic entity which, taken out of the ideal condition, will work toward sustaining itself without outside influence. This definition addresses many issues present in the previous definition, while also including organic entities which should be considered alive.

Inspire Student Research & Engagement Conference [Program] April 8-9, 2024, University Of Northern Iowa

INSPIRE Student Research & Engagement Conference Programs

A program for the INSPIRE conference where undergraduate and graduate students present their research, internship, volunteer and study abroad experiences, club activities and creative performances.

The Ever-Changing Face Of The Family In The Mirror Of Law: A Comparative Study, Sandi S. Varnado

Louisiana Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Spreading Depolarizations In Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries, Natalie J. Pinkowski

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBIs) often lead to acute symptoms like disorientation and discoordination, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Although most patients recover quickly from a single mTBI, repeated injuries can be debilitating. After an mTBI, a neurometabolic cascade produces metabolic burden and vulnerability. Spreading depolarizations (SDs) have been observed after mTBIs. Here we investigated SDs’ role in short-term motor behavioral deficits post-mTBI. We hypothesized that SDs contribute to the deficits, and exacerbated symptoms after repeated mTBIs. To test this, we used acute motor behavioral tests and long-term behavioral and cognitive tests after initiating SDs by mTBI, chemical, or …

Constitutional Rights Of Artificial Intelligence, Mizuki Hashiguchi

Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts

On February 8, 2022, the Italian Parliament approved constitutional amendments to protect the environment. A member of Parliament stated that the environment is an element of Italy, and that safeguarding the environment means safeguarding humans. The need to protect the environment seems to have become a critical component of public conscience. Likewise, if society perceives that artificial intelligence is vitally important for humanity, does constitutional law allow constitutional rights for artificial intelligence to be created?

Extending constitutional rights to artificial intelligence may be consistent with the jurisprudential history of rights. Constitutional rights have undergone metamorphosis over time to protect new …

Arid1a Orchestrates Swi/Snf-Mediated Sequential Binding Of Transcription Factors With Arid1a Loss Driving Pre-Memory B Cell Fate And Lymphomagenesis, Darko Barisic, Christopher R Chin, Cem Meydan, Matt Teater, Ioanna Tsialta, Coraline Mlynarczyk, Amy Chadburn, Xuehai Wang, Margot Sarkozy, Min Xia, Sandra E Carson, Santo Raggiri, Sonia Debek, Benedikt Pelzer, Ceyda Durmaz, Qing Deng, Priya Lakra, Martin Rivas, Christian Steidl, David W Scott, Andrew P Weng, Christopher E Mason, Michael R Green, Ari Melnick

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

ARID1A, a subunit of the canonical BAF nucleosome remodeling complex, is commonly mutated in lymphomas. We show that ARID1A orchestrates B cell fate during the germinal center (GC) response, facilitating cooperative and sequential binding of PU.1 and NF-kB at crucial genes for cytokine and CD40 signaling. The absence of ARID1A tilts GC cell fate toward immature IgM+CD80-PD-L2- memory B cells, known for their potential to re-enter new GCs. When combined with BCL2 oncogene, ARID1A haploinsufficiency hastens the progression of aggressive follicular lymphomas (FLs) in mice. Patients with FL with ARID1A-inactivating mutations preferentially display an immature memory B cell-like state with …

Smarca4 Is A Haploinsufficient B Cell Lymphoma Tumor Suppressor That Fine-Tunes Centrocyte Cell Fate Decisions, Qing Deng, Priya Lakra, Panhong Gou, Haopeng Yang, Cem Meydan, Matthew Teater, Christopher Chin, Wenchao Zhang, Tommy Dinh, Usama Hussein, Xubin Li, Estela Rojas, Weiguang Liu, Patrick K Reville, Atish Kizhakeyil, Darko Barisic, Sydney Parsons, Ashley Wilson, Jared Henderson, Brooks Scull, Channabasavaiah Gurumurthy, Francisco Vega, Amy Chadburn, Branko Cuglievan, Nader Kim El-Mallawany, Carl Allen, Christopher Mason, Ari Melnick, Michael R Green

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

SMARCA4 encodes one of two mutually exclusive ATPase subunits in the BRG/BRM associated factor (BAF) complex that is recruited by transcription factors (TFs) to drive chromatin accessibility and transcriptional activation. SMARCA4 is among the most recurrently mutated genes in human cancer, including ∼30% of germinal center (GC)-derived Burkitt lymphomas. In mice, GC-specific Smarca4 haploinsufficiency cooperated with MYC over-expression to drive lymphomagenesis. Furthermore, monoallelic Smarca4 deletion drove GC hyperplasia with centroblast polarization via significantly increased rates of centrocyte recycling to the dark zone. Mechanistically, Smarca4 loss reduced the activity of TFs that are activated in centrocytes to drive GC-exit, including SPI1 …

Single-Cell Systems Pharmacology Identifies Development-Driven Drug Response And Combination Therapy In B Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Xin Huang, Yizhen Li, Jingliao Zhang, Lei Yan, Huanbin Zhao, Liang Ding, Sheetal Bhatara, Xu Yang, Satoshi Yoshimura, Wenjian Yang, Seth E Karol, Hiroto Inaba, Charles Mullighan, Mark Litzow, Xiaofan Zhu, Yingchi Zhang, Wendy Stock, Nitin Jain, Elias Jabbour, Steven M Kornblau, Marina Konopleva, Ching-Hon Pui, Elisabeth Paietta, William Evans, Jiyang Yu, Jun J Yang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Leukemia can arise at various stages of the hematopoietic differentiation hierarchy, but the impact of developmental arrest on drug sensitivity is unclear. Applying network-based analyses to single-cell transcriptomes of human B cells, we define genome-wide signaling circuitry for each B cell differentiation stage. Using this reference, we comprehensively map the developmental states of B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), revealing its strong correlation with sensitivity to asparaginase, a commonly used chemotherapeutic agent. Single-cell multi-omics analyses of primary B-ALL blasts reveal marked intra-leukemia heterogeneity in asparaginase response: resistance is linked to pre-pro-B-like cells, with sensitivity associated with the pro-B-like population. By …