Digital Commons Network^™

Isoform Alterations In The Ubiquitination Machinery Impacting Gastrointestinal Malignancies, Srimathi Kasturirangan, Derek Nancarrow, Ayush Shah, Kiran Lagisetty, Theodore Lawrence, David Beer, Dipankar Ray

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

The advancement of RNAseq and isoform-specific expression platforms has led to the understanding that isoform changes can alter molecular signaling to promote tumorigenesis. An active area in cancer research is uncovering the roles of ubiquitination on spliceosome assembly contributing to transcript diversity and expression of alternative isoforms. However, the effects of isoform changes on functionality of ubiquitination machineries (E1, E2, E3, E4, and deubiquitinating (DUB) enzymes) influencing onco- and tumor suppressor protein stabilities is currently understudied. Characterizing these changes could be instrumental in improving cancer outcomes via the identification of novel biomarkers and targetable signaling pathways. In this review, we …

Traveling Wave Fronts Of Reaction Diffusion Differential Equations With Diffusive Delay In Biological And Chemical Models, William Barker

Theses and Dissertations

Functional differential equations (FDE) incorporate past states and or rates in the modeling of physical phenomena. Unlike ordinary and even some partial differential equations there is no method to find solutions of general FDE explicitly. Therefore, in order to study solutions of FDE, iterative techniques are often employed. Reaction diffusion equations are a specific type of partial differential equations that model diffusive spread, the rate of spread of due to a reaction term of some quantity. These equations arise naturally in fields such as biology, ecology and chemistry. In terms of studying dynamics of populations, previous states and even rates …

Observation On Efficacy And Underlying Mechanism Of Cheek Acupuncture On Ovulation Induction For Infertile Women With Pcos: Case Series, Yi Yang, Lihua Jin, Shasha Xu, Huijun Ye, Xi Luo, Ruilan Li, Yuebing Yue

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

RATIONALE: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common reproductive endocrine disorder among women of childbearing age and is the primary cause of anovulatory infertility, accounting for 70% to 80% of cases. Ovulation induction is the main treatment approach for infertile patients with PCOS. Commonly utilized medications for this purpose are clomiphene citrate (CC) and letrozole (LE). Clomiphene citrate administration results in an ovulation rate ranging from 60% to 85%, while the pregnancy rate is limited to 35% to 40%, and a further reduction is observed in live birth rates. Letrozole demonstrates a slightly higher pregnancy rate and live birth …

Agential Cuts For Justice: Honoring Complexity In Research Through Intersectional Design Dimensions, Nadia Behizadeh

The Qualitative Report

This article explores the complexity and challenges of making decisions regarding which theories and social categories (e.g. race, class) should be emphasized in justice-centered research that includes participants’ identities as key variables in the design. Drawing on theories of intersectionality, agential realism, and complexity, the author proposes four intersectional design dimensions to help justice-centered researchers honor complexity: reflection on self and purpose; making agential cuts; complexifying social categories; and intersectional and collaborative re-view. Each dimension is illustrated with theory and empirical examples, mostly drawing from the field of educational research. By attending to and continually revisiting agential cuts related to …

Transmembrane Domain-Driven Pd-1 Dimers Mediate T Cell Inhibition, Elliot A Philips, Jia Liu, Audun Kvalvaag, Alexander M Mørch, Anna S Tocheva, Charles Ng, Hong Liang, Ian M Ahearn, Ruimin Pan, Christina C Luo, Alexander Leithner, Zhihua Qin, Yong Zhou, Antonio Garcia-España, Adam Mor, Dan R Littman, Michael L Dustin, Jun Wang, Xiang-Peng Kong

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) is a potent immune checkpoint receptor on T lymphocytes. Upon engagement by its ligands, PD-L1 or PD-L2, PD-1 inhibits T cell activation and can promote immune tolerance. Antagonism of PD-1 signaling has proven effective in cancer immunotherapy, and conversely, agonists of the receptor may have a role in treating autoimmune disease. Some immune receptors function as dimers, but PD-1 has been considered monomeric. Here, we show that PD-1 and its ligands form dimers as a consequence of transmembrane domain interactions and that propensity for dimerization correlates with the ability of PD-1 to inhibit immune responses, antitumor …

Diagnostic Potential Of Exosomal Extracellular Vesicles In Oncology, Marco Ruiz

All Publications

Liquid biopsy can detect circulating cancer cells or tumor cell-derived DNA at various stages of cancer. The fluid from these biopsies contains extracellular vesicles (EVs), such as apoptotic bodies, microvesicles, exomeres, and exosomes. Exosomes contain proteins and nucleic acids (DNA/RNA) that can modify the microenvironment and promote cancer progression, playing significant roles in cancer pathology. Clinically, the proteins and nucleic acids within the exosomes from liquid biopsies can be biomarkers for the detection and prognosis of cancer. We review EVs protein and miRNA biomarkers identified for select cancers, specifically melanoma, glioma, breast, pancreatic, hepatic, cervical, prostate colon, and some hematological …

Worldwide Accumulation Of Atmospheric Mercury In Glacier Cryoconite, Agnieszka Pasieka, Kamil Brudecki, Przemysław Niedzielski, Alexandra Proch, Nozomu Takeuchi, Roberto Ambrosini, Philip N. Owens, K Zawierucha, Giovanni Baccolo, Caroline Clason, Dylan Beard, Jacob Clement Yde, Edyta Łokas

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Mercury (Hg) is a chemical element recognized as one of the most toxic among all naturally occurring elements, with health risks depending on its form, concentration, route and time of exposure. Mercury appears in the environment as a result of human activities, which include burning coal or lignite, improper waste disposal, oil refining, use of mercury-containing pesticides and fertilizers, and industrial development such as mining, chemical, pharmaceutical and paper industries. The element also appears in the environment as a consequence of natural phenomena, among which are volcanic emissions, rock erosion, biomass burning and geothermal processes, but also as a result …

Observing Change In Pelagic Animals As Sampling Methods Shift: The Case Of Antarctic Krill, Simeon L. Hill, Angus Atkinson, Javier A. Arata, Anna Belcher, Susan Bengtson Nash, Kim S. Bernard, Alison Cleary, John A. Conroy, Ryan Driscoll, Sophie Fielding, Hauke Flores, Jaume Forcada, Svenja Halfter, Jefferson T. Hinke, Luis Hückstädt, Nadine M. Johnston, Mary Kane, So Kawaguchi, Bjørn A. Krafft, Lucas Krüger, Hyoung Sul La, Cecilia M. Liszka, Bettina Meyer, Eugene J. Murphy, Evgeny A. Pakhomov, Frances Perry, Andrea Piñones, Michael J. Polito, Keith Reid, Christian Reiss

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Understanding and managing the response of marine ecosystems to human pressures including climate change requires reliable large-scale and multi-decadal information on the state of key populations. These populations include the pelagic animals that support ecosystem services including carbon export and fisheries. The use of research vessels to collect information using scientific nets and acoustics is being replaced with technologies such as autonomous moorings, gliders, and meta-genetics. Paradoxically, these newer methods sample pelagic populations at ever-smaller spatial scales, and ecological change might go undetected in the time needed to build up large-scale, long time series. These global-scale issues are epitomised by …

Innovative Virtual Reality (Vr) Application For Preventing Of Falls Among Chinese Older Adults: A Usability And Acceptance Exploratory Study, Benson Ip

School of Health Professions

Objective. Full immersive virtual reality (VR) technology shows potential for reducing the risks of falls in older adults. There is yet little evidence to support the usability and acceptance on using VR technology application in community aged care service. The study reports on research that aims to address that gap by evaluating the usefulness and acceptance of using an innovative VR application among Chinese older adults from Hong Kong. Methods. A single-arm exploratory study was conducted to evaluate how the participants experienced the use of a fully immersive cave automatic virtual environment (CAVE) VR program on fall prevention. Thirty-one participants …

Co‐Producing Ethics Guidelines Together With People With Learning Disabilities, M Bottomley, J Bradley, L Clark, Nk Hayden, Et Al

Peninsula Medical School

Background We are a research team of clinical, academic and advocacy-based researchers with and without learning disabilities, working on the Humanising Healthcare (for people with learning disabilities) project. The project is dedicated to finding and sharing healthcare practices that enhance the lives of people with learning disabilities. As part of our ethics applications to access National Health Service study sites for fieldwork, we worked together to write guiding principles for co-producing research ethics with researchers with learning disabilities. In this paper, we introduce these Participatory Ethics Good Practice Guidelines and reflect on our collaboration. Methods We reflect on developing the …

Antioxidant Responses And Phytochemical Accumulation In Raphanus Species Sprouts Through Elicitors And Predictive Models Under High Temperature Stress, María-Trinidad Toro, Roberto Fustos-Toribio, Jaime Ortiz, José Becerra, Nelson Zapata, María Dolores López-Belchí

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Crop production is being impacted by higher temperatures, which can decrease food yield and pose a threat to human nutrition. In the current study, edible and wild radish sprouts were exposed to elevated growth temperatures along with the exogenous application of various elicitors to activate defense mechanisms. Developmental traits, oxidative damage, glucosinolate and anthocyanin content, and antioxidant capacity were evaluated alongside the development of a predictive model. A combination of four elicitors (citric acid, methyl jasmonate—MeJa, chitosan, and K2SO4) and high temperatures were applied. The accumulation of bioactives was significantly enhanced through the application of two elicitors, K2SO4 and methyl …

The Electrical Conductivity Of 24-H Urine Is Decreased In Patients With Calcium Oxalate Urolithiasis., Kamonchat Boonkam

Chulalongkorn Medical Journal

Background: Electrical conductivity (EC) of urine depends on the ionic substance-to-water ratio. Calcium oxalate (CaOx) is the most common type of urinary stone, and its formation is driven by decreased urine volume, increased lithogenic substances, and decreased stone inhibitory compounds (specifically citrate). Low urinary citrate excretion (hypocitraturia) is a prominent risk factor in Thai urolithiasis patients.

Objective: To measure the urinary EC, urinary calcium, and urine specific gravity in CaOx stone patients compared with non-stone forming (NSF) subjects.

Method: The urinary EC was measured in 24-h urine samples obtained from 42 CaOx stone patients and 121 NSF subjects. Urinary calcium …

Anopheles Population Belonging To Barbirostris Complex In Narathiwat Province And Its Vectorial Status For Human And Simian Malaria, Surasuk Yanmanee, Sunee Seethamchai, Napaporn Kuamsab, Taweesak Tia, Somchai Jongwutiwes, Chaturong Putaporntip

Chulalongkorn Medical Journal

Background: Besides well-perceived species of Plasmodium infecting humans, at least four simian malaria species including P. knowlesi, P. cynomolgi, P. inui and P. fieldi have been incriminated in human infections in Thailand. The vectors of simian malaria in this country have been recently identified to be Anopheles latens and An. introlatus.

Objectives: To address whether mosquitoes in Barbirostris complex in Narathiwat Province could vector simian malaria and to analyze species distribution of Anopheles in this complex from the sampled population.

Methods: A total of 115 mosquitoes from Sukhirin and Waeng Districts in Narathiwat Province morphologically assigned to …

Extent Of Some Heavy Metals In Cough Syrups Abused In Sokoto, Nigeria, Ai Umar, Yusuf Sarkingobir, Aminu Faruk, Malami Dikko, Hajara W. Adamu

Chulalongkorn Medical Journal

Background: Cough syrup abuse is an emerging public health trend in our society that need to be tackle due to the manifestation of harmful biological effects on users. Determination of the possible embedded constituents in drugs such as heavy metals will guide stakeholders and the public for taking right measures in curtailing the trend.

Objective: This study was carried out with the purpose of assessing the levels of heavy metals in commonly used cough syrup in Sokoto, Nigeria.

Methods: A survey using atomic absorption spectroscopy was employed for the study and the descriptive statistics were done.

Results: Levels of essential …

The Stability Of Diazepam In Authentic Blood Samples From Thai Postmortem Cases, Peerayuht Phuangphung

Chulalongkorn Medical Journal

Background: Diazepam is a common drug detected in Thai postmortem cases. The stability of diazepam in blood was previously studied using spiked blood samples. However, there is no available data for stability in authentic postmortem blood samples.

Objectives: This study aims to determine the stability of diazepam in authentic postmortem blood samples.

Methods: Postmortem blood samples were obtained from the cadavers of Thai people who were sent for medico-legal autopsies at the Department of Forensic Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University. Blood samples were analyzed for diazepam and nordiazepam within one week after sample reception (initial concentrations: day_0). …

Investigating The Mass Mortality Induced Factors Of Pearl Oyster (Pinctada Radiata) At Abu Dhabi Pearls Farm, Uae, Hamad Ahmed Almansoori

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

The aquaculture of shellfish plays a crucial role in enhancing maritime environments by mitigating algal blooms and improving water quality through the filtration of organic matter, nutrients, and bacteria. This study investigated the environmental factors influencing oyster mortalities through a comprehensive analysis of water quality in Al Mirfa and Al Mughirah farming sites of Abu Dhabi (UAE), from February 2021 to February 2022. To reach such understanding of the main factors led to mass mortalities of cultivated oysters, different monthly sampling and both chemical and biological analyses of the farm water, sediments as well as for both living and dead …

Accuracy Of Nitrate Hysteresis And Flushing For Agricultural Watersheds In The Midwest, Noah Rudko, Sara K. W. Mcmillian, Jane Frankenberger, François Birgand

Graduate Industrial Research Symposium

Storm event-based metrics, such as hysteresis (HI) and flushing (FI), are used to differentiate nitrate pathways and sources, which is essential for watershed management. Estimations of these event-based metrics typically use high frequency (15-minute – hourly) measurements, but daily data are also used due to their greater availability. To date, there has been no study assessing how using lower frequency samples affect the accuracy of HI and FI, which could skew interpretation of potential nutrient pathways and sources. We used continuous measurements of nitrate collected at 9 watersheds throughout the Midwest spanning 448 storms. HI and FI were estimated from …

Measurement And Imaging Of Intra Matrix Igg Diffusion, Riya Debbarma, Antonio C. F. Dos Santos, Diana Milena Ramiez Gutierrez, Fernanda M. Da Cunha, Michael Ladisch

Graduate Industrial Research Symposium

Bovine IgG diffusion measurement by tracking the movement of the protein over time in an in-vitro matrix is motivated by the large number of protein/peptide therapeutics currently under various stages of development in the pharmaceutical industry. Many of these therapeutics are monoclonal antibodies (IgG type proteins) that are candidates for subcutaneous, intra-vitreous and intra-articular administration depending on the target of the therapeutic. Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a major constituent and determines the key attributes of the subcutaneous environment, vitreous humor of the eye and synovial fluid of the knee joint. HA exhibits varying molecular weight at these anatomic locations thereby …

Co-Crystallization Of Urea Granules For Slower Dissolution, Vidya Nagaraju, Carl Wassgren, Kingsly Ambrose

Graduate Industrial Research Symposium

Co-crystals are multicomponent crystals formed through hydrogen bond interactions. Co-crystallization, the process of developing cocrystals, serves as a versatile approach for discovering new solid forms of active ingredients (AIs) that can alter physical properties such as solubility, dissolution rates, and stability. These co-crystals can be produced through three main methods: solid-state methods, solution-based methods, and supercritical fluid methods. Recently, the solid-state (mechanochemical) method of developing cocrystals has gained more attention from researchers in the development of slow-release urea fertilizers. This technique can also be applied to the development of urease inhibitors. These multicomponent crystals present a potential solution to the …

Characterization Of Biological Particles Using An Integrated Hyperspectral Imaging And Machine Learning, Kaeul Lim, Arezoo Ardekani

Graduate Industrial Research Symposium

Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) is a promising modality in medicine with many potential applications. This study focuses on developing a label-free lipid nanoparticle characterization method using a convolutional neural network (CNN) analysis of HSI images. The HSI data, hypercube, consists of a series of images acquired at different wavelengths for the same field of view, providing continuous spectra information for each pixel. Three distinct liposome samples were collected for analysis. Advanced image preprocessing and classification methods for HSI data were developed to differentiate liposomes based on their material compositions. Our machine learning-based classification method was able to distinguish different liposome types …

Sustainable Water Treatment Systems In The La Vega Region Of The Dominican Republic, Hannah Fulton, Justina Thomae, Jorge Del Angel, Ramin Ansari, Karina Peate, Rylan Elliott, Adam Spieth, Thalia May, Morgan Jung, Ernest R. Blatchley Iii, Rebecca C. Johnson

Graduate Industrial Research Symposium

Purdue University's service-learning course, Water Supply in Developing Countries (WSDC) is dedicated to ensuring access to safe drinking water in the La Vega region of the Dominican Republic. The focus in the current academic year is to enhance the functionality, sustainability, and independence of community-based water treatment systems installed by previous WSDC students. Despite the construction of four water systems since 2012, operational challenges ensued, rendering them currently inoperable. Our objective is to learn from past mistakes, restore the systems and ensure their continuous functionality. During the fall semester, class members assessed repair needs in two communities with existing systems, …

Autonomous Roadside Mower Testing And Evaluation In Digital Twin Environments, Michael Mardikes, Ethan Brown, Timothy Wiegman, Nathan Sprague, Shreyas Supe, J. T. Evans

Graduate Industrial Research Symposium

Modern day roadside mowing operations in Indiana are performed by contractors operating tractors that pull flex-wing mowers. These mowing operations span over 11,000 miles of road across the state and create serious risk for human operators. Autonomous mowers can provide a safer alternative, but a replacement system must demonstrate an acceptable level of trust before large-scale deployment. A high-fidelity digital-twin environment can facilitate the capability to rapidly test and evaluate platforms in their desired application, while enabling zero real-world risk, a wide range of test variables, and repeatability of a test setup. The simulation environment must be at a level …

Mushrooom Production Without Solid Substrates, Alexander Baena, Marshall Porterfield

Graduate Industrial Research Symposium

Novel biotechnological approaches are needed to enhance renewable food production and waste recycling capabilities in resource-constrained environments. Edible mushrooms possess nutritious profiles and represent emerging opportunities to develop circular bioproduction by transforming waste organic materials into food and high-value products. However, traditional mushroom cultivation methods utilizing solid substrates have technical limitations like 1) uneven nutrient diffusion, 2) constant sterilization needs, 3) numerous intermediate steps that are energy and time-demanding, and 4) waste production from bags and jars. This work introduces an innovative hydroponic fungal cultivation system called Mycoponics™ using bioengineered ceramic materials. This liquid-nutrient-based technique optimizes fungal metabolism and facilitates …

A Machine Learning Model Of Perturb-Seq Data For Use In Space Flight Gene Expression Profile Analysis, Liam F. Johnson, James Casaletto, Lauren Sanders, Sylvain Costes

Graduate Industrial Research Symposium

The genetic perturbations caused by spaceflight on biological systems tend to have a system-wide effect which is often difficult to deconvolute it into individual signals with specific points of origin. Single cell multi-omic data can provide a profile of the perturbational effects, but does not necessarily indicate the initial point of interference within the network. The objective of this project is to take advantage of large scale and genome-wide perturbational datasets by using them to train a tuned machine learning model that is capable of predicting the effects of unseen perturbations in new data. Perturb-Seq datasets are large libraries of …

The Ethical Safeguards Within Servant Leadership, Jae Webb

Servant Leadership: Theory & Practice

Many of the prevailing strategies to address corporate misconduct are focused on an increase in regulation, greater oversight, and stricter punishments for offenders. Other strategies, often found in business schools, focus on developing cognitive moral reasoning skills. Both of these theories, by their nature, underestimate the power of context in ethical decision-making, as well as the importance of affirmative efforts to develop moral character. The following article explicates elements of servant-leadership theory that serve as ethical safeguards regarding a person’s ability to make ethical decisions, as well as aiding in the formation of contexts and cultures that facilitate ethical decision-making. …

Middle East, Kelly Blount, Howard L. Stovall, Mamoun Aidoud, Tania Tossa, Hassan Radhi, Noor Radhi, Nicolas Bremer, Joseph Busa Arop, Seyed Mohsen Rowhani, Jeremy Benjamin, Elad Sharabi, Sam Habbas, Ibrahim Sattout, Fouad Debs, Michela Cocchi, Ravinder Singh, Mansoor Malik, Khalid Rehman, Frank Lucente, Yessine Ferah, Anne Bodley

The Year in Review

No abstract provided.

International Animal Law, Frances Arricale, Daina Bray, Paula Cardoso, Matthew Collis, Giuliana D'Esopo, Erica Lyman, Jill Mariani, Omar Andrew Nimri, Megan O'Toole, Rajesh K. Reddy, Joan Schaffner, Fawn Schanz, Susan Schwartz, Malcolm Seheult

The Year in Review

No abstract provided.

Sexual Orientation And Gender Identity, Mark E. Wojcik

The Year in Review

No abstract provided.

Export Controls And Economic Sanctions, John Boscariol, Patrick Briscoe, Jamie Brown, Sylvia Costelloe, Abigail Cotterill, Geoffrey Goodale, Timothy O'Toole, Jason Prince, Christopher Stagg, Lawrence Ward

The Year in Review

No abstract provided.

Prevalence Of Small T Trauma In Depressed Adolescent And Early Adulthood Patient In King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Krittapast Thongrakyoo, Puchong Laurujisawat, Parichawan Chandarasiri

Chulalongkorn Medical Journal

Background: Trauma and depression are known to be related, especially in adolescents and early adulthood patients in which depression usually starts, then deteriorates, and causes decreased function and worse quality of life.

Objective: To study prevalence of small t trauma level in depressed adolescents and early adulthood patients and to study whether small t trauma level and severity of depression are related.

Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study recruited depressive patients aged 15 – 25 years to complete a questionnaire consisted of 3 parts: demographic data and Big T trauma, BDI-IA scale Thai version, and the Small t trauma Level of …