Digital Commons Network^™

Long-Term Outcomes Of Patients With Large B-Cell Lymphoma Treated With Axicabtagene Ciloleucel And Prophylactic Corticosteroids, Olalekan O Oluwole, Nancy L Bartlett, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

ZUMA-1 safety management cohort 6 investigated the impact of prophylactic corticosteroids and earlier corticosteroids and/or tocilizumab on the incidence and severity of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurologic events (NEs) following axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) in patients with relapsed/refractory large B-cell lymphoma (R/R LBCL). Prior analyses of cohort 6 with limited follow-up demonstrated no Grade ≥3 CRS, a low rate of NEs, and high response rates, without negatively impacting axi-cel pharmacokinetics. Herein, long-term outcomes of cohort 6 (N = 40) are reported (median follow-up, 26.9 months). Since the 1-year analysis (Oluwole, et al. Blood. 2022;138[suppl 1]:2832), no new CRS was reported. …

Biomarker-Directed Targeted Therapy Plus Durvalumab In Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Phase 2 Umbrella Trial, Benjamin Besse, Daniel Morgensztern, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

For patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumors without currently targetable molecular alterations, standard-of-care treatment is immunotherapy with anti-PD-(L)1 checkpoint inhibitors, alone or with platinum-doublet therapy. However, not all patients derive durable benefit and resistance to immune checkpoint blockade is common. Understanding mechanisms of resistance-which can include defects in DNA damage response and repair pathways, alterations or functional mutations in STK11/LKB1, alterations in antigen-presentation pathways, and immunosuppressive cellular subsets within the tumor microenvironment-and developing effective therapies to overcome them, remains an unmet need. Here the phase 2 umbrella HUDSON study evaluated rational combination regimens for advanced NSCLC following failure of …

Altered Larval Activation Response Associated With Multidrug Resistance In The Canine Hookworm Ancylostoma Caninum, Elise L Mckean, Emilia Grill, Young-Jun Choi, Makedonka Mitreva, Damien M O'Halloran, John M Hawdon

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Parasitic gastrointestinal nematodes pose significant health risks to humans, livestock, and companion animals, and their control relies heavily on the use of anthelmintic drugs. Overuse of these drugs has led to the emergence of resistant nematode populations. Herein, a naturally occurring isolate (referred to as BCR) of the dog hookworm,

Mfsd7c Functions As A Transporter Of Choline At The Blood-Brain Barrier, Xuan Thi Anh Nguyen, Angela Lee, Jorge L Granadillo, Catherine Gooch, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Mutations in the orphan transporter MFSD7c (also known as Flvcr2), are linked to Fowler syndrome. Here, we used Mfsd7c knockout (Mfsd7c

Hepsin Promotes Breast Tumor Growth Signaling Via The Tgfβ-Egfr Axis, Denis Belitškin, Pauliina Munne, Shishir M Pant, Johanna M Anttila, Ilida Suleymanova, Kati Belitškina, Daniel Kirchhofer, James Janetka, Taivo Käsper, Sami Jalil, Jeroen Pouwels, Topi A Tervonen, Juha Klefström

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Hepsin, a type II transmembrane serine protease, is commonly overexpressed in prostate and breast cancer. The hepsin protein is stabilized by the Ras-MAPK pathway, and, downstream, this protease regulates the degradation of extracellular matrix components and activates growth factor pathways, such as the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) pathway. However, how exactly active hepsin promotes cell proliferation machinery to sustain tumor growth is not fully understood. Here, we show that genetic deletion of the gene encoding hepsin (Hpn) in a WAP-Myc model of aggressive MYC-driven breast cancer inhibits tumor growth in the primary syngrafted sites …

Direct Prediction Of Intrinsically Disordered Protein Conformational Properties From Sequence, Jeffrey M Lotthammer, Garrett M Ginell, Daniel Griffith, Ryan J Emenecker, Alex S Holehouse

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) are ubiquitous across all domains of life and play a range of functional roles. While folded domains are generally well described by a stable three-dimensional structure, IDRs exist in a collection of interconverting states known as an ensemble. This structural heterogeneity means that IDRs are largely absent from the Protein Data Bank, contributing to a lack of computational approaches to predict ensemble conformational properties from sequence. Here we combine rational sequence design, large-scale molecular simulations and deep learning to develop ALBATROSS, a deep-learning model for predicting ensemble dimensions of IDRs, including the radius of gyration, end-to-end …

Assessing Biological Condition Of Restored Streams In An Agriculturally Impaired Chesapeake Bay Sub-Watershed, Julia M. Portmann, Bruce Wiggins

Department of Biology - Faculty Scholarship

Intensive agricultural practices can be detrimental to aquatic biological conditions; however, restoration such as removing livestock and creating in-stream habitat can strengthen biotic communities. Smith Creek, a sub-watershed of the Chesa- peake Bay, was designated a showcase watershed in 2010 by the United States Department of Agriculture to demonstrate the efficacy of widespread restoration. Our study sought to follow up on these efforts by assessing the individual and combined impacts of restoration, habitat, and land cover on aquatic macroinvertebrate communities in Smith Creek. We predicted that longer-restored sites, sites with less surrounding pasture, and streams with larger substrate size would …

Borrelia Burgdorferi Plza Is A Cyclic-Di-Gmp Dependent Dna And Rna Binding Protein, Nerina Jusufovic, Andrew Krusenstjerna, Christina R. Savage, Timothy C. Saylor, Catherine A. Brissette, Wolfram Zückert, Paula J. Schlax, Md A. Motaleb, Brian Stevenson

Entomology Faculty Publications

The PilZ domain-containing protein, PlzA, is the only known cyclic di- GMP binding protein encoded by all Lyme disease spirochetes. PlzA has been implicated in the regulation of many borrelial processes, but the effector mechanism of PlzA was not previously known. Here, we report that PlzA can bind DNA and RNA and that nucleic acid binding requires c-di-GMP, with the affinity of PlzA for nucleic acids increasing as concentrations of c-di-GMP were increased. A mutant PlzA that is incapable of bind- ing c-di-GMP did not bind to any tested nucleic acids. We also determined that PlzA interacts predominantly with the …

Environmental Dna Metabarcoding Of Pan Trap Water To Monitor Arthropod-Plant Interactions, Joshua H. Kestel, David L. Field, Philip W. Bateman, Nicole E. White, Karen L. Bell, Paul Nevill

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Globally, the diversity of arthropods and the plants upon which they rely are under increasing pressure due to a combination of biotic and abiotic anthropogenic stressors. Unfortunately, conventional survey methods used to monitor ecosystems are often challenging to conduct on large scales. Pan traps are a commonly used pollinator survey method and environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding of pan trap water may offer a high-throughput alternative to aid in the detection of both arthropods and the plant resources they rely on. Here, we examined if eDNA metabarcoding can be used to identify arthropods and plant species from pan trap water, and …

Using Flipped Classroom Modules To Facilitate Higher Order Learning In Undergraduate Organic Chemistry, Lauren R. Holloway, Tabitha Miller, Bryce Da Camara, Paul M. Bogie, Briana L. Hickey, Jack Barbera, Angie L. Lopez, Multiple Additional Authors

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

In an ongoing effort to incorporate active learning and promote higher order learning outcomes in undergraduate organic chemistry, a hybrid (“flipped”) classroom structure has been used to facilitate a series of collaborative activities in the first two courses of the lower division organic chemistry sequence. An observational study of seven classes over a five-year period reveals there is a strong correlation between performance on the in-class activities and performance on the final exam across all classes; however, a significant number of students in these courses continue to struggle on both the in-class activities and final exam. The Activity Engagement Survey …

Some Generalizations Of Corona Product Of Two Graphs, Aparajita Borah, Gajendra Pratap Singh

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

In this paper we are seeking to conceptualize the notion of corona product of two graphs to contrive some special types of graphs. That is, here our attempt is to regenerate a familiar graph as a product graph. We are considering seven familiar graphs here to reconstruct them with the help of corona product of two graphs. Such types of families of the graphs and operations can be used to study biological pathways as well as to find the optimal order and size for the special types of graphs.

Stability Of Predator-Prey Model For Worm Attack In Wireless Sensor Networks, Rajeev Kishore, Padam Singh

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

In this paper, we propose a predator-prey mathematical model for analyzing the dynamical behaviors of the system. This system is an epidemic model, and it is capable of ascertaining the worm's spreading at the initial stage and improving the security of wireless sensor networks. We investigate different fixed points and examine the stability of the projected model.

A Profile Of Spatial Abilities In People With Down Syndrome, A. Bracken, J. Hauss, S. Grinshpun, D. Lasc, A. Hershkovich, Y. Yang

Department of Psychology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Background: Spatial abilities are fundamental cognitive abilities, have direct applications in daily life, serve as a cognitive foundation for many other complex skills and are used in many specialty jobs. The current study aimed to systematically and comprehensively evaluate the spatial abilities of individuals with Down syndrome (DS) relative to mental ability-matched typically developing (TD) children based on Newcombe and Shipley's double-dimension theoretical framework for classifying spatial abilities. Methods: Forty adolescents and young adults with DS and 40 TD children completed a nonverbal intelligence test (Raven's), two measures of static–extrinsic skills (water-level task and cart task), two measures of static–intrinsic …

A Habitat Stronghold On The Precipice: A Call-To-Action For Supporting Lemur Conservation In Northeast Madagascar, Timothy M. Eppley, Cortni Borgerson, Erik R. Patel, James P. Herrera, Andrew E. Kirkby, Christopher D. Golden, Mcantonin Andriamahaihavana, Lanto Andrianandrasana, Antonio Bóveda, Dean Gibson, Louis Joxe Jaofeno, Fenohery Rakotondrasoa, Tiana A. Ramahaleo, Delaïd C. Rasamisoa, Felix Ratelolahy, Josia Razafindramanana, Charlotte Spira, Charles Welch, Natalie Vasey

Department of Anthropology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The northeast of Madagascar is as diverse as it is threatened. The area bordering the Analanjirofo and SAVA regions contains six protected areas and at least 22 lemur species. Many applied research and conservation programs have been established in the region with the aim of ensuring both wildlife and people thrive in the long term. While most of the remaining humid evergreen forest of northeast Madagascar is formally protected, the local human population depends heavily on the land, and unsustainable natural resource use threatens this biodiversity hotspot. Drawing from our collective experiences managing conservation activities and research programs in northeast …

Herptile Gut Microbiomes: A Natural System To Study Multi-Kingdom Interactions Between Filamentous Fungi And Bacteria, Lluvia Vargas-Gastélum, Alexander S. Romer, Marjan Ghotbi, Jason W. Dallas, Reed. N. Alexander, Kylie C. Moe, Kerry L. Mcphail, George F. Neuhaus, Leila Shadmani, Joseph W. Spatafora, Jason E. Stajich, Javier F. Tabima, Donald M. Walker

Biology

Reptiles and amphibians (herptiles) are some of the most endangered and threatened species on the planet and numerous conservation strategies are being implemented with the goal of ensuring species recovery. Little is known, however, about the gut microbiome of wild herptiles and how it relates to the health of these populations. Here, we report results from the gut microbiome characterization of both a broad survey of herptiles, and the correlation between the fungus Basidiobolus, and the bacterial community supported by a deeper, more intensive sampling of Plethodon glutinosus, known as slimy salamanders. We demonstrate that bacterial communities sampled from frogs, …

City Of Houston Nature Preserve Ordinance, Kelli Ondracek, Cassidy Kempf

Cities and the Environment (CATE)

The City of Houston’s Parks and Recreation Department (HPARD) created a first-of-its-kind Nature Preserve Ordinance to protect existing natural habitat within 26 parks totaling 7,423 acres of land. The purpose of this ordinance is to preserve and protect, in perpetuity, city-owned natural areas by regulating public use and development of these lands. The policy protects threatened ecosystems, important water resources, and locally rare plant and wildlife populations.

An Exploration Of The Effects And Clinical Presentations Of Premature Birth Within The Latinx Population, Diana Hill

Dissertations

There are roughly ten percent, or 15 million, preterm births every year across the world. Therefore, it is vital to understand the impact on their development across cognitive, academic, socioemotional, and behavioral levels. A vast amount of research has shown that children who are born prematurely are more at risk of facing challenges across various areas of their development. However, the majority of the research samples have been limited within their scope, leaving behind a gap in research focused on specific subgroups within the population. By delving into the unique context of the Latinx population, this study endeavors to shed …

Exploitation Of Environmental Dna (Edna) For Ecotoxicological Research: A Critical Review On Edna Metabarcoding In Assessing Marine Pollution, Sakib Tahmid Rishan, Richard Kline, Md Saydur Rahman

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Highlights

• eDNA describes the genetic material of organisms present in aquatic environments.

• eDNA metabarcoding characterizes DNA of various marine species from a single sample.

• eDNA has enormous promise for ecotoxicological research in marine environments.

Abstract

The rise in worldwide population has led to a noticeable spike in the production, consumption, and transportation of energy and food, contributing to elevated environmental pollution. Marine pollution is a significant global environmental issue with ongoing challenges, including plastic waste, oil spills, chemical pollutants, and nutrient runoff, threatening marine ecosystems, biodiversity, and human health. Pollution detection and assessment are crucial to understanding the state of …

Safety And Tolerability Of Phenylbutyrate In Inclusion Body Myositis, Duaa Jabari, Andrew Heim, Ali Ciersdorff, Heather M. Wilkins, Abdulbaki Agbas, Edina Kosa, Suzanne Hunt, Mamatha Pasnoor, Mazen M. Dimachkie, Richard J. Barohn

Faculty and Staff Publications

Introduction

Phenylbutyrate (PBA) showed positive effect on the muscle cell model of Inclusion Body Myositis (IBM) by improving lysosomal activity, ameliorating consequences of impaired autophagy, and decreasing vacuolization. This provides rationale to study this medication in patients with IBM.

Objectives

To evaluate the safety and tolerability of phenylbutyrate in IBM, and monitor for any early signal of effectiveness.

Methods

Open-label study of 10 subjects with IBM who received treatment with PBA for 3 months after a 3-month run-in period. The PBA dose was 3 gm twice daily. The primary outcome measure was adverse event reporting. Secondary outcome measures included manual …

Functional Movement Disorders: Understanding, Approach And Diagnosis, Hudaibiya Ayub, Talbiya Ayub, Rasheed Azhar

Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences (PJNS)

ABSTRACT

This commentary offers a comprehensive examination of Functional Movement Disorders (FMD) and explores recent advancements in our understanding and treatment of these intricate syndromes. FMDs challenge clinicians due to their variable nature and diverse clinical presentations, often intertwined with psychological factors. Impairments in motor intention and agency must be considered when providing care. Recognizing that non-motor symptoms can have a major impact on a patient's quality of life is equally important. Recognizing FMDs as multi-faceted conditions requiring multidisciplinary care allows consideration of cognitive, social, and demographic aspects.

Soil Nitrate Prediction Using Ftir-Atr, Vis-Nir, And Raman Spectroscopy, Sabiha Ferdous

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) combined with Attenuated total reflectance (ATR), Visible-Near Infrared spectroscopy (Vis-NIR), and Raman spectroscopy (RS) are non-destructive techniques for rapid determination of nitrogen compounds in soil. Leveraging FTIR-ATR and Vis-NIR spectra using partial least squares regression (PLSR) modeling, the study aims to predict soil nitrate content and explored the feasibility of Raman spectroscopy to detect nitrate (NO₃^-), nitrite (NO₂^-), and ammonium (NH₄⁺) in soil. Soil samples were collected from four different fields, dried, sieved (2mm), and then used for collecting spectra (FTIR-ATR and Vis-NIR). Laboratory analysis was …

Existence And Uniqueness Of Solutions Of Sobolev Type Second Order Integrodifferential Equation, Kamalendra Kumar, Manish Nath Tripathi

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

The primary concern of this article is to establish the existence, uniqueness and continuous dependence on initial data of mild solutions of second order mixed integrodifferential equations of Sobolev type in Banach spaces. For this objective, we employ the idea of strongly continuous cosine family of operators, the modified version of Banach theorem and Grownwall’s inequality. The model is demonstrated to elucidate the abstract conclusion.

Utilization Of Caputo Fractional Derivative In Mhd Nanofluid Flow With Soret And Thermal Radiation Effects, Harshad Patel, Gopal Nanda

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

In existence of heat diffusion and thermal radiation, an analytical equation is found for unsteady MHD flow past an exponentially accelerating vertical plate in optically thick water based nanofluid. The governing equations are made dimensionless by similarity transformation. A definition of Caputo fractional derivative is applied to generalize governing system of partial differential equations. Laplace transform techniques are applied and obtained the analytical solutions of proposed problems. For a physical point of view, numerical results are obtained using MATLAB software and presented via graphs. From the results, it is concluded that magnetic fields tend to reduce velocity. It is also …

The Bell Jars: Smith College, Pelargonium Sidoides, And Sylvia Plath's Botanical Imagination, Colin Hoag

Anthropology: Faculty Publications

Sylvia Plath’s novel The Bell Jar chronicles prize-winning college student Esther Greenwood’s descent into melancholy and attempted suicide. An emerging writer, Esther sees clearly the paths available to her under 1950s US patriarchy: homemaker or eccentric intellectual. Each on its own is untenable, and choosing one precludes the other. The bell jar metaphor conjures a sense of confinement and suffocation, but this essay offers a multispecies reading that shows why such an interpretation is too narrow. The essay looks carefully at the bell jar, its function within her story, and the context within which Plath encountered it, namely, as a …

Spontaneous Alignment Of Myotubes Through Myogenic Progenitor Cell Migration, Lauren E. Mehanna, Adrianna R. Osborne, Charlotte A. Peterson, Brad J. Berron

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

In large-volume muscle injuries, widespread damage to muscle fibers and the surrounding connective tissue prevents myogenic progenitor cells (MPCs) from initiating repair. There is a clinical need to rapidly fabricate large muscle tissue constructs for integration at the site of large volume muscle injuries. Most strategies for myotube alignment require microfabricated structures or prolonged orientation times. We utilize the MPC’s natural propensity to close gaps across an injury site to guide alignment on collagen I. When MPCs are exposed to an open boundary free of cells, they migrate unidirectionally into the cell-free region and align perpendicular to the original boundary …

Analyzing Biomedical Datasets With Symbolic Tree Adaptive Resonance Theory, Sasha Petrenko, Daniel B. Hier, Mary A. Bone, Tayo Obafemi-Ajayi, Erik J. Timpson, William E. Marsh, Michael Speight, Donald C. Wunsch

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Biomedical Datasets Distill Many Mechanisms Of Human Diseases, Linking Diseases To Genes And Phenotypes (Signs And Symptoms Of Disease), Genetic Mutations To Altered Protein Structures, And Altered Proteins To Changes In Molecular Functions And Biological Processes. It Is Desirable To Gain New Insights From These Data, Especially With Regard To The Uncovering Of Hierarchical Structures Relating Disease Variants. However, Analysis To This End Has Proven Difficult Due To The Complexity Of The Connections Between Multi-Categorical Symbolic Data. This Article Proposes Symbolic Tree Adaptive Resonance Theory (START), With Additional Supervised, Dual-Vigilance (DV-START), And Distributed Dual-Vigilance (DDV-START) Formulations, For The Clustering Of …

Heated Tobacco Product Iqos Induces Unique Metabolic Signatures In Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells, Erin O. Curley, Omran Abu Aboud, Kenneth J. Chmiel, Ajay P. Nayak, Oliver Fiehn, Amir A. Zeki, Pawan Sharma

Center for Translational Medicine Faculty Papers

Metabolic signatures are lacking for heated tobacco products, making it crucial to identify new biosignatures of lung damage. This will enable the establishment of product-specific guidelines and an understanding of associated toxicity.

Final Quarterly Operations And Maintenance Report Butte Treatment Lagoon System – Second Quarter 2022, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Ionization Cross Sections Of Hydrogen Molecule By Electron And Positron Impact, Károly Tőkési, Robert D. Dubois

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

We Present Ionization Cross Sections of Hydrogen Molecules by Electron and Positron Impact for Impact Energies between 20 and 1000 EV. a Three-Body Classical Trajectory Monte Carlo Approximation is Applied to Mimic the Collision System. in This Approach, the H2 Molecule is Modeled by a Hydrogen-Type Atom with One Active Electron Bound to a Central Core of Effective Charge with an Effective Binding Energy. Although This Model is Crude for Describing a Hydrogen Molecule, We Found that the Total Cross Sections for Positron Impact Agree Reasonably Well with the Experimental Data. for the Electron Impact, Our Calculated Cross Sections Are …

Target-Site Mutations Ile1781leu And Ile2041asn In The Accase2 Gene Confer Resistance To Fluazifop-P-Butyl And Pinoxaden Herbicides In A Johnsongrass Accession From Arkansas, Usa, Fidel Gonzalez-Torralva, Jason K. Norsworthy

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Johnsongrass [Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers.] is a troublesome weed species in different agricultural and non-agricultural areas. Because of its biology, reproductive system, and seed production, effective management is challenging. An accession with low susceptibility to the acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase)-inhibiting herbicides fluazifop-p-butyl (fluazifop) and pinoxaden was collected in eastern Arkansas. In this research, the molecular mechanisms responsible for ACCase resistance were investigated. Dose–response experiments showed a resistance factor of 181 and 133 for fluazifop and pinoxaden, respectively. Molecular analysis of both ACCase1 and ACCase2 genes was researched. Nucleotide comparison of ACCase1 between resistant and susceptible accessions showed no single nucleotide …