Digital Commons Network^™

Synthetic Studies Of Potential New Ketogenic Molecules, Mohammad Nazmus Sakib

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The ketogenic diet has gained popularity in the past few decades among people and physicians due to its various health benefits. A significant amount of research has been done for the modification of the original ketogenic diet and investigation of its potential health benefits. However, synthesis of novel ketogenic compounds as a dietary supplement has not received the same level of attention. That is the primary objective of this research project. The first chapter of this manuscript describes the synthesis of various short and medium chain esters of different polyols that have been done so far, and areas of their …

Correlations Between Mental Health, Physical Activity, And Body Composition In American College Students After The Covid-19 Pandemic Lockdown, Luis Torres, Manuela C Caciula, Alin S Tomoiaga, Carmen Gugu-Gramatopol

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic had forced American college students to significantly reduce their daily energy expenditure and increase their sedentary behaviors, thus presumably increasing mental health symptoms, decreasing physical activity levels, and enhancing the promotion of unhealthy eating habits. This study aimed to explore the correlations between mental health symptoms, physical activity levels, and body composition in college students in the years following the pandemic, focusing on the lingering effects of lockdown measures. American college students completed pre-existing, well-validated surveys for both mental health (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) and physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire—Long Form). Body …

Biom-55. Targeted Gene Expression Profiling Predicts Meningioma Outcomes And Radiotherapy Responses, William Chen, Abrar Choundhury, Narj W. Youngblood, Mei-Yin Polly, Calixto-Hope Lucas, Kanish Mirchia, Sybren Maas, Abigail Suwala, Minhee Won, James Bayley, Akdes Harmanci, Arif Marmanci, Tiemo Kilsch, Minh Nguyen, Harish Vasudevan, Katy Mccortney, Tai-Chung Lam, Jenny Kan-Suen Pu, Lai-Fung Li, Gilberto Ka-Kit Leung, Jason Chan, Haley Perlow, Joshua Palmer, Anna Berghoff, Matthias Preusser, Theodore Nicolaides, Christian Mawrin, Jacob Young, Lauren Boreta, Steve Braunstein, Jessica Schulte, Nicolas Butowski, Sandro Santagatta, Nancy Ann Oberheim Bush, Javier Vallaneuva-Meyer, James P. Chandler, David Solomon, Leland Rogers, Stephanie Pugh, Minesh Mehta, Penny Sneed, Michael Berger, Craig Horbinski, Michael Mcdrmott, Arie Perry, Wenya Linda Bi, Akash Patel, Felix Sahm, Stephen Magill, David Raleigh

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION

Improvements in meningioma risk stratification are needed and current indications for postoperative radiotherapy are controversial. Here we report multicenter clinical and analytical validation of a gene expression biomarker using clinical and genomic data from 1856 meningiomas from 12 institutions across 3 continents. METHODS

A previously-developed 34-gene expression biomarker was applied to 3 validation cohorts: (1) a multicenter retrospective clinical validation cohort (N = 6 centers, N = 866 meningiomas, median follow-up 5.2 years), (2) a prospective investigator-blinded clinical validation cohort from RTOG 0539 (N = 103 meningiomas, median follow-up 8.4 years), and (3) an analytical validation cohort for test/re-test …

Recurrent Somatic Copy Number Alterations And Their Association With Oncogene Expression Levels In High-Grade Ovarian Serous Carcinoma, Hillary P Esplen, Richard K Yang, Awdhesh Kalia, Zhenya Tang, Guilin Tang, L Jeffrey Medeiros, Gokce A Toruner

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Somatic copy number alterations (SCNAs) are frequently observed in high-grade ovarian serous carcinoma (HGOSC). However, their impact on gene expression levels has not been systematically assessed. In this study, we explored the relationship between recurrent SCNA and gene expression using The Cancer Genome Atlas Pan Cancer dataset (OSC, TCGA, PanCancer Atlas) to identify cancer-related genes in HGOSC. We then investigated any association between highly correlated cancer genes and clinicopathological parameters, including age of diagnosis, disease stage, overall survival (OS), and progression-free survival (PFS). A total of 772 genes with recurrent SCNAs were observed. SCNA and mRNA expression levels were highly …

Transforming Ovarian Cancer Care By Targeting Minimal Residual Disease, Amir A Jazaeri, Rachel Grisham, Anne Knisely, Stefani Spranger, Dmitriy Zamarin, R Tyler Hillman, Barrett C Lawson, Kathleen H Burns, Sanghoon Lee, Shannon N Westin, Enrico Moiso, Marc J Williams, Neelkanth M Bardhan, Thomas Pisanic, Ursula Matulonis, Britta Weigelt, Ieming Shih, Panagiotis A Konstantinopoulos, Stephanie Gaillard, Linghua Wang, Carol Aghajanian, Alan D D'Andrea, Paula Hammond, Sohrab Shah, Kai W Wucherpfennig, Karen H Lu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Frontline treatment and resultant cure rates in patients with advanced ovarian cancer have changed little over the past several decades. Here, we outline a multidisciplinary approach aimed at gaining novel therapeutic insights by focusing on the poorly understood minimal residual disease phase of ovarian cancer that leads to eventual incurable recurrences.

Social Workers And Acquired Brain Injury: A Systematic Review Of The Current Evidence-Base., Mark A. Linden, Mark Holloway, Claire Cooper, Akudo Amadiegwu, Caroline Bald, Michael Clark, Andy Mantell, Alyson Norman, Andrew Bateman

School of Psychology

Social work plays an important role in the assessment and treatment of people with acquired brain injury. Acquired brain injury is a complex and highly prevalent condition which can impact on cognitive, emotional and social domains. As acquired brain injury is a hidden disability it can be misdiagnosed or classified as another condition entirely. We sought to systematically explore the evidence base to examine how social workers have been prepared to work with their clients with brain injury. Employing six electronic databases (Social Policy & Practice, Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL Plus) we reviewed 1071 papers. After applying …

Substantial Light Woodland And Open Vegetation Characterised The Temperate Forest Biome Before Homo Sapiens, Elena A. Pearce, Florence Mazier, Signe Normand, Ralph Fyfe, Valérie Andrieu, Corrie Bakels, Zofia Balwierz, K Binka, Steve Boreham, Olga K. Borisova, Anna Brostrom, Beaulieu J-L De, Cunhai Gao, P Gonzalez-Samperiz, Wojciech Granoszewski, Anna Hrynowiecka, P Kolaczek, P Kunes, Donatella Magri, Małgorzata Malkiewicz, T Highall, Alice M. Milner, P Moller, Małgorzata Nita, Bożena Noryśkiewicz, Irena Agnieszka Pidek, Maurice Reille, Ann Marie Robertsson, J. Sakari Salonen, Patrick Schläfli, Jeroen Schokker, Paolo Scussolini, Vaida Šeirienė, Jaqueline Strahl, Brigitte Urban, Hanna Winter, Jens Christian Svenning

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The extent of vegetation openness in past European landscapes is widely debated. In particular, the temperate forest biome has traditionally been defined as dense, closed-canopy forest; however, some argue that large herbivores maintained greater openness or even wood-pasture conditions. Here, we address this question for the Last Interglacial period (129,000–116,000 years ago), before Homo sapiens–linked megafauna declines and anthropogenic landscape transformation. We applied the vegetation reconstruction method REVEALS to 96 Last Interglacial pollen records. We found that light woodland and open vegetation represented, on average, more than 50% cover during this period. The degree of openness was highly variable and …

Archaeology In 2022: Counter‐Myths For Hopeful Futures, M Berihuete‐Azorín, Chelsea Blackmore, Lewis Borck, James L. Flexner, Catherine J. Frieman, Corey A. Herrmann, Rachael Kiddey

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

Archaeology in 2022 features more calls than ever for a socially and politically engaged, progressive discipline. Archaeologists increasingly respect and integrate decolonizing and Indigenous knowledge in theory and practice. They acknowledge and embrace the fluidity and diversity of sexes and genders, past and present. They document patterns of migration, ancient as well as contemporary, to combat retrograde and racist narratives that remain pervasive in the public sphere. At the same time, the field has a deep‐seated conservative bastion toward which many scholars retreat, arguing for an “objective” past that is free of political implications or interpretive ambiguity. As anarchist archaeologists, …

Breakdown Of Category-Specific Word Representations In A Brain-Constrained Neurocomputational Model Of Semantic Dementia, Yury Shtyrov, Aleksei Efremov, Anastasia Kuptsova, Thomas Wennekers, Boris Gutkin, Max Garagnani

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

The neurobiological nature of semantic knowledge, i.e., the encoding and storage of conceptual information in the human brain, remains a poorly understood and hotly debated subject. Clinical data on semantic deficits and neuroimaging evidence from healthy individuals have suggested multiple cortical regions to be involved in the processing of meaning. These include semantic hubs (most notably, anterior temporal lobe, ATL) that take part in semantic processing in general as well as sensorimotor areas that process specific aspects/categories according to their modality. Biologically inspired neurocomputational models can help elucidate the exact roles of these regions in the functioning of the semantic …

Major Declines In Ne Atlantic Plankton Contrast With More Stable Populations In The Rapidly Warming North Sea, Matthew M. Holland, Arnaud Louchart, Luis Felipe Artigas, Clare Ostle, Angus Atkinson, Isabelle Rombouts, Carolyn A. Graves, Michelle Devlin, Birgit Heyden, Margarita Machairopoulou, Eileen Bresnan, Jos Schilder, Hans H. Jakobsen, Hannah Llody-Hartley, Paul Tett, Mike Best, Eric Goberville, Abigail Mcquatters-Gollop

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Plankton form the base of marine food webs, making them important indicators of ecosystem status. Changes in the abundance of plankton functional groups, or lifeforms, can affect higher trophic levels and can indicate important shifts in ecosystem functioning. Here, we extend this knowledge by combining data from Continuous Plankton Recorder and fixed-point stations to provide the most comprehensive analysis of plankton time-series for the North-East Atlantic and North-West European shelf to date. We analysed 24 phytoplankton and zooplankton datasets from 15 research institutions to map 60-year abundance trends for 8 planktonic lifeforms. Most lifeforms decreased in abundance (e.g. dinoflagellates: −5 …

Repeated Multi-Domain Cognitive Training Prevents Cognitive Decline, Anxiety And Amyloid Pathology Found In A Mouse Model Of Alzheimer Disease, Jogender Mehla, Scott H Deibel, Hadil Karem, Nancy S Hong, Shakhawat R Hossain, Sean G Lacoursiere, Robert J Sutherland, Majid H Mohajerani, Robert J Mcdonald

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Education, occupation, and an active lifestyle, comprising enhanced social, physical, and mental components are associated with improved cognitive functions in aged people and may delay the progression of various neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease. To investigate this protective effect, 3-month-old APP

Open Educational Resources Data Assessment And Visualization By The Library & Learning Center, Michele Gibney, Mickel Paris, Sowmya Ballari

Pacific's Annual Assessment Conference

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Adropin On Metabolic Parameters, Oxidative Stress, And Cell Proliferation In Animal Model Of Diabetes Mellitus, Ifrah Ali

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major health issue that has reached alarming levels, affecting around 537 million of the global adult population. DM is a group of metabolic diseases characterized by hyperglycemia with disturbance in carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism. The proposed therapeutic options for DM are different according to their mechanism of action, and peptide therapy is one of these options. Adropin, a peptide hormone involved in energy homeostasis, has shown promising results in the treatment of diabetes by lowering fasting blood glucose, reducing insulin resistance, and minimizing fat storage. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that adropin is engaged …

The Effect Of Topical Cannabidiol On The Progression Rate Of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, Anastasia Alpy, George Yusuff, Michele Aquino, John Petrizzo, Robert M. Otto, John Wygand, Troy Simpson

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 16(3): 1426-1439, 2023. This study investigated the efficacy of topical cannabidiol (CBD) ointment in reducing localized inflammation, minimizing performance detriments, and attenuating soreness associated with delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). In a double blind randomized control trial, upper-arm circumferences, maximal voluntary isometric contractions (MVICs) for elbow flexion at 90° and 30° for college-aged participants (n = 21, age 20.8 ± 1.9 years) were assessed at baseline. Participants then performed a DOMS-inducing protocol for the biceps brachii. Topical CBD ointment and placebo (P) ointment were randomly assigned and applied 30 minutes, 24, 48 and 72 …

Modulation Of Chronic Allergic Contact Dermatitis Through B Cells Reprogramming, Sara Saeed Alhmoudi

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) is a common inflammatory disease caused by contact with an allergen and is a T-cell mediated type IV hypersensitivity reaction. Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) showed the ability to modulate immune cells in case of inflammation. Pentanoate is one of the abundant SCFA that showed therapeutic ability by inducing IL-10 secretion in lymphocytes. IL-10 producing regulatory B cells have shown to decrease different inflammatory responses; however, overall role of B cells in ACD is not well studied. This project aims to explore the role of B cells during chronic ACD and their modulation with the SCFA …

A New Approaching Method For Linear Neutral Delay Differential Equations By Using Clique Polynomials, Şuayi̇p Yüzbaşi, Mehmet Emi̇n Tamar

Turkish Journal of Mathematics

This article presents an efficient method for obtaining approximations for the solutions of linear neutral delay differential equations. This numerical matrix method, based on collocation points, begins by approximating $y^{\prime}(u)$ using a truncated series expansion of Clique polynomials. This method is constructed using some basic matrix relations, integral operations, and collocation points. Through this method, the neutral delay problem is transformed into a system of linear algebraic equations. The solution of this algebraic system determines the coefficients of the approximate solution obtained by this method. The efficiency, accuracy, and error analysis of this method are demonstrated by applying it to …

Dynamical Complexity Of A Predator-Prey Model With A Prey Refuge And Allee Effect, Jianping Gao, Jianghong Zhang, Wenyan Lian

Turkish Journal of Mathematics

We consider a predator-prey model with a non-monotonic functional response encompassing a prey refuge and a strong Allee effect on the prey. The multiple existence and stability of interior equilibria are investigated. The bifurcation analysis shows this model can exhibit numerous kinds of bifurcations (e.g., saddle-node, Hopf-Andronov and Bogdanov-Takens bifurcations). It is found that there exist diverse parameter values for which the model exhibits a limit cycle, a homoclinic orbit, and even many heteroclinic curves. The results obtained reveal the prey refuge in the model brings rich dynamics and makes the system more sensitive to parameter values. The main purpose …

A Novel Machine-Learning Framework Based On A Hierarchy Of Dispute Models For The Identification Of Fish Species Using Multi-Mode Spectroscopy, Mitchell Sueker, Amirreza Daghighi, Alireza Akhbardeh, Nicholas Mackinnon, Gregory Bearman, Insuck Baek, Chansong Hwang, Jianwei Qin, Amanda M. Tabb, Jiahleen Roungchun, Rosalee S. Hellberg, Fartash Vasefi, Moon Kim, Kouhyar Tavakolian, Hossein Kashini Zadeh

Food Science Faculty Articles and Research

Seafood mislabeling rates of approximately 20% have been reported globally. Traditional methods for fish species identification, such as DNA analysis and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), are expensive and time-consuming, and require skilled technicians and specialized equipment. The combination of spectroscopy and machine learning presents a promising approach to overcome these challenges. In our study, we took a comprehensive approach by considering a total of 43 different fish species and employing three modes of spectroscopy: fluorescence (Fluor), and reflectance in the visible near-infrared (VNIR) and short-wave near-infrared (SWIR). To achieve higher accuracies, we developed a novel machine-learning framework, where groups of …

Early Life Exposure To Broccoli Sprouts Confers Stronger Protection Against Enterocolitis Development In An Immunological Mouse Model Of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Lola Holcomb, Johanna M. Holman, Molly Hurd, Brigitte Lavoie, Louisa Colucci, Benjamin Hunt, Timothy Hunt, Marissa Kinney, Jahnavi Pathak, Gary M. Mawe, Peter L. Moses, Emma Perry, Allesandra Stratigakis, Tao Zhang, Grace Chen, Suzanne L. Ishaq, Yanyan Li

Pharmacy Faculty Scholarship

Crohn’s disease (CD) is a presentation of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that manifests in childhood and adolescence and involves chronic and severe enterocolitis, immune and gut microbial dysregulation, and other complications. Diet and gut-microbiota-produced metabolites are sources of anti-inflammatories that could ameliorate symptoms. However, questions remain on how IBD influences biogeographic patterns of microbial location and function in the gut, how early life transitional gut communities are affected by IBD and diet interventions, and how disruption to biogeography alters disease mediation by diet components or microbial metabolites. Many studies on diet and IBD use a chemically induced ulcerative colitis model, …

40th Annual Reception Bibliography, 2022-2023, Leonard H. Axe Library

Bibliographies

No abstract provided.

Adipose Tissue Dysregulation Leads To Chronic Systemic Inflammation, Jamie Rausch Phd, Rn

Posters & Presentations

IU School of Nursing Poster presented at Parkview Nursing Research Symposium 2023.

Michael Coniker V. Jeffrey Monfortoh

2023 Decisions

USDC for the Western District of Pennsylvania

2023-2024 Ursinus College Course Catalogue, Office Of The Registrar

Ursinus College Catalogues, 1869-Present

A digital copy of the 2023-2024 Ursinus College Catalog. It contains details of the curriculum, departmental requirements and courses of instruction as well as the Open Questions core requirements, experiential learning and the Common Intellectual Experience (CIE). Academic policies, special opportunities and scholarships, off-campus programs and graduation requirements are also outlined.

First Optimization Of Novel, Potent, Selective Pde11a4 Inhibitors For Age-Related Cognitive Decline, Shams Ul Mahmood, Mariana Lozano Gonzalez, Sreedhar Tummalapalli, Jeremy Eberhard, Judy Ly, Charles S. Hoffman, Michy P. Kelly, John Gordon, Dennis Colussi, Wayne Childers, David P. Rotella

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Phosphodiesterase 11A4 (PDE11A4) is a dual-acting cyclic nucleotide hydrolase expressed in neurons in the CA1, subiculum, amygdalostriatal transition area and amygdalohippocampal area of the extended hippocampal formation. PDE11A4 is the only PDE enzyme to emanate solely from hippocampal formation, a key brain region for the formation of long-term memory. PDE11A4 expression increases in the hippocampal formation of both humans and rodents as they age. Interestingly, PDE11A knockout mice do not show age-related deficits in associative memory and show no gross histopathology. This suggests that inhibition of PDE11A4 might serve as a therapeutic option for age-related cognitive decline. A novel, yeast-based …

Evaluating The Response Of Glycine Soja Accessions To Fungal Pathogen Macrophomina Phaseolina During Seedling Growth, Shirley Jacquet, Layla Rashad, Sonia Viera, Francisco Reta, Juan Reta

Biological Science Student Working Papers

Charcoal rot caused by the fungal pathogen Macrophomina phaseolina (Tassi) Goid is one of various devastating soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) diseases, which can severely reduce crop yield. The investigation into the genetic potential for charcoal rot resistance of wild soybean (Glycine soja) accessions will enrich our understanding of the impact of soybean domestication on disease resistance; moreover, the identified charcoal rot-resistant lines can be used to improve soybean resistance to charcoal rot. The objective of this study was to evaluate the resistance of wild soybean accessions to M. phaseolina at the seedling stage and thereby select the disease-resistant lines. …

Raccoon Spatial Ecology In The Rural Southeastern United States, Jacob E. Hill, Madison L. Miller, James L. Helton, Richard B. Chipman, Amy Gilbert, University Of Georgia, Guha Dharmarajan, Olin E. Rhodes Jr.

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The movement ecology of raccoons varies widely across habitats with important implications for the management of zoonotic diseases such as rabies. However, the spatial ecology of raccoons remains poorly understood in many regions of the United States, particularly in the southeast. To better understand the spatial ecology of raccoons in the southeastern United States, we investigated the role of sex, season, and habitat on monthly raccoon home range and core area sizes in three common rural habitats (bottomland hardwood, upland pine, and riparian forest) in South Carolina, USA. From 2018–2022, we obtained 264 monthly home ranges from 46 raccoons. Mean …

Analog Artificial Neurons And Digital Amplifiers: Challenging The Roles Of Analog And Digital Circuit Architectures In Modern Cmos Processes, Taylor S. Barton

Theses and Dissertations

As complimentary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technologies scale and field-effect transistor (FET) architectures change, the factors in deciding to utilize analog or digital transistor behaviors evolve. This thesis examines three case studies where traditionally analog or digital circuitry has dominated published works but I show that the opposite regime has significant benefits in scaled CMOS technologies. I present a highly digital operational amplifier (traditionally analog) and two artificial neurons (traditionally digital). In Chapters 2 and 3 I present a highly-digital five-stage zero-crossing-based amplifier which breaks the trade-off between slew rate and settling accuracy. I investigate the optimal charge pump design by …

The Golden Native Drone Fly (Eristalinus Punctulatus) Is An Effective Hybrid Carrot Pollinator That Lives Within Australian Crop Agroecosystems, Abby E. Davis, Lena A. Schmidt, Karen C B S Santos, Lucie Martin, Samantha Harrington, Marizio Rocchetti, Brad Hocking, Derek Wright, Cameron J. Spurr, David F. Cook, Romina C. Rader

Horticulture Research Articles

1. Native insect flower visitors can be important contributors to crop pollination, yet little is known of their pollination abilities and the resources (habitat) they need to be supported within crop agroecosystems.
2. Here, we compared the abundance and pollination abilities of the golden drone fly (Eristalinus punctulatus) to the European honey bee (Apis mellifera) in hybrid carrot crop fields known to produce variable seed yields in regional New South Wales, Australia. We further observed the egg-laying behaviours of female golden drone flies at a commercial berry orchard to provide insight into the habitat needs of this species. …

Spectator 2023-11-09, Editors Of The Spectator

The Spectator

No abstract provided.

Does Selection For Seedling Tiller Number In Perennial Biomass Feedstocks Translate To Yield And Quality Improvements In Mature Swards?, Robert B. Mitchell, Kenneth P. Vogel, Susan Tunnell, James Stubbendieck

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Breeding for seedling traits in herbaceous perennial biomass feedstocks that translate into increased biomass yield or quality in established swards could accelerate the development of perennial grass cultivars for bioenergy or forage. In previously reported research, breeding for single large tillers (ST) or multiple tillers (MT, ≥3) six weeks after planting for two generations in big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman) and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) base populations produced ST and MT populations that differed significantly for seedling and mature plant traits including biomass yield in spaced planted nurseries. Our objective was to evaluate these ST and MT populations in sward …