Digital Commons Network^™

Dedifferentiation-Mediated Stem Cell Niche Maintenance In Early-Stage Ductal Carcinoma In Situ Progression: Insights From A Multiscale Modeling Study, Joseph D Butner, Prashant Dogra, Caroline Chung, Javier Ruiz-Ramírez, Sara Nizzero, Marija Plodinec, Xiaoxian Li, Ping-Ying Pan, Shu-Hsia Chen, Vittorio Cristini, Bulent Ozpolat, George A Calin, Zhihui Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

We present a multiscale agent-based model of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) to study how key phenotypic and signaling pathways are involved in the early stages of disease progression. The model includes a phenotypic hierarchy, and key endocrine and paracrine signaling pathways, and simulates cancer ductal growth in a 3D lattice-free domain. In particular, by considering stochastic cell dedifferentiation plasticity, the model allows for study of how dedifferentiation to a more stem-like phenotype plays key roles in the maintenance of cancer stem cell populations and disease progression. Through extensive parameter perturbation studies, we have quantified and ranked how DCIS is …

What’S Lunch Got To Do With It?: A Case Study Of California Policy, Educational Equity, And The First Statewide Universal School Meals Program, Rebecca Murillo

Master's Projects and Capstones

In July 2021, California became the first state to pass a program which guarantees two meals a day to all K-12 students at no cost. This project examines California’s journey to pass this Universal School Meals Program (USMP) and explores how such a program can provide equity for students. I produce a legislative history which traces how school meals are funded and regulated at the federal level, California’s public education funding system, their state meal program, the policies which created changes that allowed the USMP to pass, and the legislation of the program itself. Framework presented by Tyack and Cuban …

Mutational Activation Of The Nrf2 Pathway Upregulates Kynureninase Resulting In Tumor Immunosuppression And Poor Outcome In Lung Adenocarcinoma, Johannes F Fahrmann, Ichidai Tanaka, Ehsan Irajizad, Xiangying Mao, Jennifer B Dennison, Eunice Murage, Julian Casabar, Jeffrey Mayo, Qian Peng, Muge Celiktas, Jody V Vykoukal, Soyoung Park, Ayumu Taguchi, Oliver Delgado, Satyendra C Tripathi, Hiroyuki Katayama, Luisa Maren Solis Soto, Jaime Rodriguez-Canales, Carmen Behrens, Ignacio Wistuba, Samir Hanash, Edwin J Ostrin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Activation of the NRF2 pathway through gain-of-function mutations or loss-of-function of its suppressor KEAP1 is a frequent finding in lung cancer. NRF2 activation has been reported to alter the tumor microenvironment. Here, we demonstrated that NRF2 alters tryptophan metabolism through the kynurenine pathway that is associated with a tumor-promoting, immune suppressed microenvironment. Specifically, proteomic profiles of 47 lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) cell lines (11 KEAP1 mutant and 36 KEAP1 wild-type) revealed the tryptophan-kynurenine enzyme kynureninase (KYNU) as a top overexpressed protein associated with activated NRF2. The siRNA-mediated knockdown of NFE2L2, the gene encoding for NRF2, or activation of the NRF2 …

Persistence Without Resistance: An Exploration Of First-Generation College Students In A Structured Support Program, Naima K. Ricks

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

First-generation college students make up one-third of the undergraduate population of college students in the United States. It is essential to understand all aspects of a first-generation student, their desire to persist in college, and their experiences while in college. Once they are enrolled in college, first-generation students will need additional help and support to guide them throughout this life-changing experience. This study explored the experiences of 13 students enrolled in a program that is specifically designed for supporting first-generation college students academically and socially.

The study used a narrative qualitative research approach. The participants were interviewed to explore their …

Protective Factors And Changes In Parent And Sibling Dynamics During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Hannah Maciejewski

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted life for everyone in different and unique ways. We recruited parents and children from the same families to investigate the changes families experienced since the start of the pandemic. Of interest were variables related to family dynamics as well as protective factors that may have influenced their pandemic experience. Twenty-three parents completed altered versions of the Perceived Coronavirus Threat Questionnaire short (CTQ-short), Perceived Coronavirus Impacts Questionnaire short (CIQ-short), and Oslo Social Support Scale (OSSS-3) as measures of perceptions of direct and indirect covid-related stress. Parents also completed a modified Parental Stress Scale (PSS) as a measure …

Extending The Application Of Polyol-Induced Extraction For The Analysis Of Glucocorticoids And Nsaids In Water Using Uhplc-Ms/Ms, Shipra Patel

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Polyol induced extraction (PIE) is an extraction technique developed and patented by Sowa Jr., Murphy, and Deshpande at Seton Hall University as a method of removal of water from acetonitrile. PIE is a technique that separates water from a mixture containing an organic liquid and water by adding a polyol to the mixture that leads to phase separation of aqueous and organic phase. The goal of this work was to extend the application of PIE and to demonstrate that PIE can be an alternative method for extraction of glucocorticoids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) which then can be analyzed using …

The Madness Of March: A Quantitative Look At Cinderella Stories In The Ncaa Division I Men’S Basketball Tournament, Joseph J. Fresco

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This study looked to determine if being classified as a Cinderella Story team in the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, also known as March Madness, led to a statistically significant change in NCAA Division I men’s basketball spending for that team’s respective institution one, two, and three years after being labeled. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of men’s basketball spending on teams that are Cinderella Stories in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. It aims to understand how spending differs between athletic programs whose characteristics mirror those of Cinderella Stories and how expenses change before …

The Conditions For Success: How The Future Search Conference Method Uses Dialogue To Spur Stakeholder Integration, Daniel Bender

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

A Future Search (FS) Conference is a systems based large group intervention that utilizes a dialogue process among interdependent stakeholders to analyze the past, understand the present, envision a better future, and agree to action plans to work towards the desired future. This study uses an instrumental case study design (Stake, 1995) to consider two education-based future-oriented conferences to understand the real-life applicability of the conditions for success framework by Weisbord and Janoff (2010). Participants’ perceptions of the action research conferences were positive. The framework illustrated factors related to the core principle of getting the “whole system” in the room …

He Had Two Women To Die For, Ireland And The Missus”: Mothers As Abject And Sons As Scapegoats In Edna O’Brien’S House Of Splendid Isolation And In The Forest, Emily Nix

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This thesis examines the protagonists in Edna O’Brien’s In the Forest and House of Splendid Isolation and applies Julia Kristeva’s theory of abjection and Rene Girard’s theory of the scapegoat. In doing so, I attempt to give a richer understanding of O’Brien’s masculine and feminine characters and how their constructed identities are based on their cultural circumstances and positions in their societies. I use Kristeva’s theory of abjection to analyze the single women in these novels, Eily and Josie, who become metaphorical single mothers by the invasions of young men into their homes. Then, I apply Girard’s theory of the …

Using Thermodynamics To Evaluate Stationary Phase Polarity In Gas Chromatography- A New Look, Hetal R. Rana

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Abstract

Gas chromatography is a separation method in which the components of a sample partition between a gaseous mobile phase (carrier gas) and a solid or liquid stationary phase. The stationary phase is usually a polymer coated or chemically bonded to a solid support on the column wall and its function is to separate different components, based on their relative vapor pressure and their intermolecular interactions with the stationary phase. If the analyte polarity is similar to the stationary phase polarity, then the retention time increases because the intermolecular interactions are stronger and if the polarities are different then the …

Understanding Which College Academic And Social Integration Factors Are Important In Predicting First-Generation College Students’ Retention In The First Year, Nicole Battaglia

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Retention concerns remain high for postsecondary institutions and even more so when focusing on populations such as those who are the first in the family to attend college, first-generation college students. First-generation students account for 34% of the collegiate population, yet 40% of first-generation students do not return for their sophomore year. While prior theoretical frameworks and research points to academic and social integration as key indicators of retention, first-generation students are less likely to integrate into their institution. First-generation students are about 30% less likely compared to their continuing generation peers to be integrated at all on campus.

Utilizing …

Memory, Mindfulness, And Perfectionism: Is There A Relationship Between Memory And Perfectionism, And Can Mindfulness Reduce False Alarms?, Stefani Morgan

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Memory has been found to improve with experience of mindfulness training. However, it has also been found to be impaired after mindfulness training. These mixed results are interesting and warrant further investigation into the relationship between memory and mindfulness. Additionally, perfectionism has been seen to play a role in task performance, making its role in memory task performance of interest to the current study. Perfectionism has been framed in a two-dimensional view, dividing it into two types. Perfectionistic concerns occurs when an individual is preoccupied with worry and concern over their performance, and perfectionistic striving occurs when an individual sets …

Load Cell Adaptive Computer Mouse Tutorial, Mae Hubel

Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Independent Study

The broader goal of this project is to create an accessible alternative to the standard computer mouse controller, incorporating ergonomic design and body movement that focuses on lower body dexterity. In using an open source tutorial format, the audience has fewer financial constraints and gains useful “maker” skills to maximize future adaptive creations. The tutorial includes detailed, clear, concise instructions that can be easily followed by an audience with only basic “maker” knowledge; the audience will be able to complete the tutorial in a short amount of time with small costs for tools and supplies. The device created through this …

Covid-19 Information Needs And Seeking Behaviour Of Undergraduates Of Federal University Otuoke, Bayelsa State, Nigeria, Jerry Eyerinmene Friday Mr, Motu-Ere Justina Atema Ms

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study examined Covid-19 information needs and seeking behaviour of undergraduates of Federal University Otuoke, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study identified Covid-19 information needs, Covid-19 information sources, strategies of seeking Covid-19 information and Covid-19 information seeking challenges encountered by the undergraduates. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. The population of the study comprised all the undergraduates of Federal University Otuoke who were in 300, 400 and 500 levels of study. Convenience sampling was adopted and three hundred and sixty-nine (369) undergraduates, consisting of 76, 73, 74, 71 and 75 undergraduates, each constituent drawn from the Faculty of Education, …

Environmental Integration Criteria To Coordinate Egyptian Heritage Sites As An Open-Air Museum, Walaa Hussein

Mansoura Engineering Journal

Global trends and calls from the UN-Habitat discuss the value of public spaces. An individual’s physical and psychological health and the high temperature of the planet owing to high pollution rates are negatively affected. This research formulates criteria that realize the concept of human life experience in open areas by maximizing the benefit of the existing and neglected heritage, valued areas, such as an open-air museum. Al-Zahir neighborhood in Cairo, Egypt, was selected for analysis after defining its components and formulating its current problems; the scientific–theoretical base of the study was established by collecting data using an application, Arc GIS. …

We're Museum Professionals Too: Exhibitions Development In Library Special Collections And Archives, Carrie Meyer

Posters and Presentations: Leon S. McGoogan Health Sciences Library

In June 2021, the McGoogan Health Sciences Library opened the Wigton Heritage Center on the campus of the University of Nebraska Medical Center. This facility is the first of its kind in the United States and serves as a welcome center and museum for the history of the UNMC campus and explores the history of the health sciences in Nebraska. You read that right—a library opened a museum. Special Collection and Archives (SCA) professionals exist in a unique environment that utilizes three cultural heritage and preservation professions—libraries, archives, and museums. The Wigton Heritage Center project explores how museum practices for …

Surfing Through Life With The Spirit Of Aloha, Kenneth P. Serbin Phd

At Risk for Huntington's Disease

No abstract provided.

Transformative Community Resiliency: The Impact Of Organizing Against Oil In Richmond And Wilmington, California, Isabelle Sophia Marin

Master's Projects and Capstones

Despite the increase in power of the oil industry in various low-income communities of color throughout the state of California, many residents are still seen to be inactive in the fight to challenge this power. To combat this, local community organizations are working to empower residents of impacted communities in order to influence political spaces. To understand the impact communities organizations are having while doing this, I look to Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) and their work in Richmond and Wilmington, California. I ask the following research question to serve as a point of analysis: How do local organizations …

Our Streets: Increasing Equity In Active Transportation Planning Through Community Outreach, Jordan Hoy

Master's Projects and Capstones

ABSTRACT Significant research has demonstrated that active transportation infrastructure is essential for the growth and livability of San Francisco: it increases access to economic opportunities, promotes overall improved public health, encourages mobility without contributing to roadway congestion, prevents traffic injuries and fatalities, and supports the sustainability goals of the city. Despite the fact that communities of color will benefit the most from active transportation infrastructure development, historical disenfranchisement in tandem with a lack of diverse representation within public participation contributes to an inequitable distribution of walking and biking investments throughout the city of San Francisco. While research shows that Black …

How Environmental Change Will Impact Mosquito-Borne Diseases, Arsal Khan

Master's Projects and Capstones

Mosquitos, the most lethal species throughout human history, are the most prevalent source of vector-borne diseases and therefore a major global health burden. Mosquito-borne disease incidence is expected to shift with environmental change. These changes can be predicted using species distribution models. With the wide variety of methods used for models, consensus for improving accuracy and comparability is needed. A comparative analysis of three recent modeling approaches revealed that integrating modeling techniques compensates for trade-offs associated with a singular approach. An area that represents a critical gap in our ability to predict mosquito behavior in response to changing climate factors, …

Solving For Affordability In The San Francisco Housing Crisis: Is California’S Regional Housing Needs Allocation (Rhna) The Answer?, Matthew J. Mandich

Master's Projects and Capstones

Over the last two decades San Francisco has been suffering from a worsening housing shortage and affordability crisis, as housing production has lagged far behind job growth in the city and the region. As San Francisco’s housing market is especially supply constrained due to its unique geography, long-standing zoning laws, and convoluted permitting process, it is especially difficult to add the needed housing at an acceptable rate. Overall, this housing crisis has affected middle and lower income households the most as many have been forced to relocate due to rapidly increasing rents.

In an attempt to stimulate housing production state …

Corporate Social Responsibility In The Information Technology Industry, Natalie Louise Calhoun

Master's Projects and Capstones

Information technology companies contribute to greenhouse gas emissions via data servers, office administrative operations, and manufacturing of hardware components. Corporate Social Responsibility programs are a voluntary method of tracking and reducing negative environmental impacts. The 2019 Corporate Social Responsibility data from four Bay Area (California, USA) information technology companies (Adobe, Cisco, Salesforce, and Nvidia) all listed in sustainable index funds were compared to determine best reporting standards. The data analysis also allowed for research into how carbon emissions are categorized and reported on, and which emissions companies pay attention to through Corporate Social Responsibility projects. The physical ownership responsibility for …

Storytelling For Reproductive Justice: Finding Latinx Immigrant Voices In Intersectional Coalitions, Megan V. Wilensky

Master's Projects and Capstones

Research shows that Latinx immigrants continue to face reproductive injustice; they are at risk of having worse reproductive health outcomes compared to U.S.-born citizens and have lower rates of reproductive health insurance coverage. Mainstream movements for reproductive freedom historically cast these issues aside, yet women of color organize against them. To better understand organizers’ work to combat Latinx immigrants’ reproductive injustice, in this Capstone I ask: how do community organizers in California use immigrant rights and reproductive justice to challenge and/or disrupt mainstream movements for reproductive freedom? I argue that Latinx immigrant organizers use storytelling to challenge mainstream conversations about …

Groundwater Monitoring Analysis And Management Recommendations In California: Cuyama And Santa Cruz Mid-County, Kayla M. Souza

Master's Projects and Capstones

Groundwater is an essential water resource, accounting for about 40 percent of supply in California and 80 percent in the Central Coast hydrologic region, but significant monitoring data gaps have limited sustainable management efforts. Twenty-four basins within the Central Coast hydrologic region were identified as critically overdrafted in 2014. For this study, two basins were chosen based on differing sustainability concerns so that a comparative analysis could be performed on the groundwater monitoring methods. I obtained original groundwater elevation data reported (2000-2020) from the various groundwater monitoring organization wells to the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) within the Cuyama …

Vulnerability Assessment Of The Gulf Of Maine Eastern Oyster Aquaculture Industry To The Projected Impacts Of Ocean And Coastal Acidification, Julia L. Neumann

Master's Projects and Capstones

Ocean acidification is an emerging global environmental issue with known impacts on calcifying marine and estuarine organisms, including oysters. Anthropogenic climate change increases ocean uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide, which decreases seawater pH and the availability of crucial calcium carbonate minerals, namely calcite and aragonite. Acidification poses a major threat to the Eastern oyster aquaculture industry in the Gulf of Maine (GOM), which is highly susceptible to acidification and highly economically dependent on the industry’s economic contributions. In this report, I evaluated overall vulnerability of the GOM Eastern oyster aquaculture industry by assessing ecological exposure, social sensitivity, and adaptive capacity …

The Cost Of Urbanization: A Look Into The Transformation Of Mao Era Reforms, Tieren A. Dokes

Master's Projects and Capstones

Mao Zedong has played an influential role in Chinese society, whether for better or for worse. His policies have caused ripples throughout contemporary Chinese society, but nothing stronger than his desire for urbanization and economic land reform. Utilizing Mao’s drive for urbanization and economic reform as essential historical context, this paper connects how the contemporary governmental push for urbanization has been unyielding, and, in some ways, counterproductive as decade-old Mao-era institutions reverberate in an echo chamber with cracks that allow darker forces to seep in. Real estate and urban development companies and local governments are given monetary incentive to redevelop …

The Effects Of The “Chinese Virus” On The Asian American And Pacific Islander Community: Hate Crimes, Discrimination, And Violence, Emily Chang

Master's Projects and Capstones

With the spread of the global health crisis that is COVID-19, hate crimes towards Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) have skyrocketed in the U.S., largely due to the charged rhetoric and misperceptions perpetrated by the U.S. government that link COVID-19 to people of Asian descent. This project analyzes the history of discrimination towards AAPIs in the United States and its present-day context. Moreover, this analysis reveals the detrimental effects of verbal and physical assaults on the emotional and physical health of AAPIs and explores the possible solutions we can implement to decrease these crimes. Finally, I consider the implications …

Assessing Urban Heat Island Mitigation Capacities Of Green Infrastructure To Address Heat Vulnerability Inequities In San Francisco, California, Kelly L. Hyde

Master's Projects and Capstones

With extreme heat events projected to become more frequent and longer-lasting, heat vulnerable communities affected by urban heat islands face disproportionate heat impacts. While cities have adopted heat adaptation efforts, there needs to be a focus on vulnerable communities to ensure an equitable distribution of adaptation efforts. Green infrastructure has been a long-standing heat adaptation method with benefits including reduced temperatures, reduced energy consumption, and reduced air pollution. This research analyzed the heat mitigation capacity of four green infrastructure types and identified heat vulnerable communities to address whether current green infrastructure in San Francisco is equitably distributed. Dense tree cover …

Impacts Of Sea Ice Loss On Polar Bear Diet, Prey Availability, Foraging Behaviors, And Human-Bear Interactions In The Arctic, Jasmin Chen

Master's Projects and Capstones

Anthropogenic-induced climate change has warmed the Arctic 2-3 times faster than the rest of the world, causing sea ice declines that introduce challenges for specialist species, such as polar bears, in adapting to rapid environmental changes. Comparative and quantitative analyses of three Hudson Bay polar bear subpopulations were used to determine the impacts of sea ice loss on polar bear diet, prey availability, foraging behaviors, and human-bear interactions in the Arctic. The study reveal that Hudson Bay polar bears experience the most severe impacts from sea ice declines, resulting in a 30% population decline. Due to their smaller body size, …

A Mile Away, A World Apart: Life Expectancy Inequality In The United States, Scott A. Budow

DePaul Journal for Social Justice

No abstract provided.