Digital Commons Network^™

The E3 Ubiquitin Ligase Component, Cereblon, Is An Evolutionarily Conserved Regulator Of Wnt Signaling, Chen Shen, Anmada Nayak, Leif R. Neitzel, Amber A. Adams, Maya Silver-Isenstadt, Leah M. Sawyer, Hassina Benchabane, Huilan Wang, Nawat Bunnag, Bin Li, Daniel T. Wynn, Fan Yang, Marta Garcia-Contreras, Charles H. Williams, Sivanesan Dakshanamurthy, Charles C. Hong, Nagi G. Ayad, Anthony J. Capobianco, Yashi Ahmed, Ethan Lee

Dartmouth Scholarship

Immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) are important for the treatment of multiple myeloma and myelodysplastic syndrome. Binding of IMiDs to Cereblon (CRBN), the substrate receptor of the CRL4CRBN E3 ubiquitin ligase, induces cancer cell death by targeting key neo-substrates for degradation. Despite this clinical significance, the physiological regulation of CRBN remains largely unknown. Herein we demonstrate that Wnt, the extracellular ligand of an essential signal transduction pathway, promotes the CRBN-dependent degradation of a subset of proteins. These substrates include Casein kinase 1α (CK1α), a negative regulator of Wnt signaling that functions as a key component of the β-Catenin destruction complex. Wnt stimulation …

Optimade, An Api For Exchanging Materials Data, Casper W. Andersen, Rickard Armiento, Evgeny Blokhin, Gareth J. Conduit, Shyam Dwaraknath, Matthew L. Evans, Ádám Fekete, Abhijith Gopakumar, Saulius Gražulis, Andrius Merkys, Fawzi Mohamed, Corey Oses, Giovanni Pizzi, Gian Marco Rignanese, Markus Scheidgen, Leopold Talirz, Cormac Toher, Donald Winston, Rossella Aversa, Kamal Choudhary

Dartmouth Scholarship

The Open Databases Integration for Materials Design (OPTIMADE) consortium has designed a universal application programming interface (API) to make materials databases accessible and interoperable. We outline the first stable release of the specification, v1.0, which is already supported by many leading databases and several software packages. We illustrate the advantages of the OPTIMADE API through worked examples on each of the public materials databases that support the full API specification.

Measuring And Modeling Energy And Power Consumption In Living Microbial Cells With A Synthetic Atp Reporter, Yijie Deng, Douglas Raymond Beahm, Steven Ionov, Rahul Sarpeshkar

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is the main energy carrier in living organisms, critical for metabolism and essential physiological processes. In humans, abnormal regulation of energy levels (ATP concentration) and power consumption (ATP consumption flux) in cells is associated with numerous diseases from cancer, to viral infection and immune dysfunction, while in microbes it influences their responses to drugs and other stresses. The measurement and modeling of ATP dynamics in cells is therefore a critical component in understanding fundamental physiology and its role in pathology. Despite the importance of ATP, our current understanding of energy dynamics and homeostasis in living cells …

Is Telemedicine The Answer To Rural Expansion Of Medication Treatment For Opioid Use Disorder? Early Experiences In The Feasibility Study Phase Of A National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network Trial, Yih Ing Hser, Allison J. Ober, Alex R. Dopp, Chunqing Lin, Katie P. Osterhage, Sarah E. Clingan, Larissa J. Mooney, Megan E. Curtis, Lisa A. Marsch, Bethany Mcleman, Emily Hichborn, Laurie S. Lester, Laura Mae Baldwin, Yanping Liu, Petra Jacobs, Andrew J. Saxon

Dartmouth Scholarship

Telemedicine (TM) enabled by digital health technologies to provide medical services has been considered a key solution to increasing health care access in rural communities. With the immediate need for remote care due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many health care systems have rapidly incorporated digital technologies to support the delivery of remote care options, including medication treatment for individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD). In responding to the opioid crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, public health officials and scientific communities strongly support and advocate for greater use of TM-based medication treatment for opioid use disorder (MOUD) to improve access to …

Predicting Prognosis And Idh Mutation Status For Patients With Lower-Grade Gliomas Using Whole Slide Images, Shuai Jiang, George J. Zanazzi, Saeed Hassanpour

Dartmouth Scholarship

We developed end-to-end deep learning models using whole slide images of adults diagnosed with diffusely infiltrating, World Health Organization (WHO) grade 2 gliomas to predict prognosis and the mutation status of a somatic biomarker, isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) 1/2. The models, which utilize ResNet-18 as a backbone, were developed and validated on 296 patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. To account for the small sample size, repeated random train/test splits were performed for hyperparameter tuning, and the out-of-sample predictions were pooled for evaluation. Our models achieved a concordance- (C-) index of 0.715 (95% CI: 0.569, 0.830) for predicting prognosis …

A Late Cretaceous True Polar Wander Oscillation, Ross N. Mitchell, Christopher J. Thissen, David A.D. Evans, Sarah P. Slotznick, Rodolfo Coccioni, Toshitsugu Yamazaki, Joseph L. Kirschvink

Dartmouth Scholarship

True polar wander (TPW), or planetary reorientation, is well documented for other planets and moons and for Earth at present day with satellites, but testing its prevalence in Earth’s past is complicated by simultaneous motions due to plate tectonics. Debate has surrounded the existence of Late Cretaceous TPW ca. 84 million years ago (Ma). Classic palaeomagnetic data from the Scaglia Rossa limestone of Italy are the primary argument against the existence of ca. 84 Ma TPW. Here we present a new high-resolution palaeomagnetic record from two overlapping stratigraphic sections in Italy that provides evidence for a ~12° TPW oscillation from …

Amagmatic Hydrothermal Systems On Mars From Radiogenic Heat, Lujendra Ojha, Suniti Karunatillake, Saman Karimi, Jacob Buffo

Dartmouth Scholarship

Long-lived hydrothermal systems are prime targets for astrobiological exploration on Mars. Unlike magmatic or impact settings, radiogenic hydrothermal systems can survive for >100 million years because of the Ga half-lives of key radioactive elements (e.g., U, Th, and K), but remain unknown on Mars. Here, we use geochemistry, gravity, topography data, and numerical models to find potential radiogenic hydrothermal systems on Mars. We show that the Eridania region, which once contained a vast inland sea, possibly exceeding the combined volume of all other Martian surface water, could have readily hosted a radiogenic hydrothermal system. Thus, radiogenic hydrothermalism in Eridania could …

Genomic Epidemiology Of Methicillin-Resistant And -Susceptible Staphylococcus Aureus From Bloodstream Infections, Joshua T. Smith, Elissa M. Eckhardt, Nicole B. Hansel, Tahmineh Rahmani Eliato, Isabella W. Martin, Cheryl P. Andam

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: Bloodstream infections due to Staphylococcus aureus cause significant patient morbidity and mortality worldwide. Of major concern is the emergence and spread of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) in bloodstream infections, which are associated with therapeutic failure and increased mortality. Methods: We generated high quality draft genomes from 323 S. aureus blood culture isolates from patients diagnosed with bloodstream infection at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, New Hampshire, USA in 2010–2018. Results: In silico detection of antimicrobial resistance genes revealed that 133/323 isolates (41.18%) carry horizontally acquired genes conferring resistance to at least three antimicrobial classes, with resistance determinants for aminoglycosides, beta-lactams …

A Network Linking Scene Perception And Spatial Memory Systems In Posterior Cerebral Cortex, Adam Steel, Madeleine M. Billings, Edward H. Silson, Caroline E. Robertson

Dartmouth Scholarship

The neural systems supporting scene-perception and spatial-memory systems of the human brain are well-described. But how do these neural systems interact? Here, using fine-grained individual-subject fMRI, we report three cortical areas of the human brain, each lying immediately anterior to a region of the scene perception network in posterior cerebral cortex, that selectively activate when recalling familiar real-world locations. Despite their close proximity to the scene-perception areas, network analyses show that these regions constitute a distinct functional network that interfaces with spatial memory systems during naturalistic scene understanding. These “place-memory areas” offer a new framework for understanding how the brain …

Structural Analysis Of Cross Α-Helical Nanotubes Provides Insight Into The Designability Of Filamentous Peptide Nanomaterials, Fengbin Wang, Ordy Gnewou, Charles Modlin, Leticia C. Beltran, Chunfu Xu, Zhangli Su, Puneet Juneja, Gevorg Grigoryan, Edward H. Egelman, Vincent P. Conticello

Dartmouth Scholarship

The exquisite structure-function correlations observed in filamentous protein assemblies provide a paradigm for the design of synthetic peptide-based nanomaterials. However, the plasticity of quaternary structure in sequence-space and the lability of helical symmetry present significant challenges to the de novo design and structural analysis of such filaments. Here, we describe a rational approach to design self-assembling peptide nanotubes based on controlling lateral interactions between protofilaments having an unusual cross-α supramolecular architecture. Near-atomic resolution cryo-EM structural analysis of seven designed nanotubes provides insight into the designability of interfaces within these synthetic peptide assemblies and identifies a non-native structural interaction based on …

Efficiency Stagnation In Global Steel Production Urges Joint Supply- And Demand-Side Mitigation Efforts, Peng Wang, Morten Ryberg, Yi Yang, Kuishuang Feng, Sami Kara, Michael Hauschild, Wei Qiang Chen

Dartmouth Scholarship

Steel production is a difficult-to-mitigate sector that challenges climate mitigation commitments. Efforts for future decarbonization can benefit from understanding its progress to date. Here we report on greenhouse gas emissions from global steel production over the past century (1900-2015) by combining material flow analysis and life cycle assessment. We find that ~45 Gt steel was produced in this period leading to emissions of ~147 Gt CO2-eq. Significant improvement in process efficiency (~67%) was achieved, but was offset by a 44-fold increase in annual steel production, resulting in a 17-fold net increase in annual emissions. Despite some regional technical improvements, the …

An Introductory Study Of Coal Fly Ash Enhancement For Heavy Metal Removal In Wastewater Treatment., Samuel T. Romes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Coal Combustion Products are the materials that remain after pulverized coal is burned to generate electricity. The fine portion, fly ash, has many re-use capabilities across various industries. Most recent data shows that approximately 60% of fly ash produced in the United States was used with the largest re-use being concrete additives. This work aims to enhance fly ash via hydrothermal treatment in order to expand the re-use capabilities of the material. These materials were tested as adsorbents for heavy metal removal from wastewater samples. The metals tested for removal were Copper (II) Acetate, Cadmium Chloride, Boric Acid, Sodium Selenite, …

Coal Fly Ash Beneficiation For Reuse And Removal Of Boron, Cadmium, Chromium, Copper, And Selenium In Wastewater Treatment., Joseph E. Cahill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

New regulations on coal-fired power plants make previously used wastewater treatment methods aimed to remove heavy metals obsolete. Therefore, there has been increased interest and investment into new technologies to treat coal-fired power plants effluent in the past few years. Traditionally, heavy metal removal technologies have been broken into three categories: physical, chemical or biological. However, with new regulations, each category by itself does not offer an ideal solution to removing acceptable concentrations of heavy metals found in the effluents at the coal-fired power plants. Here we report a novel proof-of-concept utilizing adsorption through ion-exchange/co-precipitation - chemical and physical - …

Scalable Synthesis Of Alumina Nanowires By Wet Chemical Method., Luis N Moreno

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To satisfy an increasing demand for large-scale processes for producing alumina nanomaterials, a wet chemical method was evaluated. A potassium salt precursor was combined with aluminum to produce alumina – based nanowires. Compared with current methods such as thermal oxidation, sol-gel, and laser ablation, this method is highly scalable due to relatively low energy requirements and the ability to carry out the primary reaction under ambient conditions. The nanowire samples were evaluated using SEM, XRD, BET, and TEM to confirm morphology, phases present, and surface area. A porous nanowire structure was confirmed which has a BET surface area of 324.6 …

Update Of Multicellular Data Standard To Match Physicell "Compact" Output., Reid A Honeycutt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the field of multicellular biology, it is currently very difficult for researchers to share digital data, due to a lack of standards for said data. Each laboratory will collect data from a particular project, which will describe only the features relevant to their research, and then present that data using written descriptions, charts, graphs, and images. This makes it difficult for the data produced by these studies be leveraged in other research efforts by scientists studying similar phenomena. An open-source, universal standard that attempts to meet this need is the MultiCellular Data Standard (MultiCellDS). MultiCellDS is described as a …

Design Of A 300cm2 Pemfc Stack With Force And Cfd Simulation To Optimize Flow Channels, Gasket Design, And Clamping Forces., Robert M. Ench

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells are important to the future of green energy as hydrogen can be made with green technologies and store energy for later use. Fuel cells can efficiently convert the hydrogen to electricity as needed. This study uses Solidworks simulation to make design improvements to the fuel cell before the prototype build stage of testing; this saves money and time by reducing the prototype builds needed.

In this study, a multi-channel serpentine design with two outlets versus a single outlet is evaluated using CFD to investigate pressure drop. Lower pressure drops are desirable as less energy input …

Solvent Engineering Of Molybdenum Disulfide Electrocatalyst For Hydrogen Evolution., Robert Carl Spalding

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Energy is at an exponentially growing demand, and to keep up with these demands new technologies for renewable energy have received increased attention. Hydrogen plays a vital role in water electrolysis and fuel cells, as the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is the main step water splitting process. Most of the current electrocatalysts for HER are dominated by platinum and other precious metals due to their low over-potential and small Tafel slope, however, they are extremely costly. For this reason, cost-effective non-precious metal catalysts must be developed. Transition metal dichalcogenides, such as molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), are abundant and have recently shown …

Computational Modeling Of 3d-Printed Lactobacillus-Antibiotic Scaffolds For Bacterial Vaginosis., Veeresh P. Rai

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The standard treatment for bacterial vaginosis (BV) is currently antibiotics, such as metronidazole, clindamycin, or tinidazole. These antibiotics are highly effective in getting rid of bacteria in the female reproductive tract (FRT); however, there are some bacteria that provide benefits to the FRT which also get expunged. While there are many strains of bacteria that play a beneficial role in the FRT, lactobacilli are among the most important. These bacteria are responsible for maintaining a healthy environment in the FRT via pH regulation by lactic acid metabolism. Antibiotics eliminate all bacteria from an environment, including lactobacilli, and as a result, …

Estimating And Modeling Transpiration Of A Mountain Meadow Encroached By Conifers Using Sap Flow Measurements, Simon Joseph Marks

Master's Theses

Mountain meadows in the western USA are experiencing increased rates of conifer encroachment due to climate change and land management practices. Past research has focused on conifer removal as a meadow restoration strategy, but there has been limited work on conifer transpiration in a pre-restoration state. Meadow restoration by conifer removal has the primary goal of recovering sufficient growing season soil moisture necessary for endemic, herbaceous meadow vegetation. Therefore, conifer water use represents an important hydrologic output toward evaluating the efficacy of this active management approach. This study quantified and evaluated transpiration of encroached conifers in a mountain meadow using …

The Brown Bear Gut Microbiome: A Novel Tool For Conservation & Management, Sarah M. Trujillo

All NMU Master's Theses

Gut microbiomes (GMBs), complex communities of microorganisms inhabiting the gastrointestinal tracts of their hosts, perform countless micro-ecosystem services such as facilitating energy uptake and modulating immune responses. While scientists increasingly recognize the role GMBs play in host health, the role of GMBs in wildlife ecology and conservation has yet to be realized fully. Here, I use brown bears (Ursus arctos) as an ecological model to investigate (1) how both extrinsic and intrinsic factors influence GMB community membership and structure; and (2) the correlation between GMB membership and brown bear health metrics. To achieve these aims, I subsampled archived …

Trophic Ecology Of Juvenile Lean And Siscowet Lake Trout (Salvelinus Namaychush) From U.S. Waters Of Lake Superior, Will Otte

All NMU Master's Theses

In this study, I investigated the spatial overlap, diet similarity, and isotopic niches of juvenile Lean and Siscowet Lake Trout ecotypes across six ecoregions of Lake Superior. Spatially, Lean and Siscowet were observed in overlapping depth distributions. Leans were most abundant in shallow waters (60m). The greatest levels of cohabitation were observed in waters from 40-60m. Trophic position (as measured by δ 15N) was similar for both ecotypes at small sizes (mm), but Siscowet exhibited a higher trophic position than Lean Lake Trout at larger sizes (>400mm) and older ages (>5 years). Base of production (as measured by …

Evaluating The Undesired Outcomes Of Response Interruption And Redirection, Nicole Lafoille

All NMU Master's Theses

Stereotypy is commonly defined as “frequent repetition of the same, typically purposeless movements, gestures, vocal sounds or utterances”, (Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, n.d.) and is a common perseverative behavior that is observed among children with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities. Stereotypy may result in interference with educational and therapeutic activities for the child. The present study sought to determine if the punishment procedure, response interruption and redirection (RIRD), is effective in reducing stereotypy during natural environment training without demonstrating other undesired behaviors that are associated with punishment procedures, including aggression, avoidance of staff, etc. Results of this study indicated …

Caregivers’ Understanding Of Early Literature Expectations For Firstborn Children Entering Kindergarten, Kathleen England

All NMU Master's Theses

This qualitative phenomenological research was designed to develop an understanding of caregivers’ understanding of early literacy expectations for their firstborn or only child as they begin their kindergarten schooling. This study consisted of seven participants and six interviews with caregivers that enrolled their children in the Archdiocese of Detroit Catholic Schools in Southeast, MI. With the findings of this study, school administrators and researchers alike may be able to find a deeper understanding in efforts to support their families as they begin their educational careers and establish a solid foundation for further growth and development.

The Response To The Call For Rad Research: A Review Of Articles In The Writing Center Journal, 2007–2018, Havva Zorluel Ozer, Jing Zhang

The Writing Center Journal

The study examined in this article explored the impact of RAD research on articles (N = 97) in a 12-year period of The Writing Center Journal (WCJ), in 2007–2012 and 2013–2018, to achieve four purposes: 1. to document the amount of replicable, aggregable, and data-supported (RAD) research published in WCJ in two equal periods before and after Driscoll & Wynn Perdue’s (2012) call for RAD research in writing center scholarship; 2. to identify how WCJ articles score in individual areas specified in Driscoll & Wynn Perdue’s RAD research rubric; 3. to provide an understanding of methodological trends in research …

Reflections On Award-Winning Books, 1985-2020

The Writing Center Journal

Deidra Faye Jackson and Alice Johnston Myatt

Reflection: ESL Writers: A Guide for Writing Center Tutors

edited by Shanti Bruce and Ben Rafoth, 2004

Centering The Emotional Labor Of Writing Tutors, Bethany Mannon

The Writing Center Journal

Writing consultants regularly perform emotional labor. They suppress or express emotions to welcome clients and invoke enthusiasm to cultivate writers’ confidence. Because emotional labor performs these crucial functions, it merits focused attention in writing center studies. However, while research has considered the emotional needs that writers bring, scholars have not yet sufficiently examined the affective engagements that consultations require of writing consultants. The first section of this article presents a case for treating affective dimensions of tutoring as labor. The second section analyzes five tutor-training manuals using the Specific Affect Coding System (SPAFF) to identify references to emotion and affect …

Nes And Nnes Student Writers’ Very Long Turns In Writing Center Conferences, Jo Mackiewicz, Zach Gasior

The Writing Center Journal

Most tutors are trained in a core writing centers belief: Student writers who talk about their writing are student writers who will achieve better learning outcomes. Our comparative study—one of few in writing center research—examined the points in conferences in which student writers talked the most. We examined the very long turns (VLTs) of eight native English speaking (NES) student writers and eight non-native English speaking (NNES) student writers across 16 writing center conferences. We found that NESs contributed more VLTs than NNESs and that more NES conferences contained VLTs. We also found that stating goals for the conference occurred …

Review: Learning From The Lived Experiences Of Graduate Student Writers Edited By Shannon Madden, Michele Eodice, Kirsten T. Edwards, And Alexandria Lockett, Rebecca Day Babcock

The Writing Center Journal

Learning from the Lived Experiences of Graduate Student Writers takes us from narratives to research. I was interested in and looked forward to reading this book, as, over the summer, some graduate students and I read Degrees of Difference: Reflections of Women of Color on Graduate School (McKee & Delgado, 2020), and I wanted to see how the books complemented each other. While Degrees of Difference was more personal, more narrative-based, and more interdisciplinary, both books stressed the importance of mentoring. But I am especially excited to bring some of the ideas from Learning from the Lived Experiences of Graduate …

The Effects Of Energy Intake On Upper Respiratory Symptoms In Ultra-Endurance Triathletes, Yasuki Sekiguchi, Deanna M. Dempsey, Rebecca L. Stearns, Jun Hashiwaki, Robert A. Huggins, Laura J. Kunces, J. Luke Pryor, Riana R. Pryor, Brittanie M. Volk, Jenna M. Bartley, Douglas J. Casa

Journal of Human Performance in Extreme Environments

Background: It is unclear whether energy intake can impact the incidence of upper respiratory symptoms (URS). The purpose of this study was to examine if there are differences in energy intake between symptomatic (SYM) and asymptomatic (ASYM) groups of URS in Ironman-triathletes. Methods: Thirty-three subjects competing in the Lake Placid Ironman-triathlon (mean±SD; age,37±8y; height,178±8cm; mass,76.3±10.4kg; body fat,10.8±3.8%) were randomized into either the control (CON) or intervention (INT). INT consumed 4-commercial recovery drinks, two immediately post-race and two 3-hours post-race. Calorie and macronutrient intake were recorded pre-, during, and post-race. Subjects completed the Wisconsin URS Survey to assess URS over the …

Deterring Non-Target Birds From Toxic Bait Sites For Wild Pigs, Nathan P. Snow, Joseph M. Halseth, Justin A. Foster, Michael J. Lavelle, Justin W. Fischer, Michael P. Glow, Ingrid A. Messer, Seth M. Cook, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Toxic baiting of wild pigs (Sus scrofa) is a potential new tool for population control and damage reduction in the US. Field trials testing a prototype toxic bait (HOGGONE 2 containing 5% sodium nitrite [SN]), though, revealed that wild pigs spilled small particles of toxic bait outside of bait stations which subsequently created hazards for non-target species that consumed those particles, primarily passerine birds. To deter non-target birds from consuming particles of spilled bait, we tested four deterrents at mock bait sites (i.e., baited with bird seed) in north-central Colorado, USA during April–May 2020. We found a programable, inflatable deterrent …