Life Sciences Commons^™

A Preliminary Fuzzy Inference System For Predicting Atmospheric Ozone In An Intermountain Basin, John R. Lawson, Seth N. Lyman

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

High concentrations of ozone in the Uinta Basin, Utah, can occur after sufficient snowfall and a strong atmospheric anticyclone creates a persistent cold pool that traps emissions from oil and gas operations, where sustained photolysis of the precursors builds ozone to unhealthy concentrations. The basin's winter-ozone system is well understood by domain experts and supported by archives of atmospheric observations. Rules of the system can be formulated in natural language ("sufficient snowfall and high pressure leads to high ozone"), lending itself to analysis with a fuzzy-logic inference system. This method encodes human expertise as machine intelligence in a more prescribed …

Influences Of Quality Of Maternal Care And Environmental Enrichment On Associative Memory Function In Rats With Early Life Lead Exposure, Jay S. Schneider, Courtney Williams, Shamaila Zafar, Jaehyun Joo, Blanca E. Himes

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: Children in low socioeconomic status (SES) communities are at higher risk of exposure to lead (Pb) and potentially more severe adverse outcomes from Pb exposures. While the factors encompassing SES are complex, low SES households often have less enriching home environments and parent-child interactions. This study investigated the extent to which environmental/behavioral factors (quality of maternal care and richness of the postnatal environment) may modify adverse effects from Pb exposure.

METHODS: Long-Evans female rats were randomly assigned to Control (no Pb), Early Postnatal (EPN: birth through weaning), or Perinatal (PERI: 14 days pre-mating through weaning) Pb exposure groups. From …

An Automated Machine Learning Approach To The Retrieval Of Daily Soil Moisture In South Korea Using Satellite Images, Meteorological Data, And Digital Elevation Model, Nari Kim, Soo-Jin Lee, Eunha Sohn, Mija Kim, Seonkyeong Seong, Seung Hee Kim, Yangwon Lee

Institute for ECHO Articles and Research

Soil moisture is a critical parameter that significantly impacts the global energy balance, including the hydrologic cycle, land–atmosphere interactions, soil evaporation, and plant growth. Currently, soil moisture is typically measured by installing sensors in the ground or through satellite remote sensing, with data retrieval facilitated by reanalysis models such as the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Reanalysis 5 (ERA5) and the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS). However, the suitability of these methods for capturing local-scale variabilities is insufficiently validated, particularly in regions like South Korea, where land surfaces are highly complex and heterogeneous. In contrast, artificial intelligence …

Aging Drives Cd8 T Cells To Functional Extremes: From Non-Specific Cytotoxicity To Tissue-Mediated Exhaustion, Irina Shchukina

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

CD8 T cells are a crucial component of the immune system, primarily responsible for executing the effector response against viral infections and cancer. Aging significantly impacts most immune cell types, with particularly dramatic changes observed in CD8 T cells. One major age-related difference is the marked decline in thymus activity, which leads to a substantial reduction in naive CD8 T cells and an increased abundance of memory CD8 T cells. Furthermore, recent work from our lab demonstrated that while young memory CD8 T cells are relatively homogeneous, memory CD8 T cells diverge into two subpopulations: PD1- memory CD8 T cells …

Comparative Genomics Across Streptomyces Murinus Strains To Study Conservation Of Biosynthetic Gene Cluster Producing Antifungal Compound, Pentamycin, Dhivyan Kurani, Vamsi Korisapati, Sheril Mathew, Sathvi Gandra, Rebecca Thomas, Niah Johnson, Braham Dhillon, Navdeep Gill

Mako: NSU Undergraduate Student Journal

Biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) are groups of microbial genes that play a critical role in producing secondary metabolites with varied functions. Secondary metabolites include compounds such as siderophores, antibiotics, antifungal compounds, toxins, and pigments. The BGCs are modular units that usually contain a transcription factor, core biosynthetic gene, other genes involved in modifications and addition of side chains as well as genes needed for extracellular export. In specific, the metabolites produced by BGCs have diverse biological activities and usually display antimicrobial properties. The genome of Streptomyces murinus strain SPC1 revealed a complete BGC involved in the biosynthesis of the antifungal …

Exploring Genetic Elements Related To The Co-Occurrence Of Crohn’S Disease And Rheumatoid Arthritis, Vamsi Korisapati, Karam Asad, Andrew T. Ozga

Mako: NSU Undergraduate Student Journal

Crohn’s disease (CD) is a rare inflammatory bowel disease that negatively impacts the lining of the digestive tract, while Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disorder wherein the body attacks healthy cells, also causing inflammation. The primary cause of inflammation in both diseases is an overactive immune response, but patients who are diagnosed with RA are typically prescribed nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which is not a suggested method for treating CD. Here we do a literature survey through PubMed to uncover genetic variants common to both diseases and highlighted four shared genes: HLA-DRB1, NOD2, CARD9, and CXCL10. We then examined these …

Cytotoxic Potential Of Fungi In The Genus Ganoderma, Abril Chao, Omobolanle A. Ayangade, Braham Dhillon, Navi Gill

Mako: NSU Undergraduate Student Journal

Ganoderma lucidum is a mushroom forming fungus that has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for over 2,000 years. G. lucidum, also known as lingzhi or reishi, is consumed in several Asian cultures to promote health and longevity. Bioactive molecules with anticancer properties have been isolated and characterized primarily from the species Ganoderma lucidum, and the cytotoxic potential of other species in the genus Ganoderma remains relatively unclear. Bioactive molecules isolated from mushroom fruiting bodies are demonstrated to have cytotoxicity against different cancer cell lines. Triterpenes and polysaccharides are the two major groups of compounds that exhibit antitumor and anti-inflammatory …

Perceptions Of Pharmacy Students Towards The Transition To Online Communication In Learning: Lessons From The Covid-19 Pandemic, Wejdan Shroukh

This study aims to explore the experiences of pharmacy students at Middle East University (MEU) in the transition to online communication in pharmacy education during the COVID-19 pandemic in the academic year 2021/2022.The current study follows an inductive qualitative research design based on conducting semi-structured interviews with students. Thematic analysis of data was carried out, and the six phases of analysis described by Braun and Clarke were followed. Data analysis yielded the following themes: acceptance of the transition to online communication in pharmacy education, the perceived difficulty of online courses delivered during the pandemic, drawbacks of online communication in pharmacy …

Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On The Elderly, Jessica Odikpo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Mechanisms Of Uropathogenic E. Coli Reservoir Formation In The Gastrointestinal Tract, Philippe Nimma Azimzadeh

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Urinary tract infections (UTI) are an extremely common affliction affecting 150 million people worldwide each year. UTIs are a leading cause of antibiotic therapy among otherwise healthy adult women, accounting for 15% of all outpatient antibiotic prescriptions. Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) cause over 80% of community-acquired UTIs. Even when infection is cleared from the urine by clinical antibiotic regimens, 27% of women will experience recurrent UTI (rUTI) within months. Greater than 60% of rUTIs are caused by the same strain of E. coli that caused the initial infection, suggesting that one or more host-associated reservoirs of UPEC can re-inoculate the …

Mechanisms Of Uropathogenic E. Coli Reservoir Formation In The Gastrointestinal Tract, Philippe Nimma Azimzadeh

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Urinary tract infections (UTI) are an extremely common affliction affecting 150 million people worldwide each year. UTIs are a leading cause of antibiotic therapy among otherwise healthy adult women, accounting for 15% of all outpatient antibiotic prescriptions. Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) cause over 80% of community-acquired UTIs. Even when infection is cleared from the urine by clinical antibiotic regimens, 27% of women will experience recurrent UTI (rUTI) within months. Greater than 60% of rUTIs are caused by the same strain of E. coli that caused the initial infection, suggesting that one or more host-associated reservoirs of UPEC can re-inoculate the …

Loss Of P53 And Smad4 Induces Adenosquamous Subtype Pancreatic Cancer In The Absence Of An Oncogenic Kras Mutation, Daowei Yang, Xinlei Sun, Rohan Moniruzzaman, Hua Wang, Citu Citu, Ignacio I Wistuba, Anirban Maitra, Yang Chen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Pancreatic cancer is associated with an oncogenic KRAS mutation in approximately 90% of cases. However, a non-negligible proportion of pancreatic cancer cases harbor wild-type KRAS (KRAS-WT). This study establishes genetically engineered mouse models that develop spontaneous pancreatic cancer in the context of KRAS-WT. The Trp53

Perfusion-Weighted Imaging With Dynamic Contrast Enhancement (Pwi/Dce) Morphologic, Qualitative, Semiquantitative, And Radiomics Features Predicting Undifferentiated Pleomorphic Sarcoma (Ups) Treatment Response, R F Valenzuela, E Duran-Sierra, M Canjirathinkal, B Amini, K E Torres, J Ma, K P Hwang, R J Stafford, C Wu, A M Zarzour, A J Bishop, S Lo, J E Madewell, R Kumar, W A Murphy, C M Costelloe

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) is the largest subgroup of soft tissue sarcomas. This study determined the value of perfusion-weighted imaging with dynamic-contrast-enhancement (PWI/DCE) morphologic, qualitative, and semiquantitative features for predicting UPS pathology-assessed treatment effect (PATE). This retrospective study included 33 surgically excised extremity UPS patients with pre-surgical MRI. Volumetric tumor segmentation from PWI/DCE was obtained at Baseline (BL), Post-Chemotherapy (PC), and Post-Radiation Therapy (PRT). The surgical specimens' PATE separated cases into Responders (R) (≥ 90%, 16 patients), Partial-Responders (PR) (89 - 31%, 10 patients), and Non-Responders (NR) (≤ 30%, seven patients). Seven semiquantitative kinetic parameters and maps were extracted from …

Effects Of Sotagliflozin On Health Status In Patients With Worsening Heart Failure: Results From Soloist-Whf, Ankeet S Bhatt, Deepak L Bhatt, Ph Gabriel Steg, Michael Szarek, Christopher P Cannon, Darren K Mcguire, Matthew C Riddle, Adriaan A Voors, Marco Metra, Lars H Lund, Jeffrey M Testani, Christopher S Wilcox, Michael Davies, Bertram Pitt, Mikhail N Kosiborod

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors improve health status in heart failure (HF) across the left ejection fraction ejection spectrum. However, the effects of SGLT1 and SGLT2 inhibition on health status are unknown.

Objectives: These prespecified analyses of the SOLOIST-WHF (Effect of Sotagliflozin on Cardiovascular Events in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Post Worsening Heart Failure) trial examined the effects of sotagliflozin vs placebo on HF-related health status.

Methods: SOLOIST-WHF randomized patients hospitalized or recently discharged after a worsening HF episode to receive sotagliflozin or placebo. The primary endpoint was total number of HF hospitalizations, urgent HF visits, and cardiovascular …

Detecting Altered Hepatic Lipid Oxidation By Mri In An Animal Model Of Masld, Marc Mcleod, Mario C Chang, Anna Rushin, Mukundan Ragavan, Rohit Mahar, Arshee Badar, Max E Glanz, Vinay R Malut, Dalton Graham, Nishanth E Sunny, James A Bankson, Kenneth Cusi, Matthew E Merritt

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) prevalence is increasing annually and affects over a third of US adults. MASLD can progress to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), characterized by severe hepatocyte injury, inflammation, and eventual advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis. MASH is predicted to become the primary cause of liver transplant by 2030. Although the etiology of MASLD/MASH is incompletely understood, dysregulated fatty acid oxidation is implicated in disease pathogenesis. Here, we develop a method for estimating hepatic β-oxidation from the metabolism of [D

Gut Phageome In Mexican Americans: A Population At High Risk For Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease And Diabetes, Suet-Ying Kwan, Caroline M Sabotta, Lorenzo R Cruz, Matthew C Wong, Nadim J Ajami, Susan P Fisher-Hoch

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Mexican Americans are disproportionally affected by metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), which often co-occurs with diabetes. Despite extensive evidence on the causative role of the gut microbiome in MASLD, studies determining the involvement of the gut phageome are scarce. In this cross-sectional study, we characterized the gut phageome in Mexican Americans of South Texas by stool shotgun metagenomic sequencing of 340 subjects, concurrently screened for liver steatosis by transient elastography. Inter-individual variations in the phageome were associated with gender, country of birth, diabetes, and liver steatosis. The phage signatures for diabetes and liver steatosis were subsequently determined. Enrichment of …

Systematic Review On Isolation, Purification, Characterization, And Industrial Applications Of Thermophilic Microbial Α- Amylases, Rugaiyah A. Arfah, Sarlan Sarlan, Abdul Karim, Anita Anita, Ahyar Ahmad, Paulina Taba, Harningsih Karim, Siti Halimah Larekeng, Dorothea Agnes Rampisela, Rusdina Bte Ladju

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

The α-amylase enzyme, sourced from diverse organisms, including plants, animals, and bacteria, plays a crucial role in multiple industries, notably food processing sectors like cakes, fruit juices, and starch syrup. Research identifies thermophilic organisms as prime sources of this enzyme thriving at temperatures ranging from 41°C to 122°C. The enzyme purification was carried out using liquid-liquid extraction, which involved the exchange of substances between two liquid phases that were immiscible or partially soluble. The optimal temperature for α-amylase was 45 to 90°C. The best pH for bacterial and fungal α-amylases ranged from 5.0 to 10.5 and 5.0 to 9.0. Based …

Examining Changes In Pain Sensitivity Following 8 Minutes Of Cycling At Varying Exercise Intensities, Brandi B. Antonio, Jeffrey Stout, Danielle Sterner, Abigail Anderson, David Fukuda

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 17(7): 1337-1351, 2024. This study assessed the effect of an eight-minute cycling intervention using varying intensities on exercise-induced hypoalgesia (EIH). The main objective of this study was to examine the effect of varying intensities on pressure pain threshold (PPT) and heat pain threshold (HPT) at the thigh and forearm, tested pre- and post-cycling intervention. Healthy male participants (n = 16) performed a graded exercise test on a cycle ergometer to establish their peak power output (PPO). In subsequent visits, participants completed five different 8-minute cycling interventions, with intensities randomly assigned to one of three …

Perceptions Of Peer And Parental Support: Feasibility Of A Physical Activity Intervention For Adolescent Girls, Avery G. Douglas, Deirdre Dlugonski, Johanna M. Hoch

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 17(5): 1352-1360, 2024. Physical activity (PA) has a wide range of health benefits. Children with high levels of social support are more likely to achieve adequate levels of PA. The purposes of this pilot study were to examine the impact of an after-school intervention on perceived peer and parental support among adolescent girls and to identify correlates of support to explore in future studies to increase PA. Seventeen low-active girls in 6th–7th grade were recruited from a local middle school to participate in an 8-week intervention where they were exposed to various types of PA …

Inter-Individual Responses To Acute Resistance Training In The Blood Pressure Dipping Response In Normotensive And Hypertensive Men, Elizabeth Carpio-Rivera, José Moncada-Jiménez, Alejandro Salicetti-Fonseca, Andrea Solera-Herrera

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 17(3): 1361-1376, 2024. The blood pressure dipping response to acute resistance training exercise (RTE) is scarce in the literature. We determined the inter-individual blood pressure (BP) dipping variability of normotensive (NT) and hypertensive (HT) men completing two modalities of a single session of RTE. Volunteers (NT n = 21, HT n = 20) underwent a non-exercise control (CTRL), RTE high-sets low-repetitions (HSLR), and RTE high-repetitions low-sets (HRLS) conditions. Twenty-four-hour ambulatory BP monitoring recorded diurnal and nocturnal systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) BP. Non-significant interactions were found between the category of individuals and the experimental conditions …

Physiological And Psychological Differences Between 20% Grade Incline-Walking And Level-Grade Jogging At Isocaloric Intensity, Motoki Sato, Taj Krieger, Alexis D. Gidley, Brianne Weaver, Craig A. Johnson, David E. Lankford

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 17(6): 1318-1336, 2024. High-incline walking is a relatively new trend with little comparative information. This study compared physiological and psychological differences between high-incline walking at 20% grade (HIW) and level-grade jogging (LGJ) at isocaloric intensities in young adults. Twenty-two participants (M = 11, F = 11) aged 19–31 years completed the study. Participants completed HIW and LGJ on a treadmill for twenty minutes on two separate occasions and matched at isocaloric intensities. Rating of perceived exertion (RPE), maintainability (HCM), and affective valence using the Feeling Scale (FS) were measured at minutes 2, 10, and 20. …

Comparison Of Lower Limb Mass, Thigh Circumference, And Balance Ability After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction And In Control Participants, Micah B. Hebert, Laura L. Dill, Paul T. Stuhr, Deanna J. Schmidt

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 17(1): 1306-1317, 2024. Injury of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the knee is common, with up to 250,000 cases annually in the United States. Such injuries can lead to muscle atrophy, impaired balance, and limited movement. This study aimed to compare the lower limbs of individuals with ACL reconstruction to a Control group. We hypothesized that ACL participants would exhibit greater asymmetry between lower limbs as compared to Controls. Data were collected from 12 ACL participants and 30 Control participants. Measurements included lower limb muscle mass assessed using bioelectrical impedance, thigh circumference at 10 …

Utilizing Lentinula Edodes And Pleurotus Ostreatus To Decrease Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Growth With Oxidative Stress Present As A Model For Cancer, Abdullah Amir

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States, and its effects can be worsened when high levels of oxidative stress are present. Lentinula edodes and Pleurotus ostreatus are two edible mushroom species that have been shown to contain many anticancer agents. However, the effects of these mushrooms have not been tested on cancer in the presence of oxidative stress. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to test the effectiveness of L. edodes and P. ostreatus in reducing Saccharomyces cerevisiae growth when oxidative stress was present. It was hypothesized that these two mushroom species would …

Investigating The Synergistic Antibacterial Effects Of Ulva Lactuca And Fucus Vesiculosus Extracts On The Growth Of Staphylococcus Epidermidis, Bryan Lee

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

This study investigates the antibacterial properties of extracts from marine macroalgae, Ulva lactuca (green algae) and Fucus vesiculosus (brown algae), individually and in combination, with a focus on combating antibiotic-resistant pathogens. The escalating challenge of antibiotic resistance requires the exploration of alternative antimicrobial agents derived from natural sources. Utilizing the agar well diffusion method, the study evaluates the inhibitory effects of the algae extracts on Staphylococcus epidermidis. Chloramphenicol serves as the positive control, while 5% dimethyl sulfoxide acts as the negative control. The combination of Ulva lactuca and Fucus vesiculosus extracts did not exhibit a significantly greater antibacterial effect than …

A Comparative Study To Predict Ovarian Cancer, Binadie Wickramasinghe, Gloria Regisford

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Ovarian cancer is considered the fifth most common cancer type among females in the United States. Furthermore, ovarian cancer accounts for 25% of all gynecologic cancers, and usually, this cancer is diagnosed at a late stage. A patient can live at least five years longer if ovarian cancer is diagnosed early. Therefore, the early diagnosis of ovarian cancer is essential. This study aims to classify ovarian cancer using biomarkers such as ovarian cancer antigen (CA125), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), human epididymis protein 4 (HE4), and anti-TP53 antibodies. Rising or persistent CA125 blood levels provide a highly …

Cortisol And Alpha-Synuclein Stability In Saliva Under Varying Storage And Handling Conditions, Mo Zheng, Sujata Srikanth, Jeremiah Carpenter, Delphine Dean

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor impairments and non-motor symptoms, significantly impacting patients' quality of life. Currently, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is the primary biofluid used for PD biomarker studies, notably α-synuclein, despite the invasive nature of lumbar puncture procedures. Recent work has shown that some of these PD biomarkers have been measured in saliva. As an alternative to CSF, saliva can be non-invasively self-collected by patients repeatedly over time to monitor biomarker levels. However, the stability of these biomarkers in saliva needs to be evaluated before saliva can be considered for patient self-collection studies. Therefore, …

09.16.2024 Orsp Connect, Liz Williamson

ORED Newsletter

Human Research with AI workshop

External Funding Opportunities for Students

Table Of Contents

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Different Vegetable Oils (Macadamia Nut Oil And Walnut Oil) On The Coefficient Of Friction As A Finish For Oak Wood, Lee Dillon

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Slipping due to insufficient friction with flooring can cause fatal injuries in workplaces and homes. Oak wood flooring is commonly used in construction to build these environments. In the manufacturing process, wood finishing is conducted at the end of the process to strengthen the properties and longevity of the wood, although it could impact the coefficient of friction (COF) causing slip falls. Vegetable oils, such as macadamia nut and walnut oils, used as wood finishes have gained prominence due to their beneficial aspects to the environment. However, little is known about their effectiveness as a safe coating for wood floors. …

Olaf: An Assessment Of Online Learning Outcomes Among Forestry And Natural Resource Management University Students, Krista Merry, Pete Bettinger, Taeyoon Lee

Journal of Extension

Online learning has become an important advance in education in the last decade. We developed an online learning system related to land and tree measurements. University students were given pre- and post-exposure surveys for two courses offered within the online system. Surveys were designed to assess whether the knowledge level and confidence of students increased through interaction with the online system. A final assessment was conducted to understand user experiences with the online technology. Statistically significant increases in knowledge and confidence concerning land measurement concepts and tree measurement topics were evident among survey participants. Survey participants agreed that the course …