Life Sciences Commons^™

Differentially Disrupted Spinal Cord And Muscle Energy Metabolism In Spinal And Bulbar Muscular Atrophy, Danielle Debartolo, Frederick Arnold, Y Liu, Elana Molotsky, Hsin-Yao Tang, Diane Merry

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

Prior studies showed that polyglutamine-expanded androgen receptor (AR) is aberrantly acetylated and that deacetylation of the mutant AR by overexpression of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-dependent (NAD+-dependent) sirtuin 1 is protective in cell models of spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA). Based on these observations and reduced NAD+ in muscles of SBMA mouse models, we tested the therapeutic potential of NAD+ restoration in vivo by treating postsymptomatic transgenic SBMA mice with the NAD+ precursor nicotinamide riboside (NR). NR supplementation failed to alter disease progression and had no effect on increasing NAD+ or ATP content in muscle, despite producing a modest increase of …

Linguistic And Cultural Barriers To Hispanic Immigrant Vaccination, Ruth Larson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Though vaccines decrease incidence of their associated diseases, vaccination rates among Hispanics are lower than their White non-Hispanic counterparts for almost all vaccines. In this study, we identify linguistic and cultural barriers to vaccination of Hispanic Immigrants (HI). An electronic survey was administered among HI parents living in the United States. Using structural equation modeling, we found that a lower language barrier increases the trust in patient-physician relationship (+0.487) and increases HPV knowledge (+0.450). Mistrust because the health care was not in Spanish led to negative vaccine attitudes (-0.104), while trust due to a lower language barrier led to positive …

Overcoming The Barriers To Teaching Teamwork To Undergraduates In Stem, Gregory R. Goldsmith, Miranda L. Aiken, Hector M. Camarillo-Abad, Kamal Diki, Daniel L. Gardner, Mario Stipčić, Javier F. Espeleta

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

There is widespread recognition that undergraduate students in the life sciences must learn how to work in teams. However, instructors who wish to incorporate teamwork into their classrooms rarely have formal training in how to teach teamwork. This is further complicated by the application of synonymous and often ambiguous terminology regarding teamwork that is found in literature spread among many different disciplines. There are significant barriers for instructors wishing to identify and implement best practices. We synthesize key concepts in teamwork by considering the knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) necessary for success, the pedagogies and curricula for teaching those KSAs, …

A Novel Micropeptide, Slitharin, Exerts Cardioprotective Effects In Myocardial Infarction, Ahmed G. E. Ibrahim, Alessandra Ciullo, Shukuro Yamaguchi, Chang Li, Travis Antes, Xaviar Jones, Liang Li, Ramachandran Murali, Innokentiy Maslennikov, Niveda Sundararaman, Daniel Soetkamp, Eugenio Cingolani, Jennifer Van Eyk, Eduardo Marbán

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Purpose: Micropeptides are an emerging class of proteins that play critical roles in cell signaling. Here, we describe the discovery of a novel micropeptide, dubbed slitharin (Slt), in conditioned media from Cardiosphere-derived cells (CDCs), a therapeutic cardiac stromal cell type.

Experimental design: We performed mass spectrometry of peptide-enriched fractions from the conditioned media of CDCs and a therapeutically inert cell type (human dermal fibrobasts). We then evaluated the therapeutic capacity of the candidate peptide using an in vitro model of cardiomyocyte injury and a rat model of myocardial infarction.

Results: We identified a novel 24-amino acid micropeptide …

Muc20 Regulated By Extrachromosomal Circular Dna Attenuates Proteasome Inhibitor Resistance Of Multiple Myeloma By Modulating Cuproptosis, Xiaobin Wang, Yingqing Shi, Hua Shi, Xiaoyu Liu, Aijun Liao, Robert Z Orlowski, Huihan Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Proteasome inhibitors (PIs) are one of the most important classes of drugs for the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM). However, almost all patients with MM develop PI resistance, resulting in therapeutic failure. Therefore, the mechanisms underlying PI resistance in MM require further investigation.

METHODS: We used several MM cell lines to establish PI-resistant MM cell lines. We performed RNA microarray and EccDNA-seq in MM cell lines and collected human primary MM samples to explore gene profiles. We evaluated the effect of MUC20 on cuproptosis of PI-resistant MM cells using Co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP), Seahorse bioenergetic profiling and in vivo assay.

RESULTS: …

Unraveling The Intraday Variations In The Tear Fluid Proteome, Garrett Jones, Jeremy Altman, Saleh Ahmed, Tae Jin Lee, Wenbo Zhi, Ashok Sharma

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: Tear fluid is a complex and dynamic biological fluid that plays essential roles in maintaining ocular homeostasis and protecting against the external environment. Owing to the small sample volume, studying the tear proteome is challenging. However, advances in high-resolution mass spectrometry have expanded tear proteome profiling, revealing >500 unique proteins. Tears are emerging as a noninvasive source of biomarkers for both ocular and systemic diseases; nevertheless, intraday variability of proteins in tear fluid remains questionable. This study investigates intraday variations in the tear fluid proteome to identify stable proteins that could act as candidate biomarkers.

METHODS: Tear samples from …

Potential Protein Signatures For Recurrence Prediction Of Ischemic Stroke, Chengyi Zhang, Yang Liu, Huimin Zhu, Xinying Huang, Cang Guo, Meng Yuan, Xia Meng, S Claiborne Johnston, Yongjun Wang, Wei-Na Jin, Fu-Dong Shi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Acute ischemic stroke is a major cause of mortality and disability worldwide, with approximately 7.4% to 7.7% recurrence within the first 3 months. This study aimed to identify potential biomarkers for predicting stroke recurrence.

Methods and results: We conducted a nested case-control study using a hospital-based cohort from the Third China National Stroke Registry selecting 214 age- and sex-matched patients with ischemic stroke with hypertension and no history of diabetes or heart disease. Using data-independent acquisition for discovery and multiple reaction monitoring for quantitative validation, we identified 26 differentially expressed proteins in large-artery atherosclerosis (Causative Classification of Ischemic Stroke …

Eef1a2 Promotes Pten-Gsk3Β-Scf Complex-Dependent Degradation Of Aurora Kinase A And Is Inactivated In Breast Cancer, Warapen Treekitkarnmongkol, Luisa M Solis, Deivendran Sankaran, Mihai Gagea, Pankaj K Singh, Tristian Nguyen, Jiajun Liu, Kaori Sasai, Yoshimi Jitsumori, Jianwen Liu, Norio Nagao, Fabio Stossi, Michael A Mancini, Ignacio I Wistuba, Alastair M Thompson, Jonathan M Lee, Juan Cadiñanos, Kwong-Kwok Wong, Catherine M Abbott, Aysegul A Sahin, Suyu Liu, Hiroshi Katayama, Subrata Sen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The translation elongation factor eEF1A promotes protein synthesis. Its methylation by METTL13 increases its activity, supporting tumor growth. However, in some cancers, a high abundance of eEF1A isoforms is associated with a good prognosis. Here, we found that eEF1A2 exhibited oncogenic or tumor-suppressor functions depending on its interaction with METTL13 or the phosphatase PTEN, respectively. METTL13 and PTEN competed for interaction with eEF1A2 in the same structural domain. PTEN-bound eEF1A2 promoted the ubiquitination and degradation of the mitosis-promoting Aurora kinase A in the S and G2 phases of the cell cycle. eEF1A2 bridged the interactions between the SKP1-CUL1-FBXW7 (SCF) ubiquitin …

Alteration Of The Interferon Alpha Signaling Pathway Significantly Affects Alzheimer's Disease Pathology In App/Ps1 Mouse Model., Ranjit Kumar Das, Nirakar Sahoo, Chun Xu, Hansapani Rodrigo, Michael Paul Murphy, Upal Roy, Deepa Roy

Research Symposium

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by cognitive impairment, memory loss, and disturbances in behavior. The exact cause of the disease is unknown but there is evidence of molecular pathways alteration within the brain. Many molecular mechanisms have been studied for the progression of AD. Nonetheless, the contribution of the signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) and interferon-induced protein with tetratricopeptide repeats 3 (IFIT3) genes have not been well established in AD pathology. This study aimed to investigate the contribution of STAT1 and IFIT3 in the BALB/C and APP/PS1 mouse models. We analyzed the STAT1 …

A Potential Role Of Urinary P75ecd As A Biomarker For Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis In An American Cohort, Swati Dhasmana, Anupam Dhasmana, Sheema Khan, Acharan S. Narula, Murali Yallapu, Subhash Chauhan

Research Symposium

Background: Neurological disorders present a unique complexity compared to other diseases, involving multiple risk factors, causes, treatments, and outcomes. These disorders often exhibit various molecular and morphological changes indicative of disruptions in cellular plasticity and resilience. The pathogenesis of many neurological disorders remains unclear, necessitating ongoing investigations. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) exemplifies an idiopathic and fatal neurodegenerative disease marked by the degeneration of upper and lower motor neurons. The average life expectancy post-diagnosis is a mere 36 months, primarily attributed to respiratory muscle denervation.The persistent challenges in ALS clinical trials and the absence of effective therapeutic options have intensified interest …

Introduction Of Vegetative And Reproductive Characters Into Trifolium Repens By Interspecific Hybridisation, A H. Marshall, T P.T Michaelson-Yeates, M Meredith, D H. Hides

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Interspecific hybridization between white clover (Trifolium repens L.) and ball clover (T.nigrescens) and Caucasian clover (T.ambiguum) is a means of improving the reproductive growth and persistency of T.repens. F1 hybrids between T.repens and T.nigrescens were produced without ovule culture and confirmed as true hybrids by chromosome counts, isoenzyme analysis and leaf markers. Their growth habit was generally intermediate between the two parents. After backcrossing to T.repens the BC1 and BC2 hybrids had more of the characteristics associated with T.repens though they retained some of the greater reproductive growth of …

Colchicine-Doubling Of Germinating Seedlings Of Interspecific Wildrye Hybrids, T A. Jones, D C. Nielson, H Jaussi

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Colchicine has usually been applied to sterile clones of interspecific grass hybrids to restore fertility. However, when hybrids are partially fertile, colchicine can be applied to germinating seedlings. Four populations of Basin wildrye (Leymus cinereus) X beardless wildrye (L. triticoides) were treated with a 0.2% colchicine solution to double chromosome number from 4x=28 to 8x=56. Doubling percentage was 28, 33, 42, and 44% of all root-tips examined for the four populations. When plants without doubled sectors were discarded, doubling percentage increased to 56, 68, 78, and 78%. Plants with doubled sectors have been placed in crossing blocks …

Optimal Growth And Development: Are Teenagers Getting Enough Micronutrients From Their Diet?, Niamh M. Walsh, Albert Flynn, Janette Walton, Laura Kehoe

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

The teenage years represent a crucial period of physical and cognitive growth and development with sufficient micronutrient intakes necessary to meet high nutritional requirements. This review examines current micronutrient intakes in teenagers in the Western world in the context of public health implications including the prevalence of inadequate intakes and risk of excessive intakes. Intakes of vitamins A, D, E and C, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc and potassium in teenagers are low when compared to generally accepted recommendations, while there is little risk of excessive micronutrient intakes based on current dietary patterns. Therefore, strategies should focus on increasing micronutrient …

Prevalence, Morbidity, And Mortality Of Men With Sex Chromosome Aneuploidy In The Million Veteran Program Cohort, Shanlee Davis, Craig Teerlink, Julie Lynch, Bryan Gorman, Meghana Pagadala, Aoxing Liu, Matthew Panizzon, Victoria Merritt, Giulio Genovese, Judith Ross, Richard Hauger

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Papers

IMPORTANCE: The reported phenotypes of men with 47,XXY and 47,XYY syndromes include tall stature, multisystem comorbidities, and poor health-related quality of life (HRQOL). However, knowledge about these sex chromosome aneuploidy (SCA) conditions has been derived from studies in the less than 15% of patients who are clinically diagnosed and also lack diversity in age and genetic ancestry.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of clinically diagnosed and undiagnosed X or Y chromosome aneuploidy among men enrolled in the Million Veteran Program (MVP); to describe military service metrics of men with SCAs; and to compare morbidity and mortality outcomes between men with …

Western Science And Eastern Zen To Seek The Origin Of Truth: Philosophical Background Of Scale Modeling, Kozo Saito

Progress in Scale Modeling, an International Journal

This article was written to introduce philosophical background of scale modeling, where Zen philosophy was applied to overcome the limitation of logical thinking and hypotheses-driven deductive science. Three specific reasons are as follows. The first is related to the law approach in scale modeling; it uses the kufu principle, originated in Zen Buddhism, together with the other three scientific methods: experimental, theoretical, and computational. The second reason is because scale modeling seeks relativistic understanding by attempting to realize similarity; the concept is closer to Eastern philosophy rather than absolute understanding cultivated by deductive science. The third is in the educational …

03.04.2024 Orsp Connect, Liz Williamson

ORED Newsletter

ORSP On-demand Training for PIs, Liz Williamson spotlight, Grant for Studying Clean Energy Production Awarded, NIH Simplified Peer Review Framework.

Variations In Student Approaches To Problem Solving In Undergraduate Biology Education, Jeremy L. Hsu, Rou-Jia Sung, Su L. Swarat, Alexandra J. Gore, Stephanie Kim, Stanley M. Lo

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Existing research has investigated student problem-solving strategies across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; however, there is limited work in undergraduate biology education on how various aspects that influence learning combine to generate holistic approaches to problem solving. Through the lens of situated cognition, we consider problem solving as a learning phenomenon that involves the interactions between internal cognition of the learner and the external learning environment. Using phenomenography as a methodology, we investigated undergraduate student approaches to problem solving in biology through interviews. We identified five aspects of problem solving (including knowledge, strategy, intention, metacognition, and mindset) that define three …

Values, Challenges, And Responses Associated With High-Priced Potential Cures: Perspectives Of Diverse Stakeholders In South Korea, Jihyung Hong, Eun-Young Bae, Hye-Jae Lee, Tae-Jin Lee, Philip Clarke

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: The emergence of high-priced potential cures has sparked significant health policy discussions in South Korea, where the healthcare system is funded through a single-payer National Health Insurance model. We conducted focus group interviews (FGIs) and accompanying surveys with diverse stakeholders to comprehensively understand related issues and find better solutions to the challenges brought by these technologies.

METHODS: From October to November 2022, 11 FGIs were conducted with stakeholders from various sectors, including government payers, policy and clinical experts, civic and patient organisations, and the pharmaceutical industry, involving a total of 25 participants. These qualitative discussions were supplemented by online …

Efficacy Of Single-Agent Chemotherapy In Endocrine Therapy-Refractory Metastatic Invasive Lobular Carcinoma, Jason A Mouabbi, Wei Qaio, Yu Shen, Akshara Singareeka Raghavendra, Debasish Tripathy

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative metastatic invasive lobular breast cancer (mILC) is distinct from invasive ductal cancer (IDC) in clinicopathologic and molecular characteristics, impacting its response to systemic therapy. While endocrine therapy (ET) combined with targeted therapies has shown efficacy in ET-sensitive mILC, data on chemotherapy in ET-refractory mILC remain limited. We investigated the efficacy of single-agent capecitabine (CAP) versus taxanes (TAX) in ET-refractory HR+ HER2-negative patients with mILC.

Materials and methods: Using data from the MD Anderson prospectively collected breast cancer database, we identified patients with HR+ HER2-negative mILC who received prior ET and first-time chemotherapy in the metastatic …

The Identification Of A Distinct Astrocyte Subtype That Diminishes In Alzheimer's Disease, Haichao Wei, Joseph Withrow, Jyotirmoy Rakshit, Faiz Ul Amin, Joshua Nahm, Zhengmei Mao, Jay-Jiguang Zhu, Yongjie Yang, Jia Qian Wu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by the presence of two hallmark pathologies: the accumulation of Amyloid beta (Aβ) and tau proteins in the brain. There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that astrocytes, a type of glial cell in the brain, play crucial roles in clearing Aβ and binding to tau proteins. However, due to the heterogeneity of astrocytes, the specific roles of different astrocyte subpopulations in response to Aβ and tau remain unclear. To enhance the understanding of astrocyte subpopulations in AD, we investigated astrocyte lineage cells based on single-nuclei transcriptomic data obtained from both human and mouse …

Lilrb3 Supports Immunosuppressive Activity Of Myeloid Cells And Tumor Development, Ryan Huang, Xiaoye Liu, Jaehyup Kim, Hui Deng, Mi Deng, Heyu Chen, Wei Xiong, Jingjing Xie, Cheryl Lewis, Jade Homsi, Xing Yang, Chengcheng Zhang, Yubo He, Qi Lou, Caroline Smith, Samuel John, Ningyan Zhang, Zhiqiang An, Cheng Cheng Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The existing T cell-centered immune checkpoint blockade therapies have been successful in treating some but not all patients with cancer. Immunosuppressive myeloid cells, including myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC), that inhibit antitumor immunity and support multiple steps of tumor development are recognized as one of the major obstacles in cancer treatment. Leukocyte Ig-like receptor subfamily B3 (LILRB3), an immune inhibitory receptor containing tyrosine-based inhibitory motifs (ITIM), is expressed solely on myeloid cells. However, it is unknown whether LILRB3 is a critical checkpoint receptor in regulating the activity of immunosuppressive myeloid cells, and whether LILRB3 signaling can be blocked to activate the …

Differential Treatment Effects Of Subgroup Analyses In Phase 3 Oncology Trials From 2004 To 2020, Alexander D Sherry, Andrew W Hahn, Zachary R Mccaw, Joseph Abi Jaoude, Ramez Kouzy, Bruce Minsky, Tomer Meirson, Pavlos Msaouel, Ethan B Ludmir

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Importance: Subgroup analyses are often performed in oncology to investigate differential treatment effects and may even constitute the basis for regulatory approvals. Current understanding of the features, results, and quality of subgroup analyses is limited.

Objective: To evaluate forest plot interpretability and credibility of differential treatment effect claims among oncology trials.

Design, setting, and participants: This cross-sectional study included randomized phase 3 clinical oncology trials published prior to 2021. Trials were screened from ClinicalTrials.gov.

Main outcomes and measures: Missing visual elements in forest plots were defined as a missing point estimate or use of a linear x-axis scale for hazard …

The Epigenetic Evolution Of Glioma Is Determined By The Idh1 Mutation Status And Treatment Regimen, Tathiane M Malta, Thais S Sabedot, Natalia S Morosini, Indrani Datta, Luciano Garofano, Frederick S Varn, Fulvio D'Angelo, Spyridon Bakas, Jill S Barnholtz-Sloan, Hui K Gan, Mohammad Hasanain, Ann-Christin Hau, Kevin C Johnson, Simona Cazacu, Ana C Decarvalho, Mustafa Khasraw, Emre Kocakavuk, Mathilde C M Kouwenhoven, Simona Migliozzi, Simone P Niclou, Johanna M Niers, D Ryan Ormond, Sun Ha Paek, Guido Reifenberger, Peter A Sillevis Smitt, Marion Smits, Lucy F Stead, Martin J Van Den Bent, Erwin G Van Meir, Annemiek Walenkamp, Tobias Weiss, Michael Weller, Bart A Westerman, Bauke Ylstra, Pieter Wesseling, Anna Lasorella, Pim J French, Laila M Poisson, Consortium The Glass, Roel G W Verhaak, Antonio Iavarone, Houtan Noushmehr

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Tumor adaptation or selection is thought to underlie therapy resistance in glioma. To investigate longitudinal epigenetic evolution of gliomas in response to therapeutic pressure, we performed an epigenomic analysis of 132 matched initial and recurrent tumors from patients with IDH-wildtype (IDHwt) and IDH-mutant (IDHmut) glioma. IDHwt gliomas showed a stable epigenome over time with relatively low levels of global methylation. The epigenome of IDHmut gliomas showed initial high levels of genome-wide DNA methylation that was progressively reduced to levels similar to those of IDHwt tumors. Integration of epigenomics, gene expression, and functional genomics identified HOXD13 as a master regulator of …

Adaptive Darwinian Off-Target Resistance Mechanisms To Selective Ret Inhibition In Ret Driven Cancer, Vivek Subbiah, Mohamed A Gouda, J Bryan Iorgulescu, Ramona Dadu, Keyur Patel, Maria Cabanillas, Luz E Castellanos, Behrang Amini, Funda Meric-Bernstam, Tao Shen, Jie Wu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Patients treated with RET protein tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) selpercatinib or pralsetinib develop RET TKI resistance by secondary RET mutations or alterative oncogenes, of which alterative oncogenes pose a greater challenge for disease management because of multiple potential mechanisms and the unclear tolerability of drug combinations. A patient with metastatic medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) harboring a RET activation loop D898_E901del mutation was treated with selpercatinib. Molecular alterations were monitored with tissue biopsies and cfDNA during the treatment. The selpercatinib-responsive MTC progressed with an acquired ETV6::NTRK3 fusion, which was controlled by selpercatinib plus the NTRK inhibitor larotrectinib. Subsequently, tumor progressed with …

Differential Treatment Effects Of Subgroup Analyses In Phase 3 Oncology Trials From 2004 To 2020, Alexander D Sherry, Andrew W Hahn, Zachary R Mccaw, Joseph Abi Jaoude, Ramez Kouzy, Bruce Minsky, Tomer Meirson, Pavlos Msaouel, Ethan B Ludmir

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

IMPORTANCE: Subgroup analyses are often performed in oncology to investigate differential treatment effects and may even constitute the basis for regulatory approvals. Current understanding of the features, results, and quality of subgroup analyses is limited.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate forest plot interpretability and credibility of differential treatment effect claims among oncology trials.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cross-sectional study included randomized phase 3 clinical oncology trials published prior to 2021. Trials were screened from ClinicalTrials.gov.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Missing visual elements in forest plots were defined as a missing point estimate or use of a linear x-axis scale for hazard …

Characteristic Morphology And Biomass Production Of Napier Grass (Pennisetum Purpureum) Cultivar Gama Umami Under Teak Tree (Tectona Grandis) Shade In Blora, Central Java, Muhammad Zayyan Muafi, Nafiatul Umami, Bambang Suhartanto, Bambang Suwignyo, Miftahush Shirotul Haq, Nilo Suseno, Widiyatno Widiyatno, Leisa Armstrong, David Cook, Yogi Sidik Prasojo

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This study aims to determine the characteristic morphology and biomass production of Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) cultivar Gama Umami under teak tree (Tectona grandis) shade in teak tree forest area of Blora, Central Java. The grass was planted using stem cuttings and maintained for four months using the randomized block design (RBD) method with six repetitions in each treatment. This study consisted of two treatments, namely shade under teak tree stands and non-shade or open area as a control. Maintenance was carried out for 14 weeks with the addition of fertilizers, such as NPK (nitrogen, phosphor, and potassium) and urea. …

How Can Generative Ai (Genai) Enhance Or Hinder Qualitative Studies? A Critical Appraisal From South Asia, Nepal, Niroj Dahal

The Qualitative Report

Qualitative researchers can benefit from using generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), such as different versions of ChatGPT—GPT-3.5 or GPT-4, Google Bard—now renamed as a Gemini, and Bing Chat—now renamed as a Copilot, in their studies. The scientific community has used artificial intelligence (AI) tools in various ways. However, using GenAI has generated concerns regarding potential research unreliability, bias, and unethical outcomes in GenAI-generated research results. Considering these concerns, the purpose of this commentary is to review the current use of GenAI in qualitative research, including its strengths, limitations, and ethical dilemmas from the perspective of critical appraisal from South Asia, Nepal. …

Influence Of Maternal Supplementation With Vitamins, Minerals, And (Or) Protein/Energy On Placental Development And Angiogenic Factors In Beef Heifers During Pregnancy, Bethania J. Dávila Ruiz, Carl R. Dahlen, Kacie L. Mccathy, Joel S. Caton, Jennifer L. Hurlbert, Friederike Baumgaertner, Ana Clara B. Menezes, Wellison J. S. Diniz, Sarah R. Underdahl, James D. Kirsch, Kevin K. Sedivec, Kerri A. Bochantin, Pawel P. Borowicz, Sebastián Canovas, Lawrence P. Reynolds

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

The effect of vitamins and minerals supplementation (VTM) and/or two rates of body weight gain (GAIN) on bovine placental vascular development and angiogenic factors gene expression were evaluated in two experiments: In Exp. 1, crossbred Angus heifers (n = 34) were assigned to VTM/NoVTM treatments at least 71 days before breeding to allow changes in the mineral status. At breeding, through artificial insemination (AI), heifers were assigned to low-gain (LG) 0.28 kg/d or moderate-gain (MG) 0.79 kg/d treatments, resulting in NoVTM-LG (Control; n = 8), NoVTM-MG (n = 8), VTM-LG (n = 9), and VTM-MG (n = …

Development Of An Integrated Workflow For Nucleosome Modeling And Simulations, Ran Sun

Doctoral Dissertations

Nucleosomes are the building blocks of eukaryotic genomes and thus fundamental to to all genetic processes. Any protein or drug that binds DNA must either cooperate or compete with nucleosomes. Given that a nucleosome contains 147 base pairs of DNA, there are approximately 4^147 or 10^88 possible sequences for a single nucleosome. Exhaustive studies are not possible. However, genome wide association studies can identify individual nucleosomes of interest to a specific mechanism, and today's supercomputers enable comparative simulation studies of 10s to 100s of nucleosomes. The goal of this thesis is to develop and present and end-to-end workflow that serves …

Genetic Counseling Student Self-Efficacy, Exam Anxiety, And Opinions Related To Study Materials For The Genetic Counseling Board Certification Exam., Jessica F. Stanton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Genetic Counseling Board Examination is a critical assessment for clinical practice in the field. However, the relationship between students’ test-related anxiety, confidence in their ability to study (i.e., self-efficacy), and the use of gamification for board examination preparation remains unexplored. This study compared gamification and traditional quiz-style study methods using two randomized groups of students preparing for the Genetic Counseling Board Examination. The primary objectives were to assess for changes in exam-related anxiety and self-efficacy after completing the respective study materials and to evaluate the acceptability and completion rates of these materials. Ninety-eight genetic counseling students or recent graduates …