Life Sciences Commons^™

The Interplay Between Hydrogen Sulfide And Phytohormone Signaling Pathways Under Challenging Environments, Muhammad Saad Shoaib Khan, Faisal Islam, Yajin Ye, Matthew Ashline, Daowen Wang, Biying Zhao, Zheng Qing Fu, Jian Chen

Faculty Publications

Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) serves as an important gaseous signaling molecule that is involved in intra- and intercellular signal transduction in plant–environment interactions. In plants, H₂S is formed in sulfate/cysteine reduction pathways. The activation of endogenous H₂S and its exogenous application has been found to be highly effective in ameliorating a wide variety of stress conditions in plants. The H₂S interferes with the cellular redox regulatory network and prevents the degradation of proteins from oxidative stress via post-translational modifications (PTMs). H₂S-mediated persulfidation allows the rapid response of proteins in signaling networks …

Distinct Molecular And Immune Hallmarks Of Inflammatory Arthritis Induced By Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors For Cancer Therapy, Sang T Kim, Yanshuo Chu, Mercy Misoi, Maria E Suarez-Almazor, Jean H Tayar, Huifang Lu, Maryam Buni, Jordan Kramer, Emma Rodriguez, Zulekha Hussain, Sattva S Neelapu, Jennifer Wang, Amishi Y Shah, Nizar M Tannir, Matthew T Campbell, Don L Gibbons, Tina Cascone, Charles Lu, George R Blumenschein, Mehmet Altan, Bora Lim, Vincente Valero, Monica E Loghin, Janet Tu, Shannon N Westin, Aung Naing, Guillermo Garcia-Manero, Noha Abdel-Wahab, Hussein A Tawbi, Patrick Hwu, Isabella C Glitza Oliva, Michael A Davies, Sapna P Patel, Jun Zou, Andrew Futreal, Adi Diab, Linghua Wang, Roza Nurieva

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Immune checkpoint inhibitors are associated with immune-related adverse events (irAEs), including arthritis (arthritis-irAE). Management of arthritis-irAE is challenging because immunomodulatory therapy for arthritis should not impede antitumor immunity. Understanding of the mechanisms of arthritis-irAE is critical to overcome this challenge, but the pathophysiology remains unknown. Here, we comprehensively analyze peripheral blood and/or synovial fluid samples from 20 patients with arthritis-irAE, and unmask a prominent Th1-CD8

Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation For Large B-Cell Lymphoma With Secondary Central Nervous System Involvement, Serkan Akin, Chitra Hosing, Issa Khouri, Sairah Ahmed, Amin Alousi, Nathan Fowler, Jacinth Joseph, Jonathan Truxillo, Jeremy L Ramdial, Farzaneh Maadani, Gabriela Rondon, May Daher, Jin S Im, Raphael Steiner, Jason Westin, Swaminathan P Iyer, Bouthaina Dabaja, Paolo Anderlini, Uday R Popat, Muzaffar H Qazilbash, Christopher R Flowers, Elizabeth Shpall, Richard E Champlin, Yago Nieto, Samer A Srour

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Secondary central nervous system large B-cell lymphoma (SCNSL) is rare, with a generally poor prognosis. There is limited data about the role of autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) in these high-risk patients. We explored in this study treatment outcomes and prognostic factors for patients with SCNSL who underwent ASCT. We included all consecutive patients who underwent ASCT at our institution. Primary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). One-hundred two patients were identified. Median age at transplant was 56 (range, 21-71) years. With a median follow-up of 56 (range, 1-256) months, the median PFS and OS were 40 …

Quadruped Gait And Regulation Of Apoptotic Factors In Tibiofemoral Joints Following Intra-Articular Rhprg4 Injection In Prg4 Null Mice, Daniel S. Yang, Edward E. Dickerson, Ling X. Zhang, Holly Richendrfer, Padmini N. Karamchedu, Gary A. Badger, Tannin A. Schmidt, Alger M. Fredericks, Khaled A. Elsaid, Gregory D. Jay

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Camptodactyly-arthropathy-coxa vara-pericarditis (CACP) syndrome leads to diarthrodial joint arthropathy and is caused by the absence of lubricin (proteoglycan 4—PRG4), a surface-active mucinous glycoprotein responsible for lubricating articular cartilage. In this study, mice lacking the orthologous gene Prg4 served as a model that recapitulates the destructive arthrosis that involves biofouling of cartilage by serum proteins in lieu of Prg4. This study hypothesized that Prg4-deficient mice would demonstrate a quadruped gait change and decreased markers of mitochondrial dyscrasia, following intra-articular injection of both hindlimbs with recombinant human PRG4 (rhPRG4). Prg4^−/− (N = 44) mice of both sexes were injected with rhPRG4 …

Suicide Risk And School Related Stressors In Veterinary Students, Deanna Arnold

Steeplechase: An ORCA Student Journal

Compared to the general population of the United States, veterinarians are at an increasingly higher risk for suicide. This is commonly associated with stressful work environments, long work hours, poor work-life balance, client demands and complaints, and large amounts of euthanasia procedures. While many studies have been performed to confirm the above statements, few to no studies have been done on students currently enrolled in veterinary school to assess their mental health. This study will survey graduate school students in this field and will evaluate their mental health state and risk factors towards suicide. Through comparing the results of this …

Characterization Of A Putative Serine-Threonine Kinase In Cryptococcus Neoformans, Joshua Sparks

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

Binding Affinities Of Bpa Derivatives To The Human Estrogen Receptor: Utilization And Assessment Of Autodock Vina, Luke Newman

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

Backyard Conflict: The Effect Of Urban Development On A Population Of Eastern Box Turtles, Blakely Logsdon, Janna Knight

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

The Use Of Molecular Beacon Sirna To Induce Degradation Of Sars Cov-2 Mrna In Infected Cells, Katelynn Sepke, Hanna Dutt

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

Casein Kinases Interact And Stabilize Glucose Sensing Receptors In Yeast, Julia Humble, Levi Mailloux, Sophia Adams

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

Design, Synthesis, Cloning, And Expression Of Heme-Containing Peroxygenase From Cucurbita Moschata, Rebekah Walker

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

Validating Methods For Monitoring Physiological Health Of Plethodon Hubrichti Along An Elevational Gradient, Taylor Salvigsen, Kyra Todd

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

The Study Of The Effect Of Post-Natal Day 26 Methotrexate Chemotherapy On Cognition, Hannah Davenport

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

Characterizing The Cutaneous Microbiome Of Eurycea Lucifuga As A Potential Defense Against Infectious Diseases, Madeline Key, Mckenzie Perkins

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

Cover Objects Can Mitigate The Effects Of Timbering On The Peaks Of Otter Salamander: A Survival Story, Savannah Mckee, Lauren Benedict, Hayley Sprague

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

The Effect Of Bpc Exposure On Ikaros And Rag-1 Gene Expression In Zebrafish, Robert Fisher, Anna Osborn, Asia Eskaros, Michael Chembars, Pierce Knepley, Thomas Russell

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

The Analysis And Synthesis Of Fluorescent Cell Stains For Biomedical Application, Richard Tuttle, Angielisa Sirard, Ashley Stubbs

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

Halfway: The Legacy Of Civilian Conservation Corps Company #704, Maxibillion Thompson

Student Academic Conference

Civilian Conservation Corps Company #704 began operations in 1933 approximately 10 miles southeast of Ely, MN, based at the site known as Halfway Camp F-1. This presentation explores some of the legacy they left in the region in the form of ecological projects and recreational structures, as well as the few remaining signs of their former camp on the shores of Birch Lake.

The Importance Of Rhodophyta Gracilaria Both Past And Present, Abhishiek Arora

Research and Creativity Symposium

Rhodophyta Gracilaria is a genus of Rhodophyta, red algae, found throughout the world and has played a variety of roles throughout the years. Gracilaria has previously been used medically in India and China for the treatment of dysentery and respiratory disease while in Malaysia as a remedy for inflammation. It has also been an ingredient in the cuisine of many different cultures from garnish on Poke bowls in Hawaii, to a component in Japanese Ogonori, a type of Japanese salad. Research on Gracilaria has increased throughout the years. This is indicative of its potential in a wide variety of fields …

Identification And Characterization Of Circular Rnas In Brassica Rapa In Response To Plasmodiophora Brassicae, Huishan Liu, Chinedu Charles Nwafor, Yinglan Piao, Xiaonan Li, Zongxiang Zhan, Zhongyun Piao

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty Publications

Plasmodiophora brassicae is a soil-borne pathogen that attacks the roots of cruciferous plants and causes clubroot disease. CircRNAs are noncoding RNAs, widely existing in plant and animal species. Although knowledge of circRNAs has been updated continuously and rapidly, information about circRNAs in the regulation of clubroot disease resistance is extremely limited in Brassica rapa. Here, Chinese cabbage (BJN 222) containing clubroot resistance genes (CRa) against P. brassicae Pb4 was susceptible to PbE. To investigate the mechanism of cicRNAs responsible for clubroot disease resistance in B. rapa, circRNA-seq was performed with roots of ‘BJN 222’ at 0, 8, and 23 days …

Predicting The Need For Therapeutic Intervention And Mortality In Acute Pancreatitis: A Two-Center International Study Using Machine Learning, Na Shi, Lan Lan, Jiawei Luo, Ping Zhu, Thomas R W Ward, Peter Szatmary, Robert Sutton, Wei Huang, John A Windsor, Xiaobo Zhou, Qing Xia

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Current approaches to predicting intervention needs and mortality have reached 65-85% accuracy, which falls below clinical decision-making requirements in patients with acute pancreatitis (AP). We aimed to accurately predict therapeutic intervention needs and mortality on admission, in AP patients, using machine learning (ML).

METHODS: Data were obtained from three databases of patients admitted with AP: one retrospective (Chengdu) and two prospective (Liverpool and Chengdu) databases. Intervention and mortality differences, as well as potential predictors, were investigated. Univariate analysis was conducted, followed by a random forest ML algorithm used in multivariate analysis, to identify predictors. The ML performance matrix was …

Aiding Semantic Memory Creation With Navigational Context, Thomas Benjamin Lyle Wasden

Theses and Dissertations

While we have traditionally understood the hippocampus to be involved in memory and navigation, it also appears that it has a role in language processing, creation and prediction. An obvious explanation for this is that language is impossible if linguistic signs cannot be remembered and retrieved. Because linguistic signs are definitionally biologically neutral or arbitrary, we must use the brain's apparatus for learning and storing information from the external world to store and retrieve them. Although plausible, this explanation fails to take into account the hippocampus' role in navigation as a contributing element in the processing, storage and retrieval of …

Knowledge-Informed Data-Driven Modeling Of Microbial Inactivation In Food, Steve Zhang, Firnaaz Ahamed, Hyun-Seob Song

UNL Student Research Days Posters, Graduate

Prevention of the growth of harmful microorganisms in food products is an important requirement for ensuring food safety and quality. Mathematical models to predict the quantitative changes in microbial populations in food to the variations of environmental conditions are useful tools in this regard. Current approaches that use empirical formulation generate arbitrary forms of model equations, impeding systematic analysis towards identifying key factors governing microbial growth and inactivation in food. To address this challenge, we present a data-driven modeling pipeline that enables automatic discovery of model equations (through parsimonious selection of relevant terms in a pre-built library) without having to …

Families In The Sky: Investigating The Population Structure Of Pinus Longaeva, Samuel Arnold Decker

Theses and Dissertations

In the Western United States, the Great Basin is a geographic feature that is home to a variety of unique species, including Great Basin bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva, PILO). P. longaeva is well known for the age of some of the trees, some of which are over 4000 years old. In this study 17 microsatellite markers (simple sequence repeat, SSR) are identified and used to genotype a selection of 480 individuals spread across 24 PILO populations and 60 individuals divided equally between 2 outgroup species, Pinus aristata and Pinus flexilis. One population of PILO, HMW, shows more genetic similarity with …

Comparative Sequence Analysis Elucidates The Evolutionary Patterns Of Yersinia Pestis In New Mexico Over Thirty-Two Years, M. Elizabeth Warren

Theses and Dissertations

Yersinia pestis, a gram-negative bacterium, is the causative agent of plague. Y. pestis is a zoonotic pathogen that occasionally infects humans, and is endemic in the western United States. History gives evidence of three main plague pandemics. The first, originating in Egypt in 541AD, is known as the Justinian plague. The second, perhaps most well-known, is thought to have emerged in 1347AD in China, and is called the Black Death. The third, and current plague pandemic, also emerged in China in 1855. In 1899, Y. pestis was established in California, and the plague in other parts of America evolved from …

After The Fire And Flood: Tracking Wood Recruitment In The Strawberry River Watershed After The Dollar Ridge Fire, Ray Poe

Student Research Symposium

Wildfire can cause a temporary surge in wood recruitment to valley bottoms through an increase in availability and transport mechanisms. Large wood debris in stream channels and floodplains has a profound effect on riparian habitat, generally increasing geomorphic diversity and otherwise increasing ecosystem diversity and riparian heterogeneity (Gurnell, 2013, Manners et al, 2007). Floods laden with large woody-debris also pose a significant risk to property and infrastructure (Rigon et al, 2012). Such processes and hazards are exemplified by the 2018 Dollar Ridge Fire in the Strawberry River watershed in Duchesne County, UT. Shortly after the fire, a 50-year recurrence interval …

The Influence Of Thc, Opioids, And Age On The Plasticity Of Excitatory Inputs To Ventral Tegmental Area Gaba Neurons, Isaac Brent Ostlund

Theses and Dissertations

Adults exhibit significant differences in drug vulnerability, learning ability, and emotive processing than adolescents. Long-lasting synaptic changes, including long-term depression (LTD), can endure many hours and are believed to be key to encoding memories and persistent cognitive changes such as addiction. The ventral tegmental area (VTA) is the primary source of midbrain dopamine (DA) and is regulated by local inhibitory GABA neurons. GABA regulation can decrease, resulting in dis-inhibition of DA neurons and increased feelings of reward, learning, or salience attachment to memories. Endocannabinoids (eCBs) are signaling molecules that often result in synaptic plasticity changes, and the eCB system has …

Sex Ratios And The City: Is Parental Corticosterone A Mediator Of The Relationship Between Urbanization And Offspring Sex Allocation?, Denyelle Kilgour

Master of Science in Integrative Biology Theses

The Trivers-Willard hypothesis states that mothers can adjust their offspring sex ratios according to their own condition and the environmental conditions they face during breeding. Past tests of this hypothesis in avian species have focused on how natural variation shapes sex allocation trade-offs. However, urbanization also influences individual condition and presents animals with novel challenges in optimizing their brood sex ratio. One likely mediator of the relationship between environmental conditions, parental condition, and sex ratios is corticosterone (CORT), the primary glucocorticoid in birds. However, no research has examined the links between urbanization, individual condition, CORT, and adaptive sex allocation within …

A Nematode Community-Based Integrated Productivity Efficiency (Ipe) Model That Identifies Sustainable Soil Health Outcomes: A Case Of Compost Application In Carrot Production, A. Habteweld, A. Kravchencko, Parwinder Grewal, H. Melakeberhan

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Percent soil organic matter (SOM), pH and crop yield are among the biophysicochemical process-driven soil health indicators (SHIs). However, identifying sustainable soil health conditions using these SHIs is limited due to the lack of Integrated Productivity Efficiency (IPE) models. We define IPE as a concept that identifies best-to-worst-case soil health outcomes by assessing the effect of agronomic practices on weighted abundance of functional guilds (WAFG) of beneficial soil organisms and SHIs simultaneously. Expressing WAFG of all beneficial nematodes (x-axis) and SHIs (y-axis) as a percent of untreated control and regression of x and y reveals four quadrants describing worst-to-best-case outcomes …

Characterisation Of Drug-Resistant Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Mutations And Transmission In Pakistan, Gary Napier, Anwar Sheed Khan, Abdul Jabbar, Muhammad Tahir Khan, Sajid Ali, Muhammad Qasim, Noor Mohammad, Rumina Hasan, Zahra Hasan, Susana Campino

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is a high-burden disease in Pakistan, with multi-drug (MDR) and extensive-drug (XDR) resistance, complicating infection control. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) of M. tuberculosis is being used to infer lineages (strain-types), drug resistance mutations, and transmission patterns-all informing infection control and clinical decision making. Here we analyse WGS data on 535 M. tuberculosis isolates sourced across Pakistan between years 2003 and 2020, to understand the circulating strain-types and mutations related to 12 anti-TB drugs, as well as identify transmission clusters. Most isolates belonged to lineage 3 (n = 397; 74.2%) strain-types, and were MDR (n = …