Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Purification And Thermal Stability Of The Peroxidase Enzyme In Cucurbita Moschata, Garen Hamner

Senior Honors Theses

Peroxidases are enzymes that catalyze the reduction of hydrogen peroxide to water while oxidizing organic substrates and are valuable in spheres like industrial and medical applications and histochemistry. Limitations still exist in the use of the well-studied horseradish peroxidase for certain activities due to limitations like poor thermal stability, thus the search for novel peroxidases that can overcome these limitations is an active area of research. Butternut squash peroxidase (Cucurbita moschata) (BSP) shows promise due to significant activity being found in the skin and apparent enhanced thermal stability, but an efficient purification scheme for it is lacking, as well as …

Why Your Clothes Could Be Killing You: The Detection Of Bpa In Clothing Using Fluorescence Spectrophotometry, Bella Bevel

Scholars Day Conference

Bisphenol-A, better known as BPA, is a carcinogenic compound found in many plastic-containing products due to its ability to add rigidity and strength to the plastic. However, BPA has been found in a wide variety of products not traditionally thought of as “plastic” including feminine hygiene products, printer receipts, and even clothing. Clothing containing a polyester/spandex blend, common in athletic wear, contains BPA, whereas traditional cotton clothing does not. Using flourospectroscopy, the presence of BPA in these types of clothing was confirmed, as well as measured over time. Strips of clothing containing polyester and spandex blends were submerged in a …

The Mental Health And Developmental Effects Of Bisphenol-A, Maryann Rettig

Scholars Day Conference

My directed study focuses on the mental health and developmental effects of bisphenol-A (BPA) on individuals in close contact with the chemical product. BPA is an organic chemical produced in large quantities that is used in the production of many polycarbonate plastics, feminine hygiene products, and epoxy resins that coat some metal food cans. Because of it being everywhere, BPA often leaches dermally and orally into the human body. The physical effects of BPA have been known and observed for years. However, its mental health effects specifically are not as commonly known. Therefore, in my directed study I would be …

Scholars Day 2024 Program Of Events, Carl Goodson Honors Program

Scholars Day

This is the program of events for the 2023 Scholars Day Conference, where undergraduates across disciplines present their scholarly and creative works.

Predicting Ffar4 Agonists Using Structure-Based Machine Learning Approach Based On Molecular Fingerprints, Zaid Anis Sherwani, Syeda Sumayya Tariq, Mamona Mushtaq, Ali Raza Siddiqui, Mohammad Nur-E-Alam, Aftab Ahmed, Zaheer Ul-Haq

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Free Fatty Acid Receptor 4 (FFAR4), a G-protein-coupled receptor, is responsible for triggering intracellular signaling pathways that regulate various physiological processes. FFAR4 agonists are associated with enhancing insulin release and mitigating the atherogenic, obesogenic, pro-carcinogenic, and pro-diabetogenic effects, normally associated with the free fatty acids bound to FFAR4. In this research, molecular structure-based machine-learning techniques were employed to evaluate compounds as potential agonists for FFAR4. Molecular structures were encoded into bit arrays, serving as molecular fingerprints, which were subsequently analyzed using the Bayesian network algorithm to identify patterns for screening the data. The shortlisted hits obtained via machine learning protocols …

Assessing Social Vulnerabilities Of Salivary Gland Cancer Care, Prognosis, And Treatment In The United States, Govind S. Bindra, David J. Fei-Zhang, Atharva Desai, John Maddalozzo, Stephanie S. Smith, Urjeet A. Patel, Daniel C. Chelius, Jill N. D'Souza, Jeffrey C. Rastatter, M. Boyd Gillespie, Anthony M. Sheyn

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Background: Salivary gland cancers (SGC)-social determinants of health (SDoH) investigations are limited by narrow scopes of SGC-types and SDoH. This Social Vulnerability Index (SVI)-study hypothesized that socioeconomic status (SES) most contributed to SDoH-associated SGC-disparities. Methods: Retrospective cohort of 24 775 SGCs assessed SES, minority-language status (ML), household composition (HH), housing-transportation (HT), and composite-SDoH measured by the SVI via regressions with surveillance and survival length, late-staging presentation, and treatment (surgery, radio-, chemotherapy) receipt. Results: Increasing social vulnerability showed decreases in surveillance/survival; increased odds of advanced-presenting-stage (OR: 1.12, 95% CI: 1.07, 1.17), chemotherapy receipt (OR: 1.13, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.23); decreased odds …

Mathematical Modeling For Dental Decay Prevention In Children And Adolescents, Mahdiyeh Soltaninejad

Dissertations

The high prevalence of dental caries among children and adolescents, especially those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, is a significant nationwide health concern. Early prevention, such as dental sealants and fluoride varnish (FV), is essential, but access to this care remains limited and disparate. In this research, a national dataset is utilized to assess sealants' reach and effectiveness in preventing tooth decay, particularly focusing on 2nd molars that emerge during early adolescence, a current gap in the knowledge base. FV is recommended to be delivered during medical well-child visits to children who are not seeing a dentist. Challenges and facilitators in …

Modern Approaches To Treating Hospital Acquired Infections: An Overview Of Current Treatments Using Antibiotics And New Therapies Centered Around Photo-Activated Porphyrins, Meghan Johns

Senior Honors Theses

Annually, hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) affect hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. and impose a great economic burden. The current problem is further exacerbated due to the failure of traditional treatment strategies considering the rise in antimicrobial resistance rates. Besides the fact that antimicrobial resistances complicates clinical treatment strategies, patients are also more vulnerable to secondary infections and complications from prolonged antibiotic use. As a result, research investigating novel treatment strategies for bacterial infections has recently increased. A strategy using porphyrin-based compounds is showing promise. Porphyrins and their derivatives have exhibited bactericidal effects against Gram-positive bacteria by the destruction …

Evaluating The Effect Of Skipping Ticagrelor Doses And Need For Bolus Doses Upon Treatment Resumption Through Population Pk/Pd Simulation, Hiroyoshi Matsui, Le Thien Truc Pham, Eyob D. Adane

ONU Student Research Colloquium

Ticagrelor (Brilinta (R)) is the first reversibly binding oral P2Y12 receptor antagonist. It is used, mostly in combination with aspirin, in patients with acute coronary syndromes to reduce thrombosis. The manufacturer of ticagrelor recommends discontinuing it at least 5 days before any surgery when possible. While the effect of dose interruptions on the risk of thrombosis is not directly studied, it is important to understand the impact of skipping doses on ticagrelor's PK/PD profile for clinical-decision making. The objectives of the current study were to simulate the impact of therapy interruption on the PK/PD of ticagrelor and examine the need …

Volume 10 Full Text, Bjur Staff

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Stream Gauging: Investigating The Flow Rate And Residence Time In Laguna Bacalar, Mexico, Elizabeth J. Kowalczyk

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

Stream gauging is a standard tool used to measure the flow rate of various bodies of water. Knowing the flow rate of a body of water allows for the residence time of a body of water to be calculated. Currently, there is very little information regarding the flow rate and residence times of Laguna Bacalar. This system has been observed hydrologically consistently only in the past 6 years. In this study, 13 stream-gauging locations of interest were identified and gauged for their respective flow rates using the midsection method. Once the flow rates were acquired, maps depicting the Laguna Bacalar …

Table Of Contents And Front Matter, Bjur Staff

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Enhanced Breast Cancer Tumor Classification Using Mobilenetv2: A Detailed Exploration On Image Intensity, Error Mitigation, And Streamlit-Driven Real-Time Deployment, Aaditya Surya, Aditya Keshary Shah, Subash Tarun Sasikumar, Jarnell Kabore

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

This research introduces a sophisticated transfer learning model based on Google’s MobileNetV2 for breast cancer tumor classification into normal, benign, and malignant categories, utilizing a dataset of 1576 ultrasound images (265 normal, 891 benign, 420 malignant). The model achieves an accuracy of 0.82, precision of 0.83, recall of 0.81, ROC-AUC of 0.94, PR-AUC of 0.88, and MCC of 0.74. It examines image intensity distributions and misclassification errors, offering improvements for future applications. Addressing dataset imbalances, the study ensures a generalizable model. This work, using a dataset from Baheya Hospital, Cairo, Egypt, compiled by Walid Al- Dhabyani and colleagues (2020), emphasizes …

04-15-2024 Orsp Newsletter, Liz Williamson

ORSP Newsletter

DMP Tool, Jeff Neal, new training module: Budget Basics, new policy Maligned Foreign Talent Recruitment

Hgs-3 The Influence Of A Tandem Cycling Program In The Community On Physical And Functional Health, Therapeutic Bonds, And Quality Of Life For Individuals And Care Partners Coping With Parkinson’S Disease, Leila Djerdjour, Jennifer L. Trilk

SC Upstate Research Symposium

Purpose Statement: Several studies have shown that aerobic exercise can have a positive impact on alleviating symptoms experienced by individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). Despite this evidence, the potential benefits of exercise for both PD patients and their care partners (PD dyad) remain unexplored. This research project investigates the effectiveness, therapeutic collaborations, and physical outcomes of a virtual reality (VR) tandem cycling program specifically designed for PD dyads.

Methods: Following approval from the Prisma Health Institutional Review Board, individuals with PD were identified and screened by clinical neurologists. The pre-testing measures for PD dyads (N=9) included emotional and cognitive status …

The Impact Of Blood Flow Restriction On Heart Rate And Muscle Activation, Janaya Battles, Rajat Singh, Daniel Swier

Celebration of Research

Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) is a rehabilitation technique used in physical therapy to improve muscle growth in patients. The technique involves using blood cuffs on the limbs to occlude blood flow within the muscles, thus limiting the buildup of muscle growth inhibitors. The current literature provides information regarding these aspects but is limited in providing information regarding the impact of BFR on neural muscular coordination. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine how various pressure levels of the BFR cuffs can impact the muscle activation of the restrained muscles and heart rate. Our results have shown that a …

Phun With Phages: Discovering Novel Bacteriophages In The Soil, Julia Kutz, Ryan Dodds, Logan Dykstra, Taylor M. Rentschler, Emma Steinhardt, Megan Vangarven, Jacie Vanderwaal, Shayler Vangelder, Byron Noordewier, Sara S. Tolsma

Celebration of Research

We used three bacterial hosts: Mycobacterium smegmatis, Microbacterium foliorum, and Gordonia terrae, to isolate novel bacteriophages from soil samples. We named these phages, created high titer lysates, and purified their DNA genomes. We have archived the high titer lysates at Northwestern College and the University of Pittsburgh. The genomes of three of our phages were sequences at the University of Pittsburgh and we will be sequencing the remaining genomes this summer. Additionally, we are planning to image our phages with transmission electron microscopy at the University of Iowa or Nebraska yet this semester.

Social And Leisure Participation By People With Dementia: A Caregiver Resource Guide, Rebecca Mcmillian, Beth Lambert, Mary Smith, Katherine Christie

Spring 2024 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

The purpose of this caregiver education intervention is to increase caregiver self-efficacy and effectiveness in increasing social participation and quality of life for those they are caring for as well as decreasing caregiver stress and burnout associated with providing care for those diagnosed with Alzheimer's. The guide will include education and resources for these caregivers detailing safety precautions, strategies to reduce difficult behaviors impacting social and leisure engagement, and resources to decrease caregiver burden.

Ultrasoft Platelet-Like Particles Stop Bleeding In Rodent And Porcine Models Of Trauma, Kimberly Nellenbach, Emily Mihalko, Seema Nandi, Drew W. Koch, Jagathpala Shetty, Leandra Moretti, Jennifer Sollinger, Nina Moiseiwitsch, Ana Sheridan, Sanika Pandit, Maureane Hoffman, Lauren V. Schnabel, L. Andrew Lyon, Thomas H. Barker, Ashley C. Brown

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Uncontrolled bleeding after trauma represents a substantial clinical problem. The current standard of care to treat bleeding after trauma is transfusion of blood products including platelets; however, donated platelets have a short shelf life, are in limited supply, and carry immunogenicity and contamination risks. Consequently, there is a critical need to develop hemostatic platelet alternatives. To this end, we developed synthetic platelet-like particles (PLPs), formulated by functionalizing highly deformable microgel particles composed of ultralow cross-linked poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) with fibrin-binding ligands. The fibrin-binding ligand was designed to target to wound sites, and the cross-linking of fibrin polymers was designed …

Killing Cancer: Manipulating Hydrophobic Vanadium Complexes To Improve Anti-Cancer Activity, Levi Ausherman, Debbie C. Crans, Peter A. Lay, Maggi Braasch-Turi

SACAD: John Heinrichs Scholarly and Creative Activity Days

Hydrophobic vanadium complexes have recently shown improved anti-cancer activities compared to cisplatin. The hydrophobicity and anti-proliferative activity of [VO(Hshed)(dtb)] ([Hshed= N-(salicylideneaminato)-N’-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1,2-ethanediamine and dtb= 3,5-di(tert-butyl)catechol)]) have inspired the development of a library of hydrophobic vanadium complexes. Increasing the steric bulk of the catechol ligand has been shown to have a direct impact on hydrophobicity and anti-proliferative activities. Currently at Fort Hays State University, the Braasch-Turi group is synthesizing VO(HSHED)(dtb) to build up material to support the chemical analysis and biological assay performed by our collaborators at Colorado State University and the University of Sydney, Australia, respectively. In the future, we plan …

Improving Participation In Physical Education For Children With Disabilities, Randi Major, Susan Macdermott

Spring 2024 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Participating in adaptive sports has many benefits for children with disabilities (CWD), however literature demonstrates that many barriers exist within community-setting adaptive sports which impact participation for CWD. There is currently a lack of understanding of the needs of CWD and the barriers that exist within schools that impact their participation in physical activities and sports. In addition, the literature demonstrates that many individuals with disabilities are not meeting the recommended minutes for daily physical activity which can impact the health and well-being of CWD (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2022).

The purpose of this capstone project was …

Apigenin Alleviates Autistic-Like Stereotyped Repetitive Behaviors And Mitigates Brain Oxidative Stress In Mice, Petrilla Jayaprakash, Dmytro Isaev, Keun-Hang Susan Yang, Rami Beiram, Murat Oz, Bassem Sadek

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Studying the involvement of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), specifically α7-nAChRs, in neuropsychiatric brain disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has gained a growing interest. The flavonoid apigenin (APG) has been confirmed in its pharmacological action as a positive allosteric modulator of α7-nAChRs. However, there is no research describing the pharmacological potential of APG in ASD. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the subchronic systemic treatment of APG (10–30 mg/kg) on ASD-like repetitive and compulsive-like behaviors and oxidative stress status in the hippocampus and cerebellum in BTBR mice, utilizing the reference drug aripiprazole (ARP, 1 …

Post-Modeling Adjustments And Delivered Dose Verification Of The 6fff Beam Model Commissioned For The Monaco Treatment Planning System, Grant C. Debevec

LSU Master's Theses

External beam radiation therapy has been shown to be an effective treatment method for tumors and abnormalities of the spine and vertebral region. Treating the spine using a stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) technique can reduce toxicity to the spinal cord. The 6 MV flattening filter free (6FFF) beam model is currently used to plan and calculate dose for SBRT treatment plans, and the treatment plans are delivered using a linear accelerator (LINAC).

The commissioned beam model represents an invariant component of a LINAC. For volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) treatment plans, the multileaf collimator (MLC) positions are changing throughout …

Modeling An Infection Outbreak With Quarantine: The Sibkr Model, Mikenna Dew, Amanda Langosch, Theadora Baker-Wallerstein

Rose-Hulman Undergraduate Mathematics Journal

Influenza is a respiratory infection that places a substantial burden in the world population each year. In this project, we study and interpret a data set from a flu outbreak in a British boarding school in 1978 with mathematical modeling. First, we propose a generalization of the SIR model based on the quarantine measure in place and establish the long-time behavior of the model. By analyzing the model mathematically, we determine the analytic formulas of the basic reproduction number, the long-time limit of solutions, and the maximum number of infection population. Moreover, we estimate the parameters of the model based …

Arsenic Contamination Needs Serious Attention: An Opinion And Global Scenario, Abhijnan Bhat School Of Food Science And Environmental Health, Kamna Ravi Health, Engineering & Materials Sciences (Hems) Hub, Furong Tian Nanolab Research Centre, Baljit Singh Micra Biodiagnostics Technology Gateway

Articles

Arsenic (As) contamination is a serious global concern, polluting our natural resources, including water and soil, and posing a danger to the environment and public health. Arsenic is present in the groundwater of several countries and this contaminated water is used for irrigation, drinking, and food preparation, which poses the greatest threat to public health. Nearly 106 countries are affected by groundwater arsenic contamination and an estimated 230 million individuals worldwide are exposed to its adverse health effects, including increased cancer risks, associated cardiovascular disease and diabetes, skin lesions, neurological effects, kidney damage, and foetal or cognitive development-related complications. Arsenic …

04-08-2024 Orsp Newsletter, Liz Williamson

ORSP Newsletter

Nature Masterclasses Overview, Mary Lea McMillan, Cost Transfer Policy, NSF Author and Allocation citing

Ai Is A Viable Alternative To High Throughput Screening: A 318-Target Study, Izhar Wallach, Denzil Bernard, Kong Nguyen, Gregory Ho, Adrian Morrison, Adrian Stecula, Andreana Rosnik, Ann Marie O’Sullivan, Aram Davtyan, Ben Samudio, Bill Thomas, Brad Worley, Brittany Butler, Christian Laggner, Desiree Thayer, Ehsan Moharreri, Greg Friedland, Ha Truong, Henry Van Den Bedem, Ho Leung Ng, Kate Stafford, Krishna Sarangapani, Kyle Giesler, Lien Ngo, Michael Mysinger, Mostafa Ahmed, Nicholas J. Anthis, Niel Henriksen, Arthur L. Haas, Et Al

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

High throughput screening (HTS) is routinely used to identify bioactive small molecules. This requires physical compounds, which limits coverage of accessible chemical space. Computational approaches combined with vast on-demand chemical libraries can access far greater chemical space, provided that the predictive accuracy is sufficient to identify useful molecules. Through the largest and most diverse virtual HTS campaign reported to date, comprising 318 individual projects, we demonstrate that our AtomNet® convolutional neural network successfully finds novel hits across every major therapeutic area and protein class. We address historical limitations of computational screening by demonstrating success for target proteins without known binders, …

Cardiogpt: An Ecg Interpretation Generation Model, Guohua Fu, Jianwei Zheng, Islam Abudayyeh, Chizobam Ani, Cyril Rakovski, Louis Ehwerhemuepha, Hongxia Lu, Yongjuan Guo, Shenglin Liu, Huimin Chu, Bing Yang

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Numerous supervised learning models aimed at classifying 12-lead electrocardiograms into different groups have shown impressive performance by utilizing deep learning algorithms. However, few studies are dedicated to applying the Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) model in interpreting electrocardiogram (ECG) using natural language. Thus, we are pioneering the exploration of this uncharted territory by employing the CardioGPT model to tackle this challenge. We used a dataset of ECGs (standard 10s, 12-channel format) from adult patients, with 60 distinct rhythms or conduction abnormalities annotated by board-certified, actively practicing cardiologists. The ECGs were collected from The First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University and Shanghai …

A Systematic Review: Mirror Neurons & Schizophrenia, Yashesvi Sharma, Surajit Dey

Annual Research Symposium

This research project establishes a link between Mirror Neuron System (MNS) activity and this information's implications in treating and understanding schizophrenia, specifically, schizophrenic patients with negative symptoms.

Short-Term Larval Surveys Reveal Rainy Season Breeding Site Preferences Of Malaria Vector Anopheles Spp. In Zanzibar City, Kaeden K. Hill

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Malaria is a serious illness that causes over 500,000 deaths annually worldwide, with Tanzania alone contributing to approximately 4% of those deaths. Malaria is caused by Plasmodium spp. parasites, and it is vectored by mosquitoes in the Anopheles genus. In Zanzibar City, the incidence of malaria has decreased over the past few decades due to standardized treatment protocols and public health interventions targeting adult mosquitoes. However, the incidence remains between 1-2%, with an increasing trend observed over the past few years likely stemming from continued exchange of Plasmodium spp. from other malaria-endemic areas. Because larvicidal strategies can be useful in …