cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
A study on a community policing initiative: Police-community consultative committees.
Creators: name: Gillis, Janice Elizabeth.
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 1996
Subjects: subject: Canadian Studies.

description: Police-community consultative committees illustrate the enhanced community responsibility and participation in policing efforts. The primary objectives of these groups are to increase communication between the police and the community, to improve police/community relations, and serve as a forum where the community and police can share information and mutually identify concerns. In this study, the emergence of police-community consultative committees in Ottawa-Carleton is examined within the context of police partnerships. This thesis focuses on five police community consultative committees in the Ottawa-Carleton region. The findings suggest that police representatives on the committees have made commendable efforts to establish partnerships between the police and the community, but obstacles appear to hinder the process. These obstacles include a perception among many of the police representatives that there is a lack of organizational support for community policing, that committee members may not be clear as to their roles and responsibilities on consultative committees, and that committees may not be representative of the community they represent. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
How do risk factors for sexual and non-sexually violent offenders manifest and change in custody?
Creators: name: Sweller, Tamara
Publisher: name: Swinburne
Year: 2024

description: The research investigated how dynamic risk factors manifest in custody and change over time. These are important issues because they contribute to decision-making throughout sexual and non-sexually violent offenders' incarceration. Study 1 surveyed psychologists to identify behaviours that sexual offenders engage in during their incarceration, subsequently informing the development of a behavioural checklist. Study 2 validated the Satisfactory Behaviour Rating Guide, which evaluates non-sexually violent offenders' behaviour prior to gaining parole. Study 3 included four methods of measuring sexual offenders’ change during a treatment program. These studies provided an in-depth understanding, and revealed the complexities, of behavioural monitoring and change measurement in custody.
Conception du temps et développement intégré.
Creators: name: Musambi, Malongi Ya Mona.
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 1995
Subjects: subject: Philosophy.

description: Se fondant sur l'ambivalence du rapport entre representation du temps et mode d'etre d'une societe, rapport qui peut s'averer developpant ou non-developpant, voire sous-developpant, l'auteur formule, par une interpretation nouvelle des philosophies du temps chez Aristote, Saint Augustin, Kant, Hegel, Heidegger et dans la pensee africaine, la these suivante: toute societe soucieuse de son developpement, devrait socialiser ses membres dans la conscience d'une perception du temps "vectorielle" et projective, unitaire, continue, cumulative et dialectique, appropriee au niveau de la conscience individuelle et sociale, articulee a la notion de temps de plenitude et de temps comme lieu de socialite. Un livre qui apporte une contribution scientifique, par une analyse nouvelle des philosophies classiques du temps, une definition du rapport entre conception du temps et developpement, une articulation des diverses categories du temps chez cinq philosophes au concept de developpement, la formulation d'une theorie du temps comme condition d'un developpement integre, et une etude de la conception africaine du temps dans une perspective de la problematique du developpement.
title: “We act as one”
title: intersections between culture and native elder disaster management
titleType: Subtitle
Creators: name: Thompson, Lena
Publisher: name: University of Iowa
Year: 2025
Subjects: Disaster management
Health equity
Indigenous aging
Native American aging
Native American elders
Natural and man-made disasters
Native American studies
public abstract

description: An increasing number and intensity of natural and man-made disasters highlights the importance of supporting disaster management, such as preparedness before, response during, and recovery after a disaster. Due to health challenges related to age and Native identity, Native older adults, sometimes called elders, are especially vulnerable during and after disasters. This dissertation explores Native perceptions around disaster management and the role of culture and Native elders in determining disaster management practices. The three studies aim to 1) identify Native elders’ perceptions associated with disaster management behaviors through an online survey, 2) explore how Native elders navigate disasters and pass on lifesaving knowledge to younger generations through in-depth interviews, and 3) investigate cultural adaptation needs for an existing disaster management program and evaluate the fit of an Indigenous implementation model for one tribal community through a series of surveys and interviews with tribal organizational leaders and one community elder.
description: This dissertation found that culture plays a key role in determining the disaster management strategies of Native elders. As keepers of traditional and cultural wisdom, Native elders can serve as guides in determining how public health can incorporate culture into existing disaster management strategies. Additionally, public health systems must consider the unique role of tribal government in supporting Native elders. Future research must engage Native community members and elders to determine how to measure disaster management in a culturally sensitive manner.
The violent crime rate decline: Towards an explanation.
Creators: name: Gotlieb, Jennifer Joy.
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2002
Subjects: subject: Sociology, Criminology and Penology.

description: Academics and policy makers have taken note of what appears to be a decline in violent crime in the early 1990's in North America. In Canada, by 1999, the violent crime rate had decreased for the seventh consecutive year. Research has failed, to date, to fully account for this decline. In fact, there are many competing explanations found in the literature. With the exception of research by Kennedy & Veitch, (1997) Carrington, (2001) and Ouimet (2002), most of the research examining the decreasing levels of violent crime has been undertaken using American data. The purpose of this study is to answer the following research question: Which proposed explanations for the decline in rates of violent crime decline are most plausible? This paper examines four possible explanations for the recent decline in the violent crime including changes in the unemployment rate, demographic patterns, police staffing levels and reporting rates. This thesis concludes that the best explanations for the violent crime rate decline between 1993 and 1999 are the changes in the unemployment rate and the changes in demographic patterns as well as changes in the police workforce. Reporting rates have remained stable and thus cannot account for the violent crime rate decline. However, even these explanations fail to account for variation in crime rates over a larger period. Clearly, more sophisticated research is needed.
Lawren Harris: A theosophist who painted.
Creators: name: Ambler, Dawn.
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2002
Subjects: subject: Religion, General.

description: Lawren Harris, the well-known Canadian painter, was also a prominent member of the International Theosophical Society. Usually his theosophical ties are considered secondary to his occupation as a painter. Most art critics and art historians who have written about him have focused on the role he played with the Group of Seven and the paintings he produced during that period, taking his abstract work as a consequence of his aesthetic evolution and linking it symbolically with his earlier landscapes. Other art historians have acknowledged that Theosophy might have influenced Lawren Harris's painting, and they attempt to read theosophical representations in the images he produced. Looking at Lawren Harris from the perspective of Religious Studies, this thesis first examines the nature of Harris's involvement with Theosophy and the tenets of Theosophy in his time. Then, on the basis of his writings (which constitute a large part of his legacy, since he left behind articles, lectures, letters, a book, exhibit reviews and an unfinished manuscript) as well as his paintings, this thesis proposes that Lawren Harris was a deeply religious man who used painting as a tool in his own quest for the sacred. This quest, informed by theosophical principles as interpreted by Lawren Harris, led him to perceive his paintings not as illustrations, not as symbols, not even as theosophical representations, but as a disciplined experience of the Divine, a spiritual practice.
Sustained Effects of Acupuncture Stimulation Investigated with Centrality Mapping Analysis
Creators: name: Long, Xiangyu
name: Huang, Wenjing
name: Napadow, Vitaly
name: Liang, Fanrong
name: Pleger, Burkhard
name: Villringer, Arno
name: Witt, Claudia M.
name: Nierhaus, Till
name: Pach, Daniel
Publisher: name: Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Year: 2016
Subjects: subject: resting-state fMRI
subject: acupuncture
subject: functional connectivity
subject: centrality
subject: pain
subject: 600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften::610 Medizin und Gesundheit

description: Acupuncture can have instant and sustained effects, however, its mechanisms of action are still unclear. Here, we investigated the sustained effect of acupuncture by evaluating centrality changes in resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging after manually stimulating the acupuncture point ST36 at the lower leg or two control point locations (CP1 same dermatome, CP2 different dermatome). Data from a previously published experiment evaluating instant BOLD effects and S2-seed-based resting state connectivity was re- analyzed using eigenvector centrality mapping and degree centrality mapping. These data-driven methods might add new insights into sustained acupuncture effects on both global and local inter-region connectivity (centrality) by evaluating the summary of connections of every voxel. We found higher centrality in parahippocampal gyrus and middle temporal gyrus after ST36 stimulation in comparison to the two control points. These regions are positively correlated to major hubs of the default mode network, which might be the primary network affected by chronic pain. The stronger integration of both regions within the whole-brain connectome after stimulation of ST36 might be a potential contributor to pain modulation by acupuncture. These findings highlight centrality mapping as a valuable analysis for future imaging studies investigating clinically relevant outcomes associated with physiological response to acupuncture stimulation. Clinical trial registration: NCT01079689, ClinicalTrials.gov.
title: Influence of quality of care and individual patient characteristics on quality of life and return to work in survivors of the acute respiratory distress syndrome
title: protocol for a prospective, observational, multi-centre patient cohort study (DACAPO)
titleType: Subtitle
Creators: name: Brandstetter, Susanne
name: Dodoo-Schittko, Frank
name: Blecha, Sebastian
name: Sebök, Philipp
name: Thomann-Hackner, Kathrin
name: Quintel, Michael
name: Weber-Carstens, Steffen
name: Bein, Thomas
name: Apfelbacher, Christian
Publisher: name: Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Health-related quality of life
subject: Return to work
subject: QoC
subject: ARDS
subject: Study protocol
subject: 600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften::610 Medizin und Gesundheit

description: Background Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and return to work are important outcomes in critical care medicine, reaching beyond mortality. Little is known on factors predictive of HRQoL and return to work in critical illness, including the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and no evidence exists on the role of quality of care (QoC) for outcomes in survivors of ARDS. It is the aim of the DACAPO study (“Surviving ARDS: the influence of QoC and individual patient characteristics on quality of life”) to investigate the role of QoC and individual patient characteristics on quality of life and return to work. Methods/Design A prospective, observational, multi-centre patient cohort study will be performed in Germany, using hospitals from the “ARDS Network Germany” as the main recruiting centres. It is envisaged to recruit 2400 patients into the DACAPO study and to analyse a study population of 1500 survivors. They will be followed up until 12 months after discharge from hospital. QoC will be assessed as process quality, structural quality and volume at the institutional level. The main outcomes (HRQoL and return to work) will be assessed by self-report questionnaires. Further data collection includes general medical and ARDS-related characteristics of patients as well as sociodemographic and psycho-social parameters. Multilevel hierarchical modelling will be performed to analyse the effects of QoC and individual patient characteristics on outcomes, taking the cluster structure of the data into account. Discussion By obtaining comprehensive data at patient and hospital level using a prospective multi-centre design, the DACAPO-study is the first study investigating the influence of QoC on individual outcomes of ARDS survivors.
A Review of International Recommendations for the Diagnosis and Management of Chronic Urticaria
Creators: name: Beck, Lisa A.
name: Bernstein, Jonathan A.
name: Maurer, Marcus
Publisher: name: Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Year: 2017
Subjects: subject: chronic spontaneous/idiopathic urticaria
subject: physical urticaria
subject: inducible urticaria
subject: wheal
subject: hives
subject: guidelines
subject: 600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften::610 Medizin und Gesundheit

description: Both spontaneous and inducible forms of chronic urticaria pose a significant economic burden and have an adverse effect on patients’ quality of life. The international guidelines and US practice parameters for the diagnosis and management of chronic urticaria both recommend performing a thorough patient history and physical examination, conducting limited routine laboratory testing, and taking a stepwise approach to treatment. These documents differ in several areas, such as the order of diagnostic procedures and the treatment for patients non-responsive to standard dose H1-antihistamines. Patients with chronic urticaria who visit a specialist have typically been treated with second-generation H1-antihistamines – the recommended first-line treatments. The advantages and disadvantages of each treatment option should be taken into consideration when selecting therapies beyond H1-antihistamines. Greater awareness of the international guidelines and US practice parameters will likely improve the quality of care for patients with chronic urticaria.
Exploring ways of enhancing creativity in engineering education to promote innovation: Action research in engineering design
Creators: name: Tekmen Araci, Yasemin
Publisher: name: Swinburne
Year: 2024

description: This research is based on educational research practice and seeks to address the ways of enhancing creativity in engineering education. The study aims to help students nurture their creative thinking skills during design process in their studies. In addition, it also aims to support instructors in their teaching approach to enhance students’ creative thinking abilities. This study is an important step, with a holistic approach, in suggesting creativity and creative thinking be inherent and integral parts of every engineering curriculum. It makes a major contribution to research on creativity in engineering education.
The Repair Mechanisms of DNA Double Strand Breaks in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Creators: name: Choi, Jihyun
Publisher: name: Brandeis University
Year: 2023

description: DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are the most lethal form of DNA damage that can lead to the development of cancer and other diseases. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, several homologous recombination (HR) mechanisms have evolved to repair such lesions. When one end of the DSB shares homology with another locus in the genome, repair occurs by break-induced replication (BIR), which leads to a nonreciprocal translocation of chromosome ends. Previous work in DNA damage has focused on the characterization of how cells sense and repair DSBs and my work contributes to this foundation. In this work, I studied site-specific DSBs induced by HO endonuclease to determine the mismatch tolerance and repair efficiency of Rad51-dependent mitotic recombination and Dmc1-dependent meiotic recombination. We find that Rad51 and Dmc1 show similar tolerances for mismatches but the monitoring of mismatches by the Msh2-dependent mismatch repair system is significantly different between mitotic and meiotic cells. I also investigated the repair by gene conversion (GC) when both ends of a break share homology with another locus in the genome. We show the effect of mismatched templates during GC and an inherent asymmetry of repair on the two sides of a DSB. Collectively, these results enhance the understanding of the regulation of the DNA repair pathways and highlight the mechanistic insight on the maintenance of genome integrity.
Early Experiences of Prenatal Genetic Counselors with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Carrier Testing
Creators: name: Samons, Melissa S.
Publisher: name: Brandeis University
Year: 2010
Subjects: spinal muscular atrophy
prenatal
genetic counseling
carrier testing

description: Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by progressive degeneration of motor neurons in the spinal cord. Carrier testing for SMA is clinically available but not routinely offered. In November 2008, the American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG) released a practice guideline in favor of offering SMA carrier testing to all couples regardless of family history. However, in May 2009, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) issued a committee opinion recommending that SMA carrier testing only be offered to individuals with a family history. The conflicting guidelines have left healthcare providers without clear guidance concerning SMA carrier testing. The purpose of this study was to explore prenatal genetic counselors’ current practices regarding SMA carrier testing. We recruited prenatal genetic counselors through the National Society of Genetic Counselors listserv to complete an online, anonymous survey. Additionally, we conducted semi-structured interviews with a small subset of the survey respondents. More than half (56.9%) of the 137 survey respondents do not offer SMA carrier testing to their patients in the absence of a family history of SMA. However, two-thirds of these individuals believed their patients would benefit from learning about SMA. Among those counselors who do offer SMA carrier testing in the absence of a family history, most (62.7%) reported that they offer it to all patients. For some counselors, the decision to offer SMA carrier testing is governed by institutional policy. Respondents reported several challenges related to SMA carrier testing, including difficulty explaining the complexity of SMA genetics, testing limitations, the uncertainty surrounding insurance coverage, and the differing guidelines issued by ACMG and ACOG. Our findings indicate a lack of uniformity in the approach to SMA carrier testing, even among members of the genetic counseling community.
Post-Termination Recycling of E. coli RNA Polymerase by the Swi2/Snf2 ATPase RapA
Creators: name: Inlow, Koe
Publisher: name: Brandeis University
Year: 2025
Subjects: kinetic modeling
post termination complex
RapA
RNA polymerase
single-molecule spectroscopy
Transcription

description: RNA synthesis is an essential conduit of genetic information in all organisms. After transcribing an RNA, the bacterial RNA polymerase (RNAP) must be reused to make subsequent RNAs, but the steps that drive RNAP recycling are unclear. Adequate recycling of RNAPs may be important in allowing bacteria to rapidly reprogram gene transcription in response to stress or changes in cellular environment. However, the molecular players and pathways by which this reprogramming occurs in cells remains to be elucidated. In this work, we investigate the post-termination RNAP recycling mechanism by the RapA ATPase, a prokaryotic homolog of the eukaryotic Swi2/Snf2 chromatin remodeling complex, and explore its functional role in facilitating stress-induced transcriptional reprogramming. In Chapter II, we used multi-wavelength single-molecule fluorescence microscopy in vitro to observe the dynamics of individual molecules of fluorescently labeled RNAP and RapA as they colocalized with DNA during and after RNA synthesis. We provide direct evidence that RapA uses ATP hydrolysis to remove RNAP from DNA after RNA release and reveal essential features of the mechanism by which this removal occurs. Kinetic analysis and modeling were performed to elucidate the process through which RapA locates the PTC and the key mechanistic intermediates that bind and hydrolyze ATP. In Chapter III, we investigate the partitioning of cellular RNAPs in cells as a function of RapA during stress-induced transcriptional reprogramming using mathematical modeling. We extend this model to consider the phenomenon of transcriptional coupling between operons and speculate that this coupling may act as a functionally redundant mechanism to the activity of RapA under certain conditions, thereby revealing a novel rationale for the non-essentiality of RapA in vivo. In Chapter IV, we collaborate with other scientists to reveal the structural mechanism and conformational changes between RNAP and RapA which drive the dissociation of RNAP from DNA; these predictions are then tested using single-molecule fluorescence microscopy. Taken together, these studies fill in key missing pieces in our current understanding of the events that occur after RNA is released and that enable RNAP reuse, and suggest that RapA helps to maintain the balance between global RNAP recycling and local transcription re-initiation.
Biocompatibility of very small superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles in murine organotypic hippocampal slice cultures and the role of microglia
Creators: name: Pohland, Martin
name: Glumm, Robert
name: Wiekhorst, Frank
name: Kiwit, Jürgen
name: Glumm, Jana
Publisher: name: Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Year: 2017
Subjects: subject: VSOP
subject: SPIO
subject: hippocampus
subject: organotypic
subject: viability
subject: 600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften::610 Medizin und Gesundheit

description: Abstract: Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIO) are applied as contrast media for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and treatment of neurologic diseases despite the fact that important information concerning their local interactions is still lacking. Due to their small size, SPIO have great potential for magnetically labeling different cell populations, facilitating their MRI tracking in vivo. Before SPIO are applied, however, their effect on cell viability and tissue homoeostasis should be studied thoroughly. We have previously published data showing how citrate-coated very small superparamagnetic iron oxide particles (VSOP) affect primary microglia and neuron cell cultures as well as neuron-glia cocultures. To extend our knowledge of VSOP interactions on the three-dimensional multicellular level, we further examined the influence of two types of coated VSOP (R1 and R2) on murine organotypic hippocampal slice cultures. Our data show that 1) VSOP can penetrate deep tissue layers, 2) long-term VSOP-R2 treatment alters cell viability within the dentate gyrus, 3) during short-term incubation VSOP-R1 and VSOP-R2 comparably modify hippocampal cell viability, 4) VSOP treatment does not affect cytokine homeostasis, 5) microglial depletion decreases VSOP uptake, and 6) microglial depletion plus VSOP treatment increases hippocampal cell death during short-term incubation. These results are in line with our previous findings in cell coculture experiments regarding microglial protection of neurite branching. Thus, we have not only clarified the interaction between VSOP, slice culture, and microglia to a degree but also demonstrated that our model is a promising approach for screening nanoparticles to exclude potential cytotoxic effects.
Glia-Neuron-Myocyte Cross-talk Shapes Sympathetic Fiber Growth
Creators: name: Dujmic, Petra
Publisher: name: Brandeis University
Year: 2024
Subjects: Satellite glia
Sympathetic nervous system
Hypertension
Nervous System

description: The development of sympathetic innervation is crucial for proper cardiac structure and function [1, 2, 3]. Disruptions to this innervation have been implicated in numerous cardiovascular diseases [2, 3, 6, 13, 16, 17]. Previous work suggests that the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR), a useful model of human essential hypertension, demonstrates increased sympathetic fiber growth to the heart as compared to its normotensive counterpart, the Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rat [29]. This sympathetic hyperinnervation precedes hypertension onset in SHRs [Kreipke, Huang, and Birren, unpublished], but its molecular mechanisms are unresolved. We probed the interaction between the three fundamental components of the sympatho-cardiac system—satellite glia (SGs), postganglionic sympathetic neurons, and cardiomyocytes—in the establishment of sympathetic fiber growth to the heart. SGs and sympathetic neurons were isolated from the superior cervical ganglia of neonatal WKY and SHR animals and co-cultured with ventricular myocytes for a period of four days in vitro. Fiber density in contact with myocytes was quantified. The sympathetic innervation density of SHR myocytes was significantly greater than that of the WKY, suggesting cardiomyocytes as cellular drivers of sympathetic hyperinnervation. Addition of satellite glia or glial-conditioned media (GCM) to neuron-myocyte co-cultures significantly increased the sympathetic fiber growth onto myocytes in WKY, but not SHR cultures. These data suggest that glial signals, or neuronal responses to these signals are disrupted in SHR animals. To assess this idea, WKY and SHR neurons were grown in the presence of a glial-derived growth inhibitor, insulin-like growth factor binding protein 4 (Igfbp4). We observed a trend towards a decrease in the fiber length of WKY neurons grown with increasing concentrations of Igfbp4, but not SHR neurons. Lastly, we evaluated a potential role for SGs in activity-dependent structural remodeling. We chronically drove neuronal activity using excitatory DREADDs and observed a decrease in the sympathetic innervation density of WKY myocytes in both neuron-myocyte and neuron-glia-myocyte co-cultures. In the presence of glia, there was an additional trend towards a decrease in the fiber density between myocytes under stimulation conditions. By coupling an increase in neuronal activity with a decrease in release sites, this finding implies a homeostatic role for structural plasticity in the maintenance of cardiac sympathetic drive. Overall, our results establish the growth-regulatory potential of satellite glia in the sympathetic system, and suggest disrupted neuronal responses to glial signals as a possible hypertensive mechanism in the SHR.
Field and laboratory investigation of the durability performance of geopolymer concrete
Creators: name: Pasupathy, Kirubajiny
Publisher: name: Swinburne
Year: 2024

description: This thesis investigated the long term durability performance of geopolymer concrete exposed to atmospheric and aggressive environments. Despite many decades of research, the use of geopolymer concrete in construction industry is very limited due to insufficient knowledge on long term durability. In this study, two major factors influencing the durability of concrete, known as carbonation and chloride diffusion, were studied for different geopolymer concrete types. It was found that the use of slag in geopolymer concrete enhances the durability, compared to fly ash based geopolymer in field environment. Nevertheless, the durability of all studied geopolymer types were still lower than Portland cement concrete. Recommendations were provided to develop suitable geopolymer chemistry and mix design to enhance the durability of geopolymer concrete for industrial applications.
The Covariation between Stress in the Year before First Sexual Offense and the Facets of Psychopathy in Individuals Committed for Sexual Offending
Creators: name: Reznik, Jennifer Samantha
Publisher: name: Brandeis University
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Psychopathy
subject: Psychology
subject: FOS: Psychology
subject: Stress Response

description: The research on how stress affects individuals high in psychopathy is limited. Previous studies have found that the four subcomponents, or facets, of psychopathy are linked to certain types of stressors. Additionally, stress has been found to be linked to criminal behavior. The current study aimed to examine more in depth the association between the four facets of psychopathy (Interpersonal, Affective, Lifestyle Impulsivity, Antisocial, respectively) and different subtypes of stress (Interpersonal, Situational, Work Difficulties). Archival data from the Massachusetts Treatment Center database (MTC) for a sample (n = 542) of individuals evaluated for civil sexual commitment were used. Trained raters’ scores on the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) were used to measure psychopathy, and 35 Life Event stressor variables, assessed in the year before first sexual offense, were used to measure stress. A series of correlations were computed between stressor types and the psychopathy facets. Facet 1 was found to be related to interpersonal stressors. As predicted, Facet 2 did not covary with any stressor type. Facet 3 was related to all stressors except for interpersonal stressors. Facet 4 was associated with situational stressors. The results support the idea that stress is associated with each psychopathy facet in unique ways. Future research should examine the directionality and causality of the relation between psychopathy facets and stressor types.
Ascites with a Chance of Flooding: A Rare Complication of Cirrhosis
Creators: name: Frank, Heather
name: Howard-Williams, Escher
name: Fennell, Margaret
name: Repetti, Caroline
name: Fuller, Jessica
Publisher: name: Department of Medicine, Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University
Year: 2024

description: Flood Syndrome, characterized by ruptured umbilical hernias with ascitic fluid leakage in decompensated liver cirrhosis, presents a rare but potentially fatal complication of cirrhotic liver disease. We present a case study of a patient with decompensated cirrhosis who underwent multiple medical encounters before the severity of his condition, characterized by ascitic fluid leakage, was recognized. Flood Syndrome was ultimately identified on admission to the hospital, prompting multidisciplinary interventions and discussions, including antibiotics, surgical consultation, and optimization for hernia repair. Due to the patient’s complexity of his medical condition and surgical risks, a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) was performed to alleviate ascites before a planned umbilical hernia repair. This case underscores the importance of early recognition of umbilical hernias in cirrhotic patients and highlights the complexity of management decisions, balancing surgical risks with medical optimization to improve outcomes. Further research is warranted to refine treatment strategies and enhance patient care in Flood Syndrome cases.
A comparison of various lignin-extraction methods to enhance the accessibility and ease of enzymatic hydrolysis of the cellulosic component of steam-pretreated poplar
Creators: name: Tian, Dong
name: Chandra, Richard P.
name: Lee, Jin-Suk
name: Lu, Canhui
name: Saddler, J. N. (John N.), 1953-
Publisher: name: BioMed Central
Year: 2017

description: Background: Current single-stage delignification-pretreatment technologies to overcome lignocellulosic biomass recalcitrance are usually achieved at the expense of compromising the recovery of the polysaccharide components, particularly the hemicellulose fraction. One way to enhance overall sugar recovery is to tailor an efficient two-stage pretreatment that can pre-extract the more labile hemicellulose component before subjecting the cellulose-rich residual material to a second-stage delignification process. Previous work had shown that a mild steam pretreatment could recover >65% of the hemicellulose from poplar while limiting the acid-catalysed condensation of lignin. This potentially allowed for subsequent lignin extraction using various lignin solvents to produce a more accessible cellulosic substrate. Results: A two-stage approach using steam and/or solvent pretreatment was assessed for its ability to separate hemicellulose and lignin from poplar wood chips while providing a cellulose-rich fraction that could be readily hydrolysed by cellulase enzymes. An initial steam-pretreatment stage was performed over a range of temperatures (160–200 °C) using an equivalent severity factor of 3.6. A higher steam temperature of 190 °C applied over a shorter residence time of 10 min effectively solubilized and recovered 75% of the hemicellulose while enhancing the ability of various solvents [deep eutectic solvent (DES), ethanol organosolv, soda/anthraquinone (soda/AQ) or a hydrotrope] to extract lignin in a second stage. When the second-stage treatments were compared, the mild DES treatment (lactic acid and betaine) at 130 °C, removed comparable amounts of lignin with higher selectivity than did the soda/AQ and organosolv pretreatments at 170 °C. However, the cellulose-rich substrates obtained after the second-stage organosolv and soda/AQ pretreatments showed the highest cellulose accessibility, as measured by the Simon’s staining technique. They were also the most susceptible to subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis. Conclusions: The second-stage pretreatments varied in their ability to solubilize and extract the lignin component of steam-pretreated poplar while enhancing the enzymatic hydrolysis of the resulting cellulose-rich residual fractions. Although DES extraction was more selective in extracting lignin from the steam-pretreated substrates, the organosolv and soda/AQ post treatments disrupted the cellulose structure to a greater extent while enhancing the ease of enzymatic hydrolysis. Graphical abstract Effective hemicellulose removal via steam pretreatment followed by subsequent lignin extraction under acidic, alkaline or solvolytic conditions results in a highly accessible, more readily hydrolysed cellulose fraction.
The molecular chaperone BiP utilizes electrostatic targeting to specifically bind oligomerized states of a client protein
Creators: name: Kotler, Judy Lynn Meissner
Publisher: name: Brandeis University
Year: 2022
Subjects: BiP
chaperone
ER
FRET
Hsp70
IDP

description: Molecular chaperones are crucial machines that maintain protein homeostasis in the cell. In the ER, the two major chaperones performing this function are the Hsp70 BiP and Hsp90 Grp94. While BiP interacts with every nascent polypeptide targeted to the ER and has a specific client binding motif, less is known about how Grp94 chooses its clients. Here, I explore how BiP and Grp94 can work together and set the groundwork for studies exploring a shared client between BiP and Grp94.
description: Chapter 2 showcases how BiP and Grp94 interact only in a specific and nucleotide-dictated ADP-bound conformation of BiP. This is also the BiP conformation that binds clients with high affinity, giving BiP the opportunity to transfer a client to Grp94 in a ternary complex. This work sets some of the foundation for studying client transfer between BiP and Grp94. Chapter 3 shows research on how BiP and Grp94 work separately on the same client, a pro-protein of insulin-like growth factor 2. But, they have contrasting effects on proIGF2 and a negligible influence on the folding of proIGF2: BiP decreases the size of proIGF2 oligomers and Grp94 increases their size. Chapter 3 also describes how proIGF2 independently forms large oligomers, thought to aid in packaging the pro-protein for transportation to the Golgi for further processing.
description: There have been numerous examples of Hsp70 family chaperones binding oligomeric clients with both high affinity and low affinity. However, no mechanism has been discovered for how Hsp70s can bind oligomers with high affinity and why Hsp70 is only able to target a subset of these clients with high affinity. In Chapter 4, I discover how BiP utilizes a novel electrostatic steering mechanism to target the binding of oligomers over monomers using the client proIGF2. I find that negatively-charged BiP interacts with high affinity to positively-charged oligomers of proIGF2’s E-peptide. I also find that the binding affinity and the association rate are dependent on salt concentration, key features of electrostatic steering. Finally, I show that this mechanism can be applied to other known Hsp70 family members binding oligomeric species with high affinity if they are positively-charged.
Spatiotemporal and machine learning analysis of the temporal and statistical relationships between agricultural and meteorological drought indices
Creators: name: Hanadé Houmma, Ismaguil
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024

description: These data are part of the database used in the study on the analysis of the characteristics of the relationship between the propagation of meteorological drought and agricultural drought. The global database will be put online and described in more detail after publication of the manuscript. This study examines the temporal relationships between meteorological and agricultural drought indices using lagged and linear correlative analyses, principal component analysis, the per-pixel Mann–Kendall trend test, and machine learning. All indices showed statistically significant linear correlations, reaching a maximum correlation of 0.85 between the soil moisture condition index and the rainfall deficit index on seasonal scale but these correlations vary greatly depending on the month but do not indicate the existence of a significantly proven time lag between meteorological drought and agricultural drought. The correlations between the precipitation condition index and soil moisture varied from 0.8 in the second month of the agricultural season to 0.02 at the end of the agricultural season. The temporal resonance of soil drought is strongly synchronized with the temporal variability of meteorological drought; nevertheless, the resonance of agricultural drought according to the vegetation condition index has a latency time of approximately three months, which is demonstrably more evident at t-1. However, the results of historical trends demonstrated the existence of obvious similarities in the spatiotemporal changes in agricultural and meteorological drought indices. Very significant negative trends were detected in the meteorological and agricultural drought time series. Similarly, in response to historical yield variability, the RF and DNN models highlighted the importance of the positive contribution of the joint occurrence of meteorological and agricultural drought. Both models demonstrated a high ability to capture the historical multivariate interaction of the joint effects of multifaceted droughts on yield variability per hectare, with high performances achieved (R2=0.9, residue variance=0.01) and (R2=0.86, residue variance=0.01) for the RF and DNN models, respectively.
Phosphorylation of the chromatin remodeling factor DPF3a induces cardiac hypertrophy through releasing HEY repressors from DNA
Creators: name: Cui, Huanhuan
name: Schlesinger, Jenny
name: Schoenhals, Sophia
name: Toenjes, Martje
name: Dunkel, Ilona
name: Meierhofer, David
name: Cano, Elena
name: Schulz, Kerstin
name: Berger, Michael F.
name: Haack, Timm
name: Abdelilah-Seyfried, Salim
name: Bulyk, Martha L.
name: Sauer, Sascha
name: Sperling, Silke R.
Publisher: name: Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Year: 2016
Subjects: subject: 600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften::610 Medizin und Gesundheit

description: DPF3 (BAF45c) is a member of the BAF chromatin remodeling complex. Two isoforms have been described, namely DPF3a and DPF3b. The latter binds to acetylated and methylated lysine residues of histones. Here, we elaborate on the role of DPF3a and describe a novel pathway of cardiac gene transcription leading to pathological cardiac hypertrophy. Upon hypertrophic stimuli, casein kinase 2 phosphorylates DPF3a at serine 348. This initiates the interaction of DPF3a with the transcriptional repressors HEY, followed by the release of HEY from the DNA. Moreover, BRG1 is bound by DPF3a, and is thus recruited to HEY genomic targets upon interaction of the two components. Consequently, the transcription of downstream targets such as NPPA and GATA4 is initiated and pathological cardiac hypertrophy is established. In human, DPF3a is significantly up-regulated in hypertrophic hearts of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy or aortic stenosis. Taken together, we show that activation of DPF3a upon hypertrophic stimuli switches cardiac fetal gene expression from being silenced by HEY to being activated by BRG1. Thus, we present a novel pathway for pathological cardiac hypertrophy, whose inhibition is a long-term therapeutic goal for the treatment of the course of heart failure.
The Role of Class 4 Semaphorins and PlexinB Receptors in Synapse Formation
Creators: name: Goldblatt, Dena
Publisher: name: Brandeis University
Year: 2017

description: Proper cell-to-cell communication and circuit function in the brain depends on the establishment of neuronal connections, or synapses. Since the mammalian brain is composed of both glutamatergic and GABAergic synaptic connections, a specific excitation/inhibition (E/I) balance is required for proper nervous system function. Disruptions to this E/I balance are associated with diseases such as epilepsy, autism spectrum disorders, and schizophrenia.\r \r Previously, the Paradis lab has shown that the molecule Semaphorin4D (Sema4D) is required for GABAergic synapse formation and signals through the PlexinB1 receptor in hippocampal rat neurons (Kuzirian, Moore et al. 2013). However, the role of the PlexinB1 and PlexinB2 receptors in glutamatergic synapse formation is unknown, as well as the identity of the Semaphorin ligand(s) which signal through PlexinB2 to mediate synapse formation. First, our work shows that PlexinB2, but not PlexinB1, is required for proper GABAergic synapse formation, while neither receptor is required for glutamatergic synapse formation. Next, I specifically demonstrate that the extracellular domain of Sema4C, Sema4D, and Sema4G can bind and signal through PlexinB2 in COS-7 cells to mediate collapse. In this context, I investigate the sufficiency of Sema4C and Sema4G to promote GABAergic synapse formation in hippocampal neurons. Finally, I demonstrate that Sema4A is sufficient to promote both glutamatergic and GABAergic synapse formation. Future experiments will aim to further elucidate the role of Sema4C and Sema4G in synapse formation as well as the signaling mechanisms by which Sema4A promotes glutamatergic and GABAergic synapse formation.
The relationship between achievement in second language acquisition and parental involvement: A case study of multilingual primary school learners in Sabah studying Mandarin
Creators: name: Funk, Alexander Yun Leong
Publisher: name: Swinburne
Year: 2024

description: The project considers learning Mandarin Chinese as a second or additional language by non-Chinese children and investigates parental involvement in relation to their academic achievement. The aim is to identify pedagogical strategies non-Chinese speaking parents used to support their children through interactions in the home context. This mixed method research collected data in five phases from 11 Chinese vernacular schools in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. The study identifies usable strategies parents and teachers can adopt to support children in their process of learning Mandarin Chinese. Findings of this project add knowledge to the fields of multilingualism and applied linguistics.
Investigating the Interactions of DnaQ, a Subunit in DNA Polymerase III, with HolE and YoaA
Creators: name: Farinella, Leah Adelle
Publisher: name: Brandeis University
Year: 2025
Subjects: DNA Polymerase III
DnaQ
HolE
YoaA

description: Life stores genetic information in the form of DNA. Because of this, investigating the systems involved in DNA replication and damage repair is imperative to understanding cellular function and survival. DNA Polymerase III serves as the premier prokaryotic enzyme in DNA replication and thus its characterization is of great interest. This study looks at the binding of DnaQ (epsilon) with HolE (theta) and separately, DnaQ with YoaA. Both DnaQ and HolE are subunits that, along with DnaE (alpha), make up the two catalytic cores of DNA Polymerase III. The catalytic cores contribute to the polymerase’s function in DNA replication and repair. DnaQ is responsible for the 3’ → 5’ proofreading exonuclease activity, HolE helps stabilize and stimulate DnaQ, and DnaE holds the polymerase active site and binds DnaQ to the rest of the complex. Additionally, YoaA is a helicase that has been implicated in the process of DNA damage repair and found to interact with an additional DNA Polymerase III subunit HolC. DnaQ mutants were made, including site directed mutants and truncations, to interrupt specific interactions with HolE and investigate which domains of DnaQ are required for DnaQ-HolE interaction. DnaQ and DnaQ mutants were also tested against YoaA to probe for and help characterize any interactions. Using Yeast Two Hybrid assays, results showed that DnaQ-HolE interaction requires DnaQ residues F48, D70, and E85 but not E71 or the C-terminal region of DnaQ. A novel DnaQ-YoaA interaction was identified and further tests implicated DnaQ residues F48, F63, D70, and E85 as required for interaction in the Yeast Two Hybrid system but not the E71 residue or C-terminal region of DnaQ.
Chimeric orthohepadnavirus core particles for oral delivery of vaccines: Part I. Transformation of tobacco plants with a gene encoding a c-terminus truncated hepatitis B virus core protein. Part II. Construction of a woodchuck hepatitis virus core protein-based universal epitope carrier and test expression in Escherichia coli.
Creators: name: Callaghan, Maximilian W.
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2001
Subjects: subject: Biology, Molecular.

description: Recombinant hepatitis B virus (HBV) core particles have been successfully used as particulate carriers exposing viral and bacterial antigens on their surface. The objective of this research was to explore the use of recombinant core particles from HBV and its close relative the woodchuck hepatitis virus for edible vaccine technology. This was accomplished in two parts. Part 1 was the transformation of a truncated HBV core protein gene into transgenic tobacco plants and characterization of the gene's expression with respect to mRNA levels, protein levels, and particle self-assembly. Part 2 was the construction of a "universal antigen carrier" based on the woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) core protein and generation and characterization of chimeric WHV core proteins carrying two different epitopes from the hepatitis C virus (HCV) core protein. In conclusion, it appears that a different approach may be required to express core proteins from HBV-like viruses in transgenic tobacco plants. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)