50107 research outputs found
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Ambient Air Pollution During Spermatogenesis and Impact on Semen Quality and Infertility Treatment Outcomes
No full textWhile research suggests a detrimental association between criteria air pollutants and semen quality in countries with high levels of air pollution, a data gap exists in exploring this association in U.S. cities which tend to be characterized by low to moderate levels of air pollution. Additionally, few studies have characterized the impact of exposure to ambient air pollution during spermatogenesis with downstream couple-level infertility treatment outcomes. Both particulate and gaseous pollutants can cause an inflammatory response in the lungs, leading to an increase in inflammatory markers and an overproduction of reactive oxygen species which can damage the blood-testis barrier, leading to impaired spermatogenesis. Exposure to ambient air pollution may also result in DNA strand breaks and epigenetic changes which may lead to poor infertility treatment outcomes. Leveraging data from the Folic Acid and Zinc Supplementation Trial (FAZST) (2013-2018) for male partners of couples seeking infertility treatment in the Salt Lake City, Utah region, this dissertation aimed to answer critical questions surrounding the impact of ambient air pollution on semen quality (n=1,965) and couple-level infertility treatment outcomes in an IUI cohort (n=505 couples and 1,223 cycles) and an IVF cohort (n=221 couples and 280 cycles). This dissertation sheds new insight on the potential role of male preconception exposure to ambient air pollution during spermatogenesis on semen quality and infertility treatment outcomes in Salt Lake City, which may improve family planning.Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)2026-02-0
Investigating the Type 3 Secretion System Translocon in Pseudomonas aeruginosa: Establishing a Functional Assay for Translocon Assembly and Mapping the Topology of PopB
No full textThe Type III Secretion System (T3SS) is a crucial virulence factor employed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa to inject effector proteins into the host cells. Despite its significance in pathogenesis, the assembly mechanism and structure of the T3SS translocon, formed by PopB and PopD proteins, remain poorly understood. This dissertation elucidates key aspects of T3SS translocon assembly and structure through innovative methodologies.
A cell-based split luciferase complementation assay was developed to monitor T3SS translocon assembly. This assay, utilizing a P. aeruginosa PAK strain expressing NLuc10-PopD and HeLa cells stably expressing NLuc1-9, demonstrated robust performance with Z' factors of 0.67 and 0.23 in manual and automated formats, respectively. A pilot screen of 776 FDA-approved compounds validated the assay's efficacy in identifying potential inhibitors.
To investigate the membrane topology of PopB, a novel dual-tagging strategy combining SpyCatcher-SpyTag labeling, and GSK-tag phosphorylation was employed. This approach revealed that both the N-terminal region and the region between two hydrophobic segments of PopB are exposed to the host cell cytosol, challenging previous models. Notably, PopB exhibited distinct conformations in functional versus non-functional translocons, highlighting its interdependence with PopD.
These findings provide crucial insights into T3SS translocon structure and assembly, paving the way for novel therapeutic strategies against P. aeruginosa infections. The methodologies developed herein, particularly the dual-tagging approach for membrane protein topology studies, may find broad applicability in investigating other complex membrane protein systems, laying a foundation for future T3SS research and anti-virulence strategies.Split-NLuc assay is supported by the National Institutes of Health Grant (NIH R41AI149922)Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.
Module 8
No full textThis module contains materials on raster data processing concepts, and a brief exercise reviewing modules 5 & 7 concepts
Module 10
No full textThis module contains materials on geostatistics concepts and practice, and a brief exercise reviewing module 8 concepts
Lightning Talks: Small Grants, Big Impact: A Cross-Campus Collaboration to Foster OER Awareness Through Faculty Reviews
No full textThis lightning talk presents a collaboration between Suffolk University's Sawyer Library, Center for Teaching and Scholarly Excellence, and Office of the Provost to promote OER adoption through a micro-grant initiative. By offering $200 stipends to faculty members for reviewing open textbooks, this program creates a low-barrier entry point for OER engagement while building awareness across three schools and disciplines. The initiative leverages the institutional repository, Digital Collections @ Suffolk, to showcase faculty reviews alongside OER materials and resources, creating a sustainable framework for knowledge sharing and discovery. This presentation shares how the collaborative approach between academic support units helped establish buy-in from diverse stakeholders and created touchpoints for faculty engagement with OER across disciplines. We'll share insights on how small-scale initiatives can serve as catalysts for broader conversations about textbook affordability and open education on campus, demonstrating that modest investments can yield meaningful steps toward OER adoption
The impacts of natural disasters on breastfeeding practices: A systematic scoping review
No full textBackground:
Understanding barriers and facilitators to breastfeeding practices in areas impacted by natural disasters can help humanitarian aid organizations make changes to the way they provide resources during crises. This review aims to assess the impacts of natural disasters on women’s breastfeeding practices.
Methods:
PubMed was searched on February 19, 2025 for primary studies looking at the impact of a natural disaster directly on women’s breastfeeding practices globally. The results were narratively synthesized and grouped by natural disaster type and outcome.
Results:
10 studies were included in this review with 11 papers, with one reporting on the same event. Included studies all focused on barriers and facilitators of breastfeeding. Overall, the included studies represented 1,400 participants. Study size ranged from 6 to 897 participants. All studies were conducted outside of the United States, with two being in Turkey, and the rest from Iran,
Italy, India, Haiti, Nepal, Canada, and Pakistan. Natural disaster types in this review included earthquakes, floods, a tsunami, and a wildfire.
In the aftermath of a natural disaster, common barriers to breastfeeding practices were lack of privacy for breastfeeding, stress/anxiety, nutrition and low food consumption, cultural beliefs, and shelter. Nutrition and low food consumption as well as mental health stressors both, in some cases, reduced breast milk production. Humanitarian aid acted as a barrier to some and a
facilitator to others, depending on the circumstances. Facilitators of breastfeeding were more sparse in the literature, but themes were religion and cultural breastfeeding norms, aid, privacy, and sense of community among other women. Only one study had breastfeeding practices assessed at more than one time after the natural disaster.
Discussion:
Further research should be done assessing breastfeeding practices at multiple points in time. These papers presented information about displaced populations and it would be interesting to see future research on non-displaced populations. Humanitarian interventions were sometimes
inconsistent with the needs of the displaced mothers pointing to the need for further refinements to encourage breastfeeding practices during natural disasters.Master of Public Health (MPH
Out of confinement: adaptive agency and dynamic meaning-making in accounts of pandemic campus restrictions
No full textPurpose
In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, US post-secondary institutions enacted policies that imposed spatial restrictions in order to reduce viral spread. Acting quickly to impose restrictions on campus environments often designed to foster interaction, decision-makers knew little about how student experience of learning and of community would be impacted. In this study, analysis and interpretation of interview data from young adults undergoing spatial confinement are considered, as well as interviewees’ dynamic meaning-making and resilient responses to evolving environmental conditions.
Design/methodology/approach
This empirical qualitative study comprised two phases of in-depth interviews with on-campus residential students. Phase I was conducted during a period of campus restrictions (Spring 2021); Phase II was conducted one year later when restrictions were lifted (Spring 2022).
Findings
Findings show that spatial restrictions negatively impacted student well-being resulting in a blurring of time and space, dysregulation, and mental health declines. Further, the lack of spatial differentiation and spatial transitions between activities contributed to decreases in energy, motivation and productivity. However, students demonstrated resilience by engaging in purposeful routines, seeking out varied environmental stimuli and expanding their networks through novel activities to contend with spatial and social isolation.
Originality/value
This study compares initial and follow-up interviews to find that agency plays a fundamental role in dynamic constructions of place-meaning. The findings suggest the importance of spatial flexibility and agency in maintaining well-being, and calls for greater sensitivity to the importance of spatial and sensory variety in human environments.This work was supported by an Architectural Research Centers Consortium (ARCC) Research Incentive Award and a UMass Amherst Department of Architecture Research Collaborative Seed Grant
Data and Code for "Self-limiting states of polar misfits: frustrated assembly of warped-jigsaw particles"
No full textData and code for paper "Self-limiting states of polar misfits: frustrated assembly of warped-jigsaw particles
(Un)Popular animals? A media discourse analysis of encounters between livestock and tourists in alpine destinations
No full textThis study explores media discourses about encounters between livestock and tourists in alpine destinations. As tourism increasingly intersects with agriculture in alpine regions, conflicts between stakeholders, such as farmers and visitors, emerge. While previous research linking animals and tourism primarily addresses wildlife, little attention has been paid to interactions between tourists and livestock in the context of alpine destinations. This research contributes to fill this gap by analyzing how Austrian media portray these encounters and their role in shaping public perceptions and potential conflicts. By examining 50 relevant articles the study enhances understanding of how media discourse farm animals, alpine tourism as well as their coexistence. The findings will help to develop communication strategies for improving stakeholder relations and promoting sustainable tourism in rural regions
The Impact of Smart Technologies on the Compliance Behavior of Leisure Seekers : Balancing Communication Exchange and Expertise
No full textThe interaction between tourists and destination management organizations is increasingly characterized by digitalization and personalization, a trend that is equally relevant for providers of outdoor experiential services, such as ski resorts and bike parks. The utilization of digital communication tools, such as mobile applications, and smart technologies, such as QR codes, facilitates the dissemination of real-time information in outdoor environments, including updates regarding weather conditions or visitor density. By leveraging these technologies, service providers aim to enhance tourists' experiences, mitigate the likelihood of unsafe decisions, and foster self-responsible behavior among visitors. A salient feature of smart technologies is their capacity to support varying levels of communicative exchange, ranging from static, unidirectional information dissemination to dynamic, reciprocal real-time interactions. This research seeks to examine the incremental value derived from digital and personalized communication within the framework of experiential tourism experiences. Our central hypothesis posits that increased levels of communication exchange enhance tourists' willingness to adhere to behavior suggested by smart tools. We propose that this effect is moderated by the level of user expertise, with the influence of communicative exchange on compliance diminishing as expertise increases