Digital Commons Network^™

Phase Ii Study Of Copanlisib In Patients With Pten Loss: Results From Nci-Match Ecog-Acrin Trial (Eay131) Subprotocols Z1g And Z1h, Mohamed A Gouda, Zihan Wei, Jordi Rodon, Michael A Davies, Filip Janku, Victoria Wang, Larry V Rubinstein, David R Patton, P Mickey Williams, Stanley R Hamilton, Raymond Liu, Daniela A Bota, Paul L Swiecicki, Gary L Buchschacher, James V Tricoli, Barbara A Conley, Carlos L Arteaga, Lyndsay N Harris, Peter J O'Dwyer, Alice P Chen, Keith T Flaherty

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: Copanlisib, a pan-class phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor with activity predominantly against the PI3K-delta and PI3K-alpha isoforms, has shown promising results in preclinical cancer models with PTEN loss. Herein, we report the activity and safety data from the Z1G and Z1H subprotocols, which included patients with PTEN loss, of the National Cancer Institute Molecular Analysis for Therapy Choice trial.

Methods: Patients with complete loss of cytoplasmic and nuclear PTEN as determined by immunohistochemistry regardless of PTEN mutation or deletion status were included in subprotocol Z1G, and patients with a deleterious mutation in the PTEN gene and retained expression of PTEN …

Status Of Abortion Curriculum In Genetic Counseling: Survey Of Graduate Programs And Recent Graduates In The United States, Gina Sanchez, S Shahrukh Hashmi, Erica Bednar, Sarah Horvath, Bhavik Kumar, Claire N Singletary

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Genetic counselors (GCs) are trained to help individuals navigate the medical and psychological implications of genetic test results, familial conditions, and ultrasound anomalies. Therefore, familiarity with reproductive options, including abortion, is vital. However, previous studies have found gaps in GCs' knowledge regarding abortion care and there are currently no recommendations regarding abortion curriculum. This study aimed to assess the state of abortion curriculum in genetic counseling graduate programs in the United States and to examine and compare the satisfaction levels of program representatives and recent graduates. Program representatives and recent graduates were invited to complete an anonymous survey evaluating the …

Mutational And Co-Mutational Landscape Of Early Onset Colorectal Cancer, Jumanah Yousef Alshenaifi, Guglielmo Vetere, Giulia Maddalena, Mahmoud Yousef, Michael G White, Eduardo Vilar, Arvind Dasari, Van Karlyle Morris, Ryan Huey, Michael J Overman, Robert Wolff, Kanwal P Raghav, Jason Willis, Kristin Alfaro, Andy Futreal, Y Nancy You, Scott Kopetz

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality before 50 have been rising alarmingly in the recent decades.

Methods: Using a cohort of 10,000 patients, this study investigates the clinical, mutational, and co-mutational features of CRC in early-onset (EOCRC, < 50 years) compared to late-onset (LOCRC, ≥ 50 years).

Results: EOCRC was associated with a higher prevalence of Asian and Hispanic patients, rectal or left-sided tumors (72% vs. 59%), and advanced-stage disease. Molecular analyses revealed differences in mutation patterns, with EOCRC having higher frequencies of TP53 (74% vs. 68%, p < 0.01) and SMAD4 (17% vs. 14%, p = 0.015), while BRAF (5% vs. 11%, p < 0.001) and NOTCH1 (2.7% vs. 4.1%, p = 0.01) mutations …

Hsp90: Bringing It All Together, Georgios Ioannis Karras, Giorgio Colombo, Andrea N Kravats

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Heat-shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is an ancient and multifaceted protein-folding machine essential for most organisms. The past 40 years have uncovered remarkable complexity in the regulation and function of Hsp90, which dwarfs most other machines in the cell in sophistication. Here, we propose four analogies to illustrate Hsp90's sophistication: a multifunctional Swiss Army knife, an automobile engine and its controls, a switchboard acting as a hub and directing signals, and an orchestra conductor setting the tempo of a symphony. Although each of these analogies represents some key Hsp90 activities, none of them captures the entirety of Hsp90's complexity. Together, these …

Angiotensin-(1-9) Improves The Cardioprotective Effects Of Del Nido Cardioplegia Against Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury, Evelyn Mendoza-Torres, Gina Sanchez, Wendy Rosales, María Clara Ospino, Luis Antonio Díaz-Ariza, John Bustamante, Mario Chiong, Sergio Lavandero

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Del Nido cardioplegia (DNC), a blood-and-crystalloid solution containing high and low concentrations of potassium and calcium, respectively, is used as a single-dose antegrade infusion to induce immediate cardiac arrest in the surgery of patients with cardiovascular diseases requiring extracorporeal circulation. Adding cardioprotective molecules may further reduce the damage-triggered ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Angiotensin-(1-9) (Ang-(1-9)) and angiotensin-(1-7) (Ang-(1-7)), members of the counter-regulatory renin-angiotensin system, have shown cardioprotective effects in cardiac hypertrophy and I/R models. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Ang-(1-9) and Ang-(1-7), as adjuvants of the DNC, on cardioprotection and ventricular function in isolated rat hearts subjected to I/R …

Immunogenomic Determinants Of Exceptional Response To Immune Checkpoint Inhibition In Renal Cell Carcinoma, Tejas Jammihal, Renee Maria Saliby, Chris Labaki, Hanna Soulati, Juan Gallegos, Dustin Mccurry, Valisha Shah, Deepak Poduval, Talal El Zarif, Nourhan El Ahmar, Yasmin Nabil Laimon, Marc Eid, Aseman Bagheri Sheshdeh, Katherine M Krajewski, Florian A Büttner, Matthias Schwab, Daniel Heng, Rafael C Casellas, Kunal Rai, Niki M Zacharias Millward, Pavlos Msaouel, Jose Karam, Sabina Signoretti, Eliezer Van Allen, Toni K Choueiri, David A Braun, Sachet A Shukla

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Immune checkpoint inhibitors can lead to 'exceptional', durable responses in a subset of persons. However, the molecular basis of exceptional response (ER) to immunotherapy in metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (mccRCC) has not been well characterized. Here we analyzed pretherapy genomic and transcriptomic data in treatment-naive persons with mccRCC treated with standard-of-care immunotherapies: (1) combination of programmed cell death protein and ligand 1 (PD1/PDL1) and cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein 4 inhibitors (IO/IO) or (2) combination of PD1/PDL1 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor inhibitors (IO/VEGF). In the IO/IO cohort, clonal neoantigen load was significantly higher in persons with …

Safety And Efficacy Of Toripalimab In Patients With Cholangiocarcinoma: An Open-Label, Phase 1 Study, Aung Naing, Amit Mahipal, Milind Javle, Judy Wang, Todd M Bauer, Anthony D Elias, Elizabeth Davis, Sant Chawla, Howard Safran, John D Powderly, Gina D'Amato, Christian F Meyer, Xiongwen Tang, Sheng Yao, Patricia Keegan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: This was the first phase 1 study conducted in the United States. It consisted of dose-escalation (part A) and multiple indication-specific cohort expansion (part B), investigating the safety and preliminary efficacy of toripalimab (anti-programmed cell death-1 inhibitor) in patients with advanced malignancies.

Methods: Patients with advanced malignancies that progressed after treatment with at least one prior line of standard systemic therapy, including the patients with advanced/recurrent cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), received toripalimab 240 mg every 3 weeks in part B. The primary endpoint was safety assessment. Efficacy endpoints included objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), duration of response (DoR), …

Undervaluing Nondrug Rewards Or Overvaluing Cocaine? Cocaine Demand Relates To Cocaine Use Severity More Strongly Than Anhedonia In Individuals With Cocaine Use Disorder, Cecilia Nunez, Jin H Yoon, Constanza De Dios, Vincent Dang, Scott D Lane, Joy M Schmitz

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Cocaine use disorder (CUD) is a major public health issue, and greater cocaine use severity has been associated with worse treatment retention and outcomes. Therefore, greater understanding of processes that influence cocaine use is needed. Both anhedonia (i.e., undervaluation of non-drug rewards) and cocaine demand (i.e., cocaine valuation) are related to cocaine use severity and thematically related to each other at face value, but no studies have directly compared these outcomes to our knowledge. The current study represents a secondary analysis from a two-phase sequential, multiple assignment, randomized trial (SMART) aimed at developing adaptive interventions for CUD. We examined the …

Best Practices For Delivering Neoadjuvant Therapy In Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma, Jordan M Cloyd, Angela Sarna, Matthew J Arango, Susan E Bates, Manoop S Bhutani, Vincent Chung, Cristina R Ferrone, Patricia F Gambino, Ajit H Goenka, Karyn A Goodman, William A Hall, Jin He, Melissa E Hogg, Shiva Jayaraman, Avinash Kambadakone, Matthew H G Katz, Alok A Khorana, Andrew H Ko, Eugene J Koay, David A Kooby, Somashekar G Krishna, Liliana K Larsson, Richard T Lee, Anirban Maitra, Nader N Massarweh, Sameh Mikhail, Mahvish Muzaffar, Eileen M O'Reilly, Manisha Palta, Maria Q B Petzel, Philip A Philip, Marsha Reyngold, Daniel Santa Mina, Davendra P S Sohal, Tilak K Sundaresan, Susan Tsai, Kea L Turner, Timothy J Vreeland, Steve Walston, M Kay Washington, Terence M Williams, Jennifer Y Wo, Rebecca A Snyder

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Importance: Neoadjuvant therapy (NT) is an increasingly used treatment strategy for patients with localized pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Little research has been conducted on cancer care delivery during NT, and the standards for optimal delivery of NT have not been defined.

Objective: To develop consensus best practices for delivering NT to patients with localized PDAC.

Design, setting, and participants: This study used a modified Delphi approach consisting of 2 rounds of voting, and a series of virtual conferences (from October to December 2023) to reach expert consensus on candidate best practice statements generated from a systematic review of the literature …

Category Learning Reorganizes Internal Representations Of Visual Artworks, Aishwarya Gurung

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

How are categories of art internally represented, and how can we capture those representations systematically? Investigating category learning in the context of complex, multidimensional stimuli like visual artworks presents unique challenges due to their inherent variability and perceptual complexity. Artworks engage multiple cognitive processes and are shaped by both sensory-driven mechanisms and top-down influences like prior knowledge, making them uniquely suited for studying how structured categorical knowledge interacts with perceptual and aesthetic judgments. The present study addresses these questions by utilizing machine-learning tools to construct and implement a two-dimensional similarity space of 400 existing artworks painted by two artists from …

Vertex-Based Analysis Of Cerebral Blood Flow And Fractional Amplitude Of Low-Frequency Fluctuations (Cbf-Falff) Coupling In Moderate-To-Severe Traumatic Brain Injury During The First Year Post-Injury, Vaidehi Hemkumar Patel

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is known to involve damage in the neurovascular unit. TBI may disrupt the brain’s neurovascular coupling–the relationship between cerebral blood flow and neural activity–that can lead to cognitive and functional impairments. This study attempted to non-invasively investigate neurovascular coupling in patients with moderate to severe TBI (msTBI) during the first year post-injury using a combined metric of cerebral blood flow (CBF) and fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF), a proxy for spontaneous neural activity. Using arterial spin labeling (ASL) and functional MRI sequences, CBF and fALFF were measured in 29 msTBI patients 3-, 6- and 12-months …

Decoding Cancer Etiology With Cellular Reprogramming, Mo-Fan Huang, Megan E Fisher, Trinh T T Phan, Ruiying Zhao, Dung-Fang Lee

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Cancer research remains clinically unmet in many areas due to limited access to patient samples and the lack of reliable model systems that truly reflect human cancer biology. The emergence of patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells and engineered human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) has helped overcome these challenges, offering a versatile alternative platform for advancing cancer research. These hPSCs are already proving to be valuable models for studying specific cancer driver mutations, offering insights into cancer origins, pathogenesis, tumor heterogeneity, clonal evolution, and facilitating drug discovery and testing. This article reviews recent progress in utilizing hPSCs for clinically relevant cancer …

Taming Biological Complexity Through The Use Of Symmetries, Luis A. Álvarez-García

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The study of biological systems is, inherently, the study of very complex systems. This is essentially due to the fact that they are made up of numerous, often very complicated, interactions between an extensive number of components. Often necessitating an abundance of quantitative parameters and details for a precise description. The human brain for ex- ample, consisting of ∼ 80 billion neurons with ∼ 800 to 100 trillion connections between them, each of them depending on a large set of parameters. Even simpler examples such as bacterial organisms, such as E. coli and B. subtilis, which we focus on …

Remains From The Hellenistic Through The Late Ottoman–British Mandate Periods In The Magen Avraham Compound, Yafo (Jaffa) (Pp. 245–277), Yoav Arbel, Lior Rauchberger

'Atiqot

The excavation in the Magen Avraham Compound exposed the remains of Yafo’s agricultural hinterland during the Hellenistic, Byzantine and Crusader periods. Seven strata were exposed, including a single Hellenistic-period wall, a Byzantine-period industrial (wine?) press of unusual size, Ottoman-period graves, a large late Ottoman-period well house and an irrigation channel. Most of the pottery found in fill accumulations throughout the compound dated to the Byzantine period, including mainly storage jars. Small ceramic assemblages from the Hellenistic, Roman, Early Islamic and Crusader periods, mostly unrelated to structures, were also found. The structures uncovered here furnish important insights regarding the historical development …

The Facade Of The Tel Arza Burial Cave: Architectural Style And A Comparative Study (Pp. 177–186), Orit Peleg-Barkat

'Atiqot

The Tel Arza burial cave is one of the most elaborately decorated burial caves in the Second Temple period necropolis of Jerusalem. Its distylos in antis facade resembles a two-story edifice facade, probably indicating that the tomb was owned by an affluent Jewish family. This paper presents an analysis of the architectural components of the decorated facade, followed by a general discussion and comparative study as a means for providing a relative dating for the burial cave.

An Aramaic Inscription From Beneath Wilson’S Arch (Pp. 75–88), Esther Eshel, Avraham Solomon, Tehillah Lieberman, Joe Uziel, Anat Cohen-Weinberger

'Atiqot

The excavations under Wilson’s Arch yielded a fourth–third-century BCE administrative Aramaic inscription, incised in mirror writing on a potsherd. The inscription is of great importance as it contributes to our understanding of the development of language and writing in Jerusalem in this period, also reflecting on the scribe’s origin.

The Pottery Assemblages From Ḥorbat Ṭarbenet (Pp. 101–140), Anna De Vincenz

'Atiqot

The salvage excavations at Ḥorbat Ṭarbenet revealed ceramic finds from two archaeological contexts: a small pool, and a house and a well. The ceramic material was dated to the Hellenistic (the fourth to the second centuries BCE) and late Byzantine/Umayyad periods.

A Middle Bronze Age Scarab From Tamra (Ez-Zu‘Abiyya) (Pp. 159–162), Daphna Ben-Tor

'Atiqot

The scarab was found in the earth that was dug out of an Iron Age building, with which it was most likely associated. The scarab’s features and base design argue, however, for a date in the Middle Bronze Age, and thus, it is probably a heirloom.

Ottoman Pottery And Glass Bracelets From Yafo (Jaffa), Jerusalem Boulevard And Its Vicinity (Pp. 115–129), Anna De Vincenz

'Atiqot

The Ottoman-period pottery uncovered on Jerusalem Boulevard in Yafo includes well-known types, dating from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries CE. These include hard paste and porcelain vessels, glazed vessels such as Didymoteicho and Çanakkale Wares, and coarse-ware vessels such as Gaza Ware and other local wares. Imitations of Chinese porcelain were observed, such as the use of transfer-printing technique and Sponge Ware. Also found were a Meissen coffee cup, clay pipes of the chibouk type, narghile heads, floor tiles and glass bracelets, typical of the Ottoman period. The numerous imported vessels in the assemblage correlate with the status of …

The Role Of Biofilm Matrix On The Growth, Survival, And Diagnosis In Enterobacteriaceae, Kavi Bharathi R

Theses and Dissertations

Bacteria in nature live together encased in a matrix creating community ecosystems called biofilms, this structured space protects them from hostile environments. This study aimed to understand the role of the biofilm matrix in the growth and survival of Enterobacteriaceae. Our hypothesis proposes that subgroups of individuals within a biofilm can specialize in the production of different matrix components.

Matrix expression is metabolically costly, despite its unicellular simplicity, microbes can coordinate complex behaviour like sharing of matrix between producers and non-producers as an adept evolutionary strategy. Their resilience to stress during biofilm formation was studied to assess their abilities to …

Online Media Sentiment Analysis Of Shrimp And Salmon In The United States, Jingjing Tao, Kwamena K. Quagrainie

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

There is a growing interest in the U.S. seafood and aquaculture market; however, studies utilizing online information to understand this market are limited. This study employs online media analytics to obtain insights into consumer perceptions and potential demand signals for shrimp and salmon in the U.S. Our results show that platform X is the preferred medium for shrimp and salmon discussions, with shrimp's physical quality and salmon's environmental impact being the two major perception drivers. Additionally, autoregressive modeling is conducted to explore the dynamics of net sentiments. Farmed shrimp and salmon consistently exhibit lower net sentiments compared to their wild …

Pulsating Drought And Insect Herbivory Cause Differential Effects On Soybean (Glycine Max) Genotypes That Vary In Canopy Wilting Speed, Jessica Ayala, Manish Gautam, Adrianna Peissel, George Justin, Rupesh Kariyat

Entomology and Plant Pathology Faculty Publications and Presentations

As a result of climate change, global temperatures are increasing, and water scarcity is on the rise. Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr] is one of the most important crops in the world due to its importance as food and feed. One of the major limiting factors for soybean production is drought, which can cause up to 80% reduction in yield. Therefore, growers and plant breeders are turning to soybean accessions that demonstrate better water use efficiency (WUE). However, in addition to drought, insect herbivory by soybean looper (Chrysodeixis includens, SBL) and fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda, FAW) can also reduce soybean …

An Effective Secure Multi-Objective Task Scheduling Algorithm In Multi-Cloud Environment, V K S K Sai Vadapalli, Ramesh Babu Gurujukota, Phaneendra Varma Chintalapati, Satyanarayana Murty, G. Sai Chaitanya Kumar, Satish Kumar Kode

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

In cloud environments, task scheduling is essential for improving performance. Nevertheless, the existence of several heterogeneous clouds makes scheduling extremely difficult, requiring increasingly advanced algorithms to manage these environments' diversity and dynamic nature. To solve this, numerous authors have created a variety of task schedulers utilizing heuristic and metaheuristic techniques. Nevertheless, it remains dynamic and challenging because task scheduling is an NP-hard issue. Furthermore, in many complicated situations, it is still problematic to guarantee security throughout the task’s execution. Therefore, this paper introduces a multi-objective security-aware task scheduler using the Crayfish Mud Ring Optimization Algorithm for a multi-cloud environment. This …

A Pottery Workshop At Ahihud And Its Relationship To The Jar Industry In The Northeastern Zevulun Valley And Western Galilee During The Roman Period (Pp. 67–92), Dina Avshalom-Gorni, Anastasia Shapiro

'Atiqot

No abstract provided.

Spatiotemporal Variability And Functional Redundancy Obscure Effects Of Urbanization On Strawberry Pollinators, Kyla D. Schulte, Caleb J. Wilson, Anna Tawril, Mary A. Jamieson

Entomology Faculty Publications

Pollination services across rural–urban gradients may vary as land cover and other environmental attributes differentially influence pollinators. Most studies examining crop pollination, however, have been conducted in rural environments, while research in urban areas has lagged behind despite growing interest in urban agriculture. In this study, we hypothesized that increased urbanization would alter pollinator community composition due to a reduction in natural areas within the surrounding landscape, potentially decreasing pollinator abundance. To evaluate this hypothesis, we conducted a three-year study using strawberries as a focal study crop. We characterized the abundance, diversity, and community composition of bees across 10 farms …

Cultural Capital Skill Development In Undergraduate Kinesiology Curriculum, Jenica Alvarez, Sabrina R. Fordham, Elizabeth M. Harrison, Blake Podsen, Jason C. Casey, Rich Pruett

Topics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology

Topics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology Volume 6: Issue 1, Article 2, 2025. Specialization within Kinesiology and related fields over the past 20 years has led to the prioritization of technical skill development. This specialization leaves limited availability of resources for the development of Cultural Capital (CC) skills in undergraduate kinesiology and kinesiology-related curricula. The purpose of this study was to examine how seven Experiential Learning Activities (ELAs) influence CC skill development in an undergraduate kinesiology practicum course. An interpretive qualitative action research design was applied to investigate five senior undergraduate kinesiology students’ experiences. The study concluded: (a) six of …

Overcoming Cd226-Related Immune Evasion In Acute Myeloid Leukemia With Cd38 Car-Engineered Nk Cells, Luciana Melo Garcia, Achintyan Gangadharan, Pinaki Banerjee, Ye Li, Andy G X Zeng, Paul Lin, Sunil Acharya, May Daher, Luis Muniz-Feliciano, Gary M Deyter, Gabriel Dominguez, Jeong Min Park, Francia Reyes Silva, Ana Karen Nunez Cortes, Rafet Basar, Nadima Uprety, Mayra Shanley, Mecit Kaplan, Enli Liu, Elizabeth J Shpall, Katayoun Rezvani

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

CD226 plays a vital role in natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity, interacting with its ligands CD112 and CD155 to initiate immune synapse formation, primarily through leukocyte function-associated-1 (LFA-1). Our study examined the role of CD226 in NK cell surveillance of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). NK cells in patients with AML had lower expression of CD226. CRISPR-Cas9 deletion of CD226 led to reduced LFA-1 recruitment, poor synapse formation, and decreased NK cell anti-leukemic activity. Engineering NK cells to express a chimeric antigen receptor targeting the AML antigen CD38 (CAR38) could overcome the need for CD226 to establish strong immune synapses. LFA-1 …

The Degree Of Dependence Of The Jordanian Public On Social Media In Health Awareness Of Obesity Diseases (Survey Study), Jumana Irshiedat, Kamel Khurshid Murad

The article aimed to reveal the dependency of social media platforms in educating the Jordanian public about obesity diseases and explore the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral effects on the Jordanian public. The survey method was adopted; an approach used in descriptive studies, and the questionnaire tool was used to a sample (357) of the Jordanian public in Amman. The study-produced results including the platform most used by the Jordanian public to receive knowledge about health awareness is WhatsApp in the first place, followed by Instagram and then Facebook. The results also showed that the health topics of most interest to …

The Role Of Television In Increasing Knowledge About Health Issues Among Jordanian Citizens, Izzat Mohammad Hijab, Ahmad Oreqat, Hani Al-Badri

This study explores the role of TV health programs in increasing the knowledge of Jordanian citizens about health issues. The study was based on the social survey methodology through a questionnaire distributed to a sample of 200 people from the city of Amman watching Jordan Television (JTV) health programs. The researcher concluded the following; a high watching for health programs, and that the Jordanians watch health programs with their family at home. The study also confirmed that the Jordanian benefits from health programs provided by JTV, and these programs are important and essential in educating citizens in health issues. Finally, …

01.27.2025 Ored Connect, Liz Williamson

ORED Newsletter

Data Science for Addiction Research

UM research and related activities as a new presidential administration transition occurs