Digital Commons Network^™

Adaptive Bayesian Clinical Trials: The Past, Present, And Future Of Clinical Research, Donald A Berry

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background/Objectives: Decision-analytic Bayesian approaches are ideally suited for designing clinical trials. They have been used increasingly over the last 30 years in developing medical devices and drugs. A prototype trial is a bandit problem in which treating participants is as important as treating patients in clinical practice after the trial.

Methods: This article chronicles the use of the Bayesian approach in clinical trials motivated by bandit problems. It provides a comprehensive historical and practical review of Bayesian adaptive trials, with a focus on bandit-inspired designs.

Results: The 20th century saw advances in Bayesian methodology involving computer simulation. In the …

Human Ipsc-Based Breast Cancer Model Identifies S100p-Dependent Cancer Stemness Induced By Brca1 Mutation, Jingxin Liu, Cai Zhao, Jiahao Chen, Pengguihang Zeng, Qingjian Li, Ranran Dai, Xingqiang Lai, Wenqian Song, Jianing Chen, Xixi Zhu, Xinyi Liu, Jun Sun, Jia Wang, Peihang Fang, Tengfei Wang, Wenjie Chen, Diana Guallar, Nan Cao, Jianli Zhao, Shicheng Su, Andy Peng Xiang, Yi Arial Zeng, Jie Li, Junchao Cai, Dung-Fang Lee, Jinxin Bei, Yongliang Huo, Hai Hu, Shengbao Suo, Dong-Feng Huang, Jin Bai, Junjun Ding

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in females and remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths for women worldwide. The cellular and molecular basis of breast tumorigenesis is not completely understood partly due to the lack of human research models which simulate the development of breast cancer. Here, we developed a method for generating functional mammary-like cells (MCs) from human-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). The iPSC-MCs closely resemble human primary MCs at cellular, transcriptional, and functional levels. Using this method, a breast cancer model was generated using patient-derived iPSCs harboring germline

Il-6 Predicts Cdk4/6 Inhibitor Resistance, Identifying Stat3 As A Target In Hr + /Her2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer, Nicole M Kettner, Tuyen N Bui, Juliana Navarro-Yepes, Sanaz Ghotbaldini, Bethanie Quintela, Catherine K Luo, Nghi Lam, Xiayu Rao, Akshara Singareeka Raghavendra, Yan Wang, Nancy Azizian, T Kris Eckols, Moses Makokha Kasembeli, Kurt Evans, Min Yi, Hannah Wingate, Jing Wang, Aysegul A Sahin, Funda Meric-Bernstam, Kelly K Hunt, Senthil Damodaran, David J Tweardy, Debu Tripathy, Khandan Keyomarsi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Resistance to CDK4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) is a major challenge in treating hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer. This study aimed to identify a biomarker predictive of resistance that could also serve as a therapeutic target. Circulating IL-6 levels in 166 patients significantly increased at progression, making IL-6 a non-invasive biomarker to predict CDK4/6i resistance. Knockdown of IL-6 re-sensitized resistant cells to palbociclib and endocrine therapy, underscoring IL-6's critical role in maintaining resistance. Patient-derived xenograft models from patients who progressed within 3 months versus ≥6 months of palbociclib therapy revealed distinct transcriptomic profiles, with later progressors exhibiting IL-6/STAT3 activation, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, …

Perception Of Quality Of Life, Brain Regions, And Cognitive Performance In Hispanic Adults: A Canonical Correlation Approach, Juan C. Lopez-Alvarenga, Jesus D. Melgarejo, Jesus Rivera-Sanchez, Lorena Velazquez-Alvarez, Rosa V. Pirela, John Blangero, Jose E. Cavazos, Michael C. Mahaney, Joseph D. Terwilliger, Gladys E. Maestre

School of Medicine Publications

The quality of life (QoL) perception has been studied in neurological diseases; however, there is limited information linking brain morphological characteristics, QoL, and cognition. Human behavior and perception are associated with specific brain areas that interact through diffuse electrochemical networking. We used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to analyze the brain region volume (BRV) correlation with the scores of Rand’s 36-item Short Form Survey (SF-36) and cognitive domains (memory and dementia status). We analyzed data from 420 adult participants in the Maracaibo Aging Study (MAS). Principal component analysis with oblimin axis rotation was used to gather redundant information from brain parcels …

Anatomical And Palynological Studies On Turkish Primula Taxa (Primulaceae) And Their Taxonomic And Phylogenetic Significance, Deni̇z Ulukuş, Esengül Özkaymakoğlu, Rebecca Stubbs, Hüseyi̇n Baykal, Kami̇l Coşkunçelebi̇, Osman Tugay, Barbara Keller, Elena Conti, Ferhat Celep

Turkish Journal of Botany

Anatomical (scape, pedicel, leaf lamina, and leaf midrib) and pollen morphological features of 11 taxa belonging to the genus Primula subgen. Primula (P. vulgaris subsp. vulgaris, P. vulgaris subsp. rubra, and P.megaseifolia, P. meyeri,P. elatior subsp. pallasii, P. pseudoelatior, P. veris subsp. columnae, P. veris subsp. macrocalyx) and subgen. Aleurita (P. longipes, P. algida and P. auriculata) were examined using light and scanning electron microscopy to shed light on the existing taxonomic and phylogenetic relationships. The anatomical and palynological features of the majority of the taxa studied were revealed for the first time in this study. In anatomical studies, the …

Efficient Packaging Of Hiv-1 Genomes Via Recognition Of Its Adenosine-Rich Content By A Heterologous Rna-Binding Domain, Hung Ryan Vuong

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

RNA-protein interactions underlie many key processes in viral replication and antiviral immune responses. In this thesis, I reported our investigations on the roles of two RNA-binding proteins, Gag and IFIT1, in mediating HIV-1 genome packaging and regulating innate immune gene expression, respectively. The HIV-1 genome comprises a dimer of unspliced, positive sense mRNA (gRNA) that is packaged with high efficiency, with more than 90% of viral particles containing two copies of gRNA. Gag is the major HIV-1 structural protein that coordinates all steps of virion assembly and possesses a nucleocapsid domain (NC) required for gRNA binding and genome packaging. In …

An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Of Black Female Swimmers' Experiences Of Belonging, Felicity E. Passon

Master's Theses

Although swimming participation has grown in the United States, the experiences of Black female swimmers remain significantly underrepresented in academic literature. This study addresses that gap by exploring the lived experiences of Black women participating in Division 1 (D1) college swimming. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and Black feminist thought, the research explored how Black female D1 swimmers experienced belonging in this underrepresented sport. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine D1 Black female swimmers, and six major themes illustrate the varied factors that shaped their experiences of belonging. Even with racially gendered barriers to inclusion, they identified strategies to foster …

Feasibility Of Manufacturing And Antitumor Activity Of Til For Advanced Endometrial Cancers, Yongliang Zhang, Kathleen N Moore, Amir A Jazaeri, Judy Fang, Ilabahen Patel, Andrew Yuhas, Patrick Innamarato, Nathan Gilbert, Joseph W Dean, Behzad Damirchi, Joe Yglesias, Rongsu Qi, Michelle R Simpson-Abelson, Erwin Cammaart, Sean R R Hall, Hequn Yin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Lifileucel, a tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) cell therapy approved for advanced melanoma, demonstrates promise for treating other solid tumors, including endometrial cancer (EC). The current study evaluates the feasibility of manufacturing TILs from EC tumors using Iovance’s proprietary 22-day Gen2 manufacturing process. Key parameters, including TIL yield, viability, immune phenotype, T-cell receptor clonality, and cytotoxic activity, were assessed. Of the 11 EC tumor samples processed at research scale, 10 (91%) successfully generated >1 × 109 viable TIL cells, with a median yield of 1.1 × 1010 cells and a median viability of 82.8%. Of the four EC tumor samples processed at …

Machine-Learning Driven Strategies For Adapting Immunotherapy In Metastatic Nsclc, Maliazurina B Saad, Qasem Al-Tashi, Lingzhi Hong, Vivek Verma, Wentao Li, Daniel Boiarsky, Shenduo Li, Milena Petranovic, Carol C Wu, Brett W Carter, Girish S Shroff, Tina Cascone, Xiuning Le, Yasir Y Elamin, Mehmet Altan, Simon Heeke, Ajay Sheshadri, Joe Y Chang, Percy P Lee, Zhongxing Liao, Don L Gibbons, Ara A Vaporciyan, J Jack Lee, Ignacio I Wistuba, Cara Haymaker, Seyedali Mirjalili, David Jaffray, Justin F Gainor, Yanyan Lou, Alessandro Di Federico, Federica Pecci, Mark Awad, Biagio Ricciuti, John V Heymach, Natalie I Vokes, Jianjun Zhang, Jia Wu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), either as monotherapy (ICI-Mono) or combined with chemotherapy (ICI-Chemo), improves survival in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, prospective guidance for choosing between these options remains limited, and single-feature biomarkers like PD-L1 prove inadequate. We develop a machine learning model using clinicogenomic data from four cohorts (MD Anderson n = 750; Mayo Clinic n = 80; Dana-Farber n = 1077; Stand Up To Cancer n = 393) to predict individual benefit from adding chemotherapy. Benefit scores are calculated using five distinct functions derived from 28 genomic and 6 clinical features. Our integrated model, A-STEP (Attention-based …

Antibacterial Potential Of Tapanuli Orangutan (Pongo Tapanuliensis) Food In Batang Toru Forest Against Escherichia Coli And Salmonella Typhi, Herna Febrianty Sianipar, Wahyu Widoretno, Luchman Hakim, Rezi Rahmi Amolia, Fatchiyah Fatchiyah

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Diarrhea is a common disease affecting orangutans, primarily caused by Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi bacteria. To treat this disease, antibacterial food sources are essential as therapeutic agents for orangutans. The fruits consumed by Tapanuli orangutans include Campnosperma auriculatum, Agathis borneensis, Artocarpus heterophyllus, Castanopsis argantea, and Aglaia tomentosa. This study aims to examine the amino acid and phytochemical components with potential antibacterial properties in these five fruit species and their inhibitory effects on E. coli and S. typhi growth through cell lysis, observed using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The samples were tested for amino acids, phytochemicals, vitamin C content, …

Changing Aspen Stand Structure Following Large Carnivore Restoration In Yellowstone, Luke E. Painter, Robert L. Beschta, William J. Ripple

Aspen Bibliography

Restoration of large carnivores in northern Yellowstone National Park in the late 20th century resulted in a sustained reduction of Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus canadensis) and their herbivory, facilitating new growth of quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) saplings. In 2020–21, we examined 87 randomly selected, previously sampled aspen stands across northern Yellowstone, combining random plots with stand-wide observations. Forty-three percent of stands contained a new cohort of small trees (5–10 cm dbh), the first documented recruitment of overstory aspen trees in northern Yellowstone since the 1940s. Both aspen saplings ( ≥2 m tall) and small trees were …

Utilizing The Combinatory Power Of Chemotherapeutic Compounds In Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cells, Matthew I. Hyder

Biology Summer Fellows

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women worldwide and the second most common cause of cancer deaths in women in the United States. Genetic variants that increase the risk of breast cancer include mutations in the breast cancer susceptibility genes 1 and 2 (BRCA1 and BRCA2). Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is a natural process that helps the body remove aged cells. However, in cancer, deregulated apoptotic signaling—especially the activation of anti-apoptotic mechanisms—enables cancer cells to evade this process, leading to uncontrolled proliferation, tumor survival, therapeutic resistance, and cancer recurrence. Most anti-cancer drugs function as chemotherapeutic …

New Paradigms In E. Coli Hemolysin Function And Pathogenesis, Hunter Winston Kuhn

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Bacterial pore-forming toxins are potent secreted protein effectors that disrupt cellular ion homeostasis by integrating into the plasma membrane. Among them, the RTX toxin alphahemolysin (HlyA) from uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) has been extensively studied for its hemolytic activity, broad cell tropism, and role in virulence. HlyA was identified as the first type 1 secreted substrate, with β2 integrin CD18/LFA-1 proposed as its receptor. However, its diverse mechanisms of cellular toxicity and impact on outcomes of urinary tract infection (UTI) have remained incompletely defined. During pyelonephritis, renal epithelial cells are at the front line of infection, directly contacting ascending UPEC …

The Influence Of Myocardin Effector Genes On The Tgf-Beta Smad3 Signaling Pathway In Human Pleural Mesothelial Cells, Hema Chandra Hrushi Dusharla

Biotechnology Theses

Pleural Fibrosis (PF) involves excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition, mainly by myofibroblasts, leading to pleural thickening and impaired lung function. Pleural mesothelial cells (PMCs) contribute via mesothelial and mesenchymal transition (MesoMT), triggered by cytokines like TGF-β. Our lab identified Myocardin (MyoCD), a transcriptional co-activator of cardiac and smooth muscle, is a master regulator of pleural fibrosis through interactions with serum response factor (SRF) and Smad2/3 transcription factors which initiate fibrosis signaling. RNA sequencing and qPCR analysis revealed that silencing MyoCD decreased the expression of CTNNB1, MDFI, and Tspan2. MDFI emerged as a potent candidate, as this gene affecting the expression …

Environmental, Social, And Molecular Regulation Of Foraging Behavior In The Formosan Subterranean Termite, Arjun Khadka

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Foraging is a critical activity in social insects, essential for resource acquisition and colony sustenance. In termites, this behavior is shaped by environmental, social, and genetic factors, yet the underlying regulatory mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, we examined how environmental food and moisture availability, and the age of termites affected foraging activities, along with the molecular regulation of foraging in the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus, using a combination of behavioral assays, transcriptomics, and molecular biology approaches. First, we demonstrate that food and moisture deprivation (FMD) significantly affects foraging, with termites under deprivation conditions exhibiting increased foraging …

Public Support For Puma Reintroduction In The Eastern United States, L. Mark Elbroch, Jazmin J. Murphy, Shelby C. Carlson, John A. Vucetich, Richard E.W. Berl, Lexi Galiardi, Shelby Perry, Tom Butler, Neil Carter, Joseph W. Hinton, Axel Moehrenschlager, Emily Carrollo, Rana Bayrakcismith, Jeremy T. Bruskotter

Michigan Tech Publications

Pumas (Puma concolor) are among the species identified as having the potential to enhance ecosystem function. Previous research highlights sufficient ecological habitat to support pumas in the eastern United States; however, their reintroduction requires social and institutional support as well. To this end, we conducted research to assess attitudes about puma reintroduction among key constituencies like hunters, rural residents, and young people. We sampled 2756 respondents across seven states (Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and West Virginia). Ratios of strong support (for puma reintroduction) to strong opposition across states ranged from 4:1 to 13:1, and support outweighed …

Multiple Stressors Effects On The Physiological Performance Of Mytilus Trossulus, M. Christina Vasquez, Alana J. Borer, Claribel Y. Alcantar, Osiris Guinea Zepeda, Camya A. Brazil, Colin Carr, Emma Guerrini Romano, Alexander J. Provenzano, Min Jeon Roh

Biology Faculty Works

Mytilus galloprovincialis and M. trossulus co-occur and hybridize along set biogeographical ranges of temperature and salinity along the Pacific coast, USA. However, the role of physiological traits in mussel distribution remains poorly understood. We investigated metabolic rate, antioxidant activity (superoxide dismutase, catalase), oxidative damage (malondialdehyde content, MDA), and clearance rate of M. trossulus under multiple stressors: 7 days of hyposalinity (20, 28, 34 ppt), followed by an acute heat shock (17, 20, 25 ◦C). We found a significant effect of temperature on metabolic rate, an interaction effect on antioxidant activity, and MDA, and independent temperature and salinity effects on clearance …

Using The Safety Scissors: Dna Resection Regulation At Dna Double-Strand Breaks And Telomeres, Michael M, Soniat, Logan R. Myler

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

DNA resection is a universal process in genome maintenance by which one strand of DNA is degraded, leaving the other strand intact. This sometimes highly processive process is critical for many forms of DNA damage repair, replication-coupled repair, meiotic recombination, and telomere maintenance. Therefore, resection must be tightly regulated to prevent genome instability and promote faithful and accurate repair. Here, we review what is known about how resection functions and how it is controlled, using DNA double-strand break repair and telomere maintenance as examples. We address how resection is regulated in three independent steps: resection initiation, long-range processing, and termination. …

The Histone H3 Lysine 36 Demethylase Kdm2a/Fbxl11 Controls Polycomb-Mediated Gene Repression And Germ Cell Development In Male Mice, Michael T Bocker, Grigorios Fanourgakis, Kristie Wetzel, Pavel A Komarov, Hélène Royo, Alexia Rohmer, Sunwoo Chun, Ching-Yeu Liang, Hubertus Kohler, Taiping Chen, Xiaohong Mao, Mark A Labow, Reginald A Valdez, Michael B Stadler, Dirk G De Rooij, Paola Capodieci, John Tallarico, Antoine H F M Peters, Thomas B Nicholson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

KDM2A/FBXL11 is a Jumonji-domain containing lysine demethylase catalyzing the removal of mono- and di-methyl modifications of histone H3 lysine 36 (H3K36me1/2). While Kdm2a is required for mouse embryogenesis, its role in adult physiology has been largely unexplored. Using conditional deletion approaches, we demonstrate that Kdm2a deficiency leads to testicular atrophy and male infertility. Although spermatogonial stem cells remain unaffected, proliferating and differentiating spermatogonia exhibit delayed cell cycle progression and apoptosis. RNA-sequencing of purified spermatogonia and spermatocytes reveals Kdm2a-dependent repression of over 750 genes during spermatogonial differentiation. Chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing (ChIP-seq) demonstrates increased H3K36me2 levels at CpG-rich gene promoters …

The Microtubule-Severing Enzyme Spastin Regulates Spindle Dynamics To Promote Chromosome Segregation In Trypanosoma Brucei, Thiago Souza Onofre, Qing Zhou, Ziyin Li

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Microtubule-severing enzymes play essential roles in diverse cellular processes, including mitosis and cytokinesis, by modulating microtubule dynamics. In the early branching Trypanosoma brucei, microtubule-severing enzymes are involved in cytokinesis and flagellum length control, but none of them have been found to regulate mitosis. Here we report the characterization of the microtubule-severing enzyme spastin in the procyclic form of T. brucei. We demonstrate that spastin severs microtubule in vitro and overexpression of spastin disrupts spindle microtubules in vivo in trypanosomes, leading to defective chromosome segregation. Knockdown of spastin impairs spindle integrity and disrupts chromosome alignment and segregation. We further show that …

Effects Of Plasma-Activated Water On Wheat: Germination And Seedling Development, Wafaa Abdulrazzaq Abdullah, Hadeel O. Ismael, Duaa A. Uamran, Hammad R. Humud

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

The food sector must contend with issues such as pathogen resistance to some of the available chemical agents, environmental pollution, and climate change to provide healthy food for livestock and people. The application of atmospheric pressure plasma jets (APPJs) is one potential solution for such problems. Plasma is appropriate for effective surface decontamination regarding food products and seeds, surface decontamination, and achieving improved agricultural production yields. The impact of plasma-activated water (PAW) produced by plasma jet discharge (PJD) system on in vitro-cultivated wheat seeds is examined in this work. For this aim, a plasma jet system was constructed with a …

Greenhouse Evaluation Of Great Plains Native Grasses And Forbs Tolerance To Postemergence Herbicides Used For Roadside Weed Control, Rachel C. Woody-Pumford, Matthew B. Bertucci, Mike D. Richardson, Dirk Philipp, Hannah E. Wright-Smith

Horticulture Faculty Publications and Presentations

To combat the decline in North American grasslands and prairies, innovative strategies to establish new native grass and forb plantings must be considered. Integrated vegetation management entails the use of many practices to cultivate desirable vegetation along roadsides, including mowing, applying herbicides, burning, and replanting. Currently, only a limited selection of postemergence herbicides are available to improve native plant establishment along roadsides. A greenhouse herbicide screen that included four postemergence herbicides registered for use on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres and rights-of-way was conducted to test their safety for use on four native grasses (big bluestem, buffalograss, sideoats grama, and …

Spidr Enables Multiplexed Mapping Of Rna-Protein Interactions And Uncovers A Mechanism For Selective Translational Suppression Upon Cell Stress, Erica Wolin, Jimmy K. Guo, Mario R. Blanco, Isabel N. Goronzy, Darvesh Gorhe, Wenzhao Dong, Andrew A. Perez, Abdurrahman Keskin, Elizabeth Valenzuela, Ahmed A. Abdou, Carl R. Urbinati, Ross Kaufhold, H. Tomas Rube, Jailson Brito Querido, Mitchell Guttman, Marko Jovanovic

Biology Faculty Works

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) regulate all stages of the mRNA life cycle, yet current methods generally map RNA targets of RBPs one protein at a time. To overcome this limitation, we developed SPIDR (split-and-pool identification of RBP targets), a highly multiplexed split-pool method that profiles the binding sites of dozens of RBPs simultaneously. SPIDR identifies precise, single-nucleotide binding sites for diverse classes of RBPs. Using SPIDR, we uncovered an interaction between LARP1 and the 18S rRNA and resolved this interaction to the mRNA entry channel of the 40S ribosome using cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM), providing a potential mechanistic explanation for LARP1’s role …

Timing Of Nodal Metastasis In Patients With Eyelid Sebaceous Carcinoma And Implications For Surveillance And Survival, Tracy Lu, Casey Anthony, Xinyang Jiang, Jing Ning, Ryan Goepfert, Bita Esmaeli

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background/aims: Sebaceous carcinoma (SC) is a rare cancer with periocular predilection. Studies focused on patterns and timing of nodal metastasis are scarce.Our aim is to report patterns of regional nodal metastasis in patients with eyelid SC, including results of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB).

Methods: All consecutive patients with eyelid SC treated during 1999-2023 were retrospectively reviewed.All subjects had standard of care surgery for eyelid SC and regional lymph node evaluation using physical examination and ultrasonography (US) at baseline and during the surveillance period. 38 patients with negative findings on US had SLNB to rule out microscopic metastasis.The frequency and …

Belumosudil Reduces Oral Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease Tissue Inflammation And Fibrosis: A Rockstar Companion Study, Rubina Sharma, Noa G Holtzman, Iskra Pusic, Corey Cutler, Nathaniel Treister, Rohtesh S Mehta, Amin S Alousi, Nadarajah Vigneswaran, Ayesha Javaid, Francis Boksa, Drashty P Mody, Ana C Costa-Da-Silva, Olivier Schueller, Sandrine Macé, Yu Yao, Ran Ji, Beifang Hu, Kathy Marshall, Bruce R Blazar, Stephanie J Lee, Steven Z Pavletic, Jacqueline W Mays

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Belumosudil (KD025), an oral, selective, Rho-associated, coiled-coil-containing protein kinase 2 (ROCK2) inhibitor, is approved for third-line treatment of chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD). Previous studies demonstrated that ROCK2 inhibition reduces blood interleukin-17 (IL-17) activity and promotes regulatory T-cell (Treg cell) recovery. However, these studies did not evaluate immune responses within cGVHD-affected tissues. This study assessed tissue-level immune dynamics in 20 patients with oral cGVHD from the phase 2 ROCKstar trial, before and after 6 months of belumosudil treatment, focusing on key effector sites (oral mucosa [OM], minor salivary glands [MSGs], and skin) and the peripheral blood. After belumosudil treatment, reduction in …

Exploring How People Become Investigative Genetic Genealogists Who Assist With Law Enforcement Investigations: A Multiple Case Study, Matthew Serio Hoggatt

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In today’s world of criminal justice, the use of Deoxyribonucleic Acid, otherwise known as DNA, to solve crimes, has become a popular tool for law enforcement, and a popular subject plot within the entertainment industry. Also growing in popularity at a fast rate, is the use of DNA combined with consumer-based genealogy websites to help identify unknown suspects or unidentified human remains. This process has become commonly known as investigative genetic genealogy (IGG), or forensic investigative genetic genealogy (FIGG). What remains unclear however, is how people learn the skills necessary to establish a career within the IGG field. The purpose …

Scorpions Of The Horn Of Africa (Arachnida: Scorpiones). Part Xli. Pandinops Sahil Sp. N. From Somaliland (Scorpionidae), František Kovařík

Euscorpius

Pandinops sahil sp. n. from Somaliland is described and compared with other species of the genus, fully complemented with color photos of specimens of both sexes of the new species, as well as of their habitat. Pandinops bambii Rossi, 2017 is synonymyzed with Pandinops turieli Kovařík, 2016, syn. n. A key for the species of Pandinops and a map of the distribution of the genus are provided.

Global Incidence Of Female Birdsong Is Predicted By Territoriality And Biparental Care In Songbirds, Karan J. Odom, Marcelo Araya-Salas, Lauryn Benedict, Kristi Lim, James Dale, Wesley H. Webb, Catherine Sheard, Joseph A. Tobias, Gregory F. Ball, Michelle L. Hall, Naomi E. Langmore, Michael S. Webster, Katharina Riebel

Pacific Faculty Work

Pronounced sexual dimorphism is generally assumed to evolve through sexual selection for elaborate male traits. However, there is increasing evidence that sexual dimorphism in traits such as birdsong may also evolve through loss of elaboration in females, but the evolutionary drivers underlying this process are obscure. Here we analyse ecological and natural history traits for over 1300 songbird species and show that increased female song incidence and elaboration are most directly associated with year-round territoriality, biparental care, and large body size. Phylogenetic path analysis indicates that mating system and breeding latitude primarily have indirect effects on female song evolution. Stable, …

Ethical Implications Of Being A Holobiont, Scott F. Gilbert

Biology Faculty Works

Developmental plasticity and holobiont theory have undermined the normative concepts of biological individuality. However, such traditional ideas of biological individuality have helped define and support Western ethical views into the 21st century. Guided by some of the ethical formulae of Simone Weil, Hans Jonas, and Alastair MacIntyre, this essay attempts to outline some possible trajectories for an ethics that is bounded by these new biological paradigms of environmental agency. Specifically, the ecological developmental biology concepts of plasticity and holobiont theory permit the “ethics of attention” to focus on the partnerships of living beings. Highlighting environmentally integrated life cycles and their …

The Effect Of Transformer Based Pre-Trained Language Models On Biomedical Relation Extractions, Eman Saad, Sherif Kishk, Amr Ali-Eldin, Ahmed I. Saleh

Mansoura Engineering Journal

Biomedical relation extraction represents a critical advancement in healthcare research. As the volume of biomedical publications continues to grow exponentially, efficient extraction of entity relationships has become essential for accelerating knowledge discovery, drug development, and precision medicine initiatives. The field has evolved from focusing on simple binary relations, such as Protein-Protein Interactions (PPI), which are fundamental to understanding cellular processes and therapeutic development, to addressing more complex multi-class classification challenges like Drug-Drug Interactions (DDI) and Chemical-Protein Interactions (CPI).Pre-trained language models have become the cornerstone of modern approaches of extracting biomedical relations. Models like BioBERT, PubMedBERT, and SciBERT, along with general-purpose …