Digital Commons Network^™

Ai-Driven Biomarker Discovery & Progression Modeling For Precision Diagnosis Of Glaucoma, Cheng Huang

Computer Science and Engineering Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents a comprehensive study on the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) for glaucoma diagnosis and retinal image analysis. Leveraging multimodal imaging data including fundus photography, Optical Coherence Tomography Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography (OCTA), the research develops a suite of deep learning frameworks designed to detect early glaucomatous changes with high precision, robustness, and interpretability. A series of novel architectures are introduced, spanning vessel segmentation networks, biomarker discovery pipelines, and multimodal fusion models, all designed to enhance diagnostic accuracy and generalizability across diverse populations. To facilitate reproducible and scalable ophthalmic AI research, this work …

Early Prediction Of The Breast Cancer Response To Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Based On Intratumoral Interstitial Fluid Pressure Using 3-D Subharmonic-Aided Pressure Estimation, Sung In Choi, Basak Dogan, Corinne E. Wessner, Jessica H. Porembka, Priscilla Machado, B. Bersu Ozcan, Nisha Unni, Maysa Abu-Khalaf, Kenneth Hoyt, Flemming Forsberg, Kibo Nam

Department of Radiology Faculty Papers

Elevated intratumoral interstitial fluid pressure (IFP) may negatively impact the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). This study aimed to predict the breast cancer response to NAC based on intratumoral IFP using 3D contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) with subharmonic-aided pressure estimation (SHAPE). This prospective study enrolled breast cancer patients undergoing NAC from two clinical sites. 3D CEUS was performed at 0%, 10%, and 30% of NAC completion using a GE Logiq E9 with Definity. The pressure gradients between the tumor and adjacent normal tissue were estimated by SHAPE, utilizing the inverse linear relationship between the ultrasound contrast agent’s subharmonic signal amplitude and …

Growing South Dakota (Fall 2026), College Of Agriculture, Food And, Environmental Sciences

Growing South Dakota (Publication of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences)

[Page] 2 Support from donors helping set SDSU dairy graduates above the rest
[Page] 4 A decade of impact: Celebrating 10 years of cow-calf, swine education and research facilitates
[Page] 8 98-year-old donor keeps decades-long scholarship going in honor of late husband
[Page] 11 Looking back at Michele Dudash's tenure in academia
[Page] 12Giving students opportunities, experience to build their futures
[Page] 16 A Jackrabbit's journey in growing agricultural leadership
[Page] 18 Building South Dakota's next generation of rural veterinarians
[Page] 19 Conservation: A family affair
[Page] 20 South Dakota Water Resources Institute finds solutions to South Dakota's water challenges …

Incorporating High-Quality Simulations Into The Undergraduate Health Management Curriculum: A Pragmatic Approach For Learner Engagement, Noemí Rodríguez, Laura M. Penalo

Publications and Research

Despite the well-documented benefits of simulation-based education, their use remains limited in undergraduate health management programs. Faculty might be unfamiliar with the processes required to design and implement high-quality simulations. This article presents a structured methodology—grounded in Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice and The Jeffries Simulation Theory—through the experience of an undergraduate healthcare policy and management course at a large urban public university. This article focuses on describing the multilayered Online Standardized Participant Simulation including a detailed description of the simulation design, prebriefing, online standardized participant scenario, and debriefing. A unique feature of the shared simulation experience is the …

Unveiling Functional-Metabolic Synergy In The Healthy Brain: Multivariate Integration Of Dynamic [18f]Fdg-Pet And Resting-State Fmri, Claudia Tarricone, Giulia Vallini, Giorgia Baron, Massimiliano Facca, Erica Silvestri, Tommaso Volpi, Andrei G Vlassenko, Manu S Goyal, Alessandra Bertoldo

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Despite accounting for only 2% of body weight, the human brain requires significant amounts of glucose, even at rest, underscoring the importance of functional-metabolic relationships. Previous studies revealed moderate associations between resting-state fMRI functional connectivity (FC) and local metabolism via [

A Rare Recurring Gain-Of-Function Variant In Bmpr2 Causes Neurodevelopmental Phenotypes In Humans And Flies, Jung-Wan Mok, Carrie L Welch, Haley A Dostalik, Zhi Tan, Ariel Brautbar, Maria Descartes, Erica T Gray, Alejandro Iglesias, Scott D Mclean, Morgan Nutter, Olivia Daugherty, Amber Begtrup, Ingrid M Wentzensen, Yufeng Shen, Damian W Young, Martin M Matzuk, Oguz Kanca, Michael F Wangler, Hugo J Bellen, Wendy K Chung, Shinya Yamamoto

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Bone morphogenetic protein receptor type 2 (BMPR2) encodes an evolutionarily conserved serine/threonine kinase that phosphorylates type-1 BMP receptors to mediate intercellular communication upon ligand binding. Loss-of-function variants in BMPR2 are known to cause pulmonary arterial hypertension and other cardiovascular disorders. Here, we report a rare recurrent missense variant in BMPR2 (c.1126G>A [GenBank: NM_001204] [p.Glu376Lys]) identified in six individuals, who all present with neurodevelopmental phenotypes including autism spectrum disorder and global developmental delay. Trio analysis demonstrates de novo occurrence of this variant in at least five of the individuals. Using the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, we show that this variant …

A Unified Pipeline For Network-Based Gene Pattern Discovery, Siddhartha Reddy Pullannagari, Sharlee Climer

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Large-scale genetic datasets from diverse diseases, including cancer and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, provide unprecedented opportunities to study disease pathogenesis and generate hypotheses for drug discovery. However, identifying meaningful genetic interaction patterns within these datasets remains challenging due to combinatorial relationships amongst genes and heterogeneous biological underpinnings across subtypes. This project systematically analyzes a diverse collection of omics datasets (e.g., GSE44076, GSE97810, GSE127711, GSE112679) obtained from the NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), spanning multiple biological conditions and data types. We use a unified computational pipeline designed to handle variation in dataset size, structure, and context. The steps in …

Bacterial Biomass As A Versatile Platform For Functional Materials: Structural Insights And Sustainable Applications, Hasan M. Agha

AUIQ Complementary Biological System

Bacterial biomass has emerged as a versatile material with strong potential in environmental, material, and biotechnological applications, as well as broader uses such as bioplastics, packaging materials, and agricultural systems, owing to its rapid growth, controllable production, and surface chemistry enriched with carboxyl, hydroxyl, amino, phosphate, sulfate, and sulfhydryl groups. These features enable multiple interaction mechanisms, including electrostatic attraction, ion exchange, surface complexation, hydrogen bonding, and π –π interactions, supporting applications in pollutant removal, wastewater treatment, composite development, and bioenergy systems. Bacterial biomass can be sourced from natural environments, industrial fermentation, and waste streams, particularly activated sludge, making it compatible …

Building Health Resilience Against The Threat Of “Jakarta Sinking”: A Scoping Review, Risky Kusuma Hartono, Dewi Shinta

Journal of Indonesian Health Policy and Administration

In Jakarta, land subsidence amplifies flood risks—often described as the city “sinking”—which increases exposure to waterborne and vector-borne diseases, disrupts essential health services, and undermines health system resilience. This review examines how subsidence-induced flood amplification impacts health and its implications for system resilience. This study employs a literature review approach that combines narrative synthesis with scoping-oriented evidence mapping. Peer-reviewed articles in English or Indonesian (2015–2025) were searched across PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and Portal Garuda using the following terms: flooding, Jakarta land subsidence, health impacts, and health system resilience. Data on hazards, populations, health outcomes, and resilience functions were …

A Spatiotemporal Study Of Environmentally Associated Pulmonary Diseases In Georgia, Jason Raymond Baum

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Exposures to particulate dust matter (PM10 and smaller) from aggregate comminution facilities (ACF) can lead to the onset of environmentally associated pulmonary diseases (EAPDs); acute and chronic asthma (Type I allergic hypersensitivity reaction), chronic pulmonary disease, interstitial lung disease (ILD), and lung cancer. In this environmental epidemiological research study, three primary spatial and spatiotemporal research questions related to nonoccupational exposures from 118 facilities across Georgia were evaluated. Secondary data analysis was conducted from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) 2018–2023 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and the Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Metropolitan Divisions to …

Biosensor Development In East Africa: A Systematic Review Of Technologies, Applications, Challenges, And Future Directions, Ally Mahadhy

Tanzania Journal of Science

Biosensors integrate biological recognition elements with signal transduction systems to generate quantitative or semi-quantitative analytical information and have applications across healthcare, food safety, agriculture, environmental monitoring, and wildlife health. Despite substantial global advances, biosensor development in East Africa remains poorly characterized. This systematic review, conducted according to PRISMA 2020 guidelines, evaluated published evidence from 1995 to 2025 within a predefined East African Community geographical scope. Eligibility was based on IUPAC-aligned operational criteria requiring an integrated biological recognition element, transduction mechanism, and quantitative or semi-quantitative signal output. Three locally developed biosensors met the criteria: an electrochemical nano-biosensor for schistosomiasis diagnosis in …

Agentic Ai For Clinical Outcomes Research, Population Health Management Analyses With Large Administrative Databases, And Generating Epidemiological Estimates Of Diseases: Feasibility And Validation Study, Daniel Frisch, Michael Fronstin, Carla Zema

Division of Cardiology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: There is tremendous enthusiasm for the use of AI in health care because of the ability to analyze existing data for preventative, diagnostic, and treatment support. Agentic AI can feasibly provide access to large real-world datasets for the generation of real-world evidence for health care and clinical applications to health care providers, researchers, and administrators without access to large analytic programming resources.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to understand the feasibility of using agentic AI for clinical outcome research and population health management. Specifically, this study used an agentic AI evidence-generation platform to obtain epidemiological estimates of …

Psychosocial And Demographic Determinants Of Work Stress Among Lecturers At University X, Natasha Putri Ayu Kayla, Fajaria Nurcandra, Dr. Dyah Utari, Nayla K. Fithri, Siti Norashikin Mohamad Shaifuddin

Jurnal Epidemiologi Kesehatan Indonesia

Occupational stress is a psychological pressure related to work conditions. Psychosocial and demographic determinants may be the influence. Lecturers are white collar workers who have the opportunity to experience occupational stress. The aim of this study is to determine the factors that influence occupational stress among lecturers in X University. This research is a quantitative study with a cross-sectional study design. The sampling technique used is Accidental Sampling. The number of samples used was 132 respondents. The study was conducted in April-June 2024. The Cox Regression Model was used to analyze. The instruments used were The Workplace Stress Scale, Multidimensional …

Elite Esports Players And Their Physical Health: A Systematic Review Of Injuries, Musculoskeletal Pain, And Fitness-Related Factors, Michal Steffl, Daniel Opelik, Vladimir Hlinka, Grzegorz Mikrut, Petra Hospodkova

Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity

Background: The rapid rise of competitive esports has sparked concerns over the physical health of elite players. Prolonged sedentary behaviour, repetitive movements, and poor ergonomic practices may predispose these athletes to injuries, musculoskeletal pain, and unfavourable body composition. Materials and methods: A systematic review following PRISMA guidelines was conducted by searching Pub-Med, Scopus, EBSCOhost, and Web of Science for cross-sectional studies on physical activity (PA), body composition, physical fitness, and musculoskeletal health in elite esports players. Data from 22 peer-reviewed studies involving 5,035 participants aged 16 to 35 were synthesized. Results: Findings consistently show that esports players engage in lower …

Beyond Electromyography: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis Of Ai Enabled Wearables For Neuromuscular Assessment In Sports Medicine And Rehabilitation, Dariusz T. Skalski, Michał Spieszny, Łukasz Jaworski, Marcin Żak, Artur Terbalyan, Marlena Stawiarska, Wirginia Likus, Adam Maszczyk

Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity

Background: Conventional laboratory based EMG systems constrain neuromuscular assessment to controlled environments, limiting ecological validity in sport and rehabilitation. While AI enabled wearable sensor systems, including surface EMG (sEMG), high density EMG (HD-EMG), inertial measurement units (IMUs), and multimodal configurations, have expanded ambulatory monitoring capabilities, no prior meta-analysis has quantitatively synthesized their agreement with laboratory grade comparators or examined the moderating roles of sensor class and task domain. Objective: To determine the overall agreement between AI enabled wearable neuromuscular systems and laboratory benchmarks; to examine sensor class and task domain as moderators of measurement fidelity; to evaluate multimodal gain over …

Quality Improvement Project: Telehealth Follow-Up After Psychiatric Hospital Discharge, Ikemi Echeng

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

The period following psychiatric hospitalization is a high-risk transition during which inconsistent communication, delayed follow-up, and poorly coordinated referrals can create gaps in continuity of care. This quality improvement project addressed inconsistent post-discharge follow-up processes in a community outpatient mental health clinic. The purpose was to implement staff education and a structured workflow incorporating the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Discharge Phone Call Tool to improve staff confidence, telehealth follow-up, and referral coordination over eight weeks. A quantitative, quasi-experimental, one-group pre- and post-intervention design was used. Staff confidence was measured with Grundy’s C-Scale, and telehealth follow-up and referral activities …

Chacahoula 2026, Volume 93, Pawan Khatri, Alayna Pellegrin

Chacahoula

The 2026 issue of Chacahoula, There's No Place Like Home, emphasizes the way in which our university becomes a home to students.  Featuring prize-winning poetry from Allyson Gee, Nick Fredrick, Amaris Kendall and Anmol Subedi, the book includes December 2025 and May 2026 graduating classes, as well as stunning photography of  campus life on the banks of Bayou Desiard. With features covering students, faculty, and staff, this year's time capsule preserves an academic year in the life of the University of Louisiana at Monroe. This edition includes a video message from President Carrie Castille. Download the PDF to your device …

Development Of An Indirect Elisa Kit For Measurement Of Circulating Thyroid Peroxidase Levels In Patients With Hypothyroidism, Aulanni’Am Aulanni’Am, Devi Ramadani, Almas Dwi Khairana, Saidun Fiddaroini, Muhammad Fikri Nur, Andreas Budi Wijaya, Rulli Rosandi, Dyah Kinasih Wuragil, Wibi Riawan

Makara Journal of Science

Hypothyroidism, characterized by insufficient thyroid hormone production, affects approximately 5% of the population, especially women, thus increasing pregnancy-related risks. Conventional screening mainly measures thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and free thyroxine (FT4). Detecting the presence of anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO) antibodies indi-cates autoimmune thyroid disease. This study developed an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit for detecting circulating TPO using polyclonal antibodies generated in rabbits. TPO was isolated from positive sera of pa-tients with hypothyroidism, purified by electroelution, and confirmed as a 52-kDa protein by Western blot. Rabbits immunized with this protein produced polyclonal antibodies with the highest titer (OD = 0.334) at …

Nuclear Neuroimaging Approaches To Traumatic Brain Injury: Current Insights And Future Directions, Shivani Daksh, Anupriya Adhikari, Nikhil Kumar, Garima Mann, Anupama Datta

Makara Journal of Science

The aftermath of a traumatic brain injury is characterized by a state of disruption, progressing into secondary injury and culminating in a complex network of interconnected pathophysiological disturbances.  The potential risk of developing neurological disorders after TBI highlights the pressing need to enhance our understanding and develop therapeutic in-terventions to alleviate its devastating consequences. Traumatic brain injury can lead to a range of problems, including pain, swelling, axonal degeneration, and chronic amnestic and non-amnestic cognitive impairments. The first and essential step in the management of TBI is to identify and characterize the clinical symptoms. This systematic review outlines the established …

Network Pharmacology Of A Decaffeinated Green Coffee–Turmeric Combination: Potential Therapeutic Activity Against Hypertension And Diabetes Mellitus, Feri Eko Hermanto, Mohammad Saifur Rohman, Victor Alvianoes Guterez Hose, Mifetika Lukitasari, Dwi Adi Nugroho, Nashi Widodo, Inggita Kusumastuty

Makara Journal of Science

Decaffeinated green coffee and turmeric are recognized for their protective effects against hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus (DM). Combining them into a functional drink, green coffee and turmeric (GCT), offers potential health benefits for managing these conditions. This study explored the bioactivity of GCT in HTN and DM through network biology, identifying intersecting protein targets and their roles in inflammation and glucose metabolism. Key proteins identified were AKT1, CCL2, CXCL8, IL-1β, and IL18. Molecular docking revealed that GCT compounds, particularly Cafestol, Chlorogenic Acid, Kahweol, Curcumin, and Desmethoxycurcumin, interacted strongly with AKT1 at its allosteric site, potentially inhibiting its activity. However, …

Beyond Revascularization: Is Tibial Transverse Transport The Next Frontier In Diabetic Limb Salvage?, Karishma A. Sebastian, Nidhin John

School of Podiatric Medicine - Student Research

Poster Category:  Non-sponsored.

Level of Evidence: Level III

Introduction: Diabetic foot ulceration remains a major cause of lower-extremity amputation despite multidisciplinary wound care, debridement, infection control, offloading, and revascularization. Tibial transverse transport (TTT), based on the Ilizarov tension-stress principle, uses controlled transverse distraction of tibial cortex to promote angiogenesis and distal microcirculation in severe or recalcitrant diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs).

Aim: To systematically evaluate whether TTT improves wound healing, distal perfusion, ulcer recurrence, and limb salvage in severe or recalcitrant DFUs and define its potential role as an adjunctive salvage intervention.

Methods: A PRISMA-guided review of peer-reviewed literature through August …

Efficient Database Translation, Sonya Fogg, Tracy Ashby

Library Class: Lunch & Learn

Understand the concept and utility of database translation. Identify key differences in indexing and syntax across major biomedical databases. Apply practical strategies for translating search strategies between databases.

Effectiveness Of Pancreatic Cancer Screening In High-Risk Elderly Individuals In Florida, Adeleke A. Aromolaran

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Routine preventive care supports early identification and management of health conditions among adults at high risk for pancreatic cancer. Evidence is limited regarding socioeconomic and health care access factors associated with engagement in routine preventive care among Florida adults aged 65 years and older at high risk for pancreatic cancer. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional correlational study was to examine these associations among this population. The health belief model served as the theoretical framework. Secondary data from the 2022 Florida Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System were analyzed for N = 4,032 participants using two multivariable binary logistic regression models …

Relationship Between High-Risk Cytogenetic Abnormalities And Tent5 Mutations And Disease Outcomes Of Multiple Myeloma Patients, Erica Lea Richardson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Multiple myeloma (MM) patients have the lowest 5-year cancer survival rates due, in part, to the time it takes for symptoms to develop and the presence of one to four high-risk cytogenetic abnormalities (HRCA). The Terminal Nucleotidyltransferases 5 (TENT5) subfamily, which regulates myeloma cell migration and tumorigenesis, may also increase the risk for developing MM and impact survival rates. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between the number of HRCA and TENT5 mutation hits with disease outcomes in MM patients while controlling for the stage of the disease (i.e., I, II, or III) at diagnosis. The …

Quality Improvement Project: Electronic Consent's Influence On Consent Error Rates, Alexis Fogle

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Surgical consent errors increase the risk of inaccurate documentation, compromise patient safety, and disrupt procedure times. Evidence indicates that adopting electronic consent can optimize workflow, support accurate and complete documentation, improve readability, and enhance record reliability. This project evaluated whether initiating electronic consent, compared with handwriting surgical consent forms, reduced the number of improper surgical consent forms completed over six weeks. Roy’s Adaptation Model guided the change process, and the Theory of the Person as an Adaptation System provided the theoretical basis. The Plan-Do-Study-Act model supported evidence-based implementation of the electronic consent intervention. The quality improvement project was conducted on …

Average Performance And Performance Variability On A Brief Functional Fine Motor Test Reflect Distinct Behavioral Constructs In Aging, Chung-Fu Sun, Kyle B. Tomlin, Jennapher Lingo Vangilder, Andrew Hooyman, Alexandra M. Reed, Jessica L. Trevino, Sydney Y. Schaefer

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Prior work in older adults has developed a brief functional fine motor test, which involves repeated timed trials of an upper-limb task. Performance has been associated with global and domain-specific neuropsychological tests as well as putative markers of Alzheimer’s disease when scored using variability in trial time; however, the extent to which task performance depends on motor ability has not been established nor quantified. This retrospective study examined whether mean trial time and trial time variability (measured as intrasubject standard deviation in trial time) were differentially associated with standard assessments of motor and cognitive function. Forty-eight older adults with no …

Construction And Application Of Clinical Evidence Framework For Brain-Computer Interface, Wenxiu Qi, Cheng Zhou

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Brain-computer interface systems are emerging neurotechnologies that are gradually moving from laboratory research toward clinical application. However, their inherent features, including small sample sizes, heterogeneous technical pathways, and rapid product iteration, make it difficult to integrate safety and efficacy data across studies or to conduct meaningful cross-study comparisons. These challenges not only hinder the cumulative development of evidence in evidence-based medicine, but also complicate the assessment of clinical access and regulatory review. In addition, subjective evidence, such as patient experience, remains insufficiently captured in existing evaluation frameworks. It is therefore necessary to examine the structure of evidence for brain-computer interface …

Impact Of Sexual Orientation On Syphilis Diagnosis Among African American Men In Colorado, Emmanuel Bhatti

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Syphilis remains an ongoing public health concern among African American men. Elevated rates during the COVID-19 pandemic further underscored the need for focused attention on this population. The risk factors driving syphilis diagnosis among African American men during a pandemic like COVID-19 remain poorly understood. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to examine the association between sexual orientation and syphilis diagnosis among African American men in Colorado. Social cognitive theory was applied to understand the interaction among sexual orientation, HIV status, age, and syphilis diagnosis. Sexual orientation categories include men who have sex with men (MSM), men who …

Progress, Poetry, And Peace: Romantic Ideals And The Present Day, Kristen Dawn Morgan Hess

Masters Theses

In the busy, technologized, and mechanized life that most people live today, it can be difficult to find true rest, comfort, and peace because the very technology and machinery that is marketed as providing these 21st-century amenities often fall short in their delivery. Taking a look backward at the Romantic era ideals presented in the poetry of William Wordsworth can offer people today the chance to gradually improve their mental, physical, and emotional health by slowing down, minimalizing, and moderating their lifestyles. This thesis talks about the historical background of three of Wordsworth’s poems— “Lines Written in Early Spring,” “The …

Degree Assortativity And Estimation Of Degree Distribution In A Contact Network Of People Who Inject Drugs, Peter Geissert

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation analyzes data from a respondent driven sampling (RDS) study of people who inject drugs in Portland, OR.  The objective was to assess assumptions for the use of weighted estimators to estimate a population physical contact (syringe sharing) network degree distribution.

Visualization of degree distribution for social and physical networks, Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests of difference, and kernel tests of equivalence were used for comparison of distributions. Spearman's rho and GAM non-parametric regression models were used to test for association and assess non-monotonic relationship. The validity of Markov chain assumptions for RDS was assessed using a transition matrix, Markov chain graphs, …