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Sustained Increase In Extracellular Atp In The Lung Induced By Chronic Inhalation Exposure To Nitrogen Dioxide, Nai Ju Chan, Yueh Yin Chen, Chun Chun Hsu, You Shuei Lin, Maxwell Zakeri, Mehdi Khosravi, Lu Yuan Lee Jan 2026

Sustained Increase In Extracellular Atp In The Lung Induced By Chronic Inhalation Exposure To Nitrogen Dioxide, Nai Ju Chan, Yueh Yin Chen, Chun Chun Hsu, You Shuei Lin, Maxwell Zakeri, Mehdi Khosravi, Lu Yuan Lee

Physiology Faculty Publications

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is an environmental air pollutant and a potent oxidant. Epidemiological studies have revealed a close association between chronic cough and long-term inhalation exposure to NO2. ATP can be released from airway/lung epithelial cells upon inhalation exposure to oxidants, and convincing evidence established in recent clinical studies indicated that extracellular ATP in the respiratory tract plays an important role in the pathogenesis of refractory chronic cough. However, whether inhalation exposure to NO2 elevates the ATP release in the lung is not yet known. Results of this study showed: 1) in awake rats, acute …


Single-Molecule Mechanostructural Fingerprinting Of Nucleic Acid Conformations, Prakash Shrestha, Hans T. Bergal, William M. Shih, Wesley P. Wong Jan 2026

Single-Molecule Mechanostructural Fingerprinting Of Nucleic Acid Conformations, Prakash Shrestha, Hans T. Bergal, William M. Shih, Wesley P. Wong

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Understanding the three-dimensional structure and mechanical response of biomolecules is key to uncovering their molecular mechanisms, particularly in contexts where force plays a regulatory role. Structural methods such as X-ray crystallography, Cryo-electron microscopy, and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy provide high-resolution conformational data, while single-molecule force spectroscopy reveals mechanical properties—but these approaches are rarely integrated. A more comprehensive understanding of structure-function relationships, including nonequilibrium conformations and transitions under force, calls for methods capable of simultaneously resolving structural and mechanical properties at the single-molecule level. To meet this need, we present a DNA nanoswitch calipers platform capable of both measuring multiple …


Impact Of Grain Size On Low-Temperature Carrier Phase Coherence Length In Polycrystalline Halide Perovskite Films, Aungkan Sen, Liam J. Scanlon, Axel Melchor Gaona Carranza, Jose L. Mendoza-Cortes, Johannes Pollanen, Richard R. Lunt, William J. Gannon Jan 2026

Impact Of Grain Size On Low-Temperature Carrier Phase Coherence Length In Polycrystalline Halide Perovskite Films, Aungkan Sen, Liam J. Scanlon, Axel Melchor Gaona Carranza, Jose L. Mendoza-Cortes, Johannes Pollanen, Richard R. Lunt, William J. Gannon

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Halide perovskites are now being studied for a full range of optoelectronic devices due to their excellent electronic and optical properties. This work explores the impact of grain boundaries on low-temperature carrier transport in polycrystalline cesium tin iodide (CsSnI3) within the quantum diffusive transport regime, comparing a range of polycrystalline samples with varying grain sizes with epitaxial counterparts. Low-temperature magnetoresistance measurements reveal the presence of weak anti-localization (spin-orbit effects) with a shorter coherence length (Lϕ) than the epitaxial films. Surprisingly, Lϕ is not found to be impacted by grain size, despite being nearly an order …


Study Of Clustering Technique And Communication Topologies For Cooperative Control-Based Volt-Var Optimization, Gaurav Yadav, Yuan Liao, Dan M. Ionel Jan 2026

Study Of Clustering Technique And Communication Topologies For Cooperative Control-Based Volt-Var Optimization, Gaurav Yadav, Yuan Liao, Dan M. Ionel

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Introducing renewable distributed generation (DG) in the power distribution system causes rapid voltage fluctuations due to its intermittency. This intermittency renders conventional voltage regulation devices such as on-load tap changers (OLTCs) and capacitor banks (CBs) inefficient to regulate rapid voltage changes and leads to reduced equipment lifetime and high operation and maintenance costs. Hence, this calls for non-conventional methods to mitigate such voltage fluctuations. This paper presents a cooperative control-based method aimed to optimally control the reactive power of DG inverters to mitigate the voltage deviations by establishing communication among the DG nodes, and between DG and non-DG nodes. This …


Electromagnetic Formation Flying Using Alternating Magnetic Field Forces And Control Barrier Functions For State And Input Constraints, Sumit Suryakant Kamat, Thomas Michael Seigler, Jesse B. Hoagg Jan 2026

Electromagnetic Formation Flying Using Alternating Magnetic Field Forces And Control Barrier Functions For State And Input Constraints, Sumit Suryakant Kamat, Thomas Michael Seigler, Jesse B. Hoagg

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

This article presents a feedback control algorithm for electromagnetic formation flying with constraints on the satellites’ states and control inputs. The algorithm combines several key techniques. First, we use alternating magnetic field forces to decouple the electromagnetic forces between each pair of satellites in the formation. Each satellite’s electromagnetic actuation system is driven by a sum of amplitude-modulated sinusoids, where amplitudes are controlled in order to prescribe the time-averaged force between each pair of satellites. Next, the desired time-averaged force is computed from an optimal control that satisfies state constraints (i.e., no collisions and an upper limit on intersatellite speeds) …


Heat Input Control And Deep Learning-Based Indirect Measure Of Process And Deposition Stability In Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing, Alessandra Caggiano, Giulio Mattera, Yuming Zhang, Roberto Teti Jan 2026

Heat Input Control And Deep Learning-Based Indirect Measure Of Process And Deposition Stability In Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing, Alessandra Caggiano, Giulio Mattera, Yuming Zhang, Roberto Teti

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

A process qualification-oriented data-driven framework for Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) integrating qualification data, process monitoring and feedback control, is presented. A proportional control strategy regulating heat input by varying the Contact Tip–to–Workpiece Distance (CTWD) is developed to enhance process stability, ensure consistent layer geometry and maintain the qualified heat-input conditions for process qualification. To assess the control strategy stability, deep learning-based CTWD soft sensing from high-frequency welding signals is combined with an uncertainty-aware process quality index. The framework is validated on Invar 36 alloy, but it supports extension to other alloys and arc welding-based additive processes.


Deep Learning-Based Quantification Of Tall Fescue Abundance In Pastures, Rose E. Binkley, Samuel R. Revolinski, Echo Elizabeth Gotsick, Ray Smith, Zeya Wang, Katsutoshi Mizuta Jan 2026

Deep Learning-Based Quantification Of Tall Fescue Abundance In Pastures, Rose E. Binkley, Samuel R. Revolinski, Echo Elizabeth Gotsick, Ray Smith, Zeya Wang, Katsutoshi Mizuta

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Accurate and rapid measurement of tall fescue abundance is essential for efficient forage management and mitigating livestock exposure to potential endophyte-related toxicity. Traditional visual estimation methods are labor-intensive and are subject to change depending on the observer doing the calculations, which limits their scalability and consistency. This study explores the application of deep learning techniques to automate and improve the classification of tall fescue abundance across pasture systems in Kentucky. Ground-truth abundance classes were evaluated using one of the traditional methods with occupancy grid and compared against estimates derived from red-green-blue images. Two convolutional neural network architectures, YouOnlyLookOnce (YOLO) and …


Investigation Of Genx Exposure To Pathways Associated With Colorectal Cancer Risk, Emily J. Ferguson Jan 2026

Investigation Of Genx Exposure To Pathways Associated With Colorectal Cancer Risk, Emily J. Ferguson

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent environmental contaminants widely detected in drinking water and food sources, resulting in chronic human exposure. Among these compounds, hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA), commonly known as GenX, has been introduced as a short-chain replacement for legacy PFAS such as perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). Although GenX is believed to be a safer alternative, emerging research suggests it can still affect human health.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States, highlighting the need to better understand environmental …


Uncovering The Mechanism Of Reep2-Mediated Emt-Driven Membrane Trafficking In Lung Adenocarcinoma, Kevin Fulp Jan 2026

Uncovering The Mechanism Of Reep2-Mediated Emt-Driven Membrane Trafficking In Lung Adenocarcinoma, Kevin Fulp

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

Membrane trafficking is frequently disrupted during cancer progression, and the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Currently, no effective drugs target dysregulated membrane trafficking for cancer treatment. Recent evidence has demonstrated that epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) employs a membrane trafficking program to coordinate cancer cell invasion and immunosuppression. To further dissect the pro-tumorigenic membrane trafficking program, we initiated an in vivo CRISPRi screen to assess more than 2,000 membrane trafficking-related genes in a syngeneic mouse LUAD model. We identified REEP2, an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) shaping protein, as a novel regulator of EMT-driven membrane trafficking. High REEP2 expression is …


Reep2-Driven Pro-Metastatic Secretion Promotes Lung Cancer Progression, Oluwafunminiyi E. Obaleye Jan 2026

Reep2-Driven Pro-Metastatic Secretion Promotes Lung Cancer Progression, Oluwafunminiyi E. Obaleye

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

Membrane trafficking plays a critical role in cellular function and is frequently dysregulated in cancer to promote metastasis. In lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) activating transcription factor, ZEB1, drives a pro-metastatic membrane trafficking program; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Using a CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) in vivo screen of 2,099 membrane trafficking regulators in a syngeneic mouse model of EMT-driven LUAD, we identified REEP2 — an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) shaping protein — as a critical regulator of tumor progression. REEP2 mRNA expression correlates with poor prognosis, EMT signatures, and an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment in LUAD patients. …


Forage News [2026-01], University Of Kentucky Jan 2026

Forage News [2026-01], University Of Kentucky

Forage News

No abstract provided.


Twenty-First Century Data Systems: Evolving Cancer Registries To A Learning Health System, Peter P. Yu, W. Scott Campbell, Eric B. Durbin, Lawrence N. Shulman, Jeremy L. Warner Jan 2026

Twenty-First Century Data Systems: Evolving Cancer Registries To A Learning Health System, Peter P. Yu, W. Scott Campbell, Eric B. Durbin, Lawrence N. Shulman, Jeremy L. Warner

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Introduction: Oncology is a data-rich environment reflecting the increasing incidence of cancer in the US aging population, transformation of cancer into a chronic disease due to advances in treatment, and the emergence of new data categories such as genomics. Concomitantly, healthcare systems are challenged to meet regulatory and voluntary reporting of cancer data to support government, quality certification, research and strategic partnership needs.

Materials and Methods: The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine organized a workshop entitled “Enabling 21st-century applications for cancer surveillance through enhanced registries and beyond” with representation from NCI Comprehensive Cancer Centers, oncology and medical informatics …


Cross-Linking Peg Microgels With Mesoporous Organosilica Nanoparticles To Engineer Microporous Annealed Particle Scaffold Properties, Jonathan M. Zuidema, Alessandro Ajo, Marco Carofiglio, Luisa De Cola Jan 2026

Cross-Linking Peg Microgels With Mesoporous Organosilica Nanoparticles To Engineer Microporous Annealed Particle Scaffold Properties, Jonathan M. Zuidema, Alessandro Ajo, Marco Carofiglio, Luisa De Cola

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Microporous annealed particle (MAP) scaffolds composed of cross-linked microgels are emerging as important biomaterials due to their modular design, high porosity, and large surface area, which allow for highly tailored properties, cellular infiltration, nutrient and waste exchange, and improved drug release characteristics. To further expand on these technologies and enhance their modular design, thiolated mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles (ssMSN-SH), which degrade in response to glutathione, were first cross-linked inside of 4-arm poly(ethylene glycol) maleimide microgels. The microgel size, rheological properties, and payload release characteristics were determined. Hierarchical MAP scaffolds were then created by cross-linking 4-arm poly(ethylene glycol) maleimide microgels with ssMSN-SH. …


Knowledge Based Automated Planning For Non-Coplanar Vmat Stereotactic Radiosurgery In Ocular Malignancies, Chase Cochran, Shane Mccarthy, William St. Clair, Damodar Pokhrel Jan 2026

Knowledge Based Automated Planning For Non-Coplanar Vmat Stereotactic Radiosurgery In Ocular Malignancies, Chase Cochran, Shane Mccarthy, William St. Clair, Damodar Pokhrel

Radiation Medicine Faculty Publications

Background and Purpose: Stereotactic radiosurgery/radiotherapy (SRS/SRT) has emerged as a less invasive alternative to enucleation in the management of ocular malignancies. SRS/SRT planning is time-consuming, complex, and the plan quality depends on the experience of the treatment planner. We demonstrate the use of RapidPlan modeling in conjunction with HyperArc for the treatment of ocular diseases to improve planning efficiency, consistency, and quality.

Materials and Methods: A HyperArc-based RapidPlan (HARP) model was iteratively trained on 80 patient datasets that simulated ocular malignancies. Twenty additional patient datasets were reserved for model testing and comparison with manual plans. Each testing dataset was both …


Designing Theranostic Radiopharmaceutical Trials For Uterine Cervix Cancer, Denise Fabian, Molly E. Buffington, Brianna S. Cagle, Steve M. Keefe, Michael K. Schultz, Charles A. Kunos Jan 2026

Designing Theranostic Radiopharmaceutical Trials For Uterine Cervix Cancer, Denise Fabian, Molly E. Buffington, Brianna S. Cagle, Steve M. Keefe, Michael K. Schultz, Charles A. Kunos

Radiation Medicine Faculty Publications

Designing and interpreting early phase trials of theranostic radiopharmaceuticals remains challenging because it is difficult to isolate effective levels of activity in enriched patient populations that would be worth following up in later-phase development. This study explores the known challenges and emerging opportunities for clinical research on patients with uterine cervical cancer. We identified eight randomized combination trials for advanced-stage uterine cervix cancer that were activated between 2011 and 2022 and tabulated their results to determine whether combinations were better than individual constituents and which suitable study population is best situated for the study of a new theranostic agent. In …


Artificial Intelligence Methods For Circadian Rhythm Recovery And Disease Identification From High-Dimensional Omics Data, Aram Ansary Ogholbake Jan 2026

Artificial Intelligence Methods For Circadian Rhythm Recovery And Disease Identification From High-Dimensional Omics Data, Aram Ansary Ogholbake

Theses and Dissertations--Computer Science

High-throughput transcriptomic and proteomic technologies have enabled opportunities for studying biological processes and disease mechanisms. However, extracting meaningful biological information from these high-dimensional datasets remains challenging due to limited sample sizes, biological heterogeneity, measurement noise, and the absence of biological annotations. In particular, many molecular datasets lack temporal information required for circadian analysis, making the study of circadian rhythms difficult. Moreover, disease diagnosis and biomarker discovery from transcriptomic data often rely on complex machine learning models whose predictions are difficult to interpret and may not generalize well across independent datasets and experimental platforms. These limitations motivate the development of artificial …


Glial Cytokine Modulation Improves Sleep And Circadian Disruption In Female Saa Knock-In Mice Of Alzheimer’S-Related Pathology, Teresa Macheda, Margaret R. Hawkins, Carrie E. Johnson, Madison G. Lapid, Haleigh R. Whitlock, Savannah M. Shepard, Makayla F. Cox, Kelly N. Roberts, Leke Bytyqi, Heather M. Hash, Omar A. Abou El-Ezz, Mohammed Abou El-Ezz, Katharina Kohler, Sridhar Sunderam, Bruce F. O'Hara, Linda J. Van Eldik, Michael Paul Murphy, Marilyn J. Duncan, Adam D. Bachstetter Jan 2026

Glial Cytokine Modulation Improves Sleep And Circadian Disruption In Female Saa Knock-In Mice Of Alzheimer’S-Related Pathology, Teresa Macheda, Margaret R. Hawkins, Carrie E. Johnson, Madison G. Lapid, Haleigh R. Whitlock, Savannah M. Shepard, Makayla F. Cox, Kelly N. Roberts, Leke Bytyqi, Heather M. Hash, Omar A. Abou El-Ezz, Mohammed Abou El-Ezz, Katharina Kohler, Sridhar Sunderam, Bruce F. O'Hara, Linda J. Van Eldik, Michael Paul Murphy, Marilyn J. Duncan, Adam D. Bachstetter

Neuroscience Faculty Publications

Introduction: Sleep and circadian disturbances are early Alzheimer's disease (AD) features, yet mechanisms linking amyloid pathology, neuroinflammation, and sex differences remain unclear.

Methods: We longitudinally assessed sleep, circadian rhythms, and cognition in female and male hAPPSAA knock-in and control mice from 2 to 19 months using piezoelectric monitoring. Aged mice (15 months) received MW151, a glial cytokine inhibitor (2.5 mg/kg, every other day, 6 weeks).

Results: Only females exhibited midlife reductions in light-phase sleep, increased rhythm fragmentation, and reduced rhythm stability, coinciding with selective reversal learning deficits, effects independent of amyloid or cytokine burden. MW151 increased light-phase sleep and …


Goal-Driven Shared Control In Eeg-Based Brain Machine Interface For Freewill Reaching And Grasping With Movement Intention Detection And Goal Position Decoding, Bhoj Raj Thapa Jan 2026

Goal-Driven Shared Control In Eeg-Based Brain Machine Interface For Freewill Reaching And Grasping With Movement Intention Detection And Goal Position Decoding, Bhoj Raj Thapa

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

Upper limb motor impairments can severely limit a person’s ability to perform everyday reaching and grasping tasks. Electroencephalogram (EEG)-based brain machine interfaces (BMIs) offer a non-invasive approach for translating neural activity into control signals for assistive devices such as robotic arms. However, traditional EEG-based BMI studies have generally focused on externally cued paradigms, where both movement timing and target selection are specified by the experimenter rather than freely chosen by the user. In addition, shared control offers a practical framework for assistive BMI operation by dividing responsibility between the user and the intelligent robotic system. However, in many EEG-based shared …


Bio-Based Oxalic Acid Production In Issatchenkia Orientalis Enables Sustainable Rare Earth Recovery, Jingxia Lu, Wenjun Guo, Ziye Dong, Sarang S. Bhagwat, Shih-I Tan, Zhixin Zhu, Andrew Johnson, Jeremy S. Guest, Rick Q. Honaker, Dan M. Park, Yongqin Jiao, Huimin Zhao Jan 2026

Bio-Based Oxalic Acid Production In Issatchenkia Orientalis Enables Sustainable Rare Earth Recovery, Jingxia Lu, Wenjun Guo, Ziye Dong, Sarang S. Bhagwat, Shih-I Tan, Zhixin Zhu, Andrew Johnson, Jeremy S. Guest, Rick Q. Honaker, Dan M. Park, Yongqin Jiao, Huimin Zhao

Mining Engineering Faculty Publications

The growing demand for rare earth elements (REEs) in clean energy and high-tech industries underscores the need for sustainable recovery methods and a reliable supply of processing chemicals. Here, we establish a microbial platform using the acid-tolerant yeast Issatchenkia orientalis SD108 to produce bio-oxalic acid for REE recovery. By introducing an oxaloacetate cleavage pathway and applying metabolic engineering, the engineered strain produces 39.53 g·L-1 oxalic acid at pH 4.0 in fed-batch fermentation. The crude fermentation broth, used without purification, efficiently precipitates over 99% neodymium (Nd), 99% dysprosium (Dy), and 98% lanthanum (La) from individual REE chloride solutions. Recovery from …


Aster Remote Sensing Satellite Imagery For Regional Mineral Mapping In The Mcmurdo Dry Valleys, South Victoria Land, Antarctica, Khurram Riaz, Amin Beiranvand Pour, Jabar Habashi, Aidy M. Muslim, Iman Masoumi, Ali Moradi Afrapoli, Mazlan Hashim, Kamyar Mehranzamir, Farshid Sattari Jan 2026

Aster Remote Sensing Satellite Imagery For Regional Mineral Mapping In The Mcmurdo Dry Valleys, South Victoria Land, Antarctica, Khurram Riaz, Amin Beiranvand Pour, Jabar Habashi, Aidy M. Muslim, Iman Masoumi, Ali Moradi Afrapoli, Mazlan Hashim, Kamyar Mehranzamir, Farshid Sattari

Mining Engineering Faculty Publications

The McMurdo Dry Valleys (DVs) of South Victoria Land, Antarctica, constitute the largest ice-free region on the continent and one of Earth’s most Mars-analog environments. Their hyper-arid polar desert conditions offer a unique setting for investigating surface weathering and mineralogical processes under extreme climates. This study presents the first regional-scale mapping of alteration and crystalline weathering minerals across the McMurdo DVs. It uses Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) multispectral data; visible and near-infrared (VNIR) and shortwave infrared (SWIR) bands were analyzed through a Spectral Hourglass Workflow, endmember extraction, and spectral unmixing with Matched Filtering (MF) and Constrained …


Characterization Of Full Bridge Strain Transducers For Haulage Equipment Payload Distribution Monitoring, Jean-Pierre Strydom, Steven Schafrik, Zacharias Agioutantis, Matthew J. Beck, Joseph Sottile Jan 2026

Characterization Of Full Bridge Strain Transducers For Haulage Equipment Payload Distribution Monitoring, Jean-Pierre Strydom, Steven Schafrik, Zacharias Agioutantis, Matthew J. Beck, Joseph Sottile

Mining Engineering Faculty Publications

Creating a dependable approach for identifying both the mass of a shuttle car and how material is distributed in it removes the need for equipment operators to manually engage the flight chain. The quantification of environmental and installation conditions and the extent of influence considering their combined contribution towards inaccurate or exclusive measurements are to that degree limited. This experimental study investigated how two different strain transducers—installed in a force-shunt configuration—respond to thermo-mechanical loads when used to determine load distribution and position. Initial observations indicated that thermal effects at the installation site contributed to measurement inaccuracies or exclusive readings. The …


Making Inquiry Accessible: Inquiry-Based Design And Instruction For English Learners In Secondary Social Studies Classrooms, Meghan T. Hawkins Jan 2026

Making Inquiry Accessible: Inquiry-Based Design And Instruction For English Learners In Secondary Social Studies Classrooms, Meghan T. Hawkins

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

This dissertation explores inquiry-based instruction for English Learners (ELs) in secondary social studies classes. The first article explored the existing literature in the field. The second article considered instructional design choices that could increase learning outcomes in an inquiry designed for ELs, implemented in a culturally and linguistically responsive classroom. Finally, the third article is an exploratory case study that examined how a secondary high school social studies teacher and ESL co-teacher designed and implemented inquiry-based instruction in a co-taught ESL class. The research questions included: 1. How do teachers build trust in a culturally and linguistically responsive social studies …


Anaerobic Digestion Of Variable, Heterogeneous Organic Wastes Under Changing Operational Conditions And Bioaugmentation: Impacts On Process Performance And Microbiome Dynamics, Victoria Holliday Jan 2026

Anaerobic Digestion Of Variable, Heterogeneous Organic Wastes Under Changing Operational Conditions And Bioaugmentation: Impacts On Process Performance And Microbiome Dynamics, Victoria Holliday

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Expanding the adoption of anaerobic digestion (AD) is limited by system instabilities caused by feedstock composition and variability. Understanding how changes in feedstock and operational parameters influence microbiome dynamics is essential for developing biology-driven strategies to improve digester stability.

Two semi-continuous reactors, an experimental and a control, operated over 39 weeks across five phases with varying feedstocks and organic loading rates. Substrate-specific enrichment cultures were developed for bioaugmentation and implemented in select phases to assess its impact. Both reactors exhibited similar performance, transitioning through periods of stability, stress, and recovery in response to operational changes. Corresponding shifts in dominant taxa …


Review Of Current Research Describing The Influence Of Non-Health Care Drivers Of Health In Rural And Urban Populations, Katie Youngen, Julia Cecil, Tyrone F. Borders Jan 2026

Review Of Current Research Describing The Influence Of Non-Health Care Drivers Of Health In Rural And Urban Populations, Katie Youngen, Julia Cecil, Tyrone F. Borders

Rural & Underserved Health Research Center Publications

Social determinants of health (SDOH) (also called social drivers of health) are the conditions of the environment where people live, learn, work, and play that are known to affect health outcomes.1 The primary objective of this literature review is to summarize the most recent literature related to the Healthy People 2030 domains of a) economic stability, b) education access and quality, c) neighborhood and built environment, and d) social and community context.2 Our particular focus is on non-health care drivers of health. The secondary objective is to identify gaps in literature applied to rural populations.


Structured Laser Vision-Based Measurement Of Gta-Weld Pool, Gang Zhang, Jianbo Wang, Yu Shi, Ding Fan, Yuming Zhang Jan 2026

Structured Laser Vision-Based Measurement Of Gta-Weld Pool, Gang Zhang, Jianbo Wang, Yu Shi, Ding Fan, Yuming Zhang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The current study of weld pool fluid dynamics in arc welding focuses on the numerical model establishment and simulation, and the x-ray combined with particle trace imaging observations, there is no real-time monitor and quantitatively characterize the weld pool flow behavior in welding process for controlling the weld quality. This study develops an innovative structured laser vision-based sensing system for three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction and quantitative analysis of weld pool surface topographies in gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW). Through characterization of dynamic weld pool morphologies, two novel parameters are proposed: the surface convexity variation rate (Rh) and fluid …


A 725-Bp Quadruple Repeat In The Promoter Of Smmyb113 Is Associated With Light-Independent Anthocyanin Regulation In Eggplant, Zhilei Xia, Meng Yang, Yinggemei Huang, Bingxin Yu, Tingxia Wan, Duanhua Wang, Qian Li, Manoj Sapkota, Shuangshuang Yan, Bihao Cao, Zhengkun Qiu Jan 2026

A 725-Bp Quadruple Repeat In The Promoter Of Smmyb113 Is Associated With Light-Independent Anthocyanin Regulation In Eggplant, Zhilei Xia, Meng Yang, Yinggemei Huang, Bingxin Yu, Tingxia Wan, Duanhua Wang, Qian Li, Manoj Sapkota, Shuangshuang Yan, Bihao Cao, Zhengkun Qiu

Horticulture Faculty Publications

Eggplant exhibits a diverse range of fruit colors, making it an excellent model for studying fruit pigmentation and its genetic regulation. While genes responsible for green and photosensitive purple fruit have been identified, the genetic basis of the nonphotosensitive (NPS) fruit trait in eggplant has remained elusive. In this study, we characterized a major quantitative trait locus (QTL), SmNPS10.1, on chromosome 10 using QTL-seq. By combining linkage-based gene mapping with progeny testing, we fine-mapped SmNPS10.1 to a 33.58-kb interval, within which we identified SmMYB113, an R2R3-MYB transcription factor that regulates anthocyanin biosynthesis, as the candidate gene. Sequence analysis …


Trade-Offs In Avian Parental Care, Rebekah A. Mckinnon, Malgorzata Lagisz, Sheeraja Sridharan, David F. Westneat, Kimberley J. Mathot Jan 2026

Trade-Offs In Avian Parental Care, Rebekah A. Mckinnon, Malgorzata Lagisz, Sheeraja Sridharan, David F. Westneat, Kimberley J. Mathot

Biology Faculty Publications

The selective forces shaping parental care have been studied for over 50 years. While theoretical and experimental work has yielded qualitative progress, the large body of empirical work testing predictions about parental investment based on life-history trade-offs has yet to be synthesized. We first provide an overview of the core life-history theory exploring how selection might shape parental care. We then conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on studies that experimentally manipulated brood size in birds, a widely used experimental approach to manipulate parental investment. We extracted 313 estimates from 62 studies representing 31 species of birds from 19 different …


Legal Professional Identity Development: An Exploration Of The Social And Emotional Processes By Which Law Students Transition From Novices To Professionals, David Hall Abney Ii Jan 2026

Legal Professional Identity Development: An Exploration Of The Social And Emotional Processes By Which Law Students Transition From Novices To Professionals, David Hall Abney Ii

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

This dissertation seeks to heed the call for expansion of instructional communication research (ICR) beyond the undergraduate classroom and undergraduate learning objectives by exploring older learners and higher-order affective learning objectives. Legal professional identity development (LPID) is a discipline-specific type of higher-order affective learning that is conceptualized as a continuous nonlinear process that begins in law school and extends throughout a lawyer’s career, involving the internalization of the legal profession’s core values and norms and their integration with an evolving identity. Using a pragmatic ICR approach and a mixed-methods design, Phase 1 employed individual interviews and focus groups to investigate …


“We Do Things A Little Different Exactly As You'd Expect Here...": Egocentric Network Structures As Predictors Of Organizational Culture Type, Ray Celeste S. Tanner Jan 2026

“We Do Things A Little Different Exactly As You'd Expect Here...": Egocentric Network Structures As Predictors Of Organizational Culture Type, Ray Celeste S. Tanner

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

This dissertation examines organizational culture as an outcome of communication structures by integrating the Competing Values Framework (CVF) with egocentric network analysis. Although CVF is one of the most widely used frameworks for diagnosing organizational culture and predicting organizational effectiveness, prior research has overwhelmingly treated culture as an independent variable. Responding to calls for greater attention to the antecedents of culture, this study reconceptualizes organizational culture as a dependent variable and investigates how individuals’ perceived communication networks predict perceptions of CVF culture types. Using egocentric network data collected from employees across a diverse range of organizations and industries, this study …


Characterization And Antimicrobial Activity Of Lignin-Derived Compounds In Ground Hurd Tissue Of Cannabis Sativa L. (Hemp) Cultivars, Jourdan E. Lakes, Anjam Sadik, Robert C. Pearce, Barbara L. Knutson, Stephen E. Rankin, Bert C. Lynn, Michael D. Flythe Jan 2026

Characterization And Antimicrobial Activity Of Lignin-Derived Compounds In Ground Hurd Tissue Of Cannabis Sativa L. (Hemp) Cultivars, Jourdan E. Lakes, Anjam Sadik, Robert C. Pearce, Barbara L. Knutson, Stephen E. Rankin, Bert C. Lynn, Michael D. Flythe

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Objectives: Characterize lignin-derived compounds from the hurd of 10 fiber/grain Cannabis sativa L. cultivars and investigate the antimicrobial activity of select compounds on the wasteful ruminant bacterium, Acetoanaerobium sticklandii SR.   Methods: Hurd was processed using an aqueous ethanol solvent system and analyzed via GC-MS to identify and characterize lignin derivatives. Antimicrobial activity of the hurd and three monomers was assessed using solid (hurd) and liquid medium (monomers) bioassays against SR.   Results: 27 compounds were identified, most as monomers but a few were dimers, ethylated derivatives, and organic acids. There were approximately equal G- and S-units with substantially fewer H-units. Several …