Digital Commons Network^™

Bovine Neutrophil Migration, Cd11a/Cd18 Expression, And Cytokine Response To Co-Culture With Mammary Gland Endothelial Cells And Epithelial Cells, David J. Mcclenahan

Faculty Publications

Movement of leukocytes from the circulatory system into a site of inflammation is a highly complex process. The migration of neutrophils into the lumen of the mammary gland during mastitis is no exception. There is information about the involvement of bacterial-produced products during this process, but less is known regarding the role of host products. Two bovine cell lines, a primary mammary gland endothelial cell line and an immortalized bovine mammary gland epithelial cell line (Mac-T), along with freshly isolated bovine neutrophils, were used to study this further. The cell lines were grown on inserts and in wells of tissue-culture …

Little Cigar And Cigarillo Graphic Health Warnings And Quitting Behaviors A Randomized Clinical Trial, Adam O. Goldstein, Kristen L. Jarman, Leah M. Ranney, Jennifer Cornacchione Ross, Sarah D. Kowitt, Chineme Enyioha, Sonia A. Clark, Paschal Sheeran, James F. Thrasher Ph.D., Ma, Ms, Desmond Jenson, Nadja A. Vielot

Faculty Publications

IMPORTANCE Although little cigars and cigarillos (LCCs) are common combustible tobacco products, the effects of LCC warning labels on behavioral outcomes remain untested.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of LCC graphic health warnings (GHWs) on promoting LCC quitting intentions and behaviors.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This randomized clinical trial included 1029 adult LCC users from a Qualtrics online panel who were randomized to (1) LCC GHWs (n = 339), (2) existing US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) text-only warnings (n = 346), or (3) no stimulus control (n = 344). Participants accessed messages via email from May 1 to August …

A Meta-Analysis Of Historic Drinking Water Emergency Events Reported In News Articles, Victor Yu, Haiying Wang, Weiwei Mo

Faculty Publications

This study seeks to investigate historical drinking water contamination events that reported by news media to find the key determinants of their outcomes, including the duration and economic cost, and to quantitatively describe the characteristics of past contamination events. ProQuest Global Newsstream and Regional Business News were used to identify an initial list of events and supplemented by additional search on specific information including the response actions, economic cost, and more. These events were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and regression modeling. Smaller community water systems were found to be more frequently impacted by contamination events. Use restrictions, except …

Assessing The Costs Of Constructed Floating Wetlands For The Treatment Of Surface Waters And Wastewater, John Awad, Christopher Walker, Declan Page, Muhammad Arslan, Sarah A. White, Terry Lucke, Simon Beecham, Ryan J. Winston, William H.J. Stonsnider, Phil Nicodemus, Chris Streb, John Van Leeuwen

Faculty Publications

The development of constructed floating wetlands (CFWs) as a nature-based solution for water treatment has progressed over the last 25 years. However, full-scale CFW adoption remains relatively limited due in part to the uncertainty regarding the costs of CFWs in terms of capital and operational expenditure (CAPEX and OPEX) and treatment capacity. This study reports on the costs of 11 international CFW schemes including the factors affecting CAPEX and OPEX and levelized costs of nitrogen and phosphorus removal. The estimated levelized CAPEX and OPEX ranged from US$15/m² to $2537/m² and from $0.5/m² y⁻¹ to $181/m² y⁻¹, respectively, for CFW schemes …

October 7 And International Police Cooperation: The Silence Of Interpol, Mathieu Deflem

Faculty Publications

Aim: The aim of this study is to explore the background and interpretation of Interpol’s silence following the terrorist attacks committed by Hamas against Israel on October 7, 2023. The author examines the international policing im-plications of the events, with special attention to why the world’s largest police organization failed to issue any substantive response.

Methodology: The research is based on asociological analysis combining ahistorical and institutional overview of Interpol’s counterterrorism activities with the examination of the organization’s communications and institutional decisions. It relies on qualitative sources and an interpretive, case study-based approach using public documents, records, and statements.

Findings: …

“I Laughed Along For Years But Hated It Inside:” Understanding Nuance In Peer Teasing Experiences Using A Thematic Analysis, Naomi C.Z. Andrews, Molly Dawes Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Introduction

Peer teasing is ubiquitous, yet ambiguous in nature. Despite recent attempts to delineate and clarify differences in teasing experienced as playful versus harmful, there remains overlap and complexity in these interactions. In the current study, we present a conceptual model of teasing, which includes many nested features that dynamically interact within a teasing episode. Using this conceptual model to guide our work, the goal of the current study was to use qualitative inquiry to bring further conceptual clarity to the overlap between teasing that is experienced as playful versus harmful.

Method

Using semi-structured interviews, we asked university students ( …

Recent Advances In Developing Cell-Free Protein Synthesis Biosensors For Medical Diagnostics And Environmental Monitoring, Tyler P. Green, Joseph P. Talley, Bradley Charles Bundy

Faculty Publications

Cell-free biosensors harness the selectivity of cellular machinery without living cells’ constraints, offering advantages in environmental monitoring, medical diagnostics, and biotechnological applications. This review examines recent advances in cell-free biosensor development, highlighting their ability to detect diverse analytes including heavy metals, organic pollutants, pathogens, and clinical biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity. We analyze technological innovations in cell-free protein synthesis optimization, preservation strategies, and field deployment methods that have enhanced sensitivity, and practical applicability. The integration of synthetic biology approaches has enabled complex signal processing, multiplexed detection, and novel sensor designs including riboswitches, split reporter systems, and metabolic sensing modules. …

Examining The Effects Of Firearm Lethality And Aggressors’ Intentions To Kill On Injurious Firearm Violence At American Schools: A Research Note, Brent R. Klein, Cory Schnell, Steven M. Chermak, Joshua D. Freilich

Faculty Publications

This study examined firearm lethality and aggressors’ lethal intent on injurious fatal and nonfatal school shootings using data from The American School Shooting Study, which covers 329 school shootings in the United States from 1990 to 2016. We developed a new multidimensional construct for measuring shooters’ determination to kill and examined firearm characteristics while considering confounding factors. We identified 11 distinct categories of shooters’ intent, with most showing a strong desire to kill. Both intent and weapon lethality significantly impacted school shooting homicides. Overall, we recommend that prevention and theoretical models should address both factors.

Scaling Laws Of Political Regime Dynamics: Stability Of Democracies And Autocracies In The Twentieth Century, Paula Pirker-Diaz, Matthew Wilson, Soenke Beier, Karoline Wiesner

Faculty Publications

In light of the current rise of authoritarian regimes and the anti-liberal tendencies in some established democracies, understanding the dynamic and statistical properties of political regimes is of critical importance. Despite their relevance, a comprehensive quantitative assessment of these dynamics on a historical scale remains largely unexplored, and the notion that democratization is an irreversible process has gone mostly unchallenged. This study provides a rigorous and quantitative analysis of political regimes worldwide by examining changes in freedoms of expression, association and electoral quality throughout the twentieth century. Utilizing the multidimensional V-Dem dataset, which covers over 170 countries across more than …

Coding Manual: Analyzing Semistructured Interview Data For Master Narratives, Jayson Seaman, Cindy Hartman, Andrew D. Coppens

Faculty Publications

This coding manual accompanies a methodological reorientation in narrative identity research, one that challenges the field’s prevailing “protagonist bias” — the assumption that first-person autobiographical accounts are the primary or most valid source for identifying cultural master narratives as psychological resources. While much psychological research has centered on how individuals narrate their own lives, this approach can obscure the ways that broader cultural narratives are circulated, reinforced, and contested through discourse beyond the self. This method provides researchers with a systematic approach for identifying how master narratives operate across multiple narrative levels, often outside of biographical storytelling.

Exploring Socio-Psychological Drivers And Pathways Of Sustainable Fashion Consumption, Jiyeon Kim Ph.D., Md. Rafiqul Islam Rana M.S.,Ph.D

Faculty Publications

This study explores social and psychological factors influencing the intention to purchase sustainable fashion products. Integrating self-congruity theory, self-completion theory, and Theory of Planned Behaviour, this study proposed a dual-path model of socio-psychological variables essential for shaping consumer attitudes towards sustainable consumption and subsequent purchase intention. Additionally, the moderating role of sustainable brand awareness in the link between attitude and intention and the effect of affordability on purchase intentions were tested. Data were collected from 278 US fashion consumers through an online survey, and PLS-SEM was used for the analyses. Results show that self-identity drives self-expressive benefits, while environmental awareness …

Insights From The Front Line: Uplifting Stories Of The Covid-19 Pandemic Through The Eyes Of The Public Health Workforce In Iowa, Heidi Haines, Amanda Sursely, Hanh Pham, Rylee Beltran, Daniel K. Sewell, Lina Tucker Reinders, Natoshia Askelson, Sarah Dixon, Kaitlin Emrich, Christine Estle, Michelle Lewis, Jimmy Reyes

Faculty Publications

Introduction: SARS-CoV-2 was declared a pandemic in March 2020. Studies have characterized some of the negative impact of the pandemic on public health workers (PHW), but few have explored the strength and coping strategies used. Our study documents the experiences of PHW in Iowa during the pandemic. Methods: We used an innovative mixed methods data collection tool, SenseMaker^® to gather stories from PHW in Iowa between March and July 2022. Participants provided additional data about their story via structured follow-up questions. We conducted descriptive analyses of the quantitative questions. A qualitative thematic and sentiment analysis was applied to all …

Effects Of Elicitation Method On Functionally Relevant Item Selection In Spanish And English Monolinguals And Bilinguals, Dallin J. Bailey, Esther Barahona Wilkes

Faculty Publications

Purpose: One important decision speech language pathologists make when planning anomia treatment is the identification and selection of the specific vocabulary items to target during therapy. However, this process is not entirely straightforward. Although ‘functional relevance’ has high face validity for the identification of target items, interpretations differ, which may impact which words are selected for therapy. As such, target item selection methods vary, with resulting items impacted by the specific method used. There are also many person-level variables that may impact the functional relevance of specific items, such as the heritage language of the patient or their bilingualism status. …

Community And School Programs, Policies And Environments Related To Child Dietary Intake:The Healthy Communities Study, Gail Woodward-Lopez, Alexander C. Mclain, Edward A. Frongillo Jr., Natalie Colabianchi, Vicki Collie-Akers, Lorrene D. Ritchie

Faculty Publications

Background

To reverse the epidemic of unhealthy eating and related chronic disease in the United States, intervening early in life is essential.

Objective

Identify features of community- and school-based programmes, policies and environments related to child intake of fruits and vegetables (FV) and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB).

Methods

Dietary intake of children 4–15 years old (n = 5138) from elementary and middle schools in 130 US communities was collected by survey (of parent and/or child) in 2013–2015. Features of community programs and policies (CPPs) and school environments were collected by staff surveys, direct observation, key informant interviews, and/or document review. …

Super-Resolution Stimulated X-Ray Raman Spectroscopy, Kai Li, Christian Ott, Marcus Agåker, Phay J. Ho, Gilles Doumy, Alexander Magunia, Marc Rebholz, Marc Simon, Tommaso Mazza, Alberto De Fanis, Thomas M. Baumann, Jacobo Montano, Nils Rennhack, Sergey Usenko, Yevheniy Ovcharenko, Kalyani Chordiya, Lan Cheng, Jan Erik Rubensson, Michael Meyer, Thomas Pfeifer, Mette B. Gaarde, Linda Young

Faculty Publications

Propagation of intense X-ray pulses through dense media has led to the observation of phenomena such as atomic X-ray lasing^1,2, self-induced transparency³ and stimulated X-ray Raman scattering (SXRS)⁴. SXRS has been long predicted as a means to launch and probe valence-electron wavepackets and as a building block for nonlinear X-ray spectroscopies^5,6. However, experimental observations of SXRS to date^4,7,8 have not provided spectroscopic information, and theoretical modelling has largely implemented hard-to-realize phase-coherent attosecond pulses. Here we demonstrate SXRS with spectroscopic precision, that is, detection of valence-excited states in neon with a near Fourier-limited …

An Acoustofluidic Device For Sample Preparation And Detection Of Small Extracellular Vesicles, Jessica F. Liu, Jianping Xia, Joseph Rich, Shuaiguo Zhao, Kaichun Yang, Brandon Lu, Ying Chen, Tiffany Wen Ye, Tony Jun Huang

Faculty Publications

Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) have emerged as powerful vectors for liquid biopsy, offering a noninvasive window into the dynamic physiological and pathological states of the body. However, to fully leverage the clinical potential of sEV biomarkers, it is imperative to develop robust and efficient technologies for their isolation and analysis. In this study, we introduce a novel sharp-edge acoustofluidic platform designed for rapid and effective sample preparation, coupled with sensitive detection of specific sEV populations based on their surface markers. Our approach utilizes acoustically activated sharp-edge microstructures to concentrate bead-bound sEVs within the microfluidic device, facilitating immediate visualization by fluorescence …

Machine Tool Interoperability In Smart Manufacturing And Industry 4.0, M. R. Mccormick, Mohammed Shafae, Thorsten Wuest

Faculty Publications

Real-time decision making is supported by data-hungry emerging technologies such as machine learning and digital twins. Innovations in manufacturing process control utilizing these technologies are constrained by interoperability. Marketing materials, sales pitches, and academic literature portray interoperability on the factory floor as seamless and robust. However, this study demonstrates that in spite of plentiful mature standards, interoperability on the factory floor is neither seamless nor robust. To exemplify interoperability in the context of an established and widely adopted standard, this study analyzes the interoperability of machine tools produced by a premier equipment builder which has exceeded US$1 billion in sales …

‘They Say There’S More Equality…’: Women’S Perspectives On Progress And Setbacks In Gender Equality In Northern Iceland During Times Of Crisis, Marya Rozanova-Smith, Embla Eir Oddsdóttir, Andrey N. Petrov

Faculty Publications

Enabling gender equality through the empowerment of women to fully participate in modern society is one of the most critical steps toward sustainable development. However, recent UN reports indicate that the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have jeopardized the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 5 by 2030 in many countries worldwide, including Iceland, which has consistently been ranked as a global leader in gender equality. The main objective of this qualitative study is to examine the gendered impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic by exploring women’s lived experiences during the crisis and its aftermath across the primary domains of gender equality—personal …

Let’S Teach More Accurate And Inclusive History! The Case Of Islamic Contributions To Mathematics And Science, Noah (Nuh) Aydin

Faculty Publications

Schools commonly teach a history of mathematics and science that is Eurocentric. This selective version of the history of science, called Classical Narrative by some, is rooted in colonial times and mindset, and has reinforced certain negative opinions about other cultures. It ignores or downplays contributions to mathematics and sciences from non-western civilizations, and falsely attributes many scientific discoveries to European scholars. Medieval Islamic Civilization, which had strong connections to Renaissance Europe, serves as a clear example of how this narrative is distorted. Based on research on primary sources since the middle of the 20th century, we now know that …

Global Database For Naturally Occurring Radionuclides Associated With Offshore Oil And Gas Production, Ziran Wei, Songjie He, Stephanie Sharuga, Kanchan Maiti

Faculty Publications

This study compiles a comprehensive dataset on the occurrence, distribution, and potential impacts of Naturally Occurring Radionuclides (NORMs) near offshore oil and gas platforms. It encompasses data, including activities (Bq/l) and exposure levels (Msv), derived from various environmental matrices. A particular emphasis is placed on petroleum products and waste, such as produced water, scales, and sludges. The dataset contributes to a better understanding of the distribution of NORM wastes in marine environments, informs future radiological safety standards, contributes to the formulation of regulatory policies, and facilitates the design of mitigation strategies. The information—literature and data from five continents over the …

Whose Right(S)?: Civil Rights Impact Of Cultural Conflicts In The Curriculum, S. David Mitchell

Faculty Publications

Statutes seeking to prohibit the teaching of certain curricular topics that are considered divisive infringe upon the civil rights of students, parents, and teachers. The conflict over what should be taught implicates the rights of students, specifically their right to receive and to learn information; the rights of parents, specifically the right to control the education of their children; and the rights of teachers, specifically the First Amendment and academic freedom. “Anti-Woke” legislation, as it is broadly termed, is designed to silence those who seek to engage in the critical analysis of the structural and systemic barriers that have prevented …

Review Of The Hospital, Michael F. Russo

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

From Disruption To Integration: Cryptocurrency Prices, Financial Fluctuations, And Macroeconomy, Zhengyang Chen

Faculty Publications

This paper examines cryptocurrency shock transmission to financial markets and the macroeconomy using a Bayesian structural VAR with Pandemic Priors from 2015 to 2024. By affecting overall risk appetite, cryptocurrency price shocks generate positive financial market spillovers, accounting for 18% of equity and 27% of commodity price fluctuations. Real economic effects are significant in driving investment but remain limited, contributing only 4% to unemployment and 6% to industrial production variance. However, cryptocurrency shocks explain 18% of price-level forecast error variance at long horizons. Narrative analysis reveals sentiment and technology as primary shock drivers. These findings demonstrate cryptocurrency's deep financial system …

Cell-Free Protein Synthesis Reactor Formats: A Brief History And Analysis, Dallin M. Chipman, Anna C. Woolley, Davu N. Chau, William A. Lance, Joseph P. Talley, Tyler P. Green, Benjamin C. Robbins, Bradley Charles Bundy

Faculty Publications

Cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) has transformed protein production capabilities by eliminating cellular constraints, enabling the rapid expression of difficult-to-produce proteins in an open, customizable environment. As CFPS applications expand from fundamental research to industrial production, therapeutic manufacturing, and point-of-care diagnostics, the diverse array of reactor formats has become increasingly important yet challenging to navigate. This review examines the evolution and characteristics of thirteen major CFPS reactor formats, from traditional batch systems to advanced platforms. The historical development of CFPS reactors from the 1960s to present day is presented. Additionally, for each format, operational principles, advantages, limitations, and notable applications are …

The Unappreciated Role Of Intent In Algorithmic Moderation Of Abusive Content On Social Media, Xinyu Wang, Sai Koneru, Pranav Narayanan Venkit, Brett Frischmann, Sarah Rajtmajer

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Demand Systems Analysis Of Energy Sources In The United States, Rafael Bakhtavoryan

Faculty Publications

This study estimates a Generalized Exact Affine Stone Index model to quantify demand structure among such energy sources as natural gas, coal, nuclear, wind, solar, and geothermal energy, employing monthly time-series data ranging from January of 2009 through December of 2020. The demand for natural gas, coal, and nuclear energy emerges as inelastic. A significant substitutability relationship is empirically established between the energy sources. All the computed expenditure elasticities are positive, with natural gas being the most sensitive and nuclear energy being the least sensitive to energy source expenditures. Pre-committed consumption is found for geothermal energy. Finally, the welfare implications …

Portrayals Of Disabilities In Picturebooks With The Schneider Family Award, Sohyun Meacham

Faculty Publications

This study analyzed the portrayal of disabilities in picturebooks that have received the Schneider Family Award, a well-known children’s literature award in the United States focused on disability representation. The purpose of the study was to conduct an intersectional analysis of these picturebooks to explore how characters are positioned across multiple categories such as disability, race/ethnicity, gender, class, age, and language. Using the Rating Scale for Quality Characterizations of Individuals with Disabilities in Children’s Literature, the study analyzed all 17 picturebooks appropriate for early childhood that received the Schneider Family Award from 2004 to 2020. The analysis found that these …

October 7 And International Police Cooperation:The Silence Of Interpol, Mathieu Deflem

Faculty Publications

Aim: The aim of this study is to explore the background and interpretation of Interpol’s silence following the terrorist attacks committed by Hamas against Israel on October 7, 2023. The author examines the international policing implications of the events, with special attention to why the world’s largest police organization failed to issue any substantive response.

Methodology: The research is based on a sociological analysis combining a historical and institutional overview of Interpol’s counterterrorism activities with the examination of the organization’s communications and institutional decisions. It relies on qualitative sources and an interpretive, case study-based approach using public documents, records, and …

Christian Beliefs About Salvation: Measurement And Associations With Mental Health And Well-Being, Anthony Edward Rose, Timothy B. Smith

Faculty Publications

Religious beliefs influence many behaviors and perspectives relevant to wellbeing and mental health. In Christianity, beliefs about how one attains salvation may be particularly relevant to psychology, but limited scholarship has considered cognitive aspects of religiosity. This study developed and evaluated a new measure of Beliefs about Salvation (BAS) that assesses affirmations of salvation (a) by God’s grace alone and (b) by God’s grace after human repentance/ordinances, as understood by different Christian denominations. We examined the association of the BAS with three measures of mental health and six measures of influences on religiosity. In a sample of 1556 predominantly members …

Human Gut Commensal Alistipes Timonensis Modulates The Host Lipidome And Delivers Anti-Inflammatory Outer Membrane Vesicles To Suppress Colitis In An Il10-Deficient Mouse Model, Ethan Older, Mary K. Mitchell, Andrew Campbell, Xiaoying Lian, Michael Madden, Yuzhen Wang, Lauren E. Van De Wal, Thelma Zaw, Brandon N. Vanderveen, Rodney Tatum, E. Angela Murphy, Yan-Hua Chen, Daping Fang, Melissa Ellermann, Jie Li

Faculty Publications

Correlative studies have linked human gut microbes to specific health conditions. Alistipes is one such microbial genus negatively linked to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, the protective role of Alistipes in IBD is understudied, and the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unknown. In this study, colonization of Il10-deficient mice with Alistipes timonensis DSM 27924 delays colitis development. Colonization does not significantly alter the gut microbiome composition, but instead shifts the host plasma lipidome, increasing phosphatidic acids while decreasing triglycerides. Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) derived from Alistipes are detected in the plasma of colonized mice, carrying potentially immunomodulatory metabolites into the …