Digital Commons Network^™

Mapping Intellectual Property Abuses In The Pharmaceutical Field, S. Sean Tu, Ana Santos Rutschman

Faculty Publications

This Viewpoint details intellectual property abuses in the pharmaceutical industry involving patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets.

Nitrogen Oxides In The Remote Marine Environment: Implications For Oceanic Emissions And Photolysis Of Particulate Nitrate, Foroozan Arkian, Chelsea Thompson, Jeff Peischl, Ilann Bourgeois, Jack E. Dibb, Jose L. Jimenez, Pedro Campuzano-Jost, Jianghanyang Li, Steven Morey, Brian C. Mcdonald, Steven Wofsy, Siyuan Wang

Faculty Publications

Nitric oxide (NO) in the remote marine atmosphere is underestimated by chemistry-climate models. We explore the potential oceanic emissions of NO and its impacts using a global chemistry-climate model with a newly developed oceanic NO emission inventory, considering the abiotic photochemical production of NO in the seawater. The results are evaluated using global observations from the NASA Atmospheric Tomography Mission (ATom). We propose that the photochemical production of NO from the photolysis of dissolved inorganic nitrite and nitrate in the surface seawater could lead to an oceanic NOx source of ∼3 Tg N per year, which could explain the missing …

Love, Sex, & Aging: Gendered Perspective On Relationship Desires And Satisfaction In Older Adulthood, William Henninger, Melinda Heinz, Nathan Taylor

Faculty Publications

This research explores gender differences in long- and short-term relationships and sexual satisfaction among older adults. Socioemotional Selectivity Theory posits that as people age, they prioritize immediate emotional satisfaction due to perceptions of limited time. This shift influences older adults’ romantic relationships, increasing the likelihood of seeking meaningful connections and reducing the prevalence of negative emotions. With healthy relationships linked to physical, psychological, and financial benefits, research is needed to further understand older adult romantic relationships. Older adults (n = 155) from the Seniors Together in Aging Research (STAR) completed a survey assessing relationship preferences and current and predicted sexual …

Personalized Resistance Exercise With Peer Support For Women With Pcos Using A Smart Home Video Device: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial Guided By Self-Determination Theory, Pamela J. Wright Phd, Ms, Med, Rn, Cen, Cynthia F. Corbett Phd, Rn, Faan, Kesheng Wang

Faculty Publications

Background

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) report exercise barriers as stigma-related stress, lack of peer support, and facility issues. “Resistance exercise (RE) with peer support and bands/ball and digitally-based supervision” (REPS w/BANDS) was designed to help mitigate exercise barriers. Underscored by self-determination theory (SDT), the 12-week intervention was remotely delivered via digital technology and inclusive of peer support.

Purpose

The purposes of this pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) were to test the feasibility and acceptability of REPS w/BANDS and explore signals of within- and between-group differences on outcomes (e.g., depressive symptoms and fitness).

Methods

Participants (N = 25) …

Interpretable Machine Learning For Cardiovascular Risk Prediction: Insights From Nhanes Dietary And Health Data, Md Ahiduzzaman, Md Nahid Hasan

Faculty Publications

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are one of the leading global causes of death, which requires an accurate early prediction. This study aimed to develop transparent machine learning (ML) models using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from 2017–2023 to predict CVD risk based on dietary and health factors.

Methods: We analyzed data from 12,382 adults (aged 18 and older) from NHANES 2017–2023, including 41 dietary, anthropometric, clinical, and demographic variables. Recursive Feature Elimination (RFE) was used to select an optimal subset of 30 predictors. To address substantial class imbalance in the outcome, we applied the Random Over-Sampling Examples …

Circulating Levels Of Insulin-Like Growth Factor I (Igf-I) And Risk Ofmultiple Myeloma: An Observational And Mendelian Randomisation Study, Yolanda Benavente, Sara Hermosa, Nikos Papadimitriou, Alyssa I. Clay-Gilmour Ph.D., Elizabeth E. Brown, Jonathan N. Hofmann, Nathaniel Rothman, Qing Lan, Sonja I. Berndt, Demetrius Albanes, Mark Purdue, Mitchell J. Machiela, Stephen J. Chanock, Parveen Bhatti, Wendy Cozen, Aaron Norman, Susan L. Slager, James R. Cerhan, Vincent Rajkumar, Shaji J. Kumar, Et. Al.

Faculty Publications

Evidence for an association between insulin-like growth factors (IGF) and multiple myeloma (MM) is inconsistent. We examined total IGF-I concentrations and risk of MM by combining baseline serological data among UK Biobank participants (n = 444 187; 732 incident MM) with a two-sample Mendelian randomisation (MR) analysis using identified genetic variants associated with circulating total IGF-I and IGF-binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3) in the InterLymph consortium (2434 MM and their 2567 controls). Finally, additional lymphoid neoplasm (LN) subtypes were included for comparison with the main hypothesis. Circulating IGF-I level was positively associated with MM risk Hazard ratio-HR-per one standard deviation-SD-increase …

Predictions Of The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Galactic Exoplanet Survey. Iii. Detectability Of Giant Exomoons Of Wide-Separation Giant Planets, Matthew Lastovka, B. Scott Gaudi, Samson A. Johnson, Matthew T. Penny, Eamonn Kerins, Nicholas J. Rattenbury

Faculty Publications

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (Roman) will conduct a Galactic Exoplanet Survey to discover bound and free-floating exoplanets using gravitational microlensing. Roman should be sensitive to lenses with mass down to ∼0.02 M⊕, or roughly the mass of Ganymede. Thus, the detection of moons with masses similar to the giant moons in our solar system is possible with Roman. Measuring the demographics of exomoons will provide constraints on both moon and planet formation. We conduct simulations of Roman microlensing events to determine the effects of exomoons on microlensing light curves, and whether these effects are detectable with Roman. We …

Variation In Cycling Exercise Mechanical Efficiency In The Heritage Family Study, Angelo Tremblay, Claude Bouchard, Mark A. Sarzynski Facsm, James S. Skinner, Élisa Marin-Couture, Patrick Schrauwen, Guy Thibault, Marie-Eve Mathieu, Louis Pérusse

Faculty Publications

The objectives of the study were to assess the effects of cycling endurance exercise training and sex on cycling exercise mechanical efficiency (ME) and to explore its associations with body composition, glycemic profile, and skeletal muscle characteristics. Subjects were males (n = 371) and females (n = 465) of European (ED) and African descent (AD) of the HERITAGE Family Study. The measurements were repeated after a 20-week controlled endurance exercise program. A substudy involving 78 participants from 19 ED families was used to evaluate associations between skeletal muscle traits and variations in ME. An increase in ME of …

Editorial Introduction: Governing Through Attention, Collaboration, Learning, And Participation, Geoboo Song, Gwen Arnold, Melissa K. Merry, Saba N. Siddiki, Holly L. Peterson, Creed Tumlison, Eric Button, Benjamin Galloway, Camille Gilmore, Erica Ivins, Rinjisha Roy, Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, Ryan Ramaker, Rachel Britton, Isaac Owusu

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

State Courts, Public Opinion, And The Changing Abortion Landscape After Dobbs, Anna Gunderson, Chesani Askew, Jeong Hyun Kim, Nichole Bauer

Faculty Publications

The June 24, 2022 Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization represented a seismic shift in abortion policy in the United States. Since then, state courts have begun playing an integral role in expanding or restricting abortion access in their jurisdictions. What do these cases look like and how does the public respond to court decisions that are pro- or anti-abortion? We collect original data on state court abortion cases post-Dobbs and field two survey experiments pre- and post-Dobbs to investigate these questions. We find state courts have expanded their scope in abortion policy and that pro-abortion …

Textualism Wins?: The Supreme Court’S 2024 Labor & Employment Law Cases, Nicole B. Porter

Faculty Publications

The Supreme Court decided five primary labor and employment law cases in 2024—two discrimination cases, two arbitration cases, and one labor law case. This article also discusses a sixth case, Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, because it will undoubtedly affect labor and employment law despite the facts and underlying issue having nothing to do with the workplace.

I was initially underwhelmed with this year’s cases. None of them addresses any major substantive labor and employment law issue. However, upon further consideration, the cases are noteworthy for three reasons. First, three of them are pro-plaintiff with outcomes that benefit workers— …

Local Injection Of Particles For Retinoic Acid Drug Delivery Improves Muscle Structure And Modulates Inflammation In Mice Recovering From Cast Immobilization, Candice V. Cheung, Regina A. Searcy, Kidochukwu J. Atube, Nicholas A. Colonna, Kelsey E. Krusen, Kate J. Cappage, Khufu M. Holly, R. Paul Ward Pratz, Jessie H. Fournier, Vitali Sikirzhytski Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Disuse muscle atrophy secondary to acute illness or injury prolongs recovery and increases risk of permanent disability as a result of reduced muscle strength and myofiber damage upon reambulation. However, there are no pharmacotherapies to support muscle growth and repair following prolonged immobility. We propose that all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) may support recovery of atrophied muscle via modulation of satellite cells and macrophages. Clinical application of ATRA is hindered by solubility, stability, and the need for high systemic doses. Therefore, in the current study, we developed poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLG) particles for local injection and extended release of ATRA (ATRA-PLG) and investigated …

We Are Here Because Of Them: Co-Creating A Native Cemetery Memorial At Mission Santa Clara, Lee M. Panich, Amy J. Lueck, Lauren Baines, Isabella ‘Amne Gomez

Faculty Publications

Tens of thousands of Native individuals perished in California’s twenty-one Franciscan missions that operated from the 1760s into the 1840s, but most public interpretive programs gloss over their lives and the cemeteries where they are interred. This has historically been the case at Mission Santa Clara, on the campus of Santa Clara University. In this article, we reflect on the process of co-creating an interactive memorial designed to honor the Native people buried in two colonial-era cemeteries related to the mission and link their lives to the descendant community today. Importantly, the co-creation process helped strengthen relationships in numerous directions, …

Expanding Functionalities Of Immune Receptors Through Simultaneous Transfer Of Sensor And Helper Nlrs, Dongjiao Wang, Qibin Wu, Daowen Wang, Youxiong Que, Zheng Qing Fu

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Sally Walton's Will: Reuniting The Andrews Families Of Western Maine And Beyond, Kathrine C. Aydelott

Faculty Publications

This article demonstrates how the 1871 probate file of Sally (Andrews) (Andrews) (Clark) Walton of Paris, Maine, resolves decades of genealogical confusion among Andrews families of western Maine. Analysis of her will, codicils, and probate accountings reconstructs a fragmented sibling group and definitively distinguishes two men named Perez Andrews whose identities had long been conflated. The evidence firmly links Darius Andrews of Sumner, Perez Andrews of Buckfield and Penobscot County, and several previously untraced Andrews siblings to a single parental family headed by Ebenezer Andrews Jr. and Sarah (Elliot) Andrews. Moving beyond questions of descent, the article shows how probate …

Does Your Church's Online Presence Need An Upgrade?, S. Joseph Kidder

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Recommendations From Multi-Disciplinary Professionals For Survivor-Informed And Comprehensive Care For Human Trafficking Survivors, Christina Tsoi, Timothy B. Smith, Elizabeth Cutrer-Párraga, Devan Clayton, Joshua M. Marshall, Jamila Mastny

Faculty Publications

Background: Human trafficking affects millions of people worldwide with multiple adverse outcomes including psychopathology. Although research on human trafficking has become abundant in other academic disciplines (e.g., public health, criminology, social work), healthcare research specific to the mental health treatment of survivors remains limited. Objective: The purpose of this study was to gather recommendations from professionals about mental health treatment of trafficking survivors. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 multidisciplinary professionals working with trafficking survivors. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis methodology. Results: An overarching theme derived from the data concerned the recommendation to implement trafficking survivor-informed care, …

Under-Marketing Women’S Sport: The Gendered Labor Of Value Co-Creation In U.S. Women’S Soccer, Tarlan Chahardovali Ph.D., Joshua I. Newman Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Research Question: This study explores how professional women soccer players in the U.S. perceived the role of institutional actors in value co-creation during a pivotal period in the sport’s development. It examines the marketing responsibilities players were expected to undertake and how this labor shaped their experiences and self-perceptions. Research Methods: Guided by value co-creation and value realization frameworks, this study draws on semi-structured interviews with 22 current and former professional women soccer players. Data were analyzed in two stages: first cycle coding, followed by pattern coding to consolidate labor themes into constructs reflecting athletes’ experiences of institutional support, promotional …

Between Two Minds: The Influence Of Numerical Labels On Survey Responses In A Cross-National Study, Gianmaria Bottoni, Eva Aizpurua

Faculty Publications

Previous research highlights the impact of nonverbal cues and visual layouts on respondents’ interpretations and answers to survey questions (Schwarz et al. in Pub Opin Q 55(4):570–582, 1991; Tourangeau et al. in Pub Opin Q 71(1):91–112, 2007; Toepoel and Dillman in Soc Sci Comput Rev 29(2):193–207, 2011). In this study, we investigate the effect of numerical values on responses to five questions measured using 11-point bipolar scales. These questions asked for evaluations of the general impact of climate change and its effects on different groups. Respondents were randomly assigned to scales ranging from 0 to 10, or from − 5 …

A Gas-Tight Bonding/Sealing Of Different Bulk Ceramics For Robust Oxygen Separation At Ultra-High Temperatures, Guoan Wang, Xingjian Xue

Faculty Publications

Oxygen transport membrane (OTM) is an economic technology for oxygen separation and high-purity oxygen production. To mitigate various issues induced by high temperatures, intermediate temperature OTM technology has been pursued in recent years. However, in certain circumstances, high operating temperatures are unavoidable, such as in situ oxygen production using OTMs for direct oxy-combustion. Nevertheless, the lack of reliable high temperature gas-tight sealing imposes great challenges on OTM technology for such applications. Herein, a novel sealing strategy is developed to obtain a gas-tight bonding/sealing of two different bulk ceramics using ceramic slurry in combination with phase inversion process. The sealing strategy …

Toward A Feminist Geo-Legal Reading: Us Country-Of-Origin Information In Asylum Adjudication, Malene H. Jacobsen, Austin Crane, Elise Dosch

Faculty Publications

In this article, we offer what we call ‘a feminist geo-legal reading’ of documents used in spaces and practices of law. Legal cases and decisions are often based on different legal and non-legal documents, including laws, explanatory memorandums, testimonies, medical reports, and so forth. In contemporary asylum adjudication, country-of-origin information reports (COIs) have become a crucial source of authoritative evidence as asylum officers and immigration judges use these reports in their determination of a person's need for and right to protection. However, there is no straight line from COIs' substance to the prevailing authority that they command within asylum adjudication. …

My Serials Checklist Manifesto: A Simple Tool To Deliver Consistent Results And Save Time, J. Michael Lindsay Msis, Mba, Ahip, Martha Earl Msls, Ahip

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this poster is to demonstrate the effectiveness of checklists and standardization in a small academic library, where librarian roles include technical, public, and administrative responsibilities. Since the publication of Atul Gawande's Checklist Manifesto in 2010, leaders have paid greater attention to the role of the simple checklist in standardizing medical care. Checklists can also demonstrate positive impacts in librarianship. Managing serials subscriptions, primarily in electronic format, has required librarians to develop new skills, including the calculation of metrics from big package products which may not share consistent counter standards. Within serials management, greater standardization methods produce consistent …

What Drives Advanced Practice Nurses To Stay In Rural America? Insights From The 2022 National Survey Of Registered Nurses, Esita Patel, Chris Gillette, Jan Ostermann Phd, Chris Everett, Dawn Caviness, Sarah Garvick

Faculty Publications

Purpose: Recruiting and retaining a robust rural health care workforce is critical to advancing health outcomes in rural communities. Although increasing the rural provider workforce has been a policy focus for decades, rural access continues to worsen. Using a strengths-based approach, we identify factors that influence the decisions of advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) to leave or stay in their jobs.

Methods: Secondary analysis of data from the 2022 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses. We describe rates of turnover, retention, intention to leave, and reasons for leaving and staying by job rurality. We compare reasons by rurality using Pearson …

Ktrb-Mediated Alkaline Adaptation Drives Enterococcus Faecalis Persistence In The Gastrointestinal Tract Of Helicoverpa Zea, Patrick J. Hurd, Vivian Veto, Geneva Bell, Jerreme J. Jackson

Faculty Publications

Enterococcus faecalis is a commensal enteric bacterium capable of surviving in extreme and diverse environments. Here, we characterized the role of the gene ntpJ, which encodes the KtrB subunit of the KtrAB Na⁺/K⁺ symporter, during the adaptation of E. faecalis to alkaline stress and persistence in Helicoverpa zea (corn earworm). We assessed growth kinetics, biofilm formation, surface adhesion, and gastrointestinal persistence in vivo using an E. faecalis OG1RF mariner transposon mutant (ntpJ-Tn). The ntpJ-Tn mutant showed delayed entry into mid-log phase growth and biofilm formation under standard and alkaline-adjusted conditions relative to the wild-type strain, while adherence …

Fuel Adulteration Detection Using Open-Ended Coaxial Line And Circular Waveguide Techniques, Abdulrahman Alofi, Ahmed Shamseldin, Sharif Iqbal M. Sheikh, Hussein Attia

Faculty Publications

Fuel adulteration, the practice of blending lower-quality substances like kerosene with gasoline, poses significant challenges for ensuring fuel quality and safety. This study investigates two electromagnetic-based methods for detecting such adulteration: the open-ended coaxial line method and the circular waveguide method. The results reveal that the open-ended coaxial line technique is particularly effective in detecting kerosene contamination, identifying levels as low as 10% by measuring changes in the dielectric constant of the gasoline-kerosene mixture. Operating in the frequency range of 0.25–1.25 GHz, this method captures subtle changes in permittivity. In contrast, the circular waveguide method evaluates contamination by monitoring shifts …

University Students’ Condom Use During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Cross-Cultural Differences And What Predict Them, Liam Dacosta, James S. Morandini, Rebecca T. Pinkus, Elien De Caluwé, Lik Sam Chan, Olivine Lo, Saowanee Thongnopakun, Sawitree Visanuyothin, Cheryl Harasymchuk, Samantha Joel, Helen C. Harton, Alyssa Mccoy, Victoria Dale, David L. Rodrigues, Judit Takács, Alexandra Sipos, Veronica M. Lamarche, Racidon Bernarte, Viktorija Čepukienė, Ivana M. Jakšić, Bojana Bodroža, Huỳnh Hồng Mai, Tran Thi Hong, Grace Akello, Ivana Hromatko, Asha Ganesan, Jiawei Zhang, Damian Murray, James Moran, Juan Ramón Barrada, Ángel Castro, Claudia Navarro-Roldan, Kuan-Pin Su, Jane Chang, Matthew B. Ruby, Donya Ziadlou, Shin Nakamine, Yutaka Watanabe, Albert Lee, Richelle-Joy Chia, Ilan Dar-Nimrod

Faculty Publications

Humans instinctively adopt methods to reduce their risk of encountering harmful pathogens, yet their adherence to preventive health practices can often be erratic. Condoms exemplify one vital preventive tool against sexually transmitted infections (STIs) that, despite their effectiveness, are not consistently utilized. This pattern of behavior appears to persist even during periods of widespread disease transmission, with varied data from the COVID-19 pandemic indicating that condom usage remained inconsistent. The present study aimed to clarify these inconsistencies by examining changes in condom use cross-culturally. Heterosexual participants who were sexually active (N = 3,972 [1,327 men, 2,645 women], Mage= 22.82) across …

Owning Workplace Safety: Investigating Safety Locus Of Control Among Nurses, Archana Manapragada Tedone, Jessica Mesmer-Magnus, Julie J. Lanz, Chockalingam Viswesvaran

Faculty Publications

Workplace accidents and injuries continue to be a challenge in high-risk industries such as healthcare, where safety is a daily critical concern. Although organizational factors such as safety climate have been well-established as predictors of safety-related outcomes, less is known about the role of individual differences in workplace safety. This research investigates safety locus of control, which captures an employee’s tendency to believe that their safety-oriented behaviors actually play a role in preventing safety incidents. Individuals with a highly internal safety locus of control tend to recognize the importance of their own and others’ safety actions for promoting workplace safety …

Home Range Size And Habitat Usage Of Hatchling And Juvenile Wood Turtles (Glyptemys Insculpta) In Iowa, Jeffrey W. Tamplin, Joshua G. Otten, Samuel W. Berg, Nadia E. Patel, Jacob B. Tipton, Justine M.R. Radunzel

Faculty Publications

The Wood Turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) is an endangered species in the state of Iowa and a species of conservation concern across their entire range. The Iowa population is characterized by high levels of adult and egg predation, displays little or no annual recruitment, and harbors an extremely low number of juveniles (7.3%). Home range and habitat usage studies of hatchling and juvenile Wood Turtles are limited to a few studies, and only one study of juveniles exists from the state of Iowa. Over a 10 yr period, we conducted a radiotelemetry study in Iowa on seven juvenile wood turtles for …

Prioritizing Data Quality In Machine Learning For Thermophysical Property Prediction: A Case Study On Normal Boiling Points Of Organic Compounds, Frank T. Mtetwa, Neil F. Giles, W. Vincent Wilding, Thomas A. Knotts Iv

Faculty Publications

Accurate prediction of the normal boiling point (NBP) of organic compounds is essential for the design and optimization of chemical processes. This is especially true for modern practice since experimental measurements of many compounds of contemporary importance are difficult to perform due to cost, purity, and stability issues. Traditional methods, such as group contribution (GC) and quantitative structure–property relationship (QSPR) approaches, are limited by inflexibility and diminishing accuracy in these situations. Machine learning (ML) approaches have shown promise but are plagued by two weaknesses for the nonspecialist: ease of use (especially compared to GC and QSPR) and proven accuracy for …

Intrinsic Defects (Vacancies And Antisites) In Neutron Irradiated Cdsip2 Crystals, Timothy D. Gustafson, Elizabeth M. Scherrer, Nancy C. Giles, Kevin T. Zawilski, Peter G. Schunemann, Jonathan E. Slagle, Kent L. Averett, Larry E. Halliburton

Faculty Publications

Cadmium silicon phosphide (CdSiP₂) is a nonlinear optical material widely used in optical parametric oscillators. Intrinsic defects (vacancies and antisites) are responsible for unwanted broad optical absorption bands in these crystals that degrade the performance of the devices. In the present work, optical absorption and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra are acquired (at room temperature and 12 K, respectively) from a neutron-irradiated CdSiP₂ crystal. After the irradiation, the crystal is highly absorbing from the band edge near 600 nm to beyond 1.3 μm because of overlapping defect-related absorption bands. Heating to 550 °C removes nearly all the …