Digital Commons Network^™

Full Issue Vol. 15 Issue 4

The Foundation Review

No abstract provided.

Reconciling Philanthropy’S Role In Disruption And Revolution: Hard Lessons From A Community-Driven Power-Building Strategy To Achieve Health Equity, Kien S. Lee, Courtney Ricci, Mia Ramirez

The Foundation Review

This article shares The Colorado Trust’s experience with Community Partnerships for Health Equity (CPHE) after initiating a resident-led strategy for systems change and encountering the myriad challenges to its implementation that ultimately led to exiting the initiative.

The CPHE strategy intended to fund community members directly instead of working through the nonprofit sector in the state, and thereby shift power from nonprofit organizations to residents. It eventually involved more than 20 communities across Colorado and created change in certain communities — from filling service gaps and creating local partnerships to shifting local systems.

The Trust had good intentions in its …

Coopen: An Open Innovation Process Triggering Collaboration Between Ngos And Innovators In Africa — The Case Of Fondazione Cariplo And Fondazione Compagnia Di San Paolo, Fulvio Bersanetti, Alessandro Masciadri, Ilaria Caramia, Cristina Toscano

The Foundation Review

This article explores how the two main Italian foundations of banking origin, Fondazione Cariplo and Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, are internationally contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals agenda through Coopen, a cross-fertilization process between nonprofit organizations and the innovation ecosystem.

Guided by the United Nations 2030 Agenda’s Sustainable Development Goals, which identify innovation as a focal point in SDG 9, the foundations recognize the value that product, process, and methodological innovation can bring to Italy’s international development cooperation sector and its partnerships.

Coopen encourages the development and implementation of innovative solutions in Africa to respond to specific …

Back Matter

The Foundation Review

No abstract provided.

Place-Based Philanthropy With An Adaptive Lens: Actively Balancing Community-Driven And Foundation-Driven Orientations, Douglas Easterling, Tanya Beer, Kristen Burwell Naney, Mina Silberberg, Laura Gerald, Adam Linker

The Foundation Review

With place-based philanthropy, a foundation provides extensive, long-term support for a comprehensive mix of programs within specific communities, with the expectation that this will produce benefits at a communitywide level. One of the key questions in designing a place-based initiative is how much the foundation will control local decision-making.

In some initiatives, the foundation dictates the issues that community groups must address and/or the nature of the planning process that will be used to develop solutions. This sometimes produces ineffective or irrelevant solutions. In contrast, other initiatives allow local groups considerable discretion in naming the issues and choosing the solutions, …

Damage Detection With An Integrated Smart Composite Using A Magnetostriction-Based Nondestructive Evaluation Method: Integrating Machine Learning For Prediction, Christopher Nelon

All Dissertations

The development of composite materials for structural components necessitates methods for evaluating and characterizing their damage states after encountering loading conditions. Laminates fabricated from carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRPs) are lightweight alternatives to metallic plates; thus, their usage has increased in performance industries such as aerospace and automotive. Additive manufacturing (AM) has experienced a similar growth as composite material inclusion because of its advantages over traditional manufacturing methods. Fabrication with composite laminates and additive manufacturing, specifically fused filament fabrication (fused deposition modeling), requires material to be placed layer-by-layer. If adjacent plies/layers lose adhesion during fabrication or operational usage, the strength …

Understanding The Interaction Of Environmental Contaminants With Polystyrene Nanoparticles And Dna Using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy And Density Functional Theory, Saduni Arachchi

All Dissertations

The objective of the thesis is to study the effect of environmental pollutants on polystyrene nanoparticles and biomolecules. This is done in two different techniques, particularly NMR and density functional theory. In this thesis, we use a combination of 1H NMR, Saturation-Transfer Difference (STD) NMR and relaxation experiments to study the interactions, kinetics and dynamics of antibiotics with polystyrene nanoparticles. (PS NPs) Density functional theory (DFT) is used to study the binding of commonly used non-oxidative hair dyes to biomolecules (DNA and amino acids) and PS particles.

Sustainability Hub - December 2023 Newsletter, Jacqueline Jergensen, Neyda Gilman, Jennifer Embree

Library Sustainability Resources

In this newsletter, check out a sustainable swap you can make this month, books to read over the holiday break, resources to stay safe this season, how to give gifts sustainably, a seed recipe, and an environmental art feature! Don’t forget to check out upcoming events and our other announcements!

Enhanced Wound Care Identification And Intervention, Melissa Faura Rd, Ldn, Rachel Geosits Ms, Rdn, Cnsc, Ldn, Ann Flickinger Ms, Rd, Ldn

Clinical Nutrition Service

No abstract provided.

A 2-Tiered Educational Program To Enhance Nutrition Knowledge, Confidence And Application Among Medical Residents, Kimberly Cephas Ms, Rd, Cnsc, Ldn, Jacqueline Labatch Rd, Cnsc, Ldn, Renee Selby Rd, Cnsc, Ldn

Clinical Nutrition Service

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Barriers To Utilizing Length Boards In A Level Iv Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Heather Kistler Rd, Csp, Ldn, Kristi L. Ruth Rd, Cnsc, Ldn, Laura Kurtz Ms, Rd, Ldn

Clinical Nutrition Service

No abstract provided.

The Pacifican December 2023, University Of The Pacific

All Issues - Student Newspaper, The Pacifican, Pacific Weekly

No abstract provided.

Estimating The Chemical Composition Of Secondary Compounds Of Iraqi Wild Agaricus Bellaniae Characterized Morphologically And Genetically, Ziena M. Abdul-Qader, Rukiabaa A. Chechan, Sudad K.M. Al-Taweel

Baghdad Science Journal

This study, which is considered the first of its kind in the world and the Arab homeland, was carried out in the laboratory of mushroom production belonging to the Medicinal Plant Unit/ College Of Agricultural Engineering Sciences/ University of Baghdad during the period from July 21, 2016, to December 30, 2018, aiming to isolate and purify the mycelium of the wild isolation in addition to the genetic and morphological identification of the mushroom Agaricus bellaniae. The obtained pure isolation was tagged in the American National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) with symbol MF987843.1, thus Iraq would be the second country …

Numerical Investigation Of Physical Parameters In Cardiac Vessels As A New Medical Support Science For Complex Blood Flow Characteristics, Defrianto, Toto Saktioto, Yan Soerbakti, Andika Thoibah, Bunga Meyzia, Romi Fadli Syahputra, Okfalisa, Syamsudhuha, Dedi Irawan, Haryana Hairi

Baghdad Science Journal

This study proposes a mathematical approach and numerical experiment for a simple solution of cardiac blood flow to the heart's blood vessels. A mathematical model of human blood flow through arterial branches was studied and calculated using the Navier-Stokes partial differential equation with finite element analysis (FEA) approach. Furthermore, FEA is applied to the steady flow of two-dimensional viscous liquids through different geometries. The validity of the computational method is determined by comparing numerical experiments with the results of the analysis of different functions. Numerical analysis showed that the highest blood flow velocity of 1.22 cm/s occurred in the center …

Determining Ace-2 Level And Some Relevant Biochemical Parameters And Studying The Effect Of Gender In Iraqi Diabetic Patients With Glomeruli And Renal Tubules Fibrosis As Early Prediction Marker, Reham Khuldon Ibrahim, Kadhim K. Ghudhaib, Ali Abdulmajid Dyab Allawi

Baghdad Science Journal

Diabetic kidney disease is an illness of the glomerulus that interferes with the glomerular filtration barrier (GFB), which is worked to enable kidney to selective purification of water and solutes in addition to limiting the movement of large macromolecules such as albumin. In the glomerular endothelium, mesangial cells, foot cells, and the brush border of the proximal tubules, ACE-2 is expressed and that the kidneys represent the highest-expressing region of this enzyme. Thus, the current study aimed to evaluate ACE-2 level in this case compared to healthy condition. The study Conducted with 120 male and female ranging in age (30-65) …

A Study Of Policies And Responses To Chronically Absent Students In Illinois High Schools In The Four Southern Most Regions Of The Illinois Associaiton Of School Administrators, Charles Shain Crank

Dissertations

No abstract

In Satan We Trust: The Satanic Temple’S Ongoing Crusade To Protect Abortion Rights, Bradley Koberg

Cardozo Law Review

In the summer of 2022, the Supreme Court overruled the nearly fifty-year-old precedent of Roe v. Wade, eliminating the constitutional right to an abortion. This was one of several decisions in which the newly minted conservative supermajority undermined what could be seen as progressive precedents. At the same time, the Court has been elevating religious liberty claims and strengthening legal protections for religious individuals and organizations (predominantly Christian). For anybody who cares about the “so-called separation of . . . church and state,” this conservative Christian reformation taking place in the nation’s highest court is a cause for concern.

However, …

Improving And Integrating Quantitative Single Cell Spatial Biology For Theranostic Medicine, Peng Lu

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Disease states are the result of a complex interplay of many different cell types interacting in close proximity in the context of often heterogeneous tissues. Alpha particles are drawing intense research and clinical interest because of their potent cytotoxic effects and their short path lengths. Analyzing the dose distribution and tissue micro-environment for alpha therapy plays a key role in predicting the efficacy of this targeted radiotherapy. However, to date there have been no direct on-tissue analytical methods for alpha dose distributions and the corresponding tissue microenvironments.

Therefore, we have developed a pipeline to overcome this limitation by utilizing quantitative …

Projecting, Persuading, & Protecting: A Mixed Methods Analysis Of Adult Children’S Predictions Of Parents’ Quality-Of-Life Valuations In Serious Illness States, Jessica Hahne

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Older adults often face complex serious illness decisions and involve their adult children as shared or surrogate decision makers. However, previous research asking family members to predict older adults’ treatment preferences in serious illness situations typically shows poor concordance with older adults’ actual preferences. In the current mixed methods analysis, we surveyed older adults (n = 38) on their health state valuations in five serious illness scenarios. Two of their adult children (n = 76) predicted their parent’s preferences. Families also participated in a semi-structured conversation to discuss their preferences and predictions. Quantitative analyses showed that parents’ average valuations were …

Essence As Algorithm: Public Perceptions Of Ai-Powered Avatars Of Real People, James Hutson, Jay Ratican, Colleen Biri

Faculty Scholarship

This paper investigates the intersection of generative AI, Large Language Models (LLM), and robotics. Exemplified by systems like ChatGPT and technological marvels such as Ameca the Robot, the combination of technologies will allow humans to transcend the limitations of death. Through digital necromancy, a practice encompassing the technological resurrection of deceased individuals, the ability to not only passively see recordings of loved ones but to interact with them is made possible, leading to ethical and psychological considerations. Therefore, examining these trends extends into the motives underlying engagement with both incorporeal and corporeal reproductions of individuals, with reasons ranging from memory …

Nutritional-Environmental Trade-Offs In Potato Storage And Processing For A Sustainable Healthy Diet, Aubin Payne, Ebenezer M. Kwofie, Prince Agyemang, Jamie Baum

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Over the last decade, poor diets and limited access to nutritious foods have been critical drivers of micronutrient deficiency in human health. However, food fortification at an industrialized scale in developed countries has helped eliminate deficiency-related diseases. In developing countries, fortified foods and biofortified materials have been delivered to nutrient-deficient communities. While these strategies have produced significant and acclaimed results, reports from the Food and Agricultural Organization suggest that over a quarter of the world’s population suffers from micronutrient deficiency. This implies that there are still declines in micronutrients in food products at different nodes along the food value chain …

Illinois State University, One Hundred And Sixty-Fourth Annual Commencement, December 2023, Illinois State University

Commencement Programs

Illinois State University
One Hundred and Sixty-Fourth Annual Commencement
December 2023

Comparative Study Between Antegrade Flexible Ureteroscopy And Reterograde Intrarenal Surgery In The Management Of Impacted Upper Ureteric Stones 15 Cm Or Larger, Ahmed Mohey, Ahmed A Abdelfattah, Ahmed E Mohammed, Abdelmoniem Marzouk, Amr S El-Dakhakhny

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: To prospectively investigate the safety and efficacy of antegrade flexible ureteroscopy (FURS) with the following criteria (supine, ultrasonic guided puncture through lower calyx with 14 fr tract, tubeless) versus retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) in the management of large impacted upper ureteric stones ≥ 1.5 cm.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study recruited 61 patients with single large impacted upper ureteric stone of ≥ 1.5 cm. The patients were randomly allocated to two groups. Group A, included 31 patients who treated by antegrade FURS, all patients were put in supine modified galadako Valdivia position and the renal access is reached by …

Climate Policy Uncertainty And Corporate Tax Avoidance, Md Ruhul Amin, Akinloye Akindayomi, Md Showaib Rahman Sarker, Rafiqul Bhuyan

School of Accountancy Faculty Publications

Highlights

• This study investigates the relation between climate policy uncertainty and corporate tax avoidance.

• Firms undertake aggressive tax avoidance strategies during periods of heightened climate policy uncertainty.

• Further analysis indicates that cash savings from lower tax payments are used to pay dividends and not retained for reinvestment.

• Findings are consistent with the precautionary hypothesis that firms become more (i) conservative in their long-term investment strategies and (ii) risk-averse during periods of elevated climate policy uncertainty.

Abstract

This study examines the relation between climate policy uncertainty and corporate tax avoidance. Using a novel measure of climate policy uncertainty (CPU), we document …

Randomized Phase Ii Trial Of Dendritic Cell/Myeloma Fusion Vaccine With Lenalidomide Maintenance After Upfront Autologous Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation For Multiple Myeloma: Bmt Ctn 1401., David J Chung, Nina Shah, Juan Wu, Brent Logan, Lina Bisharat, Natalie Callander, Giulia Cheloni, Kenneth Anderson, Thinle Chodon, Binod Dhakal, Steve Devine, Poorvi Somaiya Dutt, Yvonne Efebera, Nancy Geller, Haider Ghiasuddin, Peiman Hematti, Leona Holmberg, Alan Howard, Bryon Johnson, Dimitra Karagkouni, Hillard M Lazarus, Ehsan Malek, Philip Mccarthy, David Mckenna, Adam Mendizabal, Ajay Nooka, Nikhil Munshi, Lynn O'Donnell, Aaron P Rapoport, Jane Reese, Jacalyn Rosenblatt, Robert Soiffer, Dina Stroopinsky, Lynne Uhl, Ioannis S Vlachos, Edmund K Waller, James W Young, Marcelo C Pasquini, David Avigan

Oncology Articles

PURPOSE: Vaccination with dendritic cell (DC)/multiple myeloma (MM) fusions has been shown to induce the expansion of circulating multiple myeloma-reactive lymphocytes and consolidation of clinical response following autologous hematopoietic cell transplant (auto-HCT).

PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this randomized phase II trial (NCT02728102), we assessed the effect of DC/MM fusion vaccination, GM-CSF, and lenalidomide maintenance as compared with control arms of GM-CSF and lenalidomide or lenalidomide maintenance alone on clinical response rates and induction of multiple myeloma-specific immunity at 1-year posttransplant.

RESULTS: The study enrolled 203 patients, with 140 randomized posttransplantation. Vaccine production was successful in 63 of 68 patients. At …

The Application Of Simultaneous Mainstem Bronchus Dilation With Pulmonary Artery Stenting In The Context Of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, Sylwia Hasterok, Thomas G Scott, Devin G Roller, Adam Spencer, Arun B Dutta, Kizhakke M Sathyan, Daniel E Frigo, Michael J Guertin, Daniel Gioeli

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The clinical success of combined androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and radiotherapy (RT) in prostate cancer created interest in understanding the mechanistic links between androgen receptor (AR) signaling and the DNA damage response (DDR). Convergent data have led to a model where AR both regulates, and is regulated by, the DDR. Integral to this model is that the AR regulates the transcription of DDR genes both at a steady state and in response to ionizing radiation (IR). In this study, we sought to determine which immediate transcriptional changes are induced by IR in an AR-dependent manner. Using PRO-seq to quantify changes …

Genome-Wide Significant Risk Loci For Mood Disorders In The Old Order Amish Founder Population, Elizabeth M Humphries, Kwangmi Ahn, Rachel L Kember, Fabiana L Lopes, Evelina Mocci, Juan M Peralta, John Blangero, David C Glahn, Fernando S Goes, Peter P Zandi, Peter Kochunov, Cristopher Van Hout, Alan R Shuldiner, Toni I Pollin, Braxton D Mitchell, Maja Bucan, L Elliot Hong, Francis J Mcmahon, Seth A Ament

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of mood disorders in large case-control cohorts have identified numerous risk loci, yet pathophysiological mechanisms remain elusive, primarily due to the very small effects of common variants. We sought to discover risk variants with larger effects by conducting a genome-wide association study of mood disorders in a founder population, the Old Order Amish (OOA, n = 1,672). Our analysis revealed four genome-wide significant risk loci, all of which were associated with >2-fold relative risk. Quantitative behavioral and neurocognitive assessments (n = 314) revealed effects of risk variants on sub-clinical depressive symptoms and information processing speed. Network …

Sonographic Characteristics And Pathology Correlation Of Breast Imaging Reporting And Data System (Bi-Rads) Category 4 Lesions, Poonum Khan, Imrana Masroor, Muhammad S Alam, Abdus Salam, Yasir Ali, Muhammad Salman Khan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: The Breast Imaging-Reporting and Database System (BI-RADS) category 4 is designated for breast lumps that do not display the typical features of malignancy but still raise enough suspicion to warrant a recommendation for a biopsy, as malignancy cannot be ruled out through imaging alone. The main objective of this study was to investigate the sonographic characteristics and pathology correlation of BI-RADS 4 breast lesions and determine the positive predictive rate of BI-RADS 4 lesions in diagnosing breast cancer, using histopathology as the gold standard.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the Department of Radiology, Aga Khan University …

Cortical Thickness Is Related To Variability In Heritage Bilingual Language Proficiency, My V H Nguyen, Kelly A Vaughn, Hannah Claussenius-Kalman, Pilar Archila-Suerte, Arturo E Hernandez

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Research suggests that bilingual experience is associated with gray matter changes, such that initial language gains are associated with expansion and language expertise is associated with renormalization. Previous studies on language proficiency development primarily focused on between-subjects, quasiexperimental comparisons of monolinguals and bilinguals. This study proposes a new paradigm to examine language expertise and cortical thickness within heritage bilinguals (

Genomic Profiles And Clinical Outcomes Of Penile Squamous Cell Carcinoma With Elevated Tumor Mutational Burden, Andrea Necchi, Philippe E Spiess, Tiago Costa De Padua, Roger Li, Petros Grivas, Richard S P Huang, Douglas I Lin, Natalie Danziger, Jeffrey S Ross, Joseph M Jacob, Rebecca A Sager, Alina Basnet, Gerald Li, Ryon P Graf, Dean C Pavlick, Gennady Bratslavsky

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

IMPORTANCE: Tumor mutational burden (TMB) is a putative biomarker of efficacy for immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapies of solid tumors, but not specifically for penile squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC).

OBJECTIVE: To characterize biomarker features and ICI therapy outcomes associated with high TMB in PSCC in the routine clinical practice setting.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: In this cohort study, 397 PSCC cases were analyzed to identify genomic alterations in more than 300 cancer-associated genes and genomic signatures, including TMB, using a hybrid capture-based comprehensive genomic profiling assay. Tumor mutational burden was categorized as low ([mut/Mb]), high (10-19 mut/Mb), or very high …