Digital Commons Network^™

Access To Justice For Black Inventors, Jordana R. Goodman, Khamal Patterson

Vanderbilt Law Review

To receive a patent, an inventor must meet certain inventive and procedural standards. Their invention must be novel, nonobvious, and written in such a way that any person skilled in the inventive subject can make and use the invention without undue experimentation. This process is far from objective.

An inventor is not always communicating within their own social circle. An inventor is required to communicate their invention so that a patent examiner believes a person having ordinary skill in the art ("PHOSITA") would recognize the invention as nonobvious. Moreover, a fictitious skilled person must be able to make and use …

Examining The Multifaceted Impacts Of Drug Decriminalization On Public Safety, Law Enforcement, And Prosecutorial Discretion, Kelsey S. Henderson, Christopher M. Campbell, Brian C. Renauer

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

This final report provides the findings of a multi-year project to understand the effects of successive drug policy efforts in Oregon. Since 2013, Oregon has implemented three changes that reclassified and lowered the seriousness of low-level drug possession offenses, with multiple years between each policy change: Justice Reinvestment in 2013, defelonization in 2017, and decriminalization in 2021. This project parses out the individual impacts of these unique events on law enforcement, prosecution, courts and sentencing, and public safety & health.

The Evolving Role Of Libraries In The Fourth Industrial Revolution: Navigating Digital Transformation, Abdullahi Olayinka Isiaka, Abdulfatai Soliu, Biliamin Abiola Aremu, Benjamin Adebisi Bamidele, Saidu Saba-Jibril, Adelani Rotimi Ibitoye

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Abstract

This article explores the transformative impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) on libraries and their pivotal role in navigating the challenges and opportunities brought forth by rapid technological advancements. Libraries, traditionally perceived as repositories of books and information, are undergoing a profound metamorphosis in the digital age. The 4IR, characterized by breakthroughs in Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, and Data Analytics, demands a redefinition of the library’s purpose and services. The first section introduces the concept of the 4IR and its key technological advancements. Emphasis is placed on understanding the dynamic landscape of the 4IR and the …

Environmental Law: The Negotiable Implementation Of Environmental Law, Dave Owen

The Judges' Book

No abstract provided.

Optimizing Neural Networks For Iiot Attack Detection, Hamad Alblooshi

Theses

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) stands as a revolutionary force, intertwining physical devices, sensors, and industrial systems to usher in advanced automation and data-driven decision-making across various sectors. However, this increased connectivity has exposed these systems to a growing array of cyber threats. Safeguarding IIoT environments becomes crucial to maintain the integrity, availability, and confidentiality of critical industrial processes. In response, this research explores the optimization of neural network parameters using Genetic Algorithms (GA). The application of GA has led to achieve a remarkable accuracy of 95% across various attack types. The results demonstrate a high performance in identifying …

Machine Learning Based Solutions For Detecting Social Media Spam And Phishing Incidents, Ahmed Al Shehhi

Theses

The growing digital interactions across various social media platforms increases the risks of phishing schemes and spam messages that compromise personal and organisational security. This thesis tackles such threats with the aid of machine learning and natural processing techniques that are utilized for detecting malicious communications with high accuracy. A total of three datasets were used in this study, two for phishing and one for spam. The research aims to explore the performance of classification models, including Logistic Regression, Support Vector Machine, Naïve Bayes, and Linear Discriminant Analysis, as well as a hybrid model combining Logistic Regression and Naïve Bayes. …

The Uae’S Readiness For Technology Export: The Case Of Ai, Reem Tamer Aldandashi

Theses

Export diversification is one way for the UAE to sustain and flourish its economy. Although UAE is an oil-rich country, it needs to search for and incubate future exports besides the existing ones to keep the wheel of the economy moving, increase the employment rate, and strengthen the country from any future economic strokes. While looking at the technology spread and Artificial Intelligence (AI) focus and efforts in UAE, much research investigated the outcomes of digitization on the UAE economy and its technological strength and competitiveness. At the same time, no one has searched for the possibility of having one …

[Review Of] Abolition Geography, By Ruth Wilson Gilmore, Jennifer Rycenga

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

Discursos Del Viaje Del Agua: Siglos Xv-Xxi, Lilianet Brintrup Hertling, Gladys Ilarregui

Trade & Scholarly Monographs

Estos textos pasados por agua nacen del “IV Simposio Libros, Viajes, Viajeros y el discurso del agua” que tuvo lugar en la Europa-Universität Flensburg en Julio de 2022, frente al Mar Báltico. En un marco interdisciplinario cuyo tema central fuera el agua, se abrió un diálogo para sumergirse en las rutas marítimas de los diarios de viajeros, la influencia de los océanos en las literaturas y en los escenarios acuáticos de poblaciones diversas dentro y fuera de la imaginación histórico-literaria. Este volumen no pretende abarcar la totalidad de lo presentado en esa ocasión, sino reunir una serie de ensayos sobre …

The Statewide Standard, 2024, College Of Education

The Statewide Standard

No abstract provided.

Families At The Center: Leading For Home Visiting Systems Change, Callie H. Lambarth, Beth L. Green, Center For Coordinating Oregon Home Visiting Systems

Center for Improvement of Child and Family Services Publications

The Center for Coordinating Oregon Home Visiting Systems (CCOHVS) launched in February 2024 at the Center for Improvement of Child and Family Services at Portland State University. The CCOHVS functions as a program-neutral backbone organization for a coordinated system of prenatal and early childhood home visiting services. Its work will move the state closer to the vision described in the Raise Up Oregon 2.0 (RUO) strategic plan1 for early childhood systems, namely to create “equitable, integrated, accessible, inclusive, anti-racist and family-centered” early learning services, with a focus on ensuring this system meets the needs of pregnant people and families with …

Is It Possible For Glp-1ras To Combat Type 2 Diabetes And Its Comorbidities?, Michael Weingarten

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is a prevalent metabolic disorder characterized by insulin resistance and pancreatic beta-cell dysfunction, leading to chronic hyperglycemia and comorbidities such as obesity and cardiovascular disease. Traditional treatments focus on glycemic control, but often fail to address the broader spectrum of related conditions. This study investigates the potential of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) to combat type 2 diabetes and its comorbidities through their diverse mechanisms of action. GLP-1RAs not only improve glycemic control by enhancing insulin secretion and inhibiting glucagon release, but also promote weight loss, reduce inflammation, and lower cardiovascular risk. The efficacy of GLP-1RAs …

Overview Of Weight Loss Medications, Malky Mandel

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Obesity is a complex medical condition that is multifactorial in origin. About one-third of adults in the United States are obese, and another third are overweight (Ogden et al., 2007). Obesity is associated with a multitude of comorbidities, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and osteoarthritis (Lim, Boster, 2023). Additionally, obesity may cause psychological disorders due to social prejudice and discrimination toward obese people (Wadden et al. 2002). Economically, obesity is also a tremendous financial burden (Tremmel et al. 2017). It is estimated that the overall cost of obesity-related illness in the US is nearly $500 billion (Cawley et al., …

Who Bears The Burden When Prison Guards Rape?, Meredith B. Esser

Scholarly Works

Several recent scandals have highlighted the continued problem of institutional sexual abuse within the federal Bureau of Prisons ("BOP"). Most notoriously, the rampant sexual abuse of women incarcerated at Federal Correctional Institution ("FCI") Dublin, also known as the "rape club," resulted in the prosecution and conviction of several high-ranking officials within FCI Dublin, including both the former Warden and former Chaplain who worked there for several years. In response to these patterns of misconduct, the Federal Sentencing Commission's new guidelines, which went into effect on November 1, 2023, now allow for victims of custodial sexual assault to apply for early …

A Rpl In Time: A Brown Buffalo's Observations On The Ongoing Struggle Of Civic And Racial Nationalism In Higher Education - Circa 2023, Tom I. Romero Ii

Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

Is Now A(Nother) Teachable Moment Honoring The Memory Of Dr. William S. Spriggs, Francine J. Lipman

Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

Religious Accommodations In The Dobbs Era, Ann C. Mcginley

Scholarly Works

Given the deep political divide in the U.S. and the emotional response to the abortion issue, workplaces may become hostile environments that harm workers based on their pro- or anti-abortion views or their out-of-work activism. Besides hostile environments, some workers may suffer workplace discipline based on their speech at work or refusals to engage in certain job requirements. Disciplining employees for engaging in workplace speech or refusal to perform parts of their jobs may violate workers’ rights under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which requires that employers grant religious accommodations in the workplace if doing so …

Folate Regulation Of Planar Cell Polarity Pathway And F-Actin Through Folate Receptor Alpha, Xiao Han, Xuanye Cao, Robert M Cabrera, Paula Andrea Pimienta Ramirez, Ying Linda Lin, Bogdan J Wlodarczyk, Cuilian Zhang, Richard H Finnell, Yunping Lei

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Folate deficiency contribute to neural tube defects (NTDs) which could be rescued by folate supplementation. However, the underlying mechanisms are still not fully understood. Besides, there is considerable controversy concerning the forms of folate used for supplementation. To address this controversy, we prepared culture medium with different forms of folate, Folic acid (FA) and 5-methyltetrahydrofolate(5mTHF), at concentration of 5uM, 500nM, 50nM and folate free, respectively. Mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) were treated with different folates continuously for three passages and cell proliferation and F-actin was monitored. We determined that compared to 5mTHF, FA showed stronger effects on promoting cell proliferation and …

Effects And Plasma Proteomic Analysis Of Glp-1ra Versus Cpa/Ee, In Combination With Metformin, On Overweight Pcos Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Mingyu Liao, Xing Li, Hao Zhang, Ling Zhou, Liu Shi, Weixin Li, Rufei Shen, Guiliang Peng, Huan Zhao, Jiaqing Shao, Xiujie Wang, Zheng Sun, Hongting Zheng, Min Long

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

PURPOSE: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is characterized by reproductive dysfunctions and metabolic disorders. This study aims to compare the therapeutic effectiveness of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) + Metformin (Met) versus cyproterone acetate/ethinylestradiol (CPA/EE) + Met in overweight PCOS women and identify potential proteomic biomarkers of disease risk in women with PCOS.

METHODS: In this prospective, open-label randomized controlled trial, we recruited 60 overweight PCOS women into two groups at a 1:1 ratio to receive CPA/EE (2 mg/day: 2 mg cyproterone acetate and 35-μg ethinylestradiol,) +Met (1500 mg/day) or GLP-1 RA (liraglutide, 1.2-1.8 mg/day) +Met (1500 mg/day) for 12 weeks. …

Human Plcg2 Haploinsufficiency Results In A Novel Natural Killer Cell Immunodeficiency, Joshua B Alinger, Emily M Mace, Justin R Porter, Annelise Y Mah-Som, Allyssa L Daugherty, Stephanie Li, Allison A Throm, Jeanette T Pingel, Nermina Saucier, Albert Yao, Ivan K Chinn, James R Lupski, Mohammad Ehlayel, Michael Keller, Greg R Bowman, Megan A Cooper, Jordan S Orange, Anthony R French

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background:

Although most individuals effectively control herpesvirus infections, some suffer from severe and/or recurrent infections. A subset of these patients possess defects in NK cells, lymphocytes which recognize and lyse herpesvirus-infected cells; however, the genetic etiology is rarely diagnosed. PLCG2 encodes a signaling protein in NK cell and B cell signaling. Dominant-negative or gain-of-function variants in PLCG2 cause cold urticaria, antibody deficiency, and autoinflammation. However, loss-of-function variants and haploinsufficiency have not been reported to date.

Objective:

We aimed to identify the genetic cause of NK cell immunodeficiency in two families, and herein describe the functional consequences of two novel loss-of-function …

Lipin1 As A Therapeutic Target For Respiratory Insufficiency Of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Alexandra Brown, Brooklyn Morris, John Karanja Kamau, Ryan J Rakoczy, Brian N Finck, Christopher N Wyatt, Hongmei Ren

2020-Current year OA Pubs

In Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), diaphragm muscle dysfunction results in respiratory insufficiency which is a leading cause of death in patients. Mutations to the dystrophin gene result in myocyte membrane instability, contributing to the structural deterioration of the diaphragm muscle tissues. With previous works suggesting the importance of lipin1 for maintaining skeletal muscle membrane integrity, we explored the roles of lipin1 in the dystrophic diaphragm. We found that the protein expression levels of lipin1 were reduced by 60% in the dystrophic diaphragm. While further knockdown of lipin1 in the dystrophic diaphragm leads to increased necroptosis, restoration of lipin1 in the …

Deep Adaptive Graph Clustering Via Von Mises-Fisher Distributions, Pengfei Wang, Daqing Wu, Chong Chen, Kunpeng Liu, Yanjie Fu, Jianqiang Huang, Yuanchun Zhou, Jianfeng Zhan, Xiansheng Hua

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Graph clustering has been a hot research topic and is widely used in many fields, such as community detection in social networks. Lots of works combining auto-encoder and graph neural networks have been applied to clustering tasks by utilizing node attributes and graph structure. These works usually assumed the inherent parameters (i.e., size and variance) of different clusters in the latent embedding space are homogeneous, and hence the assigned probability is monotonous over the Euclidean distance between node embeddings and centroids. Unfortunately, this assumption usually does not hold since the size and concentration of different clusters can be quite different, …

Comparison Of Four Protocols For In Vitro Differentiation Of Human Embryonic Stem Cells Into Trophoblast Lineages By Bmp4 And Dual Inhibition Of Activin/Nodal And Fgf2 Signaling, Zahra Anvar, Imen Chakchouk, Momal Sharif, Sangeetha Mahadevan, Li Su, Swathi Anikar, Fatemeh Alavi Naini, Alloysius Budi Utama, Ignatia B Van Den Veyver

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) cultured in media containing bone morphogenic protein 4 (BMP4; B) differentiate into trophoblast-like cells. Supplementing media with inhibitors of activin/nodal signaling (A83-01) and of fibroblast growth factor 2 (PD173074) suppresses mesoderm and endoderm formation and improves specification of trophoblast-like lineages, but with variable effectiveness. We compared differentiation in four BMP4-containing media: mTeSR1-BMP4 only, mTeSR1-BAP, basal medium with BAP (basal-BAP), and a newly defined medium, E7-BAP. These media variably drive early differentiation towards trophoblast-like lineages with upregulation of early trophoblast markers CDX2 and KRT7 and downregulation of pluripotency markers (OCT4 and NANOG). As expected, based on …

Autophagy Determines Distinct Cell Fates In Human Amnion And Chorion Cells, Mary Elise L Severino, Lauren Richardson, Ananth Kumar Kammala, Enkhtuya Radnaa, Kamil Khanipov, Leslie Michelle M Dalmacio, Indira U Mysorekar, Marian Kacerovsky, Ramkumar Menon

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Human fetal membranes (amniochorion) that line the intrauterine cavity consist of two distinct cell layers; single-layer amnion epithelial cells (AEC) and multilayer chorion trophoblast cells (CTC). These layers are connected through a collagen-rich extracellular matrix. Cellular remodeling helps support membrane growth and integrity during gestation and helps to maintain pregnancy. Preterm prelabor rupture of the human amniochorionic (fetal) membrane (pPROM) is antecedent to 40% of all spontaneous preterm birth. Oxidative stress (OS) induced activation of the p38 MAPK due to various maternal risk exposures and the amniochorion cells' senescence are reported pathological features of pPROM. Our transcriptomics analysis implicated dysregulated …

Harnessing Speech-Derived Digital Biomarkers To Detect And Quantify Cognitive Decline Severity In Older Adults, Gozde Cay, Valeria A Pfeifer, Myeounggon Lee, Mohammad Dehghan Rouzi, Adonay S Nunes, Nesreen El-Refaei, Anmol Salim Momin, Md Moin Uddin Atique, Matthias R Mehl, Ashkan Vaziri, Bijan Najafi

Center on Aging Staff Publications

Introduction: Current cognitive assessments suffer from floor/ceiling and practice effects, poor psychometric performance in mild cases, and repeated assessment effects. This study explores the use of digital speech analysis as an alternative tool for determining cognitive impairment. The study specifically focuses on identifying the digital speech biomarkers associated with cognitive impairment and its severity.

Methods: We recruited older adults with varying cognitive health. Their speech data, recorded via a wearable microphone during the reading aloud of a standard passage, were processed to derive digital biomarkers such as timing, pitch, and loudness. Cohen's d effect size highlighted group differences, and correlations …

Assessing The Acceptability And Effectiveness Of A Novel Therapeutic Footwear In Reducing Foot Pain And Improving Function Among Older Adults: A Crossover Randomized Controlled Trial, M G Finco, Abderrahman Ouattas, Nesreen El-Refaei, Anmol Salim Momin, Mehrnaz Azarian, Bijan Najafi

Center on Aging Staff Publications

Introduction: Nearly, a quarter of older adults suffer from frequent foot pain, impacting their quality of life. While proper footwear can alleviate this, design issues often hinder regular use. This study evaluated novel therapeutic footwear, designed for aesthetics and custom fit, to reduce foot pain. We hypothesized that older adults would experience less foot pain and favor the new footwear over their own.

Methods: This 12-week crossover randomized controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of OrthoFeet therapeutic footwear on reducing foot pain in older adults (n = 50, age = 65 ± 5, 18% male) with moderate to severe pain. Participants …

Tfeb-Vacuolar Atpase Signaling Regulates Lysosomal Function And Microglial Activation In Tauopathy, Baiping Wang, Heidi Martini-Stoica, Chuangye Qi, Tzu-Chiao Lu, Shuo Wang, Wen Xiong, Yanyan Qi, Yin Xu, Marco Sardiello, Hongjie Li, Hui Zheng

Center on Aging Staff Publications

Transcription factor EB (TFEB) mediates gene expression through binding to the coordinated lysosome expression and regulation (CLEAR) sequence. TFEB targets include subunits of the vacuolar ATPase (v-ATPase), which are essential for lysosome acidification. Single-nucleus RNA sequencing of wild-type and PS19 (Tau) transgenic mice expressing the P301S mutant tau identified three unique microglia subclusters in Tau mice that were associated with heightened lysosome and immune pathway genes. To explore the lysosome-immune relationship, we specifically disrupted the TFEB-v-ATPase signaling by creating a knock-in mouse line in which the CLEAR sequence of one of the v-ATPase subunits, Atp6v1h, was mutated. CLEAR mutant exhibited …

Metabolink Is A Novel Algorithm For Unveiling Cell-Specific Metabolic Pathways In Longitudinal Datasets, Jared Lichtarge, Gerarda Cappuccio, Soumya Pati, Alfred Kwabena Dei-Ampeh, Senghong Sing, Lihua Ma, Zhandong Liu, Mirjana Maletic-Savatic

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

Introduction: In the rapidly advancing field of 'omics research, there is an increasing demand for sophisticated bioinformatic tools to enable efficient and consistent data analysis. As biological datasets, particularly metabolomics, become larger and more complex, innovative strategies are essential for deciphering the intricate molecular and cellular networks.

Methods: We introduce a pioneering analytical approach that combines Principal Component Analysis (PCA) with Graphical Lasso (GLASSO). This method is designed to reduce the dimensionality of large datasets while preserving significant variance. For the first time, we applied the PCA-GLASSO algorithm (i.e., MetaboLINK) to metabolomics data derived from Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy …

Insights From Social Media Into Public Perspectives On Investigative Genetic Genealogy, Sara Huston, Diana Madden, Andrea Villanes, Nathan Reed, Whitney Bash Brooks, Christopher Healey, Christi Guerrini

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Social media sites like X (formerly Twitter) increasingly serve as spaces for the public to discuss controversial topics. Social media can spark extreme viewpoints and spread biased or inaccurate information while simultaneously allowing for debate around policy-relevant topics. The arrest of Joseph J. DeAngelo in April 2018 ignited a barrage of social media conversations on how DNA and genetic genealogy led to the suspect. These conversations continued over the following years as policies changed and as the use of the approach expanded. We examined social media coverage of investigative genetic genealogy (IGG) to characterize the volume and temporal patterns in …

Combined Bioinformatic And Splicing Analysis Of Likely Benign Intronic And Synonymous Variants Reveals Evidence For Pathogenicity, Owen R Hirschi, Stephanie A Felker, Surya P Rednam, Kelly L Vallance, D Williams Parsons, Angshumoy Roy, Gregory M Cooper, Sharon E Plon

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

PURPOSE: Clinical variant analysis pipelines likely have poor sensitivity to the effects on splicing from variants beyond 10 to 20 bases of exon-intron boundaries. Here, we demonstrate the value of SpliceAI to inform curation of rare variants previously classified as benign/likely benign (B/LB) under current guidelines.

METHODS: Exome sequencing data from 576 pediatric cancer patients enrolled in the Texas KidsCanSeq study were filtered for intronic or synonymous variants absent from population databases, predicted to alter splicing via SpliceAI (>0.20), and scored >10 by combined annotation-dependent depletion. Rare synonymous or intronic B/LB variants in 61 genes submitted to ClinVar were …