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Poetic Qualities In Ancient India And Their Legacy In Rabindranath Tagore’S Aesthetic Theory, Nipat Yamdate

Journal of Letters

Poets in ancient India have been recognized as sages, instructors, and individuals who uplift humanity’s spiritual cultivation through their literary creations, which are enlightening, beautiful, and full of profound philosophical and religious insights. Kāvyaśāstra, which refers to ancient Indian treatises on poetic theories, holds that the qualities of a true poet are creative power (pratibhā) and the skill or talent (śakti) to transform ordinary language into beautiful poetry. However, even though poets are able to create works that are valuable and timeless, judgment of poetic qualities also depends on reader or audience, who must use empathy in order to comprehend …

U.S. Patented Medication Prices Too High To Warrant Affordable Costs By Patients, Kisa Mwenelupembe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Optimal pricing of patent medicines is needed to ensure profitability of pharmaceutical companies while managing ease of access to these medicines for patients. The general problem that necessitated this study was that the prices of most patent medications in the United States are too high to warrant affordable costs by patients while simultaneously fostering drug innovation. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the best practices for ensuring equal access to patent medicines while maintaining profitability of pharmaceutical companies to pursue needed innovation and development of new drugs. This study was underpinned by Bandura’s social cognitive …

Perceptions Of The Skills Gap In Career And Technical Education In An Urban School District, Kyna Monic Eberhardt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A gap in career and technical education (CTE) skills can negatively influence outcomes for students who plan to enter the workforce or college following high school graduation. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perceptions of principals, counselors, teachers, and business leaders from different industries, about the skills gap among CTE students and their preparation for the workforce or college. Kathuria’s organizational alignment theory grounded this study. For this case study design, semistructured interviews were conducted with nine participants purposively selected from each stakeholder group: principals, counselors, teachers, and business leaders from different industries. All participants …

Explainable Artifacts For Synthetic Western Blot Source Attribution, João Phillipe Cardenuto, Sara Mandelli, Daniel Moreira, Paolo Bestagini, Edward J. Delp, Anderson Rocha

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Recent advancements in artificial intelligence have enabled generative models to produce synthetic scientific images that are indistinguishable from pristine ones, posing a challenge even for expert scientists habituated to working with such content. When exploited by organizations known as paper mills, which systematically generate fraudulent articles, these technologies can significantly contribute to the spread of misinformation about ungrounded science, potentially undermining trust in scientific research. While previous studies have explored black-box solutions, such as Convolutional Neural Networks, for identifying synthetic content, only some have addressed the challenge of generalizing across different models and providing insight into the artifacts in synthetic …

Localization Of Synthetic Manipulations In Western Blot Images, Anmol Manjunath, Viola Negroni, Sara Mandelli, Daniel Moreira, Paolo Bestagini

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Recent breakthroughs in deep learning and generative systems have significantly fostered the creation of synthetic media, as well as the local alteration of real content via the insertion of highly realistic synthetic manipulations. Local image manipulation, in particular, poses serious challenges to the integrity of digital content and societal trust. This problem is not only confined to multimedia data, but also extends to biological images included in scientific publications, like images depicting Western blots. In this work, we address the task of localizing synthetic manipulations in Western blot images. To discriminate between pristine and synthetic pixels of an analyzed image, …

Association Among Student Retention And Program Utilization Within An Independent Community College In Northeastern New Mexico, Geno Castillo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem investigated in this study was the trend of decreasing student retention of first-year, degree-seeking college students at an independent community college located in northeastern New Mexico. The purpose of the study was to examine the association between student retention and program utilization. The research question was to determine if statistically significant differences existed between first-year students at an independent community college in northeastern New Mexico who did and did not utilize government-funded tutoring programs, which is a peer-led program managed by the Center for Academic Excellence. The theoretical foundation for the study was Tinto’s student retention theory model. …

Association Among Student Retention And Program Utilization Within An Independent Community College In Northeastern New Mexico, Geno Castillo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem investigated in this study was the trend of decreasing student retention of first-year, degree-seeking college students at an independent community college located in northeastern New Mexico. The purpose of the study was to examine the association between student retention and program utilization. The research question was to determine if statistically significant differences existed between first-year students at an independent community college in northeastern New Mexico who did and did not utilize government-funded tutoring programs, which is a peer-led program managed by the Center for Academic Excellence. The theoretical foundation for the study was Tinto’s student retention theory model. …

Enriched Microbial Consortia From Natural Environments Reveal Core Groups Of Microbial Taxa Able To Degrade Terephthalate And Terphthalamide, Laura G. Schaerer, Sulihat Aloba, Emily Wood, Allison Olson, Isabel B. A. Valencia, Rebecca Ong, Stephen Techtmann

Michigan Tech Publications

Millions of tons of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) are produced each year, however only ~30% of PET is currently recycled in the United States. Improvement of PET recycling and upcycling practices is an area of ongoing research. One method for PET upcycling is chemical depolymerization (through hydrolysis or aminolysis) into aromatic monomers and subsequent biodegradation. Hydrolysis depolymerizes PET into terephthalate, while aminolysis yields terephthalamide. Aminolysis, which is catalyzed with strong bases, yields products with high osmolality, which is inhibitory to optimal microbial growth. Additionally, terephthalamide, may be antimicrobial and its biodegradability is presently unknown. In this study, microbial communities were enriched …

Teacher Growth Through Professional Development Centered On The Teaching For Robust Understanding Framework, Eileen Murray, Helene S. Leonard, Victoria D. Bonaccorso

Department of Mathematics Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Research on teacher learning has continually defined tenants of effective professional development. However, sweeping overhauls and mandates have not yielded the intended results. Instead, transforming approaches to teaching can and should be achieved through innovative and incremental changes that build upon teachers’ existing expertise. Informed by Communities of Practice theory, we employed case study methodology to describe, explain, and assess the experiences of one middle school mathematics teacher’s longitudinal participation in an innovative and incremental continuous PD model focused on the Teaching for Robust Understanding (TRU) framework. Based on classroom observations and interview data, our findings show evidence of TRU-aligned …

“I Have One More Hour Of Power And Many Miles Of Communication To Go”: Lessons Learned From Community Research Interrupted By Climate Crises, Antonia R.G. Alvarez, Sherry Manning, Teresa Dosdos Ruelas

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Ang Pagtanom og Binhi Project is a University–Community partnership and community-based participatory research project exploring the health benefits of food sovereignty practices in the Philippines. In late 2021, in the midst of data collection, Super Typhoon Odette made landfall in the Philippines causing massive environmental and structural devastation. In the aftermath of the storm, community partners in the Philippines and members of the research team in the United States shared photos, texts, and updates. These messages included descriptions of structural and environmental damage caused by the storm and stories of mutual aid efforts and actions taken by individuals and …

Weaving Our Kuwentos (Stories) Toward Ginhawa (Aliveness): Pilipinx American Social Work Motherscholars Enacting Praxes Of Survival And Thrivance In The Academy, Joanna C. La Torre, Lalaine Sevillano, Lisa Reyes Mason, Alma M. Ouanesisouk Trinidad, Cora De Leon

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Five Pilipina American (PA) social work MotherScholars, from a doctoral student to an interim dean, used kuwentuhan (Pilipinx methodology) to amplify their survivance and thrivance despite attempted exclusion, reduction, and distortion as Pilipinos by coloniality/modernity. Grounded in decolonial feminism (the view that oppressions such as sexism and racism co-constitute coloniality and that unsettling oppressions disrupts hegemony) and Pinayism (an integrated framework revaluing the labor, intellect, and nurturance of mothering through a cultural lens), the authors work coalitionally across their PA diversity to re-center ginhawa (aliveness or sense of ease and wellness). Together, they embarked on an iterative self-study process of …

Prolonged Cardiopulmonary Bypass Time-Induced Endothelial Dysfunction Via Glypican-1 Shedding, Inflammation, And Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 In Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery, Shiyi Li, Katherine V Nordick, Iván Murrieta-Álvarez, Randall P Kirby, Rishav Bhattacharya, Ismael Garcia, Camila Hochman-Mendez, Todd K Rosengart, Kenneth K Liao, Nandan K Mondal

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVES: A prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) time of over 180 min is linked to poorer outcomes and higher mortality in cardiac surgery. This study examines how glypican-1 shedding, matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP9), and the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1β may contribute to endothelial dysfunction in patients undergoing on-pump surgery with an extended CPB.

METHODS: Fifty-one patients undergoing cardiac surgical procedures were divided into two groups based on the intraoperative CPB duration: (i) normal CPB (<180 >min,

RESULTS: Before surgery, the plasma levels of glypican-1, MMP9, and IL-1β were comparable between the normal CPB and the prolonged CPB groups. However, after the end …

High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Ablation For Primary Or Salvage Prostate Cancer Therapy: Initial Outcomes In The Veteran Healthcare Setting, Sagar Patel, Ali Antar, Aly Alrabaa, Gal Saffati, Broderick Fleming, Neel Srikishen, Jeremy Slawin, Jennifer Taylor, Jeffrey Jones

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) provides comparable oncologic, erectile, and urinary outcomes to standard-of-care options for localized prostate cancer. This study reports the largest United States series of HIFU in veterans for both primary and salvage therapies. We retrospectively analyzed the outcomes of 43 veterans treated at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center from 2018 to 2022. Primary endpoints included prostate-specific antigen (PSA) reduction and local recurrence rates. Secondary endpoints included 30-day complications, Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM), and American Urological Association Symptom Score (AUASS). In our study, 31 veterans (72.1%) received primary treatment and 12 (27.9%) received …

Optimizing Ewing Sarcoma And Osteosarcoma Biopsy Acquisition: A Children's Oncology Group Bone Tumor Committee Consensus Statement, Matthew S Dietz, Alyaa Al-Ibraheemi, Jessica L Davis, C Matthew Hawkins, Brian T Craig, Roshni Dasgupta, David S Geller, David S Shulman, Sarah Cohen-Gogo, Ajay Gupta, Susan L Whiteway, Emily K Slotkin, Christine M Heske, Safia K Ahmed, Daniel J Indelicato, Catherine M Albert, Nicole Montgomery, Jesse K Sandberg, Holcombe E Grier, Mark Krailo, Michael S Isakoff, Elyssa Rubin, Elizabeth R Lawlor, Steven G Dubois, Leo Mascarenhas, Patrick J Grohar, Odion Binitie, Damon Reed, Katherine Janeway, Ryan D Roberts, Kelly M Bailey

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Trends in diagnostic biopsy sample collection approaches for primary bone sarcomas have shifted in the past 2 decades. Although open/incisional biopsies used to be the predominant approach to obtain diagnostic material for Ewing sarcoma and osteosarcoma, image-guided core needle biopsies have increased in frequency and are safe for patients. These procedures are less invasive and reduce recovery times but have potential limitations. The quantity and quality of tissue obtained through these procedures vary between institutions. Acquired viable tissue volumes can be low, limiting the conduct of downstream expanded clinical workup, molecular analyses, and research. Patients with advanced Ewing sarcoma and …

Evaluating The Potential Of Herbal Extracts As Treatment In Immune Thrombocytopenia: A Review Of Evidence And Limitations, Russel Wiggins, Jihoo Woo, John Nicholas Cauba, Shizue Mito

School of Medicine Publications

Immune thrombocytopenia, formerly idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura (ITP), is an autoimmune disease characterized by the depletion of platelets below 100,000/µL when other causes of thrombocytopenia have been ruled out. It is associated with several infectious pathologies, disease states, and as a known side effect and complication of several drugs and chemotherapies. Standard treatment calls for glucocorticoid-mediated immunosuppression, intravenous immunoglobin transfusion, platelet stimulation, platelet transfusion, and splenectomy in instances of chronic and severe disease. While standard treatments are often effective, some cases prove resistant, and more commonly, some patients are unable to tolerate standard treatment protocols or opt out of surgical intervention. …

Visualizing Parcel-Level Lead Risk Using An Exterior Housing-Based Index., Neal J. Wilson, Ryan Allenbrand, Elizabeth Friedman, Kevin Kennedy, Amy Roberts, Stephen Simon

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Pediatric lead poisoning remains a persistent public health problem. Children in the US spend the preponderance of their time at home; thus, housing is an important social determinant of health. Improving health outcomes derived from housing-based sources involves differentiating the risks posed by the existing housing stock. In this paper, we developed a parcel-level lead risk index (LRI) based on external housing conditions and the year of home construction. The purpose of this study was to introduce a housing-based lead risk index (LRI), developed using retrospective data, to estimate parcel-by-parcel variation in housing-based lead risk. We described how the LRI …

Love As A Commitment Device : Evidence From A Cross-Cultural Study Across 90 Countries, Marta Kowal, Adam Bode, Karolina Koszałkowska, S. Craig Roberts, Biljana Gjoneska, David Frederick, Anna Studzinska, Dmitrii Dubrov, Dmitry Grigoryev, Toivo Aavik, Pavol Prokop, Caterina Grano, Hakan Çetinkaya, Derya Atamtürk Duyar, Roberto Baiocco, Carlota Batres, Yakhlef Belkacem, Merve Boğa, Nana Burduli, Ali R. Can, Razieh Chegeni, William J. Chopik, Yahya Don, Seda Dural, Izzet Duyar, Edgardo Etchezahar, Feten Fekih-Romdhane, Tomasz Frackowiak, Felipe E. García, Talia Gomez Yepes

School of Psychology

Given the ubiquitous nature of love, numerous theories have been proposed to explain its existence. One such theory refers to love as a commitment device, suggesting that romantic love evolved to foster commitment between partners and enhance their reproductive success. In the present study, we investigated this hypothesis using a large-scale sample of 86,310 individual responses collected across 90 countries. If romantic love is universally perceived as a force that fosters commitment between long-term partners, we expected that individuals likely to suffer greater losses from the termination of their relationships—including people of lower socioeconomic status, those with many children, and …

Redo Minimally Invasive Right Atrial Mass Removal After Surgical Atrial Septal Defect Closure, Chirag Doshi, Pratyaksha Rana, Vidur Bansal, Megha M Sheth, Dinesh Patel

Journal of the Saudi Heart Association

Atrial septal defects are among the most prevalent congenital anomalies necessitating surgical intervention. Thrombus formation is a recognized complication that is typically characterized by an embolic event following patch-based repair. However, thromboembolic complications following primary repair of atrial septal defects are exceedingly uncommon.

Minimally invasive surgery is a suitable alternative to redo sternotomy. We present a 46-year-old man who was diagnosed with a right atrial mass eight years following the patch repair of an atrial septal defect and underwent a successful minimally invasive redo surgery.

Zilebesiran And Hypertension: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Mohamed Lemine, Saif Almuzainy, Rayan Aljubeh, Ahmad Alilo

Journal of the Saudi Heart Association

Abstract: Objectives: Zilebesiran is an investigational RNA interference therapeutic designed to lower blood pressure by targeting the hepatic production of angiotensinogen, the most upstream precursor of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system. This approach aims to offer long-lasting blood pressure control with potentially fewer doses compared to traditional antihypertensive medications. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the antihypertensive efficacy of zilebesiran in patients with hypertension. Methods: We conducted a search across PubMed, Cochrane Library, Ovid, EBSCO, up until July 2024. The eligible studies included randomized controlled trials that examined Zilebesiran versus placebo in hypertensive patients. These studies …

Antifungal Effects Of Cinnamon And Clove Essential Oils On Oral Candida Albicans: In Vitro Comparative Study, Ghada Bouslama, Haifa Boudegga, Nour Sayda Ben Messaoud, Lamia Ouala, Souha Ben Youssef

The Thai Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Background: Candida albicans is a common fungal pathogen responsible for oral infections, especially in immunocompromised individuals. Essential oils, derived from plants such as cinnamon and cloves, have been reported to have antifungal properties. This study aimed to compare the antifungal activity of cinnamon and cloves essential oils against oral C. albicans while determining the minimum fungicidal concentration for each extract. Materials and Methods: In this comparative in vitro study, four different volumes (0.25 μL, 0.5 μL, 1 μL, and 2 μL) of cinnamon and cloves essential oils were tested for their antifungal activity against C. albicans isolated …

Risk Factors Associated With Systemic Reactions In Allergen Immunotherapy: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Prayuth Poowaruttanawiwit, Teerawat Nitichaikulvattana, Chanida Chantim, Kanyakorn Potikit, Supitchada Songkram

The Thai Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Background: Allergen immunotherapy (AIT) is a well-established and effective intervention for managing allergic conditions. However, systemic reactions (SRs) pose a significant clinical concern. This meta-analysis seeks to synthesize existing research to identify and evaluate the risk factors associated with SRs in AIT. Materials and Methods: A systematic search was performed across multiple databases to identify studies focusing on SR risk factors in AIT. Study heterogeneity was quantified using I² statistics, and pooled odds ratios (ORs) were calculated with a random-effect model. Publication bias was assessed using funnel plots. Results: The build-up phase of subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) emerged …

Assessing Dietary Supplement Misinformation On Popular Thai E-Marketplaces: A Cross-Sectional Content Analysis, Chawalin Inthong, Sanguan Lerkiatbundit, Sakorn Mekruksavanich, Piya Hanvoravongchai

The Thai Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Background: The use of dietary supplements (DS) has risen over the past decade, supported by the growth of e-marketplace (EM) platforms as a primary source of product information and purchases. However, these platforms have experienced a surge in health and nutritional misinformation, leading to negative health effects. Objectives: This study explored the characteristics and estimated the prevalence of misinformation on web pages selling DSs on popular Thai EM platforms. Materials and Methods: The prevalence of misinformation was assessed based on Thai regulatory criteria by analyzing DS web pages from two popular Thai EM platforms. In December 2022, 332 …

Degradation Of Cyanobacteria And Microalgae Using Ultraviolet Radiation At 222 Nm And Its Application In The Bleaching Of Lampenflora On Cave Rock Surfaces, Keisuke Naito, Shuji Watanabe, Masuo Komukai, Takehiro Kazama, Masayuki Itoh, Masahiro Kawasaki

International Journal of Speleology

Cyanobacterial and microalgae blooms negatively affect ecological environments. One of the emerging problems of these blooms occurs in calcareous caves, where visible lighting systems in tourist caves induce the formation of photosynthetic biofilms known as lampenflora on rock surfaces. In this study, we evaluated the inactivation effect of ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation at 222 nm (rare gas halide lamp) and 254 nm (mercury lamp) on cyanobacteria and microalgae in a laboratory and on lampenflora in Ryusenshindo Cave in Japan. Based on the laboratory experiments, irradiation at 222-nm was more effective than that at 254-nm for degrading plants. The photosensitivity of …

Bioshock And Bioshock 2: A Case Study Of Tragic Posthumans, Madison Knight

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

Video games offer unique perspectives when analyzing the social structures built into the world of a text; choice becomes a major factor in the central action of video games as players take control of the story’s main protagonists. Two video games that fixate on this idea of choice and its intersection with the posthuman are Ken Levine’s BioShock (2007) and its direct successor, Jordan Thomas’s BioShock 2 (2010). The games each feature posthuman protagonists. Posthumans themselves are often prejudiced and portrayed to be “other,” and while BioShock equally asserts posthumans as “others,” these games show a different side to the …

Volume 11, Issue 3, Critical Currents And Pedagogical Shifts In Popular Culture And Pedagogy, Journal Dialogue

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

Volume 11, Issue 3 of Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy: On Confronting Identity and Global Challenges through Popular Culture and Pedagogy.

Read More Comics: Developing Student Analysis Skills And Engagement Through The Use Of Comic Books In General Education Courses, Keri Crist-Wagner

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

Undergraduate student participation in general education classes constitutes a point of struggle for many educators. Using both critical constructivism and counter storytelling as theoretical frameworks, this multi-method phenomenological case study explored the experiences of undergraduate honors students in a semester-long general education literature class. The purpose of this study was to 1) explore how comics can be used as a pedagogical tool in higher education classrooms, 2) assess the ways in which students interacted with comics, and 3) investigate what role comics played in engagement and development of critical thinking and analysis skills. Primary data collection involved document review of …

Escaping The Pedagogical Cabin In The Woods, Tony Kemerly, Davis Ritenour

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

The American educational system, because of its seemingly innocuous yet ubiquitous nature, has become, to borrow a term from Roland Barthes, naturalized. By being naturalized, it has become a system that has somehow slipped beneath the radar of the American populace and operates on an autopilot of sorts that allows it to employ practices that don’t necessarily have the best interests of its constituents at heart. Murray Rothbard (1979) argued that compulsory schooling is not guided by altruism, but rather a desire to coerce the population into a mold that is desired by those possessing power in society. This need …

Building Transferable Skills In An Interdisciplinary Science And Science Fiction Capstone Course, John D. Carrell, Robert G. Weiner, Alexandria Prather

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

College graduates are entering an ever-competitive workforce. Interdisciplinary course experiences are critical for developing analytical abilities and learning and these courses can provide valuable skills that will aid students beyond the classroom. These transferable skills include communication, teamwork, analytical and critical thinking, and creativity. To provide a unique learning experience and, through it, the development of transferable skills, the Honors College at Texas Tech University created an upper-level Capstone course titled “Superheroes, Super Villains, AI, Time Travel, and Film in Science and Popular Culture.” The class is an interdisciplinary look at science and science fiction taught by an engineering faculty …

Fandoms, Postfandoms In The Convergence Of Digital Media: A Case Study Of Youth Cultures From Two Afro-Boricua Musical Genres, Mariely Rivera-Hernández

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

The purpose of this work is to analyze the relation between media convergence and a series of habitual activities of youth groups belonging to fandoms. We have established two pedagogical objectives: on the one hand, to analyze the link between media convergence and the participatory culture of fandoms and postfandoms and, on the other, to learn about the cultural consumption of youth cultures in social media and digital platforms. The activity generated in digital communities by several sectors related to the Afro-Boricua musical genres of bomba and plena have led us to the work of cultural ambassadors who circulate and …

The Giant Omphalocele Contenting A Surprised Congenital Segmental Intestinal Dilatation, A Case Report And Review Literature., Sirima Liukitithara

Chulalongkorn Medical Journal

This report described the characteristics and management of a rare condition, a segmental dilated small intestine, which has a mimic-liver appearance in giant omphalocele. After the dilated intestine was resected and end-to-end anastomosis was performed, the abdomen could be closed simultaneously without immediate complications. We reviewed the literature on congenital segmental intestinal dilatation. Although the nature of this condition is still unknown, all reports showed the same excellent operative outcome. Finally, awareness of congenital segmental intestinal dilatation in giant omphalocele leads to proper management.