Digital Commons Network^™

Rurality, Resilience, & Identity: A Soft Systems Methodology Approach To Understanding Self-Reported Issues In Rural America, Kayla M. Gabehart, Allegra H. Fullerton, Kristin Olofsson

Michigan Tech Publications

This study investigates how rural communities In Oklahoma conceive of their socioeconomic position in larger systems, as well as their resiliency and ability to withstand challenges. Utilizing systems thinking and polycentricity literature, we analyze interviews to construct an understanding of how rural communities perceive themselves, and how this impacts interactions with other communities and governments. Rural communities and their associated challenges are complex and impacted by a range of factors. We find that rural residents also feel this complexity, and understand their issues as products of overlapping systems and structures, and both internal and external factors. Additionally, we observe little …

Segmented Fiber Optic Sensors Based On Hybrid Microwave-Photonic Interrogation, Wassana Naku, Osamah Alsalman, Jie Huang, Chen Zhu

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, we propose and demonstrate a novel concept of segmented fiber optic sensors by integrating the fiber Bragg grating (FBG) reflector modality and a hybrid interrogation technique enabled by microwave photonics. As a proof of concept, a radiofrequency Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) based on an optical fiber with two FBGs as the two reflectors of the Fabry-Perot (FP) cavity is constructed. By measuring the frequency response of the FPI device followed by a joint-time-frequency-domain analysis, the interferogram of the FPI in the microwave domain and the time-domain signal of the FBGs can be unambiguously reconstructed. Thus, the two elements …

Multimode Fiber-Based Interferometric Sensors With Microwave Photonics, Chen Zhu, Shuaifei Tian, Lingmei Ma, Jie Huang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Interferometry is one of the most widely used investigative techniques in various fields. With the implementation of interferometry on optical fibers, fiber optic interferometers (FOIs) have gained tremendous growth and advancement in the past four decades and have been explored for measurements of a diverse array of physical, chemical, and biological parameters. FOIs are typically constructed using single-mode fibers (SMFs) and are interrogated in the optical domain using probing light with a tightly controlled state of polarization (SOP), to ensure high-quality interference signals that facilitate sensing applications. The stringent requirement on the single-mode operation, as well as SOP, has hindered …

Enhanced Sensitivity And Robustness In An Embeddable Strain Sensor Using Microwave Resonators, Yan Tang, Yizheng Chen, Qi Zhang, Biyao Shi, Jie Huang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This Paper Introduces A Novel, Cost-Effective, And Durable Strain Sensor With Exceptional Sensitivity And Resolution, Utilizing An Open-Ended Hollow Coaxial Cable Resonator (OE-HCCR). The OE-HCCR Is Characterized By Two Reflective Elements: A Metal Post That Connects The Inner And Outer Conductors At The Signal's Entrance, And A Terminal Flange Near The Coaxial Line's End, Establishing A Variable Gap. The Sensor Employs A Paired Anchor Ring In Conjunction With The Terminal Flange To Transduce And Direct Strain. Variations In The Gap Alter The Resonant Frequency By Modulating The Phase Of The Reflection Coefficient At The Cable's Terminus. Initial Calibration Revealed A …

Prompt, Accurate, And Noncontact Material Identification Using A Single Microwave Sensor With Machine Learning Analysis, Chen Zhu, Osamah Alsalman, Jie Huang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In This Article, a Novel Approach to Microwave Sensors is Proposed and Demonstrated that Allows for Prompt, Accurate, and Noncontact Material Identification Even with Arbitrary Lift-Off Distances between the Sensor and the Material under Test (MUT). a Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) is Trained to Directly Learn the Relation of the Measured Reflection Spectra of a Homemade Open-Ended Coaxial Cable Resonator Probe with Respect to Different MUTs and Then Achieve One-To-One Mapping between a Measured Spectrum and the MUT. as a Proof-Of-Concept Demonstration, the Performance of the MLP Model is Tested using Easily Accessible Materials, Including Wood, Glass, Water, and Metal. Reflection …

Symposium: Gender, Health, And The Constitution: Gender-Affirming Care And Children's Liberty, Dara Purvis

Faculty Scholarship

This essay addresses the wave of statutes banning gender-affirming care for transgender and gender-diverse minors passed in states across the country over the last three years. It argues that an underdeveloped understanding of children’s rights makes it more difficult to explain how harmful gender-affirming care bans are and to challenge them in court. After explaining the nature of gender-affirming care, the essay discusses the grounds underlying existing challenges to gender-affirming care bans, highlighting the emphasis on equal protection and parental rights. It concludes by reframing the children’s liberty argument and exploring what the broader consequences of courts recognizing such a …

The Cousa Objective: A Long-Working Distance Air Objective For Multiphoton Imaging In Vivo, Che-Hang Yu, Jinkyung Kim, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Multiphoton microscopy can resolve fluorescent structures and dynamics deep in scattering tissue and has transformed neural imaging, but applying this technique in vivo can be limited by the mechanical and optical constraints of conventional objectives. Short working distance objectives can collide with compact surgical windows or other instrumentation and preclude imaging. Here we present an ultra-long working distance (20 mm) air objective called the Cousa objective. It is optimized for performance across multiphoton imaging wavelengths, offers a more than 4 mm

Fights Over Continuity - In Life And Law, Jamison E. Colburn

Faculty Scholarship

What is the whole: a river or that river and its tributaries? There is no “natural” answer to the question, only so many answers as there are reasons for asking. Lately, the Clean Water Act has been the captive of such diversions in our Supreme Court’s agenda. Changing it will not free it from that captivity. For whatever reforms we choose could still provide boundless opportunities for frustration in questions like the above. If the Court is as eager to cause that frustration as it has appeared lately, maybe we should help the Court to its fight with this iconic …

Food And Drug Regulation: Statutory And Regulatory Supplement (2024), Adam I. Muchmore

Faculty Scholarship

This Statutory and Regulatory Supplement is intended for use with its companion casebook, Food and Drug Regulation: A Statutory Approach (2021). This is not a traditional statutory supplement. Instead, it contains selected, aggressively edited provisions of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), related statutes, and the Code of Federal Regulations. The Supplement includes all provisions assigned as reading in the casebook, as well as a few additional provisions that some professors may wish to cover. The excerpts are designed to be teachable rather than comprehensive.

Understanding Health And Well-Being Outcomes Associated With Protected Coastal Ecosystems: A Fundy National Park Case Study., Mhairi K. Chandler

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the mental health and well-being of Canadians, prompting many to turn to nature for consolation and social interaction. However, there is a lack of evidence linking these outcomes specifically to coastal areas. To address this gap, we conducted a self-reported survey at Fundy National Park, New Brunswick, Canada, in summer 2022. Over 400 visitors participated, revealing nature enjoyment, physical health, and mental well-being as primary motivators for park visitation. Notably, mental well-being showed significant differences across gender, sexual identity, and ethnicity, with males, straight individuals, and others exhibiting distinct preferences compared to females, 2SLGBTQIA+ …

Language Acquisition, Mental Health, And Acculturation Among Migrants In Canada, Ali Jasemi

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation examines the integration of first-generation migrants in Canada, focusing on the constructs of acculturation, language proficiency, and mental health. With nearly a quarter of Canada's population comprising migrants (Statistics Canada, 2022), understanding their adjustment is critical. Acculturation, language proficiency, and mental health can all have an impact on the success of migrants in their new country (Balidemaj et al. 2019; Brance et al. 2023; Iversen et al. 2014; Rousseau et al. 2019; Rashtchi et al. 2012; Salami et al. 2019). There are a limited number of studies examining these variables in relation to certain migrant groups, such as …

Association Between Papillary Thyroid Cancer And Xrcc6 Gene Polymorphisms In The Turkish Population, Egemen Akgün, Fadi̇me Mutlu İçduygu, Demet Şengül, Ebru Alp, Mehmet Alkanat, Aysegül Cebi̇, Tuncer Ozturk

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: This study aims to investigate the association between rs2267437, rs5751129 and rs132770 polymorphisms of the XRCC6 gene, which plays a role in repairing DNA double strand breaks, and the risk of Papillary Thyroid Cancer (PTC).Methods: The study included 150 patients who had been diagnosed with PTC and 204 healthy control subjects. Genotyping of SNPs was performed by Polymerase Chain Reaction - Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism method (PCR - RFLP).Results: In rs2267437 polymorphism, individuals with GG genotype had lower risk of PTC than wild-type CC genotype (p=0.037, 95% CI=0.19-0.96, OR=0.67). The combined genotypes CG+GG were found to be related to …

Evaluation Of The Association Of Mucosa-Associated Invariant T (Mait) Cells With Childhood Asthma, Meral Ekşi̇, Huri̇ Bulut, Erdem Akalin, Feyza Ustabaş Kahraman, Hakan Yazan, Mebrure Yazici, Mustafa Nursoy, Emi̇n Özkaya, Abdürrahi̇m Koçyi̇ği̇t, Erkan Çakir

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: Innate-like T lymphocytes are a recently defined group of T cells comprising mainly mucosa-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells. The relationship between MAIT cells and childhood asthma is controversial. In this study, we aimed to determine the role of MAIT cells in patients with allergic asthma (AA) and nonallergic asthma (NAA). This is the first study to compare the ratios of these cells in patients with AA and NAA.Materials and methods: The study included children aged 6–18 years with AA (n = 41) or NAA (n = 30) and healthy control subjects (n = 36). The control group consisted of …

Traffic Prediction-Based Vnf Auto-Scaling And Deployment Mechanism For Flexible And Elastic Service Provision, Bo Yi, Jiacheng Wang, Qiang He, Xingwei Wang, Min Huang, Sajal K. Das, Keqin Li

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Network Function Virtualization (NFV) provides a flexible way to provision new services by decoupling network functions from hardware and implementing them as Virtual Network Functions (VNFs). However, the rapid development of technologies greatly promotes the explosion of diverse services, which directly results in the exponential increase of heterogeneous traffic. In addition, such a tremendous amount of heterogeneous traffic will generate bursts in a more dynamic and unexpected manner, so it becomes extremely hard to satisfy the customer demands. Aiming at addressing these challenges, this work proposes a positive and elastic VNF deployment mechanism for service provisioning, which introduces three novelties: …

Elevating Voices, Addressing Depression, Toxic Stress, And Equity Through Group Prenatal Care: A Pilot Study, Shannon N Lenze, Kelly Mckay-Gist, Rachel Paul, Melissa Tepe, Katherine Mathews, Sara Kornfield, Cheron Phillips, Richelle Smith, Amanda Stoermer, Ebony B Carter

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Elevating Voices, Addressing Depression, Toxic Stress and Equity (EleVATE) is a group prenatal care (GC) model designed to improve pregnancy outcomes and promote health equity for Black birthing people. This article outlines the foundational community-engaged process to develop EleVATE GC and pilot study results.

METHODS: We used community-based participatory research principles and the Ferguson Commission Report to guide creation of EleVATE GC. The intervention, designed by and for Black birthing people, centers trauma-informed care, antiracism, and integrates behavioral health strategies into group prenatal care to address unmet mental health needs. Using a convenience sample of patients seeking care at …

Leveraging Murine Models Of The Neurofibromatosis Type 1 Cancer Predisposition Syndrome To Elucidate The Cellular Circuits That Drive Pediatric Low-Grade Glioma Formation And Progression, David H Gutmann

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer-related death in children, where low-grade gliomas (LGGs) predominate. One common hereditary cause for LGGs involves neurofibromatosis-1 (NF1) gene mutation, as seen in individuals with the NF1 cancer predisposition syndrome. As such, children with NF1 are at increased risk of developing LGGs of the optic pathway, brainstem, cerebellum, and midline brain structures. Using genetically engineered mouse models, studies have revealed both cell-intrinsic (MEK signaling) and stromal dependencies that underlie their formation and growth. Importantly, these dependencies represent vulnerabilities against which targeted agents can be used for preclinical investigation prior to clinical translation.

Intermuscular Coherence As An Early Biomarker For Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: The Protocol For A Prospective, Multicenter Study, Naoum P Issa, Serdar Aydin, Eric Polley, Nathan Carberry, Mark A. Garret, Sean Smith, Ali A. Habib, Nicholas W. Baumgartner, Betty Soliven, Kourosh Rezania

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: To describe the protocol of a prospective study to test the validity of intermuscular coherence (IMC) as a diagnostic tool and biomarker of upper motor neuron degeneration in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

METHODS: This is a multicenter, prospective study. IMC of muscle pairs in the upper and lower limbs is gathered in ∼650 subjects across three groups using surface electrodes and conventional electromyography (EMG) machines. The following subjects will be tested: 1) neurotypical controls; 2) patients with symptomatology suggestive for early ALS but not meeting probable or definite ALS by Awaji Criteria; 3) patients with a known ALS mimic. …

Advancements And Challenges In Additively Manufactured Functionally Graded Materials: A Comprehensive Review, Suhas Alkunte, Ismail Fidan, Vivekanand Naikwadi, Shamil Gudavasov, Mohammad Alshaikh Ali, Mushfig Mahmudov, Seymur Hasanov, Muralimohan Cheepu

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

This paper thoroughly examines the advancements and challenges in the field of additively manufactured Functionally Graded Materials (FGMs). It delves into conceptual approaches for FGM design, various manufacturing techniques, and the materials employed in their fabrication using additive manufacturing (AM) technologies. This paper explores the applications of FGMs in diverse fields, including structural engineering, automotive, biomedical engineering, soft robotics, electronics, 4D printing, and metamaterials. Critical issues and challenges associated with FGMs are meticulously analyzed, addressing concerns related to production and performance. Moreover, this paper forecasts future trends in FGM development, highlighting potential impacts on diverse industries. The concluding section summarizes …

Energy Efficiency In Additive Manufacturing: Condensed Review, Ismail Fidan, Vivekanand Naikwadi, Suhas Alkunte, Roshan Mishra, Khalid Tantawi

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Today, it is significant that the use of additive manufacturing (AM) has growing in almost every aspect of the daily life. A high number of sectors are adapting and implementing this revolutionary production technology in their domain to increase production volumes, reduce the cost of production, fabricate light weight and complex parts in a short period of time, and respond to the manufacturing needs of customers. It is clear that the AM technologies consume energy to complete the production tasks of each part. Therefore, it is imperative to know the impact of energy efficiency in order to economically and properly …

Predicting Medical Laboratory Science Certification Examination Success: The Role Of Affective Performance, Jed Doxtater, Charlie P. Cruz

Health Professions Education

Purpose: This study aimed at associating the Board of Certification (BOC) pass rates with the affective performances of Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) students.

Method: Retrospective data analysis on the BOC pass rates, advanced clinical practicum (ACP) routes, affective assessment, grade point average (GPA), highest academic degree (HAD) upon graduation, years to degree completion, and gender was conducted on thirty-three (33) MLS graduates between 2017 and 2022 from a higher education institution (HEI) in Wyoming.

Results: Based on the Chi-square (X2) test, BOC was associated with HAD and affective performance, but no significant statistical association was established between …

Identifying Patterns For Neurological Disabilities By Integrating Discrete Wavelet Transform And Visualization, Soo Yeon Ji, Sampath Jayarathna, Anne M. Perrotti, Katrina Kardiasmenos, Dong Hyun Jeong

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Neurological disabilities cause diverse health and mental challenges, impacting quality of life and imposing financial burdens on both the individuals diagnosed with these conditions and their caregivers. Abnormal brain activity, stemming from malfunctions in the human nervous system, characterizes neurological disorders. Therefore, the early identification of these abnormalities is crucial for devising suitable treatments and interventions aimed at promoting and sustaining quality of life. Electroencephalogram (EEG), a non-invasive method for monitoring brain activity, is frequently employed to detect abnormal brain activity in neurological and mental disorders. This study introduces an approach that extends the understanding and identification of neurological disabilities …

Identifying New Cancer Genes Based On The Integration Of Annotated Gene Sets Via Hypergraph Neural Networks, Chao Deng, Hong-Dong Li, Li-Shen Zhang, Yiwei Liu, Yaohang Li, Jianxin Wang

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Motivation

Identifying cancer genes remains a significant challenge in cancer genomics research. Annotated gene sets encode functional associations among multiple genes, and cancer genes have been shown to cluster in hallmark signaling pathways and biological processes. The knowledge of annotated gene sets is critical for discovering cancer genes but remains to be fully exploited.

Results

Here, we present the DIsease-Specific Hypergraph neural network (DISHyper), a hypergraph-based computational method that integrates the knowledge from multiple types of annotated gene sets to predict cancer genes. First, our benchmark results demonstrate that DISHyper outperforms the existing state-of-the-art methods and highlight the advantages of …

Can Large Language Models Discern Evidence For Scientific Hypotheses? Case Studies In The Social Sciences, Sai Koneru, Jian Wu, Sarah Rajtmajer

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Hypothesis formulation and testing are central to empirical research. A strong hypothesis is a best guess based on existing evidence and informed by a comprehensive view of relevant literature. However, with exponential increase in the number of scientific articles published annually, manual aggregation and synthesis of evidence related to a given hypothesis is a challenge. Our work explores the ability of current large language models (LLMs) to discern evidence in support or refute of specific hypotheses based on the text of scientific abstracts. We share a novel dataset for the task of scientific hypothesis evidencing using community-driven annotations of studies …

Hite: A Fast And Accurate Dynamic Boundary Adjustment Approach For Full-Length Transposable Element Detection And Annotation, Kang Hu, Peng Ning, Minghua Xu, You Zou, Jianye Chang, Xin Gao, Yaohang Li, Jue Ruan, Bin Hu, Jianxin Wang

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Recent advancements in genome assembly have greatly improved the prospects for comprehensive annotation of Transposable Elements (TEs). However, existing methods for TE annotation using genome assemblies suffer from limited accuracy and robustness, requiring extensive manual editing. In addition, the currently available gold-standard TE databases are not comprehensive, even for extensively studied species, highlighting the critical need for an automated TE detection method to supplement existing repositories. In this study, we introduce HiTE, a fast and accurate dynamic boundary adjustment approach designed to detect full-length TEs. The experimental results demonstrate that HiTE outperforms RepeatModeler2, the state-of-the-art tool, across various species. Furthermore, …

Flexible Fitting Of Alphafold2-Predicted Models To Cryo-Em Density Maps Using Elastic Network Models: A Methodological Affirmation, Maytha Alshammari, Jing He, Willy Wriggers

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Motivation: This study investigates the flexible refinement of AlphaFold2 models against corresponding cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) maps using normal modes derived from elastic network models (ENMs) as basis functions for displacement. AlphaFold2 generally predicts highly accurate structures, but 18 of the 137 models of isolated chains exhibit a TM-score below 0.80. We achieved a significant improvement in four of these deviating structures and used them to systematically optimize the parameters of the ENM motion model.

Results: We successfully refined four AlphaFold2 models with notable discrepancies: lipid-preserved respiratory supercomplex (TM-score increased from 0.52 to 0.69), flagellar L-ring protein (TM-score increased from 0.53 …

Sccad: Cluster Decomposition-Based Anomaly Detection For Rare Cell Identification In Single-Cell Expression Data, Yunpei Xu, Shaokai Wang, Qilong Feng, Jiazhi Xia, Yaohang Li, Hong-Dong Li, Jianxin Wang

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technologies have become essential tools for characterizing cellular landscapes within complex tissues. Large-scale single-cell transcriptomics holds great potential for identifying rare cell types critical to the pathogenesis of diseases and biological processes. Existing methods for identifying rare cell types often rely on one-time clustering using partial or global gene expression. However, these rare cell types may be overlooked during the clustering phase, posing challenges for their accurate identification. In this paper, we propose a Cluster decomposition-based Anomaly Detection method (scCAD), which iteratively decomposes clusters based on the most differential signals in each cluster to effectively separate …

Lithography-Free Highly Sensitive Detection Of Glucose Based On Colloidal Spheres, Habibe Durmaz

Turkish Journal of Physics

Diabetes has emerged as a global health crisis, with a substantial increase in prevalence and associated healthcare costs. The urgency for early diagnosis to prevent complications has fueled research into advanced biosensing technologies. Plasmonic sensors, leveraging localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), have gained prominence for their sensitivity. This study explores a metamaterial-based sensor platform comprising nanospheres fabricated through colloidal lithography. A comprehensive numerical and experimental analysis of the designed metamaterial-based perfect absorber is presented, focusing on the spectral response at the resonance frequency of 525 nm. Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations reveal the field and charge distributions, enabling a systematic exploration …

Immunohistochemical Analysis Of Dentigerous Cysts And Odontogenic Keratocysts Associated With Impacted Third Molars—A Systematic Review, Luis Eduardo Almeida, David Lloyd, Daniel Boettcher, Olivia Kraft, Samuel Zammuto

School of Dentistry Faculty Research and Publications

Objective: This systematic review investigates the diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic implications of immunohistochemical markers in dentigerous cysts (DCs) and odontogenic keratocysts (OKCs) associated with impacted third molars.

Materials and Methods: A comprehensive search strategy was employed across major databases including MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science, from the inception of the databases to March 2024. Keywords and Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) terms such as “dentigerous cysts”, “odontogenic keratocysts”, “immunohistochemistry”, “Ki-67”, and “p53” were used. The PRISMA 2020 guidelines were followed to ensure methodological rigor. Inclusion criteria encompassed studies on humans and animals providing definitive diagnoses or specific signs and symptoms …

Bayesian Rare Variant Analysis Identifies Novel Schizophrenia Putative Risk Genes, Shengtong Han

School of Dentistry Faculty Research and Publications

The genetics of schizophrenia is so complex that it involves both common variants and rare variants. Rare variant association studies of schizophrenia are challenging because statistical methods for rare variant analysis are under-powered due to the rarity of rare variants. The recent Schizophrenia Exome meta-analysis (SCHEMA) consortium, the largest consortium in this field to date, has successfully identified 10 schizophrenia risk genes from ultra-rare variants by burden test, while more risk genes remain to be discovered by more powerful rare variant association test methods. In this study, we use a recently developed Bayesian rare variant association method that is powerful …

Preservice Eal/D Teachers’ Relational Agency During Online Paired Practicum, Hongzhi Yang, Andrew Ross

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

There is scant research on preservice English as an additional language or dialect (EAL/D) teachers’ paired practicums in an online context. Underpinned by Cultural Historical Activity Theory, this paper explores how preservice EAL/D teachers exercise their relational agency during online paired practicums. Data were collected from five preservice EAL/D teachers’ weekly journals written during their paired practicums and interviews after they completed their paired practicums. Following the key components of relational agency, the thematic analysis highlights the dialectical relationship between preservice teachers’ relational agency and different types of collaboration, evidenced by the formation of mutual objects, tool mediation, and shared …