Digital Commons Network^™

A Stressed Subadult A New Immature Skeleton Of An Appalachian Rhinoceros, Joseph Gajewski

3 Minute Thesis Competition

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury On Sexual Criminal Offense, Brooke Leslie Luckhardt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Traumatic brain injury during childhood and adolescence is a significant social problem and is particularly damaging to long term cognitive and mental health. Major growth and maturation occur within the brain from age 6 months to 25 years and any interruption to this process can be detrimental to long term cognitive and emotional adjustment. Research has shown that pediatric traumatic brain injury can cause aggression, agitation, mood disorder, and socially inappropriate behavior. However, the study of how sustaining a traumatic brain injury during the time of pediatric development could potentially affect future sexually inappropriate behavior has not been explored. This …

A Fragility Framework For Surface Erosion With Application To Earthen Dam Breaching, Ege C. Kurter, Ayman Mokhtar Nemnem, M. Hanif Chaudhry, Jasim Imran

Faculty Publications

Overtopping failures of earthen dams are a growing concern under intensifying extreme rainfall. This study introduces a probabilistic fragility framework that combines hydrologic modeling, hydraulic analysis, and soil erodibility to assess erosion risk under uncertain load and resistance. Fragility curves derived from Monte Carlo simulations quantify erosion initiation and severity as functions of rainfall depth and excess shear stress. Application to multiple dams affected during the 2015 South Carolina floods reproduces observed outcomes ranging from complete breach to no damage. The framework also captures cascading effects, where failure of an upstream structure increases downstream loading and erosion potential. Compared with …

Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass Is Associated With Increased Intestinal Glucose Uptake In Humans, Florina Corpodean, Maryam Naseri, Michael Kachmar, Julia St Amant, Denis P. Blondin, Owen T. Carmichael, Vance L. Albaugh

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

CONTEXT: In animal models, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) is associated with increased Roux limb intestinal glucose uptake that may contribute to early metabolic benefits, though prospective clinical studies are lacking. OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to test the hypothesis that Roux limb glucose uptake would increase relative to baseline in a cohort of patients undergoing RYGB. METHODS: RYGB patients underwent preoperative baseline, and 3- and 6-month positron emission tomography/computed tomography postoperative imaging. Maximum and mean standardized uptake values (SUV) were measured from the following predefined regions of interest: cecum, hepatic flexure, splenic flexure, sigmoid colon, duodenal bulb, Roux limb, and …

International Investment Law And Sustainable Development - Friend Or Foe?, Barnali Choudhury

All Papers

Foreign direct investment (FDI) is widely regarded as a critical mechanism for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), yet the legal framework governing such investment often operates in tension with sustainability imperatives. This conference paper examines the complex relationship between international investment agreements (IIAs) and sustainable development and questions whether IIAs serve as instruments that promote or impede states’ pursuit of sustainability objectives. It argues that the structure and interpretation of IIAs, characterized by broad definitions and expansively worded standards of treatment as well as the use of investor–state dispute settlement (ISDS), have frequently constrained states’ regulatory autonomy, particularly in …

In Situ-Generated Volumetric Dried Plasma Spots For The Analysis Of Edaravone And Metabolites In Animal Models, Michele Protti, Roberta Di Lecce, Jiri Adamec, Luca G. Regazzoni, Valeria Valsecchi, Claudia Volpi, Roberto Mandrioli, Laura Mercolini

School of Graduate Studies Faculty Publications

In this study, for the first time rat plasma microsampling was carried out by means of in situ-generated volumetric dried plasma spot (vDPS) technology and applied to the determination of the neuroprotective agent edaravone and its sulphate and glucuronide metabolites. Sampling was performed using Telimmune® plasma separation cards (vPSC), which allow the formation of volumetrically accurate dried plasma spots (3 µL) from blood drops deposited on them. After accelerated forced drying and solvent extraction in methanol, drying and redissolution, analytes were baseline separated and quantified through an original HPLC-MS/MS analytical method. Validation assays provided excellent results, with detection limits between …

Serum Response Factor Is Essential For Endometrial Function And Prevention Of Inflammatory Fibrosis, Ryan M Marquardt, Sara A Grimm, San-Pin Wu, Peter F Lais, Shu-Yun Li, Xin Xu, Erin Smithberger, David Cunefare, Charan Ganta, David Olson, Eunhee M Jeong, Jae-Wook Jeong, Bruce A Lessey, John P Lydon, Francesco J Demayo

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Pregnancy requires a supportive uterine environment facilitated by steroid hormone–regulated differentiation of endometrial stromal fibroblasts into decidual cells and tight control of inflammation. Serum response factor (SRF) is a widely expressed transcription factor essential for mesenchymal cell growth and differentiation with noted roles in hormonal regulation of muscle tissues but little characterization in reproductive organs. Here, we reveal that endometrial SRF is dysregulated in human endometriosis and is critical for female reproductive success in mice through regulation of endometrial stromal and epithelial cells. Immunohistochemical analysis identified decreased endometrial SRF expression in infertile endometriosis patient tissues. RNAi-based SRF knockdown in human …

Executive Committee - Agenda, 11/04/2025, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

Effectiveness Of Silk Fibroin Dressing Compared To Saline Dressing On Wound Healing In Post-Laparotomy Patients With Superficial Surgical Site Infections: A Single-Blinded Randomised Control Trial, Bhanu P. Chandavaram, Uday S. Kumbhar, Reddy A.P.

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

Objectives: This study aimed to determine and compare the effectiveness of silk fibroin dressing and normal saline dressing in terms of wound healing time, as assessed by Dr Kamal’s Adaptive Wound Healing Score (KAWHS). Methods: A single-blinded, randomised controlled trial was conducted at a tertiary hospital from November 2022 to November 2023. A total of 142 patients with superficial surgical site infections (SSIs) post-laparotomy were randomised into two groups: silk fibroin dressing (n = 71) and saline dressing (n = 71). The primary outcome, wound healing, was assessed using KAWHS on days 5, 10, and 15. Secondary outcomes included exudate …

Pregnancy Outcomes In Women With Heritable Thoracic Aortic Disease: Data From The Eorp Esc Registry Of Pregnancy And Cardiac Disease (Ropac) Iii, Puck N J Peters, Johanna A Van Der Zande, Julie De Backer, Guillaume Jondeau, Osama Ahmad, Marjorie Richardson, Francesca M Comoglio, Heleen Van Der Zwaan, Siddharth K Prakash, Christina Christersson, Karishma P Ramlakhan, Roger Hall, Mark R Johnson, Jolien W Roos-Hesselink, Ropac Investigators

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Aims: The risk of pregnancy in women with heritable thoracic aortic disease (HTAD) is estimated to be high, but supporting data are scarce. The aim of this study is to prospectively investigate pregnancy outcomes to improve patient management and care.

Methods and results: The Registry of Pregnancy and Cardiac disease (ROPAC) III is a prospective global registry including pregnant women with known aortic pathology between 2018 and 2023. Cardiac, obstetric and fetal outcomes, beta-blocker use, and the impact of breastfeeding were investigated. Additionally, changes in aortic diameters were assessed. In total, 176 pregnancies in 170 women (mean age 32 years, …

Effects Of Combining Traditional East Asian And Conventional Western Medicine On Acute Stroke Outcomes, Dong-Seok Gwak, Jong-Sik Lee, Dawid Schellingerhout, Jinyong Chung, Hyerin Oh, Sang-Wuk Jeong, Ji Sung Lee, Hee-Joon Bae, Mikyung Kim, Dong-Jun Choi, Dong-Eog Kim

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Traditional East Asian medicine (TM) is widely used in Korea and other East Asian countries. However, the effects of TM treatment on acute ischemic stroke (AIS) outcomes remain unclear, as previous studies lacked a sufficient sample size, a consecutive series design, or a prospective outcome capture approach. We aimed to investigate whether combining TM with conventional Western medicine (CM) treatments (C+TM) leads to better outcomes after AIS, relative to CM treatment alone.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 2157 consecutive patients with AIS from a prospectively collected registry (2011-2021) at our center and compared the CM and C+TM groups in terms …

A Multiomics Approach To Defining Target-Organ Injury In Youths With Primary Hypertension: The Ship Ahoy Cohort, Kalyani Ananthamohan, Tammy M Brady, Mohammed Arif, Stephen R Daniels, Bonita Falkner, Michael Ferguson, Joseph T Flynn, Coral Hanevold, Stephen R Hooper, Julie R Ingelfinger, Marc Lande, Lisa J Martin, Kevin E Meyers, Mark Mitsnefes, Bernard Rosner, Joshua A Samuels, Gina Kuffel, Michael J Zilliox, Qin M Chen, Richard C Becker, Elaine M Urbina, Sakthivel Sadayappan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Primary hypertension in childhood tracks into adulthood and is associated with increased cardiovascular risk. Studies conducted in individuals aged < 18 years, an age group without many of the confounding comorbid cardiovascular disease risk factors in adults, provide an opportunity to explore early cardiovascular target-organ injury.

Methods: Youths (n=132, mean age, 15.8 years) were stratified by blood pressure (BP) as low-BP, mid-BP, and high-BP and by left ventricular mass index as low-and high left ventricular mass index. Systemic circulating RNA, microRNA, and methylation profiles in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and deep proteome profiles in serum were determined using high-throughput sequencing techniques. In vitro cell culture experiments assessed angiotensin II- and microRNA-mediated Vash1 (vasohibin-1 protein) regulation and Vash1-mediated hypertrophic response.

Results: In high-BP youths, transcriptomics analysis identified …

Enhancing Nitrogen Removal In High Permeability Bioretention Media: The Combined Role Of Biochar, Wood Chips And Hydraulic Design, Joshelyn Guimaray

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Urban stormwater runoff can transport high nutrient loads to receiving waters, leading toeutrophication, harmful algal blooms, and the formation of hypoxic zones. Bioretention systems are a form of green infrastructure designed to mitigate these impacts, but their application in dense, ultra-urban environments is often limited by large land area requirements. This has led to the adoption of high permeability media (HPM) to accommodate higher hydraulic loading rates (HLRs) and reduce the system footprint. However, conventional HPM systems often show inconsistent removal of dissolved nitrogen species due to short hydraulic retention times (HRTs), a lack of organic carbon, and insufficient anoxic …

Improving Coral Restoration Outcomes Through Novel Molecular Applications, Matthew H. Gamache

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Coral reef ecosystems are declining globally from numerous stressors, including localized pollution, disease, and marine heatwaves induced by climate change. To preserve these ecosystems, it is critical to identify corals that can withstand stressors—primarily future marine heatwaves—and prioritize them for coral restoration efforts until these stressors are mitigated. Coral responses to thermal stress can be influenced by several partners, including mutualistic microalgae and a vast prokaryotic community. Here, I use advanced molecular techniques to examine which partners (coral host, algal symbiont, and microbial communities) are associated with coral health, how they contribute to holobiont physiology, and their potential to increase …

Climate Change Agricultural Comparative Advantage And The Us Trade Balance, Elizabeth A. Fraysse, Thomas Hertel, Roman M. Keeney

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

Current science indicates that warming and elevated atmospheric CO₂ will have ambiguous results for crop productivity depending on crop type and geographic location, whereas increased heat stress makes livestock and human labor less productive. The differential impacts across regions will alter comparative advantage and shift the patterns of global trade. This paper employs an economywide trade model to assess all three types of productivity shocks under a 3°C global warming scenario. We find that the widening agricultural trade deficits persist, even as the overall US trade balance improves due to enhanced investment inflows.

Tumor-Informed Minimal Residual Disease Testing In Select Solid Tumors And Hematologic Malignancies: A Narrative Review, Humza Mallick, Marcus Yoakam, Varun Karri, Samir Dalia

Student Publications

Tumor-informed circulating tumor DNA assays detect patient-specific cancer mutations in plasma and hold promise for detecting minimal residual disease (MRD) after or during definitive therapy. Recent large studies across solid tumors and hematologic malignancies suggest that tumor-informed MRD (TI-MRD) is strongly prognostic for relapse and survival. We reviewed disease evidence for these claims, as well as the potential utility in guiding therapeutic decisions. TI-MRD assays consistently achieved high analytical sensitivity. In solid tumors (colorectal cancer [CRC], non-small-cell lung cancer, breast cancer, and bladder cancer), multiple studies demonstrated that post-treatment MRD positivity conferred markedly worse recurrence-free and overall survival. TI-MRD positivity …

Lrp8 Is An Entry Receptor For Tick-Borne Encephalitis Viruses, Pengfei Li, Sean Hui, Zhenlu Chong, Michael N Nguyen, Stefanie P Muraro, Hana Janova, Hongming Ma, Shiqi Cao, Tomasz Kaszuba, Brian Imbiakha, Sathvik Palakurty, David A Price, Gaya K Amarasinghe, Daisy W Leung, Daved H Fremont, Michael S Diamond, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Orthoflaviviruses are a genus of arthropod-transmitted RNA viruses that infect humans and other vertebrate animals on a global scale, resulting in extensive morbidity and mortality. Among the orthoflaviviruses, tick-borne encephalitis viruses (TBEV) are an antigenic group that causes severe neurological disease in humans. However, the entry receptors for TBEV, which contribute to cell and tissue tropism, remain largely unknown. Because recent studies identified members of the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) family as possible receptors for some orthoflaviviruses and distantly related alphaviruses, we performed a targeted screen in transgenic cells expressing different LDLR members and identified LRP8 (also called ApoER2) as …

A Functional Clock In Only Two Dorsal Clock Neurons Is Sufficient To Restore The Basal Circadian Activity Pattern Of Drosophila Melanogaster, Nils Reinhard, Enrico Bertolini, Takuya Kuwahara, Manabu Sekiguchi, Dirk Rieger, Weihua Li, Paul H Taghert, Taishi Yoshii, Charlotte Helfrich-Förster

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Circadian clocks form complex networks to orchestrate the behavior and physiology of animals. Elucidating the organization of these clock networks is critical to understanding how circadian clocks achieve robust timing. Clock neurons have been best characterized in the model organism

University Volunteers And Non-Paid Affiliates

Human Resources Policies

Georgia Southern University (University) recognizes the value of volunteers in furthering its vision, mission, and core values. This policy outlines the relationship between volunteers/non-paid affiliates and the University and establishes uniform procedures for screening and engaging volunteers/non-paid affiliates. It is meant to reduce risk and protect the interests of the University, its volunteers, and the community it serves.

Fraggin’ The Superhero Genre: Parody And Carnival In Dc’S Lobo, Ryan L. Johnson

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

This essay examines the DC anti-hero Lobo as an ideal example of the constructive, creative power of parody and Bakhtinian carnival. Unlike Bakhtin’s assertion that carnival since the Renaissance has lost its spirit of play and become purely destructive, Lobo uses grotesque violence to create just as much as he destroys social norms. Ultimately, the mini-series under consideration provide a valuable tool for students to understand carnival, parody, and its power as criticism.

Deforestation Affecting Developing Nations, Nicole Villa

Sustainability Conference

Deforestation continues to be a growing problem around the globe, while it is affecting wildlife what can be overlooked is the challenges it’s creating for the livelihood of nations. This goes beyond losing the biodiversity of our ecosystems but social consequences with the scarcity of water in Malawi, rise in health risks in Democratic Republic of Congo and negative effects of agricultural expansion in Belize. Overall social conflict in these areas that are suffering to grow. Furthermore, I aim to cover the major challenges previously mentioned followed by counteracts of deforestation including action plan in Brazil, efforts of other countries …

Full Issue, Volume 4, Press Humboldt

CSU Journal of Sustainability and Climate Change

Volume 4, 2025

Assessing Antimicrobial Properties Of Plant-Derived Ellagic Acid Supplements, Noah S. Schuhmann, Andrew Mclaughlin, Julian Barrera

Humboldt Journal of Microbiology

Bacteria present in the human gut microbiota are affected by compounds with antimicrobial properties. Phenolic compounds extracted from plants have been shown to exhibit significant antimicrobial capacity at certain concentrations, which makes them an area of interest to researchers. Ellagic acid is one such phenolic compound, present in nuts and berries that many people consume on a regular basis. Supplements containing concentrated ellagic acid provide an additional source for the compound. It is known that, in the body, ellagic acid is metabolized into urolithins, which contribute to health through their anticancer and anti-inflammatory qualities. In this study, we investigated the …

Growth Trends In Abundance And Diversity Of Synthetic Microbial Communities Over Varying Thermal Conditions, Mariska M. Kessler, Jocelyn Wolfinger, Destiny S. Alcaraz

Humboldt Journal of Microbiology

Microorganisms create various communities that act as the foundation of ecosystems. Abiotic factors such as temperature variability and environmental fluctuations are known to produce shifts in the abundance and diversity of microbial communities, but our current understanding is limited. In this study, we aimed to address this gap by observing abundance and diversity growth patterns under different temperature conditions within individual species and communities. Samples of 4 isolates and 4 artificial communities were grown at constant and fluctuating temperatures. Results found that the isolate samples had the highest abundance under constant high temperatures, whereas the community samples had the highest …

Elucidating The Relationship Between Water Quality And Antibiotic Resistance Of Rainwater Microbes Across Western Humboldt County, Theo P. Murphy, Eve Wendley, Justice Laskowski, Tyler Paredes

Humboldt Journal of Microbiology

Limited studies have been conducted regarding the fecal contamination and microbial dispersal through rainwater, with no known studies investigating the potential connection between antibiotic resistant microbes and water quality in rainwater. This study seeks to identify the presence of a correlation between water quality and incidence of antibiotic resistance in rainwater microbes. We hypothesize that there will be a correlation between these two variables. We additionally anticipate a high incidence of fecal contamination across rural and urban collection sites alike, with fecal contamination being more prevalent in rural areas than urban locals. To determine water quality, we measured the concentration …

The Rider (2025-11-03), Daniela Martinez Salazar

The Rider Archives

Vol. 11, No. 10

Ada News - 11/3/2025, American Dental Association, Publishing Division

ADA News

Established in 1970 as the official newspaper of the American Dental Association, the ADA News serves practicing dentists and others allied to the dental profession in the U.S. and internationally. It is the No. 1 source of news and information about the many benefits and services the ADA delivers to members daily as well as timely information on scientific, social, political and economic developments affecting dentistry and health care.

Intranasal Delivery Of Extracellular Vesicles Derived From Human Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells Dampens Neuroinflammation And Ameliorates Motor Deficits In A Mouse Model Of Cortical Stroke, Saviana Antonella Barbati, Chiara D'Amelio, Chiara Feroleto, Marta Morotti, Ida Nifo Sarrapochiello, Francesca Natale, Domenica Donatella Li Puma, Yolanda Gomez-Galvez, Elena Blanco-Suarez, Lorraine Iacovitti, Lucia Leone, Salvatore Fusco, Maria Vittoria Podda, Claudio Grassi

Department of Neuroscience Faculty Papers

Early treatment of ischemic stroke can significantly reduce disability and mortality rates. Stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) have shown potential as therapeutics for neurological disorders. This study explored whether intranasal administration of EVs from human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) enhances forelimb motor function recovery in a mouse model of motor cortex stroke and investigated their mechanism of action, focusing on neuroinflammation. C57BL/6JRj mice received EV treatment of 0.1 × 10⁹ EVs per dose per day, 48 h post-stroke and twice weekly for four weeks. EV-treated mice showed significant improvement in forelimb deficits, as evaluated using a series …

Struggle For Economic Plurality; Economies Of Belonging: Subsistence, Indigneity, And The Contradictions And Margins Of Capitalism In The Andean Highlands, Mario Renato Cavani Quevedo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the collective-oriented economy of the Viacha Highlands, a Quechua community in Cusco, Peru, to show how subsistence agriculture, reciprocity, and ritual practices constitute a coherent non-capitalist system of provisioning and belonging. Drawing on one year of ethnographic immersion, the study situates Viacha’s economy within the Community Economies framework, foregrounding its three commitments: anti- essentialism, pluriversality, and ethical–political praxis. Findings reveal that practices such as ayni-ayni (reciprocal labor exchange) and faina (communal work) resist reduction to wage labor, coexist alongside monetary and capitalist dynamics, and ground social reproduction in responsibility and care. At the same time, capitalist schooling, …

Crow's Nest, November 3, 2025, Crow's Nest Staff

Crow's Nest

The November 3, 2025 issue of Crow's Nest.