Digital Commons Network^™

Representation, Dynamics And Optimization Of Physical Structures, Fan Feng

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Computational tools play a vital role in structural analysis and design, enabling engineers and researchers to optimize performance, reduce material usage, and explore novel configurations across solids and fluids. Capturing, analyzing, and optimizing these structures while balancing efficiency, stability, and adaptability remains a central challenge. This thesis proposes three complementary methods that advance representation, simulation, and optimization. We present an impulse (gauge) fluid formulation that utilizes the impulse gauge variable to reduce numerical diffusion and better preserve coherent flow features such as vorticity at practical resolutions. We introduce a differentiable Voronoi representation for cellular solids that provides smooth implicit boundaries …

Dissecting Regulatory Non-Coding Gwas Loci Reveals Fibroblast Causal Genes With Pathophysiological Relevance To Heart Failure, Richard Gill, Junedh M Amrute, Kory J Lavine, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Heart failure is caused in part by cardiac remodeling processes that include the death of cardiac myocytes and their replacement by cardiac fibroblasts. Here, we hypothesize that cardiac fibroblasts may harbor epigenetic contexts in which heart disease-associated non-coding SNPs perturb gene expression relevant to disease. To test this, we utilized male primary cardiac fibroblasts to generate high-resolution Hi-C data and integrate it with functional genomic information to annotate and link putative distal regulatory elements in heart disease-associated loci to gene promoters. We identify several target genes with established roles in cardiac fibrosis and/or heart disease (GJA1, TBC1D32, CXCL12, IL6R, and …

Vaccine And Treatment Evaluation Units: A Historical Perspective, Robert B Belshe, David I Bernstein, Kathryn M Edwards, Sharon E Frey, Wendy A Keitel, Myron M Levine, John J Treanor, Peter F Wright

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

On 27 February 1962, Surgeon General Luther Terry announced a new vaccine development program within the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Initially, the plan had three components: (1) special laboratories and facilities for development of prototype vaccines; (2) pilot lot production facilities and preliminary vaccine trial sites; and (3) larger lot production capacity and expanded human testing. Respiratory viruses were targeted as the top priority for vaccine development. Over 5 decades, this program has evolved and expanded to include multiple academic vaccine evaluation sites within the network, now labeled as the Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Units (VTEUs). …

2017 - Appalachian Student Research Forum Program Booklet, Appalachian Student Research Forum, East Tennessee State University

Appalachian Student Research Forum

No abstract provided.

2016 - Appalachian Student Research Forum Program Booklet, Appalachian Student Research Forum, East Tennessee State University

Appalachian Student Research Forum

No abstract provided.

2015 - Appalachian Student Research Forum Program Booklet, Appalachian Student Research Forum, East Tennessee State University

Appalachian Student Research Forum

No abstract provided.

2014 - Appalachian Student Research Forum Program Booklet, Appalachian Student Research Forum, East Tennessee State University

Appalachian Student Research Forum

No abstract provided.

2013 - Appalachian Student Research Forum Program Booklet, Appalachian Student Research Forum, East Tennessee State University

Appalachian Student Research Forum

No abstract provided.

2012 - Appalachian Student Research Forum Program Booklet, Appalachian Student Research Forum, East Tennessee State University

Appalachian Student Research Forum

No abstract provided.

2011 - Appalachian Student Research Forum Program Booklet, Appalachian Student Research Forum, East Tennessee State University

Appalachian Student Research Forum

No abstract provided.

2010 - Appalachian Student Research Forum Program Booklet, Appalachian Student Research Forum, East Tennessee State University

Appalachian Student Research Forum

No abstract provided.

2009 - Appalachian Student Research Forum Program Booklet, Appalachian Student Research Forum, East Tennessee State University

Appalachian Student Research Forum

No abstract provided.

2008 - Appalachian Student Research Forum Program Booklet, Appalachian Student Research Forum, East Tennessee State University

Appalachian Student Research Forum

No abstract provided.

2007 - Appalachian Student Research Forum Program Booklet, Appalachian Student Research Forum, East Tennessee State University

Appalachian Student Research Forum

No abstract provided.

2006 - Appalachian Student Research Forum Program Booklet, Appalachian Student Research Forum, East Tennessee State University

Appalachian Student Research Forum

No abstract provided.

2005 - Appalachian Student Research Forum Program Booklet, Appalachian Student Research Forum, East Tennessee State University

Appalachian Student Research Forum

No abstract provided.

Tax Regulations In A Loper Bright Light, Blaine G. Saito

Florida Tax Review

The Supreme Court’s decision in Loper Bright Enterprises. v. Raimondo overturned Chevron deference. In doing so, Loper Bright loosed chaos into many areas of administrative law, including tax. Indeed, the majority opinion in Loper Bright undid Chevron but left open the question of what the actual standard of review is, namely, whether it is de novo or Skidmore applies.

Tax too will suffer some of the chaos, especially as courts work out the matters. But both the positive citation in the opinion of Skidmore along with some of the language supporting long-standing regulations that are contemporaneously promulgated with the statute’s …

Identifying And Examining Access And Barriers To Healthcare For The Transgender And Nonbinary Individual, Allison Gould

Doctor of Education Program Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of transgender and nonbinary (TNB) individuals related to their access to basic healthcare. Currently, the TNB population is experiencing disparities in accessing general and preventative healthcare in comparison to their cisgendered counterparts. I developed the research questions to explore how TNB individuals describe their access to general and preventative healthcare, identify what were perceived as barriers in seeking basic healthcare, and describe what was subjectively identified as a positive healthcare experiences. My personal and professional interest as a physical therapist combined with a thorough literature review, and …

Electrical Stimulations Only Confer Small Increases In Energy Expenditure: A Meta-Analysis, J Juliano, L Gordy, T Goerke, S Hubbard, A Shehata, S Dankel

International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings

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Reflections From A Summer Literacy Intervention: Unlocking A Love Of Literacy In Struggling Readers, Rory K. Cantwell, Jenny M. Martin

Virginia English Journal

Summer literacy interventions offer a solution to the devastating impacts that summer literacy loss can have on struggling readers and writers. However, these interventions should consider the impact of student attitudes towards literacy on their learning and strive to develop positive associations between literacy and enjoyment. Camp Curious, a summer literacy intervention developed as a collaboration between the Virginia Association of Teachers of English and Shrine Mont, a retreat and conference center, embodies this idea. The intervention, in the form of a week-long camp experience, strives to provide third through sixth graders with positive and varied experiences related to literacy. …

Asynchronous Reliable Transmission (Art) Protocol For Application-To-Application Communication, Preet Nepolean Dabre Mr., Ashish Kumar Khatri, Sinan Majeed Kadavath, Deepak Kumar Singh, Avinash Sai Pavan Munnangi

Defensive Publications Series

Present disclosure provides techniques for asynchronous reliable transmission (ART) protocol for Application-to-Application messages. A communication protocol is designed to support communication between two devices asynchronously over channels that have limitations to facilitate asynchronous communication and have limited bandwidth. The ART protocol solves communication challenges that arise when transmitting data over channels with such limitations. The ART protocol has the provision to expand for future use cases such as encryption. Further, the ART Protocol provides mechanisms for data packet fragmentation, allowing larger packets to be transmitted over channels with limited bandwidth.

Ai In Adipose Imaging: Revolutionizing Visceral Adipose Tissue, Ectopic Fat, And Cardiovascular Risk Assessment, Sneha R. Kandi, Sanjay Rajagopalan, Ian J. Neeland

Faculty Scholarship

Purpose of Review: This review explores the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and ectopic fat imaging. It aims to evaluate how AI may be used to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk assessment. It addresses key questions regarding AI’s capabilities in risk prediction, segmentation, and integration with large volume data for CVD risk assessment. Recent Findings: Recent studies demonstrate that AI, powered by deep learning models, significantly improve VAT and ectopic fat segmentation. AI can also be used to facilitate early detection of cardiometabolic risks and allows integration of imaging with …

Interview With Orca Award Winner Donald Weeks; Unl Biochemistry; Biotechnology, Mark Griep, Donald Weeks

UNL ORCA Interview Series

Emeritus Professor Donald Paul Weeks was awarded the ORCA in 2014, a year before he retired. He grew up in a small farm south of Terre Haute, Indiana. In his youth, he participated in 4-H programs that must have sparked an interest in science because he earned his bachelor's degree from Purdue University in 1963. Purdue is about 90 miles north of Terre Haute. Don's doctoral work was at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana for a project about protein synthesis during maize germination. Next, he did postdoctoral work at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, where his research …

The Last Werewolf: An Interactive Narrative About Bipolar Disorder, Rebecca Kerr

Staff Scholarship - Australia & Dubai

The Last Werewolf is an interactive narrative game exploring lived experiences of bipolar disorder through metaphor and emotional design. Drawing on the creator’s personal perspective, the game uses cyclical transformation as a lens for understanding mood episodes and identity fragmentation. The showcase presentation examined how mechanics and narrative structure were used to embody bipolar experiences, aiming to foster empathy and nuanced mental health representation in games. By integrating creative practice with research, The Last Werewolf demonstrates how independent games can meaningfully communicate complex psychological realities through interactive storytelling.

The Importance Of Treating Migraine Attacks Early - Even In Youth: A Real-World Argument For Neuromodulation, Mario F. P. Peres, Hsiangkuo Yuan, Cristina Tassorelli

Department of Jefferson Headache Center Papers and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Combatting Wildlife Smuggling, Andrew Rowan, Steven Hansch

WellBeing News

The illegal wildlife trade, valued at tens of billions annually, presents a major conservation and law-enforcement challenge; this article examines how novel forensic techniques (e.g. biometric hand-print matching, DNA analysis) are empowering authorities to trace trafficked specimens and prosecute operators. It argues that while promising, these methods require further development, broader deployment, and stronger legal frameworks to truly shift the balance against organized wildlife crime.

Alternatives To Laboratory Animals: The Evolution Of A Goal And Its Eventual Fulfilment, Andrew Rowan

WellBeing News

The article reviews the conceptual and institutional evolution of the alternatives-to-animals movement, from its inception and the articulation of the 3Rs framework to the progressive decline in laboratory animal use and rise of nonanimal methods. It argues that contemporary advances in in vitro and in silico technologies now realize the long­sought goal of meaningful replacement in many domains of biomedical research.

Positive Animal Welfare, Andrew Rowan

WellBeing News

Over the past decades, animal welfare science has progressed from focusing on alleviating suffering toward incorporating the study of positive affective states and flourishing experiences. This article reviews the concept of Positive Animal Welfare, its historical roots, recent scientific advances, and emerging metrics (e.g., Welfare Footprint) to support its integration into policy, research, and sustainability frameworks.

Tinkering With The Machinery Of Death: Execution Through Nitrogen Hypoxia, Emiliano Villarreal

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

The modern era of the death penalty in the United States began in 1976 when the Supreme Court reinstituted the death penalty just four years after having found it to be unconstitutional. Since then, various states, as well as the federal government, have experimented with different methods of execution to find the most “humane” way of carrying out an execution. In 2018, Alabama legalized the use of nitrogen hypoxia as a method of execution, and in 2024, became the first state to execute a person with this new, previously untested method. However, the use of nitrogen hypoxia has been the …

Reference At A Remote Field Station: A Case Study Of Ecology, Environmental Science And Geology Fieldwork At An Embedded Library, Thomas Gerrish

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Purpose Field station libraries, particularly those serving biological and marine research stations, represent a unique but understudied class of special libraries. This case study investigates reference services at the remote University of Michigan Biological Station (UMBS) to provide a baseline assessment of how such services support the information needs related to research in ecology, geology and environmental science.

Design/methodology/approach The study recorded, coded and analyzed 209 reference transactions from the 2022 and 2023 summer sessions, revealing trends in patron inquiries and the role of the reference desk. Further, the case study examined the organizational structure, community interaction and mission of …