Digital Commons Network^™

The Prospector, September 9, 2025, Utep Student Publications

The Prospector

No abstract provided.

Compositions And Uses Thereof For Treatment Of Idiopathic Preterm Birth, Charles Lockwood, Ozlem Guzeloglu-Kayisli, Umit Ali Kayisli, Frederick Schatz

USF Patents

Disclosed are compositions and methods for delaying or preventing idiopathic preterm birth.

Nanoparticles And Nanogel Drug Compositions For Treatment Of Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Vijaykumar Bhadabhai Sutariya, Priyanka Sureshbhai Bhatt, Vipul B. Amin, Srinivas M. Tipparaju

USF Patents

Disclosed are nanoparticles and nanogel drug compositions and the use thereof for treating age-related macular degeneration.

Testis Expressed 50 Is Essential For Maintaining Sperm Acrosome Integrity During Epididymal Transit, Saori Haga, Kaori Nozawa, Ferheen Abbasi, Katarzyna Kent, Naoko Nagasawa, Tsutomu Endo, Haruhiko Miyata, Masahito Ikawa, Martin M Matzuk, Yoshitaka Fujihara

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

In mammals, sperm formation is completed in the seminiferous tubules within the testis, and sperm maturation occurs during the epididymal transit of the spermatozoa. Sperm morphology drastically changes when abnormal spermatozoa migrate from the testis to the epididymis. Detailed molecular mechanisms for sperm survival in the epididymis have not been determined yet. Globozoospermia is a cause of male infertility and is characterized by round-headed spermatozoa without acrosomes, an abnormal sperm nuclear membrane, and sperm midpiece defects. Testis expressed 50 (Tex50) is a testis-enriched gene that is expressed in mice and humans. Using CRISPR-Cas9, we generated Tex50 knockout (KO) …

Trade Agreements Have Helped Prohibit Forced Labor, Desiree Leclercq

Scholarly Works

While policymakers today debate the future of trade policy, the real story lies in the proven wins quietly shaping economies and improving lives worldwide. This series showcases ten compelling wins in international trade that demonstrate the success of crossborder commerce and open trade policies.

Sleep Architecture And Dementia Risk In Adults: An Analysis Of 5 Cohorts From The Sleep And Dementia Consortium, Stephanie Yiallourou, Andree-Ann Baril, Crystal Wiedner, Jeffrey R Misialek, Christopher E Kline, Stephanie Harrison, Ethan Cannon, Qiong Yang, Rebecca Bernal, Alycia Bisson, Dibya Himali, Marina Cavuoto, Antoine Weihs, Alexa Beiser, Rebecca F Gottesman, Yue Leng, Oscar Lopez, Pamela L Lutsey, Shaun M Purcell, Susan Redline, Sudha Seshadri, Katie L Stone, Kristine Yaffe, Sonia Ancoli-Israel, Qian Xiao, Eleni Okeanis Vaou, Jayandra J Himali, Matthew P Pase

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Study objectives: Poor sleep may play a role in the risk of dementia. However, few studies have investigated the association between polysomnography (PSG)-derived sleep architecture and dementia incidence. We examined the relationship between sleep architecture and dementia incidence across five US-based cohort studies from the Sleep and Dementia Consortium.

Methods: Percent of time spent in stages of sleep (N1, N2, N3, rapid eye movement sleep), wake after sleep onset, sleep maintenance efficiency, apnea-hypopnea index, and relative delta power were derived from a single night home-based PSG. Dementia was ascertained in each cohort using its cohort-specific criteria. Each cohort performed Cox …

Therapeutic Restoration Of Mitochondria-Endoplasmic Reticulum Cross Talk For Osteoarthritis, Mingzhuang Hou, Yifan Ma, Yaoge Deng, Yubin Wu, Yanrun Zhu, Yang Liu, Xiaoping Li, Lili Yu, Zirui He, Yifan Wang, Shiyan Dong, Xiaowei Xia, Jianfeng Yu, Chenqi Yu, Kang Kang, Yingjie Lu, Lili Sun, Betty Y S Kim, Yuan Yuan, Yijian Zhang, Wen Jiang, Xuesong Zhu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Osteoarthritis is a prevalent joint disease in the aging population. The hallmark of osteoarthritis is the degeneration of the joint cartilage, characterized by changes in chondrocytes including mitochondrial dysfunction. However, the precise mechanisms of how this affects chondrocyte homeostasis and whether such processes can be explored as therapeutic targets for osteoarthritis remain unclear. Here, we show that impaired mitochondrial function and disrupted cartilage matrix metabolism due to loss of mitofusin-2 (MFN2) expression in chondrocytes leads to the development of osteoarthritis. Sirtuin-3 (SIRT3), a key regulator of mitochondrial function, plays a critical role in modulating MFN2 to restore mitochondrial dynamics, reduce …

Smart Aquaculture Technology: Building Climate Resilience And Food Security In The Agrifood Supply Chain, Ikape Simon I., Goma Ruth P., Lise Hunter, Ed-Idoko John O., Christiana O. N.

Plymouth Business School

This paper examines the impacts of climate change on fish production within the agrifood supply chain and its implications for food security. It reviews smart aquaculture technologies as key adaptation and mitigation strategies for sustainable fish production and resilient food security. Adaptation measures include data-driven tools for site and species selection, as well as automated monitoring systems and predictive models that enable proactive risk management under climate variability. Mitigation strategies focus on reducing the sector’s carbon footprint through optimized feed utilization, waste reduction, and the integration of renewable energy sources. Findings suggest that smart aquaculture not only strengthens production efficiency …

[Pdf] From Usf.Edu Nanoparticles And Nanogel Drug Compositions For Treatment Of Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Vijaykumar Bhadabhai Sutariya, Priyanka Bhatt, Vipul B. Amin, Srinivas M. Tipparaju

Pharmacy Faculty/Staff Publications

Disclosed are nanoparticles and nanogel drug compositions and the use thereof for treating age-related macular degeneration.

Stayin' Alive (Even Without Oxygen): Retinal Development In Austrofundulus Limnaeus, Carmen Zecilia Rodriguez

Dissertations and Theses

The vertebrate eye is one of the most metabolically active organs in the body and is particularly sensitive to environmental stressors such as oxygen deprivation. Understanding how eye development proceeds under such conditions can provide critical insights into mechanisms of cellular resilience, tissue organization, and developmental plasticity. The annual killifish Austrofundulus limnaeus represents a unique model for investigating these processes due to its remarkable tolerance to anoxia during embryogenesis. However, the wild-type form is heavily pigmented, limiting the effectiveness of traditional imaging techniques for studying eye development. This thesis characterizes eye development and anoxia resilience in both wild-type and melanin-deficient …

Dissecting The Effect Of Mitochondrial Bcat Inhibition In Methylmalonic Acidemia, Madeline G Hemmingsen, Guo-Fang Zhang, Yunhan Ma, Hannah Marchuk, Kalyani R Patel, Tong Chen, Xinning Li, Mark Chapman, Sabrina Collias, Dolores H Lopez-Terrada, James Beasley, Ashlee R Stiles, Randy J Chandler, Charles P Venditti, Sarah P Young, Mercedes Barzi, Beatrice Bissig-Choisat, Doug Krafte, Christopher B Newgard, Karl-Dimiter Bissig

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Methylmalonic acidemia (MMA) is a severe metabolic disorder affecting multiple organs because of a distal block in branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) catabolism. Standard of care is limited to protein restriction and supportive care during metabolic decompensation. Severe cases require liver/kidney transplantation, and there is a clear need for better therapy. Here, we investigated the effects of a small molecule branched-chain amino acid transaminase (BCAT) inhibitor in human MMA hepatocytes and an MMA mouse model. Mitochondrial BCAT is the first step in BCAA catabolism, and reduction of flux through an early enzymatic step is successfully used in other amino acid metabolic …

Endothelin B Receptor Inhibition Rescues Aging-Dependent Neuronal Regenerative Decline, Rui Feng, Sarah F Rosen, Irshad Ansari, Sebastian John, Michael B Thomsen, Oshri Avraham, Cedric G Geoffroy, Valeria Cavalli

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Peripheral sensory neurons regenerate their axons after injury to regain function, but this ability declines with age. The mechanisms behind this decline are not fully understood. While excessive production of endothelin 1 (ET-1), a potent vasoconstrictor, is linked to many diseases that increase with age, the role of ET-1 and its receptors in axon regeneration is unknown. Using single-cell RNA sequencing, we show that satellite glial cells (SGCs), which completely envelop the sensory neuron soma residing in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG), express the endothelin B receptor (ETBR), while ET-1 is expressed by endothelial cells. Inhibition of ETBR ex vivo …

Fatty Acid 2-Hydroxylase Facilitates Rotavirus Uncoating And Endosomal Escape, Enkai Li, Ruochen Zang, Takahiro Kawagishi, Wei Zhang, Kruthika Iyer, Gaopeng Hou, Qiru Zeng, Rita M Meganck, Susan R Ross, Xin Wang, Xiong Su, Siyuan Ding

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Despite the clinical significance of many nonenveloped viruses, the molecular mechanisms of their internalization and membrane penetration are not well understood. Rotaviruses (RVs) are nonenveloped double-stranded RNA viruses and the leading cause of severe dehydrating diarrhea in infants and young children. We identified fatty acid 2-hydroxylase (encoded by

Computationally Resolved Neuroprogenitor Cell Biomarkers Associate With Human Disorders, Gerarda Cappuccio, William T Choi, Fatih Semerci, Jill A Rosenfeld, Toni Claire Tacorda, Guantong Qi, Anthony W Zoghbi, Yi Zhong, Hu Chen, Pengfei Liu, Zhandong Liu, Mirjana Maletić-Savatić

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

Adult hippocampal neurogenesis, the process of generating new neurons, relies on a rare population of neural stem and progenitor cells (NPCs) within the dentate gyrus complex microenvironment. Discovering the specific genes that define these cells is vital yet challenging due to overlapping expression patterns, limiting detection of rare cell populations using traditional approaches. By employing the computational digital sorting algorithm (DSA) that deconvolves complex gene expression data based on pattern recognition, we identified 129 genes enriched in murine NPCs. We validated these genes against published single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data and discovered that 25 human orthologs were known to cause …

Creating Sustainable School And Home Gardens: The Buzz About Bees, Kaitlin U. Campbell, Rita Hagevik, Kathy Cabe Trundle

All Current Publications

This fact sheet describes bees--honey bees and native bees--and the services they provide as pollinators. It describes the threats that bees face, including habitat loss, pesticide use, climate change, and diseases and parasites. It also outlines ways to help bees.

Creating Sustainable School And Home Gardens: Using Citizen Science, Kaitlin U. Campbell, Rita Hagevik, Kathy Cabe Trundle

All Current Publications

Citizen science, also called community-based science or participatory science, provides a way for anyone to gather data, along with scientists, around a scientific question or phenomenon. Citizen science offers immense value to both the general public and scientists. This fact sheet provides resources to connect readers to citizen science projects.

Ovid: Writing From Butler University's First Year Seminar 2024-2025, The Ovid Staff

Ovid

No abstract provided.

The Curious Cat Considers A Career In Chemistry, Mallory Martin

Ovid

No abstract provided.

Songs That Outlast Us, Lilly Thompson

Ovid

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Indigenous Plants In Home And Health Clinic Gardens To Engender Urban Rewilding In The Urban And Peri-Urban Areas Of The North-West Province, South Africa, Nanamhla Gwedla, Sonja De Beer, Dikeledi Seshoka, Sarel S. Cilliers

Cities and the Environment (CATE)

There is a need to rethink the sustainability and resilience of cities, where there is often limited availability and access to urban green spaces (UGS). Urban rewilding is an opportune avenue to connect humans to nature. Thus, the aim of this study was to understand the potential for urban re-naturing through home and health clinic gardens (HCGs). This was done through vegetation surveys in the naga (natural area) micro-gardens of 16 HCGs and household surveys with 80 households with home gardens (HGs) in two districts of the North-West province, South Africa. The size of the naga across HCGs ranged from …

Ada News - 09/08/2025, 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.

Interindividual Genetic Differences Drive Discordance Between Serum Calcidiol And Calcitriol Concentrations In Females., Elizabeth K Hutchins, Changran Niu, Jing Xue, Debin Wan, Carolina V Campos, Molly Warren, Megan M Knuth, Michael B Whalen, Venkata S Voruganti, Rafiou Agoro, James C Fleet, Bruce D Hammock, Folami Ideraabdullah

Faculty Research 2025

Vitamin D insufficiency (VDI) is primarily determined by serum levels of calcidiol, which serves as a biomarker for the less abundant but most potent bioactive metabolite, calcitriol. However, population studies often show discordance between calcidiol and calcitriol. Here, a genetically diverse population of 7 inbred mouse strains was used to investigate the role of interindividual genetic differences in driving calcidiol-to-calcitriol discordance under vitamin D sufficient (VDS) vs depleted (VDD) conditions. We found high interstrain variability in calcitriol that was discordant with calcidiol under VDS and VDD conditions. However, under VDS conditions, stratification by calcitriol level revealed that strains with serum …

Analysis Of A Human-Mediated Microbioinvasion: The Global Spread Of The Benthic Foraminifer Trochammina Hadai Uchio, 1962, Mary Mcgann, Maria Holzmann, Vincent M.P. Bouchet, Sibelle Trevisan Disaró, Patrícia P.B. Eichler, David W. Haig, Stephen J. Himson, Hiroshi Kitazato, Jean Charles Pavard, Irina Polovodova Asteman, André R. Rodrigues, Clément M. Tremblin, Masashi Tsuchiya, Mark Williams, Phoebe O'Brien, Josefin Asplund, Malou Axelsson, Thomas D. Lorenson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

A non-indigenous species (NIS) of benthic foraminifera was first identified in a core collected in 1993 in San Francisco Bay, California, USA, and subsequently identified as Trochammina hadai Uchio, 1962. Archived samples and literature reviews were used to determine that the species, which is native to Asia, arrived in San Francisco Bay between the early 1960s and 1983. Through molecular analyses of specimens, archived samples and literature reviews from 1930-1983, and site surveys of harbors and estuaries along the western North American seaboard in 1994-2024, in total more than 2500 samples, we documented the presence of T. hadai at 73 …

Edce 32204_How Children Learn Math_Syllabus, Colleen O. Oppenzato

Open Educational Resources

This course described by this syllabus will focus on the mathematical development and growth of children from birth through Grade 2, with an emphasis on preschool, kindergarten, Grade 1, and Grade 2.

African Swine Fever In Indonesia: Insights From Southeast Asia’S Policy Response Through The One Health Approach, Niken Salindri, Wachyu Sulistiadi

Journal of Indonesian Health Policy and Administration

African Swine Fever (ASF) seriously threatens pig production systems, food security, and rural livelihoods across Southeast Asia. This study employs an analysis of secondary national data from Indonesia using a quantitative descriptive analysis approach, complemented by regional policy responses to ASF from 2019 to 2024. To contextualize regional findings, this study also integrates official statistics from Statistics Indonesia (BPS) covering provincial pork production trends (2021–2023), the number of ASF-affected pigs per province (2020–2024), and per capita pork consumption by district. Quantitative data show that ASF outbreaks have been disproportionately concentrated in specific provinces such as East Nusa Tenggara and North …

Analyzing The Role Of A Dual-Function Diguanylate Cyclase / Phosphodiesterase For Attachment And Motility In Agrobacterium Tumefaciens, Priya Aryal

Theses and Dissertations

Cyclic diguanylate monophosphate (c-di-GMP) is a second messenger that is responsible for attachment and motility in many prokaryotic systems and controls the signaling pathway for the motile to sessile transition in many bacteria. Many c-di-GMP-metabolizing proteins are diguanylate cyclases (DGCs), responsible for the synthesis of c-di-GMP and characterized by a c-di-GMP synthesizing domain, e.g., GGDEF domain. Other c-di-GMP-metabolizing proteins contain c-di-GMP degradative domains, e.g., EAL, characterized by phosphodiesterase activity (PDE). In Agrobacterium tumefaciens, out of 31 predicted proteins regulating the c-di-GMP level, this project focuses on the predicted dual-function DGC/PDE, DcpB. We hypothesized that DcpB plays a role in the …

Tiny Particles, Big Stakes: The Strategic Implications Of Micro‑ And Nanoplastics, James Giordano, Ashok Vaseashta

Strategic Insights

This commentary explores how micro- and nanoplastics, tiny plastic fragments present throughout the environment, pose emerging strategic challenges beyond environmental and health concerns. While micro- and nanoplastics are now found in water, soil, plants, animals, and even human bodies, their long-term effects on ecosystems, food and water safety, and human health remain poorly understood. These particles can infiltrate critical systems, potentially affecting troop readiness, infrastructure resilience, and national food security. Nanoplastics may also serve as vectors for biological or chemical contaminants, complicating detection and mitigation. The article argues that micro- and nanoplastics should be treated as a strategic security issue, …

The Free Press Vol. 57, Issue 2, 09-08-2025, Julz Levesque, Caraline Squires

Free Press, The

ESPORTS Arena Opening--Will Susan Collins Lose?--MovieTalk and Events--World Cup in America--Letters from the Editors

Theatre Uab Announces New Season Of Plays, Plus Free Showcases, Shannon Thomason

Browse All News

No abstract provided.

Lanthorn, Vol. 60, No. 03, September 8, 2025, Grand Valley State University

Volume 60, August 4, 2025 – April 20, 2026

Lanthorn is Grand Valley State's student newspaper, published from 1968 to the present.