Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of Religious Music On Psychological Well-Being: A Survey Study Of Chinese Christians In Hong Kong Churches, Ka Man Lee

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This cross-sectional survey investigates the relationship between listening to religious music and psychological well-being among Chinese Christians in Hong Kong, addressing a critical gap in Asian studies. Data were collected from 243 participants through a survey comprising demographic questions, music-listening habits (weekly frequency, average duration, and music era preference), and the 24-item Chinese Ryff Psychological Well-being Scale. Multiple linear regression and ANOVA analyses reveal that the average duration of listening to religious music positively associates with overall psychological well-being and its six dimensions, while frequency shows a negative relationship. Traditional religious music (composed in or before 1980) is associated with …

Interpreting The Re-Engagement Of Disenfranchised Youth With Disabilities Through The Lived Experiences Of Alternative High School Staff Members: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study, Stephanie Jean Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to interpret the lived experiences of re-engaging at-risk students with disabilities after disenfranchisement from traditional educational settings for non-compulsory alternative charter school staff members at Southwest Charter Academy in the Southwest United States. The theory guiding this study was Bronfenbrenner’s theory on bioecological systems, as it connects the influences of interactions to an individual’s development of behaviors. The central research question for this qualitative study asked: What are the lived experiences of non-compulsory alternative charter school staff members in the Southwest United States who work to re-engage at-risk students with disabilities after …

Lived Experiences Of High School Teachers' Professional Development Post-Covid-19 Pandemic In Rural Georgia: A Transcendental Phenomenology Study, Jesse Regalado

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to describe the lived experiences of high school teachers' professional development post-COVID-19 pandemic in rural Georgia, U.S.A. The theories guiding the research are Piaget's theory of disequilibration, addressing how one accommodates and assimilates to adapt to change, and Festinger's (1957) theory of cognitive dissonance, explaining how one adapts, assimilates, and accommodates to avoid disharmony. The study's central question is, what are high school teachers' perceptions on the practical or academic professional development they received post-COVID-19 pandemic in rural Georgia, United States, used to promote leadership, teaching mastery, or pedagogical practices? This study utilized …

Lived Experiences Of Initial Romantic Attraction In Codependent And Non-Codependent Women: A Qualitative Study, Karen Jaworski

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Codependency is seen to have a negative impact on individuals right from the first meeting with a prospective partner through the painful ending of the relationship. Despite the inner turmoil it causes, affected individuals continue to repeatedly gravitate toward dysfunctional partners. This study explored the phenomena of codependency and initial romantic attraction to see if there were any differences in the descriptions of lived experience between the codependent and non-codependent participants. During this qualitative study, ten codependent and ten non-codependent women underwent in-depth semi-structured, one-on-one interviews to gain deeper insights on their perception of attraction, initial attraction to past relational …

Islet Single-Cell Transcriptomic Profiling During Obesity-Induced Beta Cell Expansion In Female Mice, Peter M Masschelin, Scott A Ochsner, Sean M Hartig, Neil J Mckenna, Aaron R Cox

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Targeting beta cell proliferation is an appealing approach to restore glucose control in type 1 diabetes. However, the underlying mechanisms of beta cell proliferation remain incompletely understood, limiting identification of new therapeutic targets. Obesity is a naturally occurring process that potently induces human and rodent beta cell replication, representing an ideal model to study mechanisms of beta cell proliferation. We showed previously acute whole-body

Facies And Depositional Architecture Of Upper Miocene Tidal Flat Sedimentation In Kefalonia And Corfu Islands, West Greece, Nicolina Bourli, Chrysanthos Botziolis, Penelope Papadopoulou, Panagiotis Zelilidis, Elena Zoumpouli, George Iliopoulos, Angelos G. Maravelis, Efthymios Trypsanas, Ioannis Oikonomopoulos, Aristotelis Pagoulatos, Avraam Zelilidis

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

This research involves the integrated sedimentological and paleontological analysis of the Neogene tidal deposits in the eastern parts of the Hellenic Fold and Thrust Belt, in South Kefalonia (Paliolinos-Avithos coast) and in NW Corfu (Arillas coast) islands. The study of tidal is supported by illustrative outcrop photographs, with a particular emphasis on two synthetic outcrops. Sedimentary logs were generated to document detailed bed-by-bed measurements, descriptions, and identification of sedimentary structures. Additionally, over 75 samples were chosen for age determination and paleoenvironmental analysis. Micropaleontological analysis encompassed 52 samples from South Kefalonia and 23 samples from NW Corfu and the results point …

Evaluation Of The Distress Thermometer In Older Patients With Cancer, Charlotte Zuber, Kristine Swartz, Andrew Chapman, Lora Rhodes, Tingting Zhan, Kuang-Yi Wen

Kimmel Cancer Center Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: The Geriatric Depression Scale is a useful tool in screening for depression in older adults, a particularly vulnerable population in oncology. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Distress Thermometer (DT) has been validated as a fast and effective screening tool for psychological distress in general oncology populations, and it could possibly be used as a surrogate for the longer Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) test in older adults with cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective cross-sectional study in older adults prior to starting cancer treatment, we evaluated the relationship between the DT and GDS by comparing 242 older adults …

Gene Expression Profiling Of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Cells In Hypercapnia Identifies Siah3 As A Novel Prognostic Biomarker, Nitzan Zohar, Ryan Maguire, Saed Khalilieh, Aditi Jain, Dmitriy Bosykh, Wilbur B. Bowne, Harish Lavu, Charles J. Yeo, Avinoam Nevler

Department of Surgery Faculty Papers

Hypercapnia is a key feature of the respiratory microenvironment in many pathologic conditions. It occurs both as a regional and as a systemic process, and it is associated with multiple metabolic changes such as mitochondrial dysfunction, decreased ATP production, and metabolic shift from glycolytic energy production to fatty acid metabolism. In the cancer tumor microenvironment, hypercapnia has been linked at times to enhanced cell migration, invasion, and chemoresistance. Our previous work has shown that hypercapnia-associated gene signatures can be used as prognostic biomarkers. However, unlike the hypoxia-inducible factor pathway, there are no validated targets to quantify hypercapnia. In this study, …

Dependence Of Mitochondrial Calcium Signalling And Dynamics On The Disaggregase, Clpb, Donato D'Angelo, Víctor H. Sánchez-Vázquez, Benjamín Cartes-Saavedra, Denis Vecellio Reane, Ryan R. Cupo, Hilda Delgado De La Herran, Giorgia Ghirardo, James Shorter, Ron A. Wevers, Saskia B. Wortmann, Fabiana Perocchi, Rosario Rizzuto, Anna Raffaello, György Hajnóczky

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Cells utilize protein disaggregases to avoid abnormal protein aggregation that causes many diseases. Among these, caseinolytic peptidase B protein homolog (CLPB) is localized in the mitochondrial intermembrane space and linked to human disease. Upon CLPB loss, MICU1 and MICU2, regulators of the mitochondrial calcium uniporter complex (mtCU), and OPA1, a main mediator of mitochondrial fusion, become insoluble but the functional outcome remains unclear. In this work we demonstrate that CLPB is required to maintain mitochondrial calcium signalling and fusion dynamics. CLPB loss results in altered mtCU composition, interfering with mitochondrial calcium uptake independently of cytosolic calcium and mitochondrial membrane potential. …

Staff Education On Evidence-Based Educational Content For Patient Fall Prevention Measures, Ogochukwu Vera Nnakwe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Patient falls continue to be a challenge due to the injury associated with them. They can be disabling, costly, and most often lead to increased morbidity and mortality. Falls at home lead to hospitalization of the patient and complication of other health issues and/or aggravation of preexisting health problems. The practice problem was that the clinic did not have patient education content in place for fall prevention measures to discuss with patient at discharge. The practice-focused question was, Will a staff education on evidence-based falls prevention measures result in an increase in staff knowledge on fall prevention? The purpose of …

Racial And Ethnic Inequalities In Actual Vs Nearest Delivery Hospitals, Nansi S. Boghossian, Lucy T. Greenberg, Jeffrey S. Buzas, Joshua Radack, Molly Passarella, Jeannette Rogowski, George R. Saade, Ciaran S. Phibbs, Scott A. Lorch

Faculty Publications

IMPORTANCE Minoritized racial and ethnic groups, such as American Indian and Black individuals, often receive lower quality health care compared with White individuals. There is limited understanding of how these disparities extend to obstetric care, particularly when comparing the quality of care at the actual delivery hospital vs the nearest obstetric hospital based on the birthing individual’s residence. OBJECTIVE To examine inequality in care based on the actual delivery hospital and the closest delivery hospital to the birthing individual’s residential zip code centroid. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This population-based retrospective cohort study used data from 5 states (2008 to 2020 …

Rare Damaging Ccr2 Variants Are Associated With Lower Lifetime Cardiovascular Risk, Marios K Georgakis, Rainer Malik, Omar El Bounkari, Natalie R Hasbani, Jiang Li, Jennifer E Huffman, Gabrielle Shakt, Reinier W P Tack, Tamara N Kimball, Yaw Asare, Alanna C Morrison, Noah L Tsao, Renae Judy, Braxton D Mitchell, Huichun Xu, May E Montasser, Ron Do, Eimear E Kenny, Ruth J F Loos, James G Terry, John Jeffrey Carr, Joshua C Bis, Bruce M Psaty, W T Longstreth, Kendra A Young, Sharon M Lutz, Michael H Cho, Jai Broome, Alyna T Khan, Fei Fei Wang, Nancy Heard-Costa, Sudha Seshadri, Ramachandran S Vasan, Nicholette D Palmer, Barry I Freedman, Donald W Bowden, Lisa R Yanek, Brian G Kral, Lewis C Becker, Patricia A Peyser, Lawrence F Bielak, Farah Ammous, April P Carson, Michael E Hall, Laura M Raffield, Stephen S Rich, Wendy S Post, Russel P Tracy, Kent D Taylor, Xiuqing Guo, Michael C Mahaney, Joanne E Curran, John Blangero, Shoa L Clarke, Jeffrey W Haessler, Yao Hu, Themistocles L Assimes, Charles Kooperberg, Jürgen Bernhagen, Christopher D Anderson, Scott M Damrauer, Ramin Zand, Jerome I Rotter, Paul S De Vries, Martin Dichgans

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Previous work has shown a role of CCL2, a key chemokine governing monocyte trafficking, in atherosclerosis. However, it remains unknown whether targeting CCR2, the cognate receptor of CCL2, provides protection against human atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

METHODS: Computationally predicted damaging or loss-of-function (REVEL > 0.5) variants within CCR2 were detected in whole-exome-sequencing data from 454,775 UK Biobank participants and tested for association with cardiovascular endpoints in gene-burden tests. Given the key role of CCR2 in monocyte mobilization, variants associated with lower monocyte count were prioritized for experimental validation. The response to CCL2 of human cells transfected with these variants was tested …

A Case Study Of Gray-Box Fuzzing With Byte- And Tree-Level Mutation Strategies In Xml-Based Applications For Exposing Security Vulnerabilities, Şerafetti̇n Şentürk, Vahi̇d Garousi, Nejat Yumuşak

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Fuzzing is an automated process for detecting crashes and vulnerabilities in software system and it is classified as grammar- or mutation-based in terms of input generation. While the grammar-based fuzzing generates inputs from a specification and takes highly-structured inputs, mutation-based fuzzing generates inputs by modifying input files and abstract syntax trees randomly. There are not many case studies comparing the crash detection capabilities in the scope of mutation-based fuzzing. To add to the body of empirical evidence in this area, this case study compares fuzzing with different mutation strategies to evaluate their effectiveness in three aspects: fault detection effectiveness, fault …

Multikernel Embedded Fusion Unet (Mkef-Unet): A Robust Deep Learning Approach For Accurate Segmentation Of Chagas Parasites, Preet Kumar, Carlos Brito-Loeza, Lavdie Rada

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

This paper introduces a novel approach for segmenting Chagas parasites on stained blood smear samples from mice during the acute phase of infection with Trypanosoma cruzi utilizing a U-Net-based deep learning model named multikernel embedded fusion UNet (MKEF-UNet). Our proposed model incorporates DenseNet-121 for feature extraction, a classifier module for predicting parasite information, and a segmentation decoder with multiscale feature fusion to generate precise segmentation results. Notably, the integration of the embedded vector module, multikernel convolutions with dilations, and advanced data augmentation techniques significantly enhance the model’s robustness and generalization capabilities. In extensive experiments on the Chagas dataset, MKEF-UNet achieves …

Shared Culture In Intimate Relationships, Jackelyn Castaneda

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Almost everyone identifies with some kind of culture and the definition often varies among researchers and disciplines of the field. Culture has an influence on every aspect of one’s everyday life, including the role it plays in close relationships. Although intimate relationships and culture have been widely explored in psychological research, limited studies have explored how these two factors may go hand in hand in creating what may be a newer concept, a mini-culture (smaller, unique cultural groups that develop within larger societies or organizations). The purpose of this study was to explore how this awareness of culture sharing and …

Dna-Pk Inhibition Sustains The Antitumor Innate Immune Response In Small Cell Lung Cancer, Caterina De Rosa, Floriana Morgillo, Luisa Amato, Francesca Iommelli, Viviana De Rosa, Virginia Tirino, Federica Papaccio, Concetta Tuccillo, Gaetano Di Guida, Domenico Michele D'Angiolella, Alessandra Di Liello, Silvia Zappavigna, Michele Caraglia, Antonio Gambardella, Valerio Nardone, Kavya Ramkumar, Qi Wang, Jing Wang, Ferdinando De Vita, Davide Ciardiello, Erika Martinelli, Teresa Troiani, Stefania Napolitano, Giulia Martini, Alberto Servetto, Lauren Averett Byers, Fortunato Ciardiello, Carminia Maria Della Corte

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a highly aggressive form of lung cancer with limited treatment options. Patients often respond well to initial chemo-immunotherapy but relapse quickly, necessitating new strategies to enhance immune responsiveness. Recent research explores combining DNA-damaging therapies with immunotherapy to activate the STING pathway and improve the antitumor immune response. The addition of DNA Damage Repair (DDR) inhibitors, such as DNA-PKcs inhibitors, after chemotherapy has shown promise in activating innate immune sensors and enhancing CD8

The Artificial Intelligence-Enhanced Echocardiographic Detection Of Congenital Heart Defects In The Fetus: A Mini-Review, Khadiza Tun Suha, Hugh Lubenow, Stefania Soria-Zurita, Marcus Haw, Joseph Vettukattil, Jingfeng Jiang

Michigan Tech Publications

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly gaining attention in radiology and cardiology for accurately diagnosing structural heart disease. In this review paper, we first outline the technical background of AI and echocardiography and then present an array of clinical applications, including image quality control, cardiac function measurements, defect detection, and classifications. Collectively, we answer how integrating AI technologies and echocardiography can help improve the detection of congenital heart defects. Particularly, the superior sensitivity of AI-based congenital heart defect (CHD) detection in the fetus (>90%) allows it to be potentially translated into the clinical workflow as an effective screening tool in …

Improving Management Of Suicidality Within An Outpatient Eating Disorder Treatment Program Through Standardization Of A Suicide Rating Scale Among Clinical Staff Members: An Evidenced-Based Practice Project, Nicole Neale

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Standardization of suicide assessment protocols is essential for maintaining standards of care and optimizing patient safety. However, many healthcare organizations lack a universal protocol for suicide assessment, likely due to the absence of a gold-standard method or tool. This evidence- based practice project aims to enhance the accuracy and consistency of suicide assessments for individuals diagnosed with eating disorders as well as other mental health disorders, ultimately improving patient safety measures and outcomes within an eating disorder treatment center. This project includes a thorough literature review of suicide risk factors, assessment methods, and available tools, followed by the education and …

The Correlation Of Intergenerational Faith On Black Families, Anita Serwaa Bonsu

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Parent-child relationships play a significant role in predicting human behavior during childhood development. As more individuals become religiously unaffiliated, this research explored the factors contributing to this reality. Many studies have highlighted the correlation of parents on behavior; however, few have examined the intergenerational closeness and religiosity within Black families in America. The primary goal of this study was to assess the correlation of parent-child closeness on intrinsic religiosity among Black families. The research asked the following question: Does parent-child closeness positively correlate with intrinsic religiosity among adult Black children? The sample consisted of 73 Black adults aged 18 years …

Cultivating Advanced Education For Christian Faculty In Higher Education Institutions: A Phenomenological Study, Gary D. Hyrne

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the experiences of cultivating advanced education for Christian faculty at higher education institutions in the United States. The central research question guiding this study asked: What are the experiences of Christian faculty cultivating advanced education in higher education institutions? The Christian faculty participants' research was guided by data on their lived experiences at private Christian institutions, state universities, or other secular institutions of higher education. Secular relates to the worldly or temporal, not overtly or specifically religious. Bandura’s social cognitive theory guided the study. The research design followed the recommendations of …

History Professors' Attitudes About Civil War Monument Removal: A Qualitative Study, Natania Y. Piper

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Violence in the United States is on the rise creating movements such as Black Lives Matter and others who call attention to ongoing racism in our country. One area of argument within the discussions of racism is the presence of Civil War monuments (CWMs) throughout the country. Many support the destruction, deconstruction, or relocation of these monuments, due to arguments that they are intended to demean and subjugate racial minorities. Others argue they do not carry this intent or meaning and are simply a memorial to former leaders. Little research exists that explores historian perspectives on this issue. The purpose …

A Qualitative Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study With Parents Of A Child With Adhd And Their Lived Experiences With Their Child’S Clinical Mental Health Counselor, Mariah Elizabeth Couser

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative hermeneutical phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of parents with a child who has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive/Impulsive Disorder (ADHD) with their child’s clinical mental health counselor. There are over 6.5 million children diagnosed with ADHD within the United States, and it continues to grow every day. Within the current literature, there is a lack of understanding of what parents of children with ADHD need from their child’s clinical mental health counselor to help reduce their parental stress levels. The theoretical framework guided the hermeneutic phenomenology study, aimed to discover themes …

Protocol For Unlocking Alternative Polyadenylation Insights From Bulk Rna-Seq Data With Polyaminer-Bulk, Venkata Jonnakuti, Sriya Jonnakuti, Hari Krishna Yalamanchili

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

PolyAMiner-Bulk, a deep-learning-based algorithm to decode alternative polyadenylation (APA) dynamics from bulk RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data, enables scientists to identify and quantify APA events from processed bulk RNA-seq data. The protocol allows researchers to explore differential APA usage between two conditions and gain a better understanding of post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms. The major steps involve input data preparation, executing PolyAMiner-Bulk, and interpreting the results. A basic familiarity with pre-processing bulk RNA-seq data and command-line tools is suggested.

For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Jonnakuti et al.¹

Diverse Roles Of Stress-Responsive Rnp Granules In Oogenesis And Infertility, M. Rebecca Glineburg, Carolee Nguyen

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Effectively responding to cellular stress (e.g., nutrient deprivation, oxidative stress) is essential for cell and organismal survival. A protective mechanism is especially critical in developing oocytes, where a prolonged quiescent state and the inability to divide render oocytes highly susceptible to accumulating stress that can result in cell death if unaddressed. Despite the common view that stress granules are the primary stress-responsive ribonucleoprotein granule, accumulating evidence shows that in ovaries, other ribonucleoprotein granules also uniquely mediate gene regulation in response to stress. Here, we review recent insights into ribonucleoprotein granule dynamics and ribonucleoprotein granule protein function during stress in the …

Identification And Catalog Of Viral Transcriptional Regulators In Human Diseases, Citu Citu, Le Chang, Astrid M Manuel, Nitesh Enduru, Zhongming Zhao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Viral genomes encode viral transcriptional regulators (vTRs) that manipulate host gene expression to facilitate replication and evade immune detection. Nevertheless, their role in non-cancerous diseases remains largely underexplored. Here, we unveiled 268 new candidate vTRs from 14 of the 20 viral families we investigated. We mapped vTRs' genome-wide binding profiles and identified their potential human targets, which were enriched in immune-mediated pathways, neurodegenerative disorders, and cancers. Through vTR DNA-binding preference analysis, 283 virus-specific and human-like motifs were identified. Prioritized Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) vTR target genes were associated with multiple sclerosis (MS), rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus. The partitioned heritability …

Shuffle, Dereck Daschke

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Shuffle (2025), directed by Benjamin Flaherty.

Molecular Mechanisms And Role Of Camel Milk Derived Bioactive Peptides Towards Insulin And Glp-1 Receptor Activation, Irfa Anwar

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Camel milk (CM), renowned for its exceptional nutritional and medicinal properties, has been a crucial resource in arid regions for centuries. Its notable antidiabetic effects, supported by extensive research through in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies, have gained significant scientific attention. However, the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms remain largely unclear. Our previous research demonstrated that camel milk whey hydrolysates (CWHs) induce insulin receptor (IR) activation and downstream signaling, promoting glucose uptake in vitro using HEK293 and HepG2 cells. Building on this foundation, the current study focused on synthesizing nine of the most potent peptides (designated P1-9) derived from …

News From The Chapters 1984-85, Robert M. Ward

The Geographical Bulletin

News from the Chapters 1984-85

The South Dakota State Geography Convention: A Unique Educational Opportunity And Event, Edward Patrick Hogan

The Geographical Bulletin

The South Dakota State Geography (SDSU) Convention, held annually at South Dakota State University in Brookings, is indeed a unique educational opportunity and event. The faculty of the Department of Geography at SDSU believe that the convention makes major contributions to the discipline, the state of South Dakota and community of Brookings, the university, and particularly to the Department of Geography and its students. This student planned and conducted convention affords students an outstanding educational opportunity. The convention has evolved over a period of fifteen years and continues to grow and change as the program adapts to new opportunities and …

Stability Enhancement Of Doxepin Hydrochloride Capsules, Usp 10 Mg, 25 Mg, 50 Mg, 75 Mg And 100 Mg, Anonymous

Defensive Publications Series

Doxepin is used to treat anxiety or depression. It is also used to treat insomnia (trouble with sleeping). On 8/4/2023, FDA issued a final guidance on Recommended Acceptable Intake Limits for Nitrosamine Drug Substance-Related Impurities (NDSRIs) (August 2023) (RAIL Guidance) which provided recommendations for NDSRI AI limits based on predicted carcinogenic potency categorization. On 9/4/2024, FDA issued a final guidance on Control of Nitrosamine Impurities in Human Drugs (September 2024, Rev.2) (Nitrosamine Guidance). The Nitrosamine Guidance describes two classes of nitrosamines – small-molecule nitrosamines and NDSRIs; and also provides recommendations to industry on mitigation strategies to control nitrosamines and on …