Digital Commons Network^™

Parallel Lives: Revitalization Of An Ancient Method Of Inquiry, Geoffrey Thomas Uhal

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Parallel Lives style examination and biography is one of the oldest forms of historical inquiry, providing a comparison between a foreign subject and a more familiar subject as a frame of reference. This style of examination was popular for dissertations in the 19th century among military historians writing about generals who were stylistically known as “Great Captains” for much of history. While the moral comparisons of such histories in bygone eras possess less utility, multimodal comparisons of lives that readers have more and less contextual background to provide a model to bridge the gap between foreign and familiar subjects. …

The Impact Of Psychological Well-Being, Gratitude, And Self-Efficacy On Resiliency In High School Students: A Predictive Correlational Study, Jennifer Nevard-Blanco

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative predictive correlational study was to examine the impact of psychological well-being, gratitude, and self-efficacy on resiliency in high school students in a northeastern state. This study is important because the promotion of positive psychological factors such as gratitude, self-efficacy, and psychological well-being have been identified as predictors of increased resilience, buffering the negative effects of stressors and adverse circumstances. The sample was composed of 110 high school students from a public school in the northeastern part of the United States. Data was collected using four self-report instruments: Ryff's Psychological Well-being 18-item scale, the Gratitude Questionnaire …

Therapeutic Day Treatment Counselors’ Perspective Of Parental Engagement And Involvement, Dominique Rose Lynn Woods

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study was to describe Therapeutic Day Treatment Counselors' (TDTCs) lived experiences with parental engagement and involvement (PEI) for TDTCs, within their professional collaborations in Virginia. The study focused on a specific aspect of TDTC’s lived experience: their perspective of PEI. Several theories were reviewed as a foundation for research development. Bronfenbrenner's (1979) Ecological Systems Theory has been an essential component of the research, as it emphasized that a child's development involves multiple elements of their environmental and social systems. Stroul and Friedman's (1986) Systems of Care Theory provided a foundation for understanding …

Perceptions Of Faculty Influence On Graduate Student Diversity Attitudes: A Phenomenological Study, Lyn Porter

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study is to understand the lived experiences regarding the perceived influence of faculty interactions in shaping diversity attitudes for graduate students in healthcare-related professions across the United States. The theory guiding this study is Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, which argues that social interactions deeply influence cognitive development (Vygotsky, 1978/1995). These interactions are necessary for the development of new skills and knowledge. Vygotsky also highlighted the role of culture in shaping how individuals think, learn, and interpret the world, suggesting that the cultural context in which faculty and students interact profoundly affects internalized values and attitudes. …

A Study Of The Relationship Between The Stress Responses From Rehearsal Preparations For Music Ensemble Performance Evaluations And Performing Arts Adolescents’ Working Memory, Gregory Thomas Minter

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The organization of memory retrieval is vital to the association between stress responses and negative educational achievements. These stress responses offer an opportunity to study the harmful consequences of prolonged strain on the developing brain, which may impair emotional restraint, self-control, and cognitive development. However, little research considers the fundamental notions of how stress responses from rehearsals for music ensemble performance assessments impact adolescent working memory. This mixed-methods study explored how rehearsal-related stress in music ensemble settings may affect adolescents' working memory. Participants included high school students in grades nine through 12 who participated in performing arts band ensembles. The …

Fusion: A Web-Based Application For In-Depth Exploration Of Multi-Omics Data With Brightfield Histology, Samuel P Border, Sanjay Jain, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Spatial technologies examining the cell and tissue microenvironment at near single-cell resolution are revealing important molecular insights. However, few tools enable integrated, interactive analysis of spatial-omics with tissue morphology in the same functional tissue unit. Here, we present FUSION (Functional Unit State Identification in Whole Slide Images), a web-based platform for visualizing and analyzing spatial-omics data with high-resolution histology. FUSION provides workflows for assessing cell compositions, quantitative morphometrics, and comparative tissue analyses. We demonstrate applicability across spatial assays, including 10x Visium, Visium HD, 10x Xenium, Cell DIVE, and PhenoCycler, applied to healthy and diseased tissues from kidney, small intestine, lung, …

Lysosomes Signal Through The Epigenome To Regulate Longevity Across Generations, Qinghao Zhang, Weiwei Dang, Meng C Wang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The epigenome is sensitive to metabolic inputs and crucial for aging. Lysosomes act as a signaling hub to sense metabolic cues and regulate longevity. We find that lysosomal metabolic pathways signal through the epigenome to regulate transgenerational longevity in Caenorhabditis elegans. Activation of lysosomal lipid signaling and lysosomal adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) or reduction of lysosomal mechanistic-target-of-rapamycin (mTOR) signaling increased expression of a histone H3.3 variant and increased its methylation on K79, leading to lifespan extension across multiple generations. This transgenerational pro-longevity effect required intestine-to-germline transportation of histone H3.3 and a germline-specific H3K79 methyltransferase, and was recapitulated by …

Smarcal1 Is A New Osteosarcoma Predisposition Gene, Maryam Rafati, Lillian M Guenther, Laura E Egolf, D Matthew Gianferante, Jung Kim, Kevin Wang, Bin Zhu, Logan G Spector, Nathan Anderson, Katherine A Janeway, Donald A Barkauskas, Douglas S Hawkins, Ana Patiño-Garcia, Philip J Lupo, Michael E Scheurer, Lindsay Morton, Gregory T Armstrong, Yadav Sapkota, M Monica Gramatges, Massimo Serra, Claudia Hattinger, Katia Scotlandi, Irene L Andrulis, Jay S Wunder, Mandy L Ballinger, David M Thomas, Meredith Yeager, Michael Dean, Douglas R Stewart, Aurelie Vogt, Jia Liu, Belynda D Hicks, Wen-Yi Huang, Maria Teresa Landi, Adriana Lori, W Ryan Diver, Sharon A Savage, Stephen J Chanock, Lisa Mirabello

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Osteosarcoma, the most common childhood bone tumor, can occur in rare cancer predisposition syndromes; however, most cases are sporadic with no known predisposing factors. We investigated the frequency of SMARCAL1 putative pathogenic variants in our large ongoing study of 2,119 osteosarcoma cases, their relation to patient characteristics, and the population prevalence. Our analysis uncovered a higher frequency of SMARCAL1 pathogenic variants across three osteosarcoma case sets (1.8%, n = 2,119) than in 2,625 comparably sequenced cancer-free controls (0.3%; P <  .001). Cases with SMARCAL1 pathogenic variants had significantly improved overall survival compared to cases without these variants (hazard ratio 0.36, 95% CI 0.14-0.96, P = .034). In the UK Biobank (469,557 exomes), there was a 33-fold increased risk of osteosarcoma in individuals with SMARCAL1 pathogenic variants. These results identify SMARCAL1 as a new osteosarcoma predisposition gene and thus warrant follow-up to identify the mechanisms by which SMARCAL1 contributes to the etiology of osteosarcoma.

Quantifying The Relative Importance Of Survival Threats To A Long-Lived Reptile Using Expert Elicitation, Jennifer F. Moore, J. Hardin Waddle, Fred Johnson, Julien Martin, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Jill Fleming, Thomas S. Akre, Donald J. Brown, Yu Man Lee, Jonathan Drescher-Lehman, John Kleopfer, Jeff Tamplin

Faculty Publications

Long-term survival of a conservation-reliant species requires understanding the impact of threats on population growth rate and the management actions that can help mitigate these threats. We used a threat assessment with expert-elicited estimates to determine the relative effect of each stage-specific threat on the population growth rate of the wood turtle Glyptemys insculpta. In addition, we offered potential management actions that could mitigate these threats and examined the relative cost and benefit of each. The experts responded that predators had the largest effect on hatchling and juvenile survival and that road mortality had the largest effect on adult survival. …

Carbon Metabolism And Multidrug Resistance In Bacillus Mobilis And Cupriavidus Campinensis Isolated From Cadmium-Spiked Soils, Philips O. Akinwole, Emma E.C. Jacobs '25, Nina G. Shaffer '25

Biology Faculty publications

Heavy metal contamination and antibiotic resistance are critical environmental and public health challenges, often exacerbated by co-selection pressures in polluted environments. This study identifies and characterizes Bacillus mobilis and Cupriavidus campinensis, two cadmium-tolerant bacterial species isolated from cadmium-amended soils with cadmium (Cd²⁺) concentrations exceeding those typically found in highly contaminated soils. Both species exhibited multidrug resistance and the ability to metabolize specific carbon substrates, including pyruvic acid methyl ester, itaconic acid, D-galactonic acid-γ-lactone, Tween-40, and Tween-80. These substrates enhance microbial activity and heavy metal bioavailability, supporting their potential roles in bioremediation, especially through the targeted introduction of …

The Universal Humanuniverse Living Experience Of Feeling Lonely: A Parsesciencing Inquiry, Maria Elizabeth Wheelock

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Feeling lonely is a universal humanuniverse living experience. Universal humanuniverse living experiences are phenomena that occur throughout a lifetime and experienced to some degree by everyone. Feeling lonely within the context of the humanbecoming paradigm is a phenomenon concerned with living quality since individuals structure personal meaning in choosing to feel lonely or not from moment to moment. Feeling lonely has not been substantially investigated within nursing.

The purposes of this inquiry were to (a) discover the discerning extant moment of feeling lonely, (b) enhance understanding of the universal humanuniverse living experience of feeling lonely, (c) add to the body …

Empowering Black/African American And Latina/Hispanic American Women Through Lupus Awareness, Chizoba Anako, Celicia Little, Tomilola Afere, Marvel Onwumere

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background: Approximately 1.5 million Americans and at least 5 million people worldwide are affected by some form of lupus (Lupus Foundation of America, 2023), and recently approved lupus therapies remain inaccessible to many patients due to the lack of coverage by healthcare systems, disproportionately affecting individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds (Mosca et al., 2024).

Purpose: Guided by the Lupus Foundation of America’s (LFA) campaign theme, "Be Fierce. Take Control.", the initiative emphasizes health empowerment and self-advocacy.

Methods: This study used a simple random sample of 36 undergraduate students at Bowie State University. Informed consent was obtained before participation. After Institutional …

Lafayette Visits Mississippi As The "Guest Of The Nation", William "Brother" Rogers

Journal of Mississippi History

No abstract provided.

Parental Expectations Of Pediatric Care For Children, Brenan T. Cash, Jacquelyn D. Wiersma-Mosley, Donia Timby, Laura Herold

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Access to childhood pediatrics is a major factor for a full and healthy childhood for all children from adolescence to adulthood. However, the physical health aspect has been the main focus of most primary care clinics, and there is little focus on mental health. Mental health issues, which involve anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress, are more prominent than they have ever been, as up to 30% of children have experienced mental health issues that involve post-traumatic stress disorder, especially during the pandemic years. This study employed a non-experimental, quantitative analysis utilizing online closed-ended survey questions. Caretakers were offered an anonymous, …

Ditch Tradition...And Move To Case-Based Learning, Emily Dane-Staples

The COSMA Journal

Recent criticisms of higher education include a lack of relevance and alignment with what employers are seeking in new hires. A lecture-based approach to teaching has proved less effective than other active learning strategies and does not adequately mimic the working environment sport professionals face. To better align the classroom and the workplace, a case-based learning approach can be used. This pedagogy blends high impact practices that have been demonstrated to assist students in knowledge acquisition and soft skill development by replacing traditional lecture and chapter readings with real-life scenarios that require student engagement with concepts in application. The technique …

Tv Versus Video Games: Their Distinctive Effects On Adolescent Behavior And Academic Achievement, Faiaz Rahman, Kathy L. Schuh

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

The current paper uses data collected from a publicly available, nationally representative data set to examine the effects of TV viewing and video gaming on adolescent behavioral problems and cognitive achievement. Results revealed that extended hours of TV viewing were associated with greater anxiety/depression and antisocial problems. On the other hand, extended hours of video gaming were associated with higher reading comprehension scores. Differing effects of TV viewing and gameplay by an individual’s sex was also found during the analysis. It is also important to note that the opposite effects that the two media has on outcomes, indicate that, although …

Enhancing Science Learning Outcomes With Sitaya Miniature Media: A Quantitative Study Of Elementary Education, Gilang Kripsiyadi Praramdana, Hamdan Hamdan, Agus Gunawan, Fauziah Dwi Hijriani

Jurnal Pendidikan Sains

This study investigates the impact of SITAYA Miniature media on the learning outcomes of grade VI students in science subjects at SDN 2 Darma. Conventional teaching methods, often less engaging for students, were identified as a significant factor contributing to low academic performance. The study employed a quantitative research approach, with a randomized sample of 43 students divided into an experimental group (24 students) and a control group (19 students). Pretest and posttest data were collected using a structured test instrument, and statistical analyses, including normality, homogeneity, t-tests, and N-Gain tests, were conducted to assess the effectiveness of SITAYA Miniature …

Battery Management System For Solar Powered Li-Ion Battery In Electric Vehicle Applications: A Comprehensive Review, Mustafa Abdulelah Ali, Mohanad Aljanabi, Faris Mohammed Ali

The Nexus of Sustainability and Energy Technology Journal

Electric Vehicle (EV) charging use is going up solar installations on rooftops and on a large scale in power plants are increasing consequently. Therefore, a Battery Management System (BMS), which is the system for managing battery storage, was used to control the solar energy generation to coordinate charging. Such a connection gives the BMS the opportunity to modify charging/discharging patterns with the help of solar energy predictions and prices of electricity from the grid. Moreover, the battery is being protected from aging with the BMS to monitor the state of charge/health of the battery. The BMS protects the Li-ion batteries …

Sustainable Additive Manufacturing Of Polymer Composites: A Review, Wan Sharuzi Wan Harun, Faiz Ahmad, Farhana Mohd Foudzi, Fujio Tsumori, Arun Kumar Thirugnanasambandam, Mohammed Saber

The Nexus of Sustainability and Energy Technology Journal

Additive Manufacturing (AM) of polymer composites has matured from a prototyping tool into a viable process for functional components. This review critically assesses this progress, focusing on the intersection of performance, sustainability, and industrial readiness. Advancements in AM processes now accommodate diverse reinforcements, from nanoscale fillers to continuous fibres, yielding parts with exceptional mechanical properties. Concurrently, a sustainability strategy has emerged, prioritising bio-based and recycled feedstocks, enhanced process energy efficiency through novel out-of-oven curing, and circular economy principles. However, widespread industrial adoption is hindered by persistent challenges. These include managing fibre-matrix interfacial integrity, the inherent anisotropy of printed parts, complex …

Chacahoula 2025, Volume 92, Alayna Pellegrin

Chacahoula

The 2025 issue of Chacahoula includes December 2024 and May 2025 graduating classes, as well as stunning photography student life on the banks of Bayou Desiard. With features covering students, faculty, and staff, this year's time capsule preserves an academic year in the life of the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

Understanding And Assessing Climate Change: Preparing For Nebraska’S Future, 2024 Climate Change Impact Assessment Report, Deborah J. Bathke, Eric Hunt, Heather Akin, Andrea D. Basche, Jesse E. Bell, Daniel R. Dileo, Ross Dixon, Martha Durr, Tonya Haigh, Francis John Hay, Kristina W. Kintziger, Nicholas A. Mcmillan, Hank Miller, Jerome Okojokwu-Idu, Crystal Powers, Tirthankar Roy, Zhenghong Tang, W. Ryan Wishart, Aaron R. Young, Sarah A. Sonsthagen, Jonathan J. Spurgeon

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Contents

Report Team

Acknowledgments

Executive Summary

Introduction

Climate Change Contexts: Global, National, and State

Observed Changes in Nebraska's Climate

Projections of Nebraska's Future Climate

Water Systems

Energy

Ecosystems

Agriculture

Human Health

Communities and the Built Environment

Indigenous Peoples

Climate Justice and Equity

The Response of Faith Communities

Nebraskans' Perceptions of Climate Change

Next Steps and Future Work

Supplemental Report: Adaptation, Risks, and Impacts

About the Authors

Faith-based Communities Survey

Evaluated Plans and Assessments

References

Organic Glycinate Trace Minerals Improve Hatchability, Bone And Eggshell Breaking Strength, And Mineral Uptake During Late Laying Cycle In Layer Breeders, Mujtaba Akram Jahangir, Muhammad Muneeb, Muhammad Farooq Iqbal, Syeda Maryam Hussain, Syed Sohail Habib, Sohail Ahmad, Kasim Sakran Abass, Nasir Mukhtar, Rashed A. Alhotan, Ali R. Al Sulaiman, Ala E. Abudabos

Food and Animal Sciences Faculty Research

This study evaluated the effects of replacing inorganic trace minerals with organic glycinate forms at two inclusion levels in layer breeders during the late laying cycle over 6 weeks (66 to 72 weeks of age). For this, a total of 180 layer breeders (162 hens and 18 males; Lohmann LSL Ultralite) were randomly divided into three treatment groups having six replicates of nine hens each and one male for each replicate following a completely randomized design (CRD). The dietary treatments included: (1) Basal diet + inorganic trace minerals at breed recommended levels (ITM100), (2) Basal diet + organic trace minerals …

Doctoral Degrees Received By Mcnair Scholars, University Of Mississippi. Graduate School

Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program

A list of previous McNair Scholars who have completed doctoral degrees, as of 2021.

Faculty Senate Agenda, Georgia Southern University, Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

Swollen Lymph Node Metastasis In Gastric Cancer: A Forgotten Prognostic Signal In Need Of Clinical Action, Keykavous Parang, Amir Nasrolahi Shirazi

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Gastric cancer (GC) remains a leading cause of cancer mortality. While the extent of nodal involvement is a well-known prognostic factor, the specific entity of swollen lymph node metastasis (SLNM), bulky nodal tumor deposits detectable radiologically or pathologically, has received little attention in staging. Recent data from a study by Cui et al demonstrated that SLNM is an independent predictor of very poor survival in GC. Through robust data and rigorous propensity-matched analyses, SLNM emerged not merely as an anatomical finding but as an independent predictor of poor prognosis, even among patients undergoing curative resection. As precision oncology advances, the …

2025-09-24 Rising Ice Presence In Seattle Creates Displacement And Uncertainty, Seattle University

The Spectator Online

No abstract provided.

Where The Buffalo Roam: Ungulate Influences On Quaking Aspen And Willow Communities In The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, J. Boone Kauffman, Dian L. Cummings, Robert L. Beschta, William J. Ripple

Aspen Bibliography

Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) and willows (Salix spp.) are keystone species of montane and shrub-steppe landscapes of the Western United States. Intact communities dominated by these species provide a wide range of ecosystem services, harboring an exceptional proportion of landscape biodiversity. Land use, especially overgrazing by large ungulates, is among the greatest threats to these ecosystems. To examine the effects of wild ungulates and levels of grazing at Yellowstone National Park (YNP) and the adjacent Gallatin National Forest, we sampled plant community composition and vegetation structure of aspen and willow communities both inside and outside of exclosures. …

The Lumberjack, September 24, 2025

Cal Poly Humboldt's Student Newspaper

The student newspaper of Humboldt State University.

September 24, 2025, Faculty, Illinois Wesleyan University

2025-2026

No abstract provided.

Inflammation And Detection: Rethinking The Biomarker Landscape In Gastric Cancer, Keykavous Parang, Koosha Paydary

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Gastric carcinoma is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, yet reliable noninvasive biomarkers for its early detection remain limited. As research continues to elucidate the inflammatory underpinnings of tumor initiation and progression, it has become increasingly clear that pro-inflammatory cytokines may hold promise as diagnostic adjuncts. Serum cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and interferon-gamma have been frequently reported as elevated in gastric cancer patients compared to healthy individuals. These molecules, known for their roles in modulating tumor-promoting inflammation, angiogenesis, and immune evasion, may serve as accessible indicators of disease presence or progression. Several studies have shown that …