Digital Commons Network^™

2026 Academic & Creative Excellence Reception Program, Lynn University

Academic and Creative Excellence (ACE) Reception Programs

The program for the 2026 Academic and Creative Excellence (ACE) Reception - the 18th annual - organized by the Lynn Library, working in conjunction with the Office of Academic Affairs. The reception was held Tuesday, April 14 in the Salon at the Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center.

The Faculty Scholarship and Creative Activities Award is presented to Dr. Roberta Rust.

Spartan Daily, April 14, 2026, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2026

Volume 166, Issue 32

Synthetic Lethality Of Decitabine Plus Atr Inhibition For Tp53-Mutated Aml, Jeremy T Baeten, Sumedha Agashe, Imene Tabet, Jack T Wooldridge, Amber Carter, Jamie N Butler, Christopher A Miller, Nicole Helton, Annabel Quinet, Kimberly B Johansson, Yichan Yang, Geoffrey L Uy, Alessandro Vindigni, Daniel C Link

2020-Current year OA Pubs

TP53 mutations are found in 10% to 15% of myeloid neoplasms and are associated with a dismal prognosis. Although hypomethylating agents (HMAs), such as decitabine, are active in TP53-mutated myeloid neoplasms (TP53-MN), mutation clearance is rarely complete and nearly all patients relapse. Molecular determinants of response to HMAs in TP53-MN are poorly understood. Here, we show that decitabine induces replicative stress with decreased replication fork progression, induction of single-strand DNA breaks, and activation of the ataxia telangiectasia mutated-Rad3-related (ATR) pathway. Resolution of decitabine-induced replication stress is impaired in TP53-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells, representing a potential therapeutic vulnerability. Indeed, …

Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 R-Loops Are Targets For Apobec-Mediated Mutagenesis, Márton Miskei, Dóra Varga, Lilla Hornyák, Éva Sipos, Éva Nagy, Qiuzhen Li, Zsolt Karányi, Zoltán Szabó, Rachel Deweerd, Abby M Green, Dávid Szüts, Eszter Csoma, Lóránt Székvölgyi

2020-Current year OA Pubs

APOBEC3 enzymes are key effectors of antiviral immunity that introduce mutations into viral genomes. We show that viral R-loops serve as preferred substrates for APOBEC3-mediated mutagenesis during herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection. APOBEC3 enzymes are recruited to viral R-loops, generating clustered C-to-T mutations in genes critical for viral assembly. Importantly, R-loops alone are not mutagenic, and APOBEC3 enzymes do not edit HSV-1 without an R-loop; mutagenesis occurs when R-loops and APOBEC3 enzymes interact. These findings identify endogenous R-loops formed during the HSV-1 life cycle as focal vulnerabilities and highlight R-loop-APOBEC3 coupling as a mechanism for antiviral mutagenesis.

Enhanced Dietary Monitoring Using Fecal Genomics For Childhood Malnutrition Interventions, Ammara Aqeel, Najeeha T Iqbal, Sanam Iram Soomro, Sheraz Ahmed, Teresa K Mcdonald, Olivia Osborne, Sharon Jiang, Nolan Ives, Kazi Ahsan, Fayaz Umrani, Michael J Barratt, Jeffrey I Gordon, Syed Asad Ali, Lawrence A David

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Ready-to-use therapeutic and supplementary foods (RUTF/RUSF) are a primary treatment for childhood malnutrition in Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) programs. However, measuring intervention compliance is labor intensive and unreliable. We applied FoodSeq, a fecal genomic dietary assessment biomarker, in malnourished infants (3-15 months) from Matiari, Pakistan. FoodSeq identified a significant increase in the abundance of DNA from chickpea, a primary RUSF ingredient, during RUSF administration and captured region-specific complementary feeding practices, including age-inappropriate feeding practices such as wide-spread tea consumption. Our findings highlight the potential of dietary genomics as an empirical and scalable tool for compliance monitoring and dietary …

Hybrid Bermudagrass Dormancy Management In A Cool-Season Climate, Clarissa H. Peterson

Theses and Dissertations

Hybrid bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon [L.] Pers. × C. transvaalensis Burtt Davy) (HBG) is a water efficient warm-season turfgrass increasingly adopted in cool-season and semi-arid regions due to climate change and the demand for reduced irrigation inputs. However, prolonged winter dormancy limits its visual quality (verdure) and seasonal performance. This thesis evaluated multiple management strategies to modify dormancy dynamics and improve off-season turf quality in a cool-season environment. Field experiments assessed the effects of growth covers, fertilizers, colorants, surfactants, organic acids, and overseeding with cool-season species on HBG dormancy over two seasons. Dormancy responses were quantified using normalized difference vegetation index …

My Four Years Of Animal Care Through Community Service, Margaret Reed '26

Senior Presentation of Learning

I joined DePauw as a Bonner Scholar with little knowledge about the program, but ready to continue my work in community service. I was unaware of the long term impacts and relationships that I would build over the course of the four years. I bounced around many service sites, but one, the Putnam County Humane Society. I began regularly volunteering at the shelter entering my second semester of freshman year. In my final semester, I am the intern and coordinate for other new volunteers like myself all those semesters ago. I also am a volunteer at the Lakeland Center, Inc., …

Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Neuropharmacology: Reshaping Drug Discovery And Translational Strategies For Neurological Diseases ​, Pri̇yanka Rathee, Suni̇thi̇ Lohan, Sari̇ta Khatkar, Neelam Mali̇k, Esra Akkol, Renu Sehrawat, Pooja Rathee, Anurag Khatkar

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

The rapid expansion of data-driven technologies, particularly machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI), has substantially influenced biomedical research and drug discovery. In neuropharmacology, the availability of large-scale genomic, proteomic, chemical, and clinical datasets has stimulated the adoption of AI-based approaches to address persistent challenges in neurological drug development, including high attrition rates and the scarcity of disease-modifying therapies. Unlike prior reviews that broadly discuss AI applications in drug discovery or neurology, this narrative review focuses specifically on neuropharmacology, with an emphasis on translational relevance, disease-oriented examples, and real-world constraints. We critically examine the application of AI and ML across …

The Effects Of Dietary Protein Manipulation On Operant Demand, Brianna R. Lilly

LSU Master's Theses

Previous work with dietary protein restriction in rodents has demonstrated that rodents fed a low protein diet exhibit physiological effects such as lower rates of weight gain and increased levels of circulating fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21). Dietary protein restriction also produces behavioral effects. Compared to rodents that are not protein-restricted, rodents that are protein-restricted exhibit increased food intake and higher preference for a protein vs. carbohydrate solution. Additionally, protein-restricted rodents will respond at higher levels for a protein reinforcer than non-restricted rodents. The current study assessed the effect of dietary protein restriction on operant protein demand during and after …

The Unexplored Future Of State Copyrights And Patents In Ai-Generated Creations, Timothy J. Mcfarlin

Texas A&M Law Review

This is the first article to broadly explore the possibility of state copyrights and patents in AI-generated creations and what it could portend for the future of intellectual property law.

The U.S. Constitution delegates to Congress, via Article I, the power to pass laws “securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries.” It reserves to the states or to the people, via the Tenth Amendment, certain unspecified powers not delegated to the federal government. These could include the power to recognize exclusive rights in “writings and discoveries” generated by artificially intelligent …

"The Silence Of The Farms": Suppressing Speech And Trampling Transparency To Shield Big Ag, Erin Okuno

Texas A&M Law Review

Do you really know where your last meal came from and whether it was safe to eat? Most people are not aware of the often appalling conditions at agricultural production facilities (aptly known as “factory farms”), including worker injuries and abuse, contaminated food, and environmental pollution, as well as the horrific ways in which the animals are kept, raised, and slaughtered. In the face of these concerning conditions and alarmingly frequent food recalls—including millions of pounds of contaminated meat—it would seem prudent to increase transparency at factory farms, but historically, they have operated behind a shield of secrecy due to …

Regulating Data Monetization, Peter Ormerod

Texas A&M Law Review

Companies today generate hundreds of billions of dollars each year by collecting massive amounts of information about human activity and wringing predictive insights from it. The scale of these influence activities is stunning: your driving habits dictate your car insurance rates, buying the wrong thing will increase your borrowing costs, and the information ecosystem you inhabit is finely tuned for keeping your attention available to the highest bidder.

States have recently enacted new consumer privacy laws that confer on individuals a series of generally applicable rights over their personal information. But this approach has proven ineffective at disciplining firms’ data …

Inequality And Well-Being, Sarah E. Boslaugh

Theses

Human well-being has been a topic of interest to philosophers at least since the time of Aristotle, and well-being has also been a core concern of social scientists since the birth of the discipline in the late 18^th century. Some theories of well-being include economic inequality as a factor, and multiple ways to measure this factor have been developed; as with well-being, there is no single best measure of economic inequality and the choice of which measure to use may be based on both theoretical and practical reasons. I argue that income inequality should always be included as a …

Dasatinib And Quercetin Senolytic Treatment Delays Early Onset Intervertebral Disc Degeneration In Sm/J Mice, Emanuel J. Novais, Olivia K. Ottone, Sanjana Jagannath, Esther Jesutofunmi Akande, Makarand V. Risbud

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Faculty Papers

Genetic background is a major determinant of disc degeneration, a leading cause of chronic back pain and disability. Herein, we demonstrate that premature disc cell senescence contributes to early-onset degeneration in SM/J mice and test two systemic senotherapeutic strategies to mitigate it: Navitoclax (Nav.) and a cocktail of Dasatinib and Quercetin (DQ). While Nav. treatment did not improve severe degeneration in SM/J mice or senescence status, DQ-treated mice showed lower grades of degeneration and a decreased abundance of senescence markers, including p19ARF, p21, and the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). DQ improved disc cell viability and phenotype retention and retarded fibrosis …

Advancing Hand Therapy Practice Through Specialized Clinical Reasoning And Patient Education, Candace Heinlein

Capstone Projects

This doctoral capstone experience (DCE) was completed at Corewell Health Grand Rapids Hospitals Hand Therapy Clinic and focused on two ACOTE concentration areas including advanced clinical practice skills and education. The experience combined hands-on clinical practice in a specialized outpatient hand therapy setting with the development of high-quality client education materials and home exercise programs (HEPs). Objectives were created to address identified needs through the creation of client education handouts, development of diagnosis-specific Medbridge HEP templates, and creation of training resources to improve therapist efficiency with Medbridge use. Outcomes of the project included improved access to evidence-based educational materials, reduced …

Dapk2 Regulates Pkm2 Phosphorylation At Threonine 45 To Facilitate Disturbed Flow-Induced Atherosclerosis, Shuai Guo, Long Xu, Yixin Chen, Yuan Zhao, Yuting Zhang, Runfa Yu, Kaixiang Cao, Litao Wang, Wenjia Ai, Jiang-Yun Luo, Lu Lu, Jun He, Yuan Zhou, Li Wang, Andrew H Baker, Yuqing Huo, Yiming Xu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Oscillatory shear stress (OSS), resulting from disturbed blood flow, is implicated in atherosclerotic plaque formation by incompletely understood mechanisms. This study aims to elucidate the involvement of death-associated protein kinase (DAPK) 2 in OSS-induced endothelial cell (EC) activation and atherosclerosis.

Methods: Publicly available resources, including genome-wide microarray, RNA sequencing, and single-cell RNA sequencing, were utilized to identify key OSS-sensitive regulatory factors. Techniques such as mass spectrometry, immunoprecipitation, proximity ligation assay, and RNA sequencing were employed to identify pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) as the binding protein of DAPK2 and determine the specific site of PKM2 phosphorylation by DAPK2. To assess …

Discovering My Passion For Social Justice, Nev Hommel '26

Senior Presentation of Learning

After taking a tour of DePauw in the fall of 2021, I knew it was my school. However, I didn’t know how I could afford to attend. I scoured DePauw’s website for scholarships and found out about Bonner! I’m so grateful I took a leap of faith and applied. I was thrilled to find out I was accepted into the program! Upon arriving at DePauw for Bonner orientation, I immediately felt welcomed by Val and my fellow Bonners. Bonner has brought me an amazing community of friends and peers. Furthermore, the Bonner program introduced me to the world of social …

Drawing-Based Story Telling Influence On Children Language Development And Social Aspect, Hariddha Yuni Sulistyaningrum, Imanuel Hitipeuw, Triyono Triyono

Jurnal Pendidikan Humaniora

Language and social development of children plays an important role in influencing further development. The objectives of this research are to determine the effect of drawing based on story- telling toward language development and social development of children age 5–6 years. Single subject research with reversal design ABAB was used in this experimental research. Four kindergarten children identified having language and social problems became the subjects. The observation was used to col- lect data. In addition, the data were put into graphs to be analyzed by using visual inspection. The results showed that drawing activities based on story telling could …

Augmented Reality Learning Materials For Motion Picture Making Subject, Hirnanda Dimas Pradana, Dedi Kuswandi, Sulton Sulton

Jurnal Pendidikan Humaniora

Learning materials is one of the important components of learning. Learning materials based on Augmented reality is capable of accommodating the needs of learners. Augmented reality intends to insert virtual objects into the real environment. In recent activity, learning materials are still using conventional media such as presentation slides and the internet. Consequently, students do not obtain appropriate material for certain learning. Learning materials assisted by augmented reality can be a so- lution for students in understanding moving pictures. The development model used was the Lee & Owens model. It produces valid and effective learning material products with augmented reality.

The Community Empowerment Through Social And Educational Institutions, Bayu Adi Laksono

Jurnal Pendidikan Humaniora

The purpose of this study is to explore the role of social and educational institutions in Ba- julmati in the process of community empowerment. This research uses a qualitative approach. The in- formants in this study consisted of government institutions, empowerment activists from social and educational institutions, and the surrounding community. The results of the study show the role of so- cial and educational institutions in empowering Bajulmati people. Communities are empowered through the utilization of natural and human resources, to always be optimistic and independent, and empow- ered through school education institutions aimed at increasing competitiveness, education outside the …

Blended Learning Method Within Indonesian Higher Education Institutions, Zamzami Zainuddin, Cut Muftia Keumala

Jurnal Pendidikan Humaniora

This article aims to explore the potential development of a Blended learning model in Indonesian higher education institutions. The paper attempts to explain the concept of the Blended learning in terms of theory and practice, based on the literature discussed in several reputable international jour- nals. Initially, this method proposes to improve the deficiencies of a traditional learning model which is lack of technological resources and at the same time to improve the gap of e-learning practice which is lack of a face-to-face learning experience. In the blended instruction, students will learn through a face- to-face interaction in the classroom …

Beyond Trends: The Potential Influence Of The Ela Teachers Of Tiktok, Heather Lynn Wright, Lauren May

Virginia English Journal

This paper describes a study on content from secondary English Language Arts (ELA) teachers of TikTok and their potential influence on future teachers. There were two research questions: (1) What information is being dispersed through TikTok specifically for secondary ELA teachers?; (2) What connotations about secondary ELA teaching are implied implicitly or explicitly through the tone of the TikTok creator? TikToks were examined through a three-part framework, considering the constructs of performances (Goffman, 1956), stickiness (Zott et al., 2000), and affinity spaces (Gee, 2004). Using a systematic approach, 50 secondary ELA TikTok accounts were identified and the top 20 …

Thinking Narratively About Science Of Reading Forces, Moral Injury, And Teacherhood, Kyle C. Arlington

Occasional Paper Series

Stories of teachers’ classroom lives shape the public imagination of what it means to be a “good teacher,” yet these narratives are always partial, contextual, and entangled with broader cultural and institutional forces. This research essay narratively explores the experiences of Lisa, a veteran literacy teacher navigating Science of Reading (SoR) mandates in her elementary classroom. It examines how her identities, values, and visions for literacy teaching intersect with the discursive, material, and affective dynamics that shape how SoR unfolds in the context of Lisa’s classroom life. (Re)storying her experiences draws attention to the emotional toll and moral dissonance teachers …

When The Metamorphosis Turns White: Kafka Reimagined In Igoni Barrett’S Blackass, Bisola J. Ajibade

Vernacular: New Connections in Language, Literature, & Culture

Igoni Barrett’s Blackass (2015) has frequently been described as a “race-rewrite” of Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis (1915). This framing has shaped much of the critical conversation surrounding the two texts. While these approaches productively illuminate questions of identity and biopolitics, less attention has been paid to situating both texts across the intersecting contexts of German modernism and Nigerian postcolonial literature. This article provides a close comparative reading of Kafka’s The Metamorphosis and Igoni Barrett’s Blackass in order to examine how Kafkaesque elements are reconfigured within a contemporary postcolonial Nigerian context. Drawing on Deleuze and Guattari’s theory of minor literature, alongside …

Developing Strategies For Pce Outreach, Mariah Blankenbaker, Gordon Carlson, Daniel Adesoji, Levi Eck

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

In collaboration with Professional and Continuing Education (PCE), we produced projects to automate their internal tasks, as well as to promote their services. By taking advantage of software techniques, we bridged live-action footage with 2D and 3D computer visuals for promotional material. In addition, we researched the capabilities of creating a custom Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) and trained it to analyze and interact with thousands of industry datapoints.

Fourier Analysis Of Electronic Synthesizer Waveforms, Jiayan Ling, Jack W. Maseberg

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

We compute Fourier series coefficients for some standard electronic synthesizer waveforms and provide plots of our results.

Woven Color: Historical Uses Of Color Theory Woven Into Fiber Art Practice, Mary K. Greenwood

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

This semester-long project, created in Material Exploration, examines the use of historical color theory within contemporary fiber art to evoke emotion and narrative. Drawing from established color systems, artistic movements, and artist inspirations, the work explores how color relationships, such as harmony, contrast, and saturation, can communicate mood and meaning. Through experimentation with textile materials and processes, each piece integrates intentional color schemes to enhance storytelling through both visual and tactile elements. Ultimately, the project highlights how applying historical color theory within fiber art can deepen emotional resonance and connect traditional practices with contemporary expression.

The Effect Of Water Pollution In Kansas, Chaejun Park Chaejun Park, Jeanne Sumrall

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Groundwater in Kansas shows significant nitrate contamination, with about 20% of samples exceeding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) safe drinking water limit of 10 mg/L. This indicates that a considerable portion of groundwater sources are affected by pollution levels high enough to pose potential risks to human health and environmental quality. High nitrate concentrations are strongly associated with agricultural activity and land-use patterns, particularly areas with intensive fertilizer application, irrigation, and livestock operations. In addition, more than half of all monitored wells show evidence of human influence, reinforcing the idea that nitrate contamination is largely driven by anthropogenic rather than …

Feeding Strategies And Milking Behavior In Robotic Milking Systems, Katherine M. Kennedy, Elizabeth French, Porter D. Ricks, Emma K. Lundgreen

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Adoption of automatic milking systems (AMS) in the US are expected to increase rapidly in the coming years driven primarily by a desire to improve labor efficiency and flexibility and decrease reliance on hired labor. As such, feeding and milking strategies to best optimize milk production and economic gains tailored to US dairy production systems are needed. Initially introduced as a method to encourage the cow to visit the AMS more frequently, offered feeds through the AMS provide an opportunity to individualize nutrient needs. Often, a pelleted concentrate is offered through the AMS due to its uniformity and customizable nature. …

Three-Dimensional Imaging Of Neuronal Activation Patterns In Chronic Neuropathic Pain And Opioid Pharmacology, Madeline Martinez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

Chronic neuropathic pain severely diminishes quality of life, yet the supraspinal neural circuits that sustain pain perception and mediate analgesic relief remain incompletely characterized. While peripheral and spinal pain pathways are well established, relatively few studies have mapped pain- or opioid-related neuronal activation across the entire brain. This dissertation employed activity-dependent genetic labeling (TRAP2/Ai9), whole-brain tissue clearing, light sheet microscopy, and graph-theoretic network analysis to characterize brain-wide activation patterns across chronic pain and analgesic conditions in mice.

In Chapter 1, we mapped supraspinal neuronal activation in a bilateral spared nerve injury model of chronic neuropathic pain. Although no individual region …