Digital Commons Network^™

Bio-Inspired Visual Intelligence: Improving Efficiency And Robustness Through Foveal-Peripheral Sampling And Learned Saccades, Jiayang Liu

Dissertations - ALL

Deep neural networks have achieved state-of-the-art performance across a wide range of computer vision tasks, yet their deployment in real-world and safety-critical domains remains limited by two major challenges: vulnerability to adversarial perturbations and high computational cost. While adversarial training can improve robustness under certain threat models, it is computationally expensive and often generalizes poorly to black-box or transferable attacks. At the same time, conventional vision pipelines process uniformly sampled high-resolution images, introducing substantial data redundancy, latency, and energy overhead. In contrast, the human visual system achieves efficient and robust perception through space-variant foveal-peripheral sampling, attention-guided saccadic eye movements, and …

Statistical Methods For Mendelian Randomization Under Nonlinearity And Non-Normality, Mary Appah

ETDs from 2020-2029

Instrumental variable (IV) methods are widely used for estimating causal effects in observational studies where unmeasured confounding may bias traditional regression estimates. The core idea is to use a variable referred to as an instrument that is associated with the exposure of interest, independent of unmeasured confounders, and influences the outcome only through the exposure. While originally developed in econometrics, IV methods have been increasingly adopted in epidemiology and genetic research under the framework of Mendelian Randomization (MR), where genetic variants, most commonly single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), serve as instruments. MR provides a powerful tool for investigating causal relationships between …

Laser-Ablated Au@Ag@Au Core-Double Shell Nanoparticles To Fight Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria, Ahmed A. Aktafa, Uday M. Nayef, Majid S. Jabir

Journal of Applied Sciences and Nanotechnology

This work involved synthesizing Au@Ag@Au core double-shelled structures in deionized water (DW) using various laser energies (300, 500, and 700 mJ). These compounds served as antimicrobial agents against two bacterial types: Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Gram-negative Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii). The findings showed that bactericidal efficacy increased with higher laser energy. During production, a pulsed Nd-YAG laser synthesized Au@Ag@Au core-double-shell nanoparticles (NPs) in a 5 mL DW solution. The laser generated 250 pulses at energy levels of 300, 500, and 700 mJ. The device operated at a wavelength of 1064 nm. XRD analysis confirmed the crystal structure, …

Interspecies: A Collaborative Curatorial Inquiry Into New Romanticism, Mariana Pestana, Katerina Inglezaki, Carlos Pastor, Mathilde Gouin, Bernardo Gaeiras, Fernanda Costa, Mariana Simões

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This paper presents a situated, plural, and horizontal curatorial methodology centered on questioning rather than providing solutions in response to posthuman thought and practice. It inquires whether we might be witnessing the emergence of a New Romanticism in contemporary design and architecture concerned with interspecies relations. This romantic turn arises by acknowledging subjectivity and imagination while engaging critically with the complexities of the climate crisis. To this end, this paper examines the making of an exhibition that assembled material evidence from science, art, technology, and design. The exhibition was developed through a three-step curatorial framework aligned with the decentering narratives …

Approach–Avoidance Motivation And Goal Adaptation In Chronic Pain: Predicting Pain Intensity And Interference, Paria Eshraghi, Deirdre Drake, Joanne Iddon, Joanne M. Dickson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Chronic pain is a major public health concern associated with disability, reduced functioning and psychological distress. Compared with biological studies, relatively little research has studied chronic pain from a psychological perspective, specifically motivation. Yet, motivation is considered fundamental to human functioning and drives human behaviour. The present study aimed to investigate whether distinct motivational and adaptive goal processes are implicated in chronic pain. The sample comprised 190 adult community participants who reported chronic pain for 3 months or more. Participants completed self-report measures of approach and avoidance motivation, adaptive goal processes, pain intensity, and interference. As hypothesised, avoidance motivation (but …

Designing For The Brain: Neuroarchitecture, Isabella Schutte

Hospitality Design Graduate Student Capstones

This capstone explores how principles from neuroscience can inform the design of micro-scale architectural environments to support emotional well-being and cognitive clarity. Through research, sensory analysis, immersive VR testing, and physiological and perceptual data collection, the project investigates how elements such as light, materiality, form, and atmosphere influence human experience. By comparing existing, aesthetic, and neuroscience-informed environments, the study suggests that intentional sensory design may better support restoration, stress regulation, and overall well-being within everyday spaces.

Past, Present, And Future For The Children's Oncology Group (Cog) Renal Tumor Committee Trials, Nicholas Cost

Grand Rounds

At the conclusion of this activity, learners will be able to:

1. Describe COG Renal Tumor Committee.
2. Discuss outcomes from the last generation of COG Renal Tumor studies.
3. Examine current and next generation of COG Renal Tumor studies

2017g_Sm05_Approved_Nc_Bio-5823-Nat-Hist-Coll-Rsch-Design-Revision1, Graduate Council

All Approved Curriculum

No abstract provided.

2017g_Sm01_Approved_Nc_Bio-5813-Curation-Of-Collections_31mar2017-Revision1, Graduate Council

All Approved Curriculum

No abstract provided.

2018u_Sm06_Approved_Cr_Bio-4611-Radiation-Safety, Undergraduate Curriculum Council

All Approved Curriculum

No abstract provided.

Data-Driven Approaches To Investigate Cardiotoxicity Using Hipscs High Throughput Screening, Danny Vu

Theses - ALL

Recent advances in human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) technology have enabled the development of high-throughput platforms for cardiotoxicity screening. However, conventional analytical approaches remain limited by time-intensive processing, manual annotation requirements, and reduced scalability for large datasets. To address these challenges, calcium fluorescence signals from human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC CMs) were analyzed using a high-throughput imaging platform and complementary machine learning frameworks. First, a feature-based supervised learning approach using engineered waveform descriptors and low-dimensional signal embeddings enabled rapid and interpretable screening of large chemical datasets, with combined features improving predictive performance relative to engineered features alone. …

"Respect Is Earned, Not Given": Analyzing Masculine Honor Ideology And Dominance And Prestige-Motivated Outcomes, Norah Rose Schloneger

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Masculine honor ideology is the idea that men act aggressively or violently toward women and others to achieve a masculine reputation. Previous research shows that men higher in masculine honor seek higher status and use prestige (e.g. respect, honor) or dominance (e.g. aggression, force) to achieve it. Using a variation of the prisoner’s dilemma—a game where participants are assigned to another player that they can choose to compete or cooperate with to maximize a point total—we analyzed behavioral outcomes of said motivations for men higher in masculine honor. We predicted that men higher in masculine honor using honor-dominance motivations would …

Design And Development Of A Perfusable Hydrogel Platform With Bioprinted Human-Endothelialized Microvascular Channels, Calvin A. Chernyatinskiy

All Theses

We developed an integrated bioprinting and perfusion platform to generate vascularized hydrogel constructs that support perfusable microchannel networks. Multiple hydrogel formulations, sacrificial ink systems, device geometries, and perfusion conditions were systematically evaluated to optimize print fidelity, mechanical stability, and cellular compatibility. Internally gelling alginate–calcium carbonate hydrogels were identified as a robust matrix, providing tunable gelation kinetics and structural stability during embedded printing. In parallel, Pluronic F-127 fugitive ink enabled reliable fabrication of continuous hollow channels due to its shear-thinning behavior and efficient post-print removal.

The finalized platform integrates stereolithographically fabricated perfusion chambers with extrusion-based bioprinting to produce three-dimensional, perfusable vascular …

Biohybrid Robotic Jellyfish For Swimming-Enhanced Vertical Ocean Profiling, Kelsi M. Rutledge, Sean Colin, John H. Costello, Noa Yoder, Simon R. Anuszczyk, Kelly R. Sutherland, Brad L. Gemmell, John O. Dabiri

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

Ocean monitoring is essential for understanding climate change and marine ecosystem dynamics, yet achieving comprehensive global coverage remains a challenge in oceanography. Current technologies face limitations in cost, power, hardware, and depth capacity that restrict widespread monitoring capabilities. Here we show that biohybrid robotic jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) can serve as autonomous vertical ocean profilers by integrating microcontrollers with positively buoyant sensor payloads, achieving controlled vertical-profiling capabilities. Laboratory experiments demonstrated repeatable up–down trajectories, quantified force balance limits, and identified predictable, size-dependent descent swimming speeds. Field deployments in Massachusetts coastal waters and the open ocean off the Florida Keys demonstrated field operation …

Soil Microbial Responses To Artifical Light At Night, Randall L. Walker

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Global change, driven by both natural processes and human activities, has significantly transformed ecosystems. Urbanization and artificial light at night (ALAN) are key contributors, disrupting natural light cycles and influencing biological rhythms, biodiversity, and ecosystem functions. Thus far, there remains a gap in knowledge of how soil ecosystems are impacted by ALAN. This study uses a laboratory incubation to investigate the effects of ALAN on soil microbial communities and functions across urban and natural ecosystems. Briefly, soil was collected from eight sites around El Paso, Texas and neighboring New Mexico representing urban and rural light exposure. Soil was then subjected …

Exploring Protein-Protein Interactions: A Promising Avenue For Biomarker And Anti-Tb Drug Development, Rajwa Dwifauza Suryanto, Maritsa Widati Aqila Rumawan, Imam Adi Wicaksono

Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy Research

In 2023, tuberculosis (TB) reached its highest incidence with 8.2 million new cases reported by the World Health Organization (WHO). The virulence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) is strongly governed by protein-protein interactions (PPIs) that regulate essential processes such as cell wall biosynthesis, immune evasion, and persistence. This study aims to map and analyze the mechanisms of key PPIs in MTB using a scoping review approach. Data was retrieved from PubChem and related literature with the keyword ``PPIs Network TB''. Our findings highlight crucial PPI-driven mechanisms, including the role of DprE1/DprE2 in arabinogalactan synthesis, VapB4/VapC4 in stress response and self-toxicity, ESX-1 …

Bptf-Dependent Regulation Of Vaccine-Induced B Cell Responses, Alexandria Sturtz

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Vaccination is a method of safely generating highly specific, long-lived immunological memory that can protect a host upon future exposures to a pathogen. Memory B cells (MBCs) and high-affinity plasma cells (PCs) are pivotal populations generated during vaccine-induced immune responses as they provide rapid secondary immune responses upon antigen re-exposure. MBCs and PCs can both be produced by germinal centers (GCs), which are microanatomical structures where B cells undergo iterative rounds of somatic hypermutation and affinity-based selection. Regulation of the GC is complex and the network of factors that controls the identity, function, and magnitude of the GC B cell …

Synthesis, Structural Elucidation, In Vitro Antibacterial Activity Of Mononuclear Ag(I) Complex Derived From (E)-N-(4-Fluorophenyl)-1-(Pyridin-2-Yl) Methanimine And Triphenylphosphine Ancillary Ligand., Olufemi Stephen Odulaja, Saliu Alao Amolegbe, Muritala Adeniyi Olusola

Tanzania Journal of Science

Chemo-therapeutic application of metal complexes to remediation and subjugation of emerging infectious diseases with a view to improving potency and efficacy of a variety of drugs is gaining more momentum, especially in the 21st century. This research work designed a new biologically active complex [AgL(PPh3)2]NO3,C, obtained from the reaction of Ag(I) nitrate with bidentate pyridinyl Schiff base ligand (E)-N-(4-fluorophenyl)-1-(pyridin-2-yl) methanimine L, with triphenylphosphine (PPh3) as co-ligand. Characterisation was done by FT-IR, UV-Vis, NMR, (TGA/DTA), X-ray crystallography, and elemental analysis. The combined effects of pyridinyl Schiff base ligand and PPh3 on the antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, …

Swosu Research And Scholarly Activity Fair 2026, Swosu Office Of Sponsored Programs

SWOSU Research and Scholarly Activity Fair Programs

On behalf of the University Research and Scholarly Activity Committee (URSAC) and the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, we are pleased to welcome you to the Thirty-Fourth SWOSU Research and Scholarly Activity Fair.

Design And Theoretical Evaluation Of Dihydropyrido[2,3-D]Pyrimidine Derivatives Synthesized Via Tio2 Nano Catalysis For Antidepressant Activity, Doaa A. Elsayed, Mostafa I. Abdelglil, Omar Metwally

Al-Farahidi Biomedical Journal

Nowadays, depression is a severe neuropsychiatric disorder affecting millions of people worldwide and has profound impacts on individuals, the economy, and society. Due to several limitations of currently available antidepressant drugs, including delayed onset of action, limited efficacy, and various side effects, there is a continuing need for the development of innovative, effective, and safer therapeutic agents. In this context, the present work describes a green and sustainable approach for the synthesis of dihydropyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives using TiO₂ nanoparticles as an efficient and reusable catalytic system. The one-pot multicomponent reaction was carried out under mild conditions and demonstrated several advantages …

Exploring Decision-Making In Caenorhabditis Elegans: Navigating Dichotomous Envrionmental Cues, Hunarmeet K. Gill

Caroliniana Undergraduate Research Journal

All living organisms thrive off the survival choices they make and the factors they prioritize, but the mechanisms guiding these choices remain unclear. This study investigates decision-making in Caenorhabditis elegans, aiming to understand how they navigate dichotomous environments that contain both attractive and aversive cues. Despite possessing a simple nervous system, C. elegans express behaviors indicating a level of advanced sensory-processing abilities, making them ideal models for studying decision-making processes. The experiment consisted of five separate petri-dish tests, each with three sections: side A and side B (containing natural or UV light and/or E.coli or ethanol), and a neutral …

Versatile Smad2 And Smad3 Epitope-Tagged Mouse Models For Genomic Profiling Of Tgfβ Signaling: Uncovering Gdf9-Smad2/3 Targets, Zian Liao, Qian Zhang, Keisuke Shimada, Kaori Nozawa, Suni Tang, Masahito Ikawa, Diana Monsivais, Martin M Matzuk

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) signaling pathways are integral for a plethora of biological processes. SMAD2 and SMAD3 are the principal transcriptional effectors of TGFβ superfamily ligands, yet quantitative, genome-wide mapping of their DNA-associated complexes under physiological contexts has remained limited due to the lack of specific, robust models. Here, we generated two versatile epitope-tagged mouse models in which endogenous SMAD2 and SMAD3 proteins are globally tagged with hemagglutinin (HA) and podoplanin (PA) sequences, respectively, enabling high-fidelity profiling of SMAD2 and SMAD3 binding across tissues. To demonstrate the broad application of our models, we exemplified the usage of our lines …

Organismic Encoding Of Geographic Information In Dna, Hema Siva Gayathri Dalavayi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Recent evidence suggests that DNA also encodes information that reflects long-term environmental conditions. This work examines whether an organism’s genome encodes specific environmental information, and if so, what is its nature and origin. Genes from three insect groups, Simuliidae (blackflies), Lepidoptera (butterflies), and Formicidae (ants), were analyzed to address the geographic provenance (latitude, longitude) problem. DNA was converted into numerical signatures using noncrosshybridizing DNA bases and used to train machine learning (ML) models. Predictions achieved errors below the baseline, even for models trained on combined data without region-specific labels, indicating that DNA encodes this information and suggesting that the underlying …

Remove To Recruit: The Short-Term Efficacy Of Invasive Shrub Removal In A Minnesota Floodplain Forest, Claire S. Wiley

Biology Honors Projects

Within Midwest floodplain forests, there is a lack of long-term studies focusing on native tree recruitment post invasive shrub removal. With interacting threats such as emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis), invasive earthworms, and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), land managers need particular information about these ecosystems in order to better understand how to protect them. This study aims to explore the efficacy of the removal of Rhamnus cathartica and Lonicera spp. in promoting native tree recruitment within a Minnesota floodplain forest along the Mississippi River. Results revealed that post removal ash (Fraxinus spp.) seedling abundance …

Avoiding Misleading Estimates Of Among-Individual Variance Caused By Non-Random Sampling Of Individuals In A Changeable Environment, Denis Réale, Hassen Allegue, Yimen G. Araya-Ajoy, Ned A. Dochtermann, Shinichi Nakagawa, Joel L. Pick, Holger Schielzeth, David F. Westneat, Niels J. Dingemanse

Biology Faculty Publications

Animal ecologists frequently quantify variance in hierarchically structured traits in wild populations. Importantly, phenotypic plasticity within the period of measurement can modify the trait of interest in response to various unmeasured, temporally or spatially changeable, environmental conditions. Non-random sampling among units of the random effect (e.g. individuals) regarding the environment at issue may lead to estimates of the variance among ((Formula presented.)) or within ((Formula presented.)) such units that conflate several types of processes. This mixing of underlying biology can affect interpretations of the random effect variance. Here, we explore the conditions leading to this situation and assess potential solutions …

Bio-Payload Senior Design Report, Connor Bishop, Oliver Goodall, Marcus Kirk, Gabby Robles, Anish Shanmuganathan

Interdisciplinary Design Senior Theses

This project focuses on the design and development of an autonomous experimental platform capable of conducting cellular biology experiments in a well plate within a CubeSat environment. The system integrates microfluidics, robotics, and onboard sensors to remotely initiate experiments, monitor them, and collect data without human intervention. The objective is to create a platform for automated biological experimentation in microgravity, while reducing reliance on ground-based control and increasing mission efficiency and reproducibility. The team used Saccharomyces cerevisiae to assess the biocompatibility of the well plate and monitor changes in cell culture, including optical density and cell viability.

Role Of Succinate Dehydrogenase In Age-Related Th17 Inflammation, Evelyn Ocegueda, Gabrielle Chase, Michaella Niceforo, Aida Javidan, Lydia Gugliuzza, Jingting Yu, Rachel Y. Kang, Ava Lankowski, Olivia Stefanik, Kailey Leclerc, Yolander Valentine, Micah J. Drummond, Jude T. Deeney, Josephine S. Modica-Napolitano, Elizabeth A. Proctor, Hatice Hasturk, Barbara S. Nikolajczyk, Leena P. Bharath

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Age-related cellular changes negatively impact CD4⁺ T cell function. Our prior work showed that mitochondrial complex II (succinate dehydrogenase [SDH]) expression was upregulated in T cells from older (O) adults (60–80 years old). T cells from older adults also produced higher amounts of cytokines generally considered proinflammatory, such as Th17 cytokines IL-17A/F and IL-21, and the Th-17-supportive cytokine IL-6, compared to T cells from younger (Y) adults (25–40 years old). The objective of our study is to evaluate whether hyperactivation of SDH is required for the induction of proinflammatory cytokines and the mechanistic link between SDH and Th17 cytokine …

Efficient In Vivo Pharmacological Inhibition Of Δfosb, An Ap-1 Transcription Factor, In The Brain, Sean Mcneme, Anil Kumar, Yun Young Yim, Brandon W Hughes, Corey St Romain, Yi Li, Ashwani Kumar, Qichao Bao, Molly Estill, Shanghua Fan, Nadeen Takatka, Earnest P Chen, Matthew Rivera, Haiying Chen, Alfred J Robison, Mischa Machius, Stephen J Haggarty, Jeannie Chin, Eric J Nestler, Jia Zhou, Gabby Rudenko

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

ΔFOSB, an unusually stable member of the AP-1 family of transcription factors, mediates long-term maladaptations that play a key role in the pathogenesis of drug addiction, cognitive decline, dyskinesia, and several other chronic neurological and psychiatric conditions. We have recently identified that 2-phenoxybenzenesulfonic acid-containing compounds disrupt the binding of ΔFOSB to DNA in vitro in cell-based assays, and one such compound, JPC0661, disrupts ΔFOSB binding to genomic DNA in vivo in the mouse brain with partial efficiency. JPC0661 binds to a groove outside of the DNA-binding cleft of the ΔFOSB/JUND bZIP heterodimer in a cocrystal structure. Here, we generated a …

Advancing Dental Research: From Biomaterials And Precision Dentistry To Population-Based Oral Health And Service Delivery, Acing H. Mude, H. Hasanuddin, Nisrina E. Nasrun, Muhammad Ikbal

Journal of Dentomaxillofacial Science

Objective: This editorial review aims to synthesize the thematic contributions of 14 manuscripts published in Journal of Dentomaxillofacial Science Volume 11 Issue 1, and to identify emerging scientific trends across contemporary dental research.

Methods: A descriptive thematic review was conducted by systematically analyzing the titles, abstracts, study objectives, methodologies, and key findings of all included manuscripts. Articles were grouped through qualitative synthesis into major thematic categories to capture the shared scientific directions and methodological patterns.

Results: The analysis identified six major thematic clusters: (1) biomaterials and oral tissue regeneration, (2) oral hygiene, saliva, microbiology, and vulnerable populations, (3) oral pathology …

Stock Assessment Of The Dusky Spine Foot Siganus Luridus From The Gulf Of Aqaba, Egypt, Using A Length-Based Bayesian Biomass (Lbb) Method, Azza A. El-Ganainy, Abdel-Kader M. Hassan, Hussein A. El-Naggar, Hassan M. M. Khalaf-Allah, Ahmed M. El-Sadek

Blue Economy

The dusky spinefoot, Siganus luridus (Rüppel, 1829), stands as one of the most economically significant herbivorous species inhabiting the coral reefs of the Gulf of Aqaba, Egypt. Despite its prominence, our understanding of its biology and population structure remains limited. Thus, this study marks the first attempt to shed light on the demographic structure and stock assessment of S. luridus in the Aqaba Gulf. Over the span of January to December 2018, a total of 649 specimens were meticulously collected on a monthly basis from three landing sites (Nuwebaa, Dahab, and Abu Galum) within the Gulf of Aqaba, primarily utilizing …