Digital Commons Network^™

Threads Of Empathy: An Integrative Model Of Empathy In The Schools, Arthur J. Clark, Tara M. Simpson

Journal of Human Services Scholarship and Interprofessional Collaboration

Empathy has a distinctive and evolving history in education for cultivating human relationships and engendering mutual understanding. Within a school setting, empathic engagement is essential for the social and emotional development of children and adolescents. From an educational perspective, literature from multiple disciplines and specialties illustrate innovative practices to harness empathy in the classroom and beyond. The representative initiatives hold promise for developing an integrative model of empathy within a school or a school district through a program involving interprofessional collaboration.

Assessing The Impact Of Visitors On Airborne Particle Deposition In The Giant Gypsum Geode Of Pulpí (Se Spain), Ana Camila Mendoza, Ángel Fernández-Cortés, Fernando Gázquez, Jesús Morilla, Milagros Carretero, Jose Maria Calaforra, David Benavente

International Journal of Speleology

The Giant Geode of Pulpí is a unique mineralogical phenomenon worldwide, remarkable for its large selenite gypsum crystals. Its recent development as a tourist site and inclusion on UNESCO’s Tentative World Heritage List, highlight the need to assess the impact of visits on its conservation. This study investigates airborne particle dynamics inside the Geode, focusing on tourist activity and natural ventilation. We measured deposition rates and composition of airborne particles using passive traps and a continuous laser-optical particle counter. Microenvironmental variables linked to ventilation, such as temperature and radon gas concentration (²²²Rn), were simultaneously monitored. Results show a predominance of …

Industrial Metal Supply Shocks And Heterogeneous Macroeconomic Effects: Evidence From Copper, Andrea Bastianin, Luca Rossini, Alessandra Testa

Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei Working Papers

This paper studies the macroeconomic effects of global copper supply shocks. We identify exogenous disruptions to copper supply using a Bayesian structural VAR of the world copper market that combines sign and narrative restrictions. We then trace the international transmission of the identified shock using a two-step approach based on country-level models for major copper-importing and exporting economies. We find that copper supply shocks raise producer prices and depress industrial activity in importing economies, while exporters benefit from higher world prices through improved terms of trade. Importer-exporter status alone is insufficient to characterize exposure: heterogeneity in responses reflects differences in …

Classroom To Campus: A Qualitative Case Study Of Exemplary First-Year Seminar Instructors In Student Transitions At A Louisiana University, Brianna J. Doucet

Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative case study examined how exemplary first-year seminar (FYS) instructors design and implement pedagogical strategies that support students’ transitions into higher education through the lens of Schlossberg’s (1981) Transition Theory. Conducted at a public university in Louisiana, the study explored how university-identified, award-winning instructors foster academic, social, and emotional adjustment among first-year students, a critical priority amid the impending enrollment cliff and the growing need to retain enrolled students. Using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, findings revealed exemplary instructors design intentional, relational, and reflective learning environments. They view transition as a shared institutional process, model adaptability and lifelong learning, …

Optimized Photoemission From Organic Molecules In 2d Layered Halide Perovskites, Muhammad S. Muhammad, Dilruba A. Popy, Hamza Shoukat, John M. Lane, Neeraj Rai, Vojtěch Vaněček, Zdeněk Remeš, Romana Kučerková, Vladimir Babin, Chenjia Mi, Yitong Dong, Mark D. Smith, Novruz G. Akhmedov, Daniel T. Glatzhofer, Bayram Saparov

Faculty Publications

In recent years, hybrid organic–inorganic metal halides have been at the forefront of materials research. Typically, the functional (e.g., optoelectronic) properties of hybrid halides are derived from the inorganic structural part, whereas the organic structural units can add extra advantages in terms of stability, rigidity, and processability. Here, we report the design, synthesis, and characterization of two new hybrid materials in which the outstanding photophysical properties originate from the organic structural part. The new compounds, (C₁₅H16N)₂CdCl₄ and((Br)C₁₅H₁₅N)₂CdCl₄, have 2D layered Ruddlesden–Popper-type perovskite structures. These hybrids are blue-white …

Regeneration Of Swimming Antennae After Partial Amputation In Long- And Short-Lived Daphnia, Charles Schumpert, Rekha C. Patel, Jeffry L. Dudycha

Faculty Publications

Regeneration, the ability of an animal to restart a developmental process and thus rebuild itself following injury or loss, is generally thought to be inversely related to aging, the progressive decline of organismal functions and fitness that occurs as adults get older. We sought to test whether recently evolved differences of aging in the crustacean Daphnia were accompanied by evolutionary divergence of regenerative ability. Using the short-lived D. pulex and the long-lived D. pulicaria, we conducted an assessment of regenerative ability in which we amputated part of the swimming antenna and observed subsequent regeneration. In four clones isolated from …

Molecular Survival Strategies Against Kidney Filtration: Implications For Therapeutic Protein Engineering, William Heaps, Anna Elise Packard, Kristina M. Mccammon, Tyler P. Green, Joseph P. Talley, Bradley C. Bundy, Dennis Della Corte

Faculty Publications

The glomerular filtration barrier poses a significant challenge for circulating proteins, with molecules below ~60–70 kDa facing rapid renal clearance. Endogenous proteins have evolved sophisticated evasion mechanisms including oligomerization, carrier binding, electrostatic repulsion, and FcRn-mediated recycling. Understanding these natural strategies provides blueprints for engineering therapeutic proteins with improved pharmacokinetics. This review examines how endogenous proteins resist filtration, evaluates their application in protein engineering, and discusses clinical translation including established technologies (PEGylation, Fc-fusion) and emerging strategies (albumin-binding domains, glycoengineering). We address critical challenges of balancing half-life extension with tissue penetration, biological activity, and immunogenicity—essential considerations for the rational design of next-generation …

Jwst Interferometric Imaging Reveals The Dusty Torus Obscuring The Supermassive Black Hole Of Circinus Galaxy, Enrique Lopez Rodriguez, Joel Sanchez-Bermudez, Omaira González-Martín, Robert Nikutta, Ryan M. Lau, Deepashri Thatte, Julien H. Girard, Ismael García-Bernete, Matthew J. Hankins

Faculty Publications

The dusty and molecular torus is an elusive structure surrounding supermassive black holes, yet its importance is unequivocal for understanding feedback and accretion mechanisms. The torus and accretion disk feed the inspiraling gas onto the active nucleus, launching outflows that fundamentally connect the active nucleus’s activity to the host galaxy. In this work, we utilize the aperture-masking interferometric mode onboard the JWST to achieve a resolution of 0.08" at 4.3 μm and bring out the fainter features in the central 10 pc of the Circinus galaxy. We show that most of the dust mass is located along the equatorial …

Respiratory Health And Environmental Risks Among California Children: The Role Of Socioeconomic Status, Wen Chieh Chia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract Air pollution has been cited as a factor in the development of respiratory illness in children. Socioeconomic differences can intensify the effects of air pollution exposure on low-income children compared to higher-income children. This correlational study examined the relationship between air pollution exposure and respiratory health outcomes among California children, as well as the moderating role of socioeconomic status. The study was guided by the environmental health disparities framework and used secondary data from the California Environmental Health Tracking Program, analyzing data from 49 California counties (n = 49). Independent variables were PM2.5 concentrations and the number of ozone …

Tuning Oxygen Reduction Kinetics In Lasrcoo4 With Strained Epitaxial Thin Films And Wrinkled Freestanding Membranes, Habib Rostaghi Chalaki, Ebenezer Sessi, Mohammad El Loubani, Dongkyu Lee

Faculty Publications

Sluggish oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) remains a critical barrier to advancing intermediate-temperature electrochemical energy devices. Here, we demonstrate that strain engineering in two platforms, epitaxial thin films and freestanding membranes, systematically tunes ORR kinetics in Ruddlesden-Popper LaSrCoO4. In epitaxial films, film thickness is varied to control in-plane tensile strain, whereas in freestanding membranes strain relaxation during the release step using water-soluble sacrificial layers produces flat or wrinkled architectures. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis reveals more than an order of magnitude increase in the oxygen surface exchange coefficient for tensile-strained films relative to relaxed films, together with a larger oxygen vacancy concentration. …

Efficacy And Safety Of Oral Pcsk9 Inhibitor Enlicitide In Adults With Heterozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia: A Randomized Clinical Trial, Christie M Ballantyne, Laura Gellis, Jean-Claude Tardif, Puja Banka, Ann Marie Navar, Emil Andreas Asprusten, Russell Scott, Erik S G Stroes, Samar Froman, Geraldine Mendizabal, Fan Wang, Alberico L Catapano

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Importance: Persons with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) are at increased risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease due to lifelong elevated levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Many patients with HeFH do not achieve guideline-recommended LDL-C goals with the currently available lipid-lowering therapies.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of enlicitide decanoate (an oral proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitor) vs placebo in adults with HeFH requiring further lowering of LDL-C levels despite use of statin therapy.

Design, setting, and participants: This phase 3, randomized clinical trial included persons aged 18 years or older with HeFH currently using lipid-lowering therapy (taking at least …

Contact Binary Stars: A Roadmap To Their Nature And Evolution, Larry A. Molnar, M. Chalov, R. Deaton, R. Reynolds

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

A complete life cycle for W UMa systems

• Mass transfer from secondary driven by primary
• Sign of flow essential to stability criteria 
• Consistent with observations of distributions of M, T, P, q, dP/dt, (P,q)merger

Ongoing

• THEORY 
• Understand f distribution 
• Compute grid of models to compare with populations of various ages • 

OBSERVATION:Rubin observatory data

• Establish parameter distributions vs. location or kinematics 
• Find the next red nova before it explodes

Disease Burden Of Asthma Patients Utilizing Short-Acting Beta-2 Agonist-Only Inhalers As Rescue In The United States, Njira Lugogo, Rena C. Moon, Yen Chung, Joy David, Omar Motawakel, Ning A. Rosenthal, Neil Skolnik

Department of Family & Community Medicine Faculty Papers

Purpose: We aimed to describe the disease burden of asthma and examine relationships between short-acting beta-2 agonist (SABA) use and asthma exacerbations. Patients and Methods: This retrospective cohort study used geographically diverse Premier Healthcare Database (PHD) and linked insurance claims (10/01/2021-09/30/2022) for US patients aged ≥18 years with a SABA-only prescription and a history of asthma exacerbation within 12 months before index date (the earliest SABA prescription date). Three asthma control groups were defined based on SABA usage: well controlled-low (0–1 prescriptions), not well controlled-medium (2–3 prescriptions), very poorly controlled-high (≥4 prescriptions). Four asthma severity groups were defined using asthma …

“Parked Under The Influence” Is Not A Crime: Why The Alaska Supreme Court’S Broad Interpretation Of “Operating A Vehicle” Is Wrong, Paul A. Clark

Alaska Law Review

In Jacobson v. State, the Alaska Supreme Court interpreted the word “operate” in Alaska’s driving under the influence statute to include sitting in a running, parked car. Jacobson was part of a national trend. In the last few decades, courts in about half of states have interpreted “operate” to mean “being in control of” or “exercising dominion over” a vehicle—for example, sitting in an unmoving vehicle. This judge-made law is controversial as it expands the definition of “operate” without legislative approval. As one dissenting justice put it in a case similar to Jacobson, “[t]he effect of the majority opinion is …

Circumscribing Alaskan Law Enforcement’S Access To Pretrial Electronic Monitoring Location Data, Rosa Gibson

Alaska Law Review

In Alaska, pretrial detainees comprise much of the state’s prison population. Electronic monitoring—made possible by recent bail reforms—provides a pathway to pretrial release for those who cannot afford to pay bail. Using GPS data, the Pretrial Enforcement Division can monitor the location of a releasee’s ankle monitor for supervisory purposes. But when law enforcement seeks warrantless access to that data to investigate crimes other than the one for which a releasee is awaiting trial, that intrusion raises concerns under Alaska’s constitutional right to privacy. This Note argues that the Alaska judiciary, which is best positioned to guard the privacy of …

Safety And Effectiveness Of Bolt-Mounted Versus Tunnelled External Ventricular Drains: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis And Trial-Sequential Analysis, Shaan Patel, Shiva A. Nischal, Ayush Sinha, Kush Kale, Pious D. Patel, Jack Jallo, Srinivas K. Prasad

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: External ventricular drains (EVDs) are fundamental to neurocritical care, yet substantial procedural heterogeneity persists, particularly regarding bolt-mounted versus tunnelled catheter fixation. The relative safety and effectiveness of these approaches remain unclear, with conflicting data from observational studies and a lack of trial-level evidence.

OBJECTIVE: To compare bolt-mounted and tunnelled EVDs across accuracy, reoperation, and key safety outcomes using systematic review, meta-analysis, and trial-sequential analysis.

METHODS: Following PRISMA guidelines, PubMed, Embase, and CENTRAL databases were searched (November 2025) for randomised or observational studies comparing bolt-mounted with tunnelled EVDs in adults. Two reviewers independently screened studies, extracted data, and assessed risk …

Genomics Reveal Staphylococcus Aureus Persists During Long-Term Urinary Catheterization Despite Antimicrobial Therapy And Catheter Exchanges, Jesus M Duran Ramirez, Chelsie E Armbruster, Blake M Hanson, Jennifer N Walker

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Urinary catheters, the most frequently placed medical devices in the US, increase the risk of developing symptomatic catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) and asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) - the presence of bacteria in the urine - with those requiring long-term urinary catheters (LTUCs) at highest risk. While ASB and CAUTI are caused by a broad range of uropathogens, most remain understudied. We use whole-genome sequencing to investigate the understudied uropathogen, Staphylococcus aureus. Analysis of 153 longitudinal S. aureus isolates previously collected from urinary catheter or urine samples from 20 individuals with LTUCs (average of 8 longitudinal isolates/person) demonstrates that most strains …

Long-Term Trends In Harmful Algal Blooms And Key Environmental Variables Off Southwest-Central Florida, Zayna Sampson, Digna Rueda Roa, Lilly Verrill, F. Muller-Karger

Making Waves REU

• We analyzed long-term trends in satellite Sea Surface Temperature (SST), Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), and Algal Bloom Index (ABI). We compared them with in-situ Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB) counts in Southwest-Central Florida.
• Our statistics were based on anomalies to remove the seasonal signal, making it easier to observe inter-annual changes.
• The region experienced significant long-term increases in SST, with offshore areas warming faster than nearshore (offshore: >0.06 °C/year, close to shore: <0.05 °C/year).
• Both Chl-a and ABI showed weak but significant long-term decreases offshore.
• There were no significant correlations between HAB and satellite anomalies of SST, Chl-a, or ABI (p>0.1).

Accuracy Of Glenohumeral Joint Center Of Rotation Estimates Using Traditional Motion Capture Versus Bi-Plane Fluoroscopy, Julia A. Dunn, Ola Alsaadi, Kevin Shelburne, Michelle B. Sabick

Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Scholarship

Accurate estimation of the glenohumeral joint center of rotation is critical for biomechanical modeling of shoulder motion. This study evaluated the accuracy of three predictive methods for estimating glenohumeral joint center of rotation using optical motion capture, compared against a benchmark derived from synchronous bi-plane fluoroscopy. Five healthy adults performed shoulder abduction, flexion, and external rotation in 90° abducted and adducted positions. Root mean square error and axial errors were calculated across the full range of motion. Results showed that none of the predictive methods met clinically acceptable thresholds, with absolute error exceeding 10 mm and axial errors surpassing ±5 …

A Novel Vision Transformer Model Produces Clock Drawing Test Scores As Accurate As Expert Human Coders, Mengyao Hu, Tian Qin, Richard Gonzalez, Vicki A Freedman, Laura B Zahodne, Edmundo R Melipillán, Yi Lu Murphey

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Alzheimer's disease and related dementias is a growing public health concern. The clock-drawing test, where subjects draw a clock, typically with hands showing 11:10, has been widely used for dementia screening. A limitation of including the clock-drawing test in large-scale studies is that it requires manual coding, which could result in biases if coders interpret and implement coding rules differently. This study created and evaluated an intelligent Clock Scoring system built with deep learning neural networks to automatically code clock-drawing images. We used a large, publicly available repository of clock-drawing images from the 2011-2019 National Health and Aging Trends Study …

Mini-Hyper-Cvd Plus Venetoclax And Navitoclax For Relapsed/Refractory Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Nicholas J Short, Hagop Kantarjian, Nitin Jain, Tapan M Kadia, Jayastu Senapati, Fadi G Haddad, Manuel M Maroun, Koji Sasaki, Lianchun Xiao, Xuelin Huang, Omer Karrar, Regina Abramova, Min Zhao, Rebecca Garris, Marina Konopleva, Farhad Ravandi, Elias Jabbour

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Genome-Wide Gene By Sleepiness Interaction Analysis For Sleep Apnea, Pavithra Nagarajan, Nuzulul Kurniansyah, Jiwon Lee, Sina A Gharib, Yushan Xu, Yiyan Zhang, Brian Spitzer, Tariq Faquih, Hufeng Zhou, Eric Boerwinkle, Han Chen, Daniel J Gottlieb, Xiuqing Guo, Nancy L Heard-Costa, Bertha A Hidalgo, Daniel Levy, Peter Y Liu, Hao Mei, Rebecca Montalvan, Sutapa Mukherjee, Kari E North, George T O'Connor, Lyle J Palmer, Sanjay R Patel, Bruce M Psaty, Shaun M Purcell, Laura M Raffield, Stephen S Rich, Jerome I Rotter, Richa Saxena, Albert V Smith, Katie L Stone, Xiaofeng Zhu, Topmed Sleep Trait Working Group, Brian E Cade, Tamar Sofer, Susan Redline, Heming Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Study objectives: Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), influenced by environmental and social-behavioral factors, is reported by a subset of patients with sleep apnea-a group that may be at elevated cardiovascular risk. However, it is unclear whether sleep apnea with and without EDS have distinct genetic underpinnings. In this study, we perform gene-by-EDS interaction analyses for apnea hypopnea index, a diagnostic marker of sleep apnea severity, to understand EDS's influence on its underlying genetic risk.

Methods: Discovery interaction analyses for common variants and gene-based rare variants were conducted respectively using multi-ethnic Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (N = 11 619) data, followed by …

Perioperative Fluid Management In Pancreaticoduodenectomy In The Era Of Goal-Directed Fluid Therapy: A Review Of The Literature, Meghan D Grim, Richard Zheng, Nader Hanna, Harish Lavu, Charles J. Yeo, Avinoam Nevler

Department of Surgery Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) is the only curative option for localized pancreatic head and periampullary malignancies. However, PD is associated with significant perioperative morbidity. Perioperative fluid management has emerged as an important modifiable factor influencing surgical outcomes in PD.

METHODS: In this qualitative review, PubMed/Medline searches were performed between March and August 2025 to review the terms "pancreaticoduodenectomy," "fluid management," "Enhanced Recovery After Surgery," "complications," and related terms.

RESULTS: Historically, liberal fluid administration was favored to compensate for third-space losses, but contemporary evidence has linked excessive fluid volumes to complications, such as postoperative pancreatic fistula, anastomotic edema, and increased inflammatory responses. …

Influence Of Co2 Curing On Carbonation Depth, Phase Composition, And Micro-Mechanical Properties Of Fbc Ash-Blended Cementitious Materials, Heejung Jun, Seongho Han, Sanghwon Wi, Jinyoung Yoon

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This study investigates the physicochemical and mechanical performance of cementitious composites incorporating fluidized bed combustion (FBC) ash under accelerated carbon dioxide (CO₂) curing. FBC ash, due to its high contents of free calcium oxide (CaO) and sulfate (SO₃), has been reported to cause challenges, such as volume instability and lower early-age strength. To address these limitations, CO2 curing was applied to promote accelerated carbonation and stabilize the hydration products. Cement paste and mortar samples, made with up to 40 % by cement weight replacement with FBC ash (labelled CF), were subjected to either CO₂ curing …

Costs And Cost-Effectiveness Of Improved Nurse Staffing Levels And Skill Mix In Acute Hospitals: A Systematic Review, Peter Griffiths, Christina Saville, Jane Ball, Chiara Dall'ora, Paul Meredith, Lesley Turner, Jeremy Jones

Individual Open Access Articles

Increasing registered nurse staffing and skill mix can be a net cost-saving solution to nurse shortages. Contrary to the strong policy push towards a dilution of nursing skill mix, investment in supply of RNs should become the priority.

Personal And Work-Related Factors Associated With Nurse Resilience: An Updated Systematic Review Using Meta-Analysis And Narrative Synthesis, Fiona Yu, Deborah Raphael, Lisa Mackay, Melody Smith, Ritin Fernandez

Individual Open Access Articles

Background: Nursing shortages and increased workforce turnover have significantly increased nurses’ workloads, thus increasing the risk of burnout and stress, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. A systematic review published in 2019 suggested that resilience could act as a buffer to adversity; however, the factors associated with resilience during and after this global pandemic have not been identified.

Objectives: To identify personal and work-related factors associated with nurse resilience, including the period during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design: Systematic review.

Data Sources: The search was conducted between January and February 2024 in the following databases: CINAHL Plus, MEDLINE (Ovid), PsycINFO, …

Public Perspectives On Sharing Profits With Biospecimen Donors, Aaron Eli Segal, Xiaobai Li, David Wendler

Faculty and Staff Publications

Introduction: In current practice, individuals rarely share in the profits of research using their biospecimens. Many commentators defend this practice on the grounds that the contributions donors make are not important enough to merit a share of the profits. Others argue that if researchers and sponsors profit, donors should too. Despite the importance of this debate, there are no data on the public’s views. Methods: Online survey of US adults selected to approximate the 2020 US census on age, gender, race, ethnicity, and geographic region. Respondents were asked whether biospecimen donors should share in the profits or receive payments across …

Therapeutic Responses In Patients With Advanced Nsclc Enrolled In Early-Phase Clinical Trials At Md Anderson, Jeong Uk Lim, Heather Y Lin, Lei Kang, Hung Le, Tin-Yun Tang, Stephane Champiat, Ecaterina Elena Dumbrava, Xiuning Le, Aung Naing, Sarina A Piha-Paul, Jordi Rodon Ahnert, Apostolia Maria Tsimberidou, Timothy A Yap, Siqing Fu, Funda Meric-Bernstam, David S Hong

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

We evaluated clinical outcomes and safety profiles in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated in early-phase trials. A retrospective review of 546 NSCLC cases treated from January 2016 to December 2024 at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center was performed using the MD Anderson CHIMERA database. Patients were categorized into seven groups based on treatment regimen. The overall objective response rate (ORR) was 19.9%, and the highest ORRs were in the targeted combination (30.8%) and targeted monotherapy (29.7%) groups. Gene alteration–matched therapy, serum albumin level, metastatic burden, treatment group, and liver metastasis were independently associated with …

Identifying Priority Research Questions For Decentralized Wastewater, Bryan W Brooks, Timothy Callahan, Jacob K Stanley, Jamie Holodak, Kevin M Stroski, Alissa H Cox, Thomas W Groves, Anish Jantrania, Jeff C Moeller, Kris Neset, Christopher Walker, Harry Zhang, Amal Bakchan, Kelly D Alley, Jim Bell, Allison Blodig, Eric Casey, Donna Cosper, Victor D'Amato, Mark A Elliott, Greg Graves, Roxanne Groover, Robert Himschoot, Mary G Lusk, Jillian Maxcy-Brown, David Meints, Rojelio Mejia, Matt Pace, Benjamin J Ryan, Brian Scheffe, Tom Schimelfenig, June E Wolfe, Sara F Heger

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Decentralized wastewater treatment and reuse represent critical infrastructure across the rural-periurban-urban continuum around the world. Effective, efficient, resilient, and equitable implementation of on-premise technologies and management systems is part of a One Water approach and necessary to protect public health and the environment, yet inconsistent delivery of essential public health services persists in many regions, including across states, tribes, and territories of the United States. We initiated a groundbreaking effort to understand challenges and to identify research opportunities related to the science and practice of decentralized wastewater. A horizon scanning exercise using a bottom up and transparent key questions approach …

The Biomedical Landscape Of Genomic Structural Variation In The Qatari Population, Elbay Aliyev, Najeeb Syed, Alessia Visconti, Taghi Aliyev, Aziz Belkadi, Mohammadmersad Ghorbani, Niccolò Rossi, Haroon Naeem, Geethanjali Devadoss Gandhi, Gaurav Thareja, Aljazi Al-Maraghi, Waleed Aamer, Amal Abdulsalam Ibrahim, Rulan Shaath, Farooq Omar Al-Ajli, Rozaimi Mohamad Razali, Fritz J Sedlazeck, Sonia Davila, Ammira Akil, Karsten Suhre, Younes Mokrab, Mario Falchi, Khalid A Fakhro

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

We present a large-scale study of structural variation (SV) in the Qatari population, based on short-read whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of 6,141 individuals, identifying 153,946 variants across 5 classes reflecting the region's diversity and evolutionary history. Leveraging consanguinity and biobank phenotypes, we identify >180 putative gene knockouts, and use proteomics to show functional consequences in homozygotes. Conversely, 52 genes show significant depletion of homozygous deletions, eight of which cause severe pediatric disease or murine embryonic lethality. Examining phenotypic extremes uncovers several non-exonic homozygous deletions with large effect, including in SPIRE2 (creatinine), MAGI2 (leanness) and a chr19 microRNA cluster (extreme obesity). Further, …