From Platelets To Particles: Optimizing Extracellular Vesicle Isolation In A National Blood Centre, Y. Chintala, A. Waters, F. Mcgrath, A. Lorusso, C. Wynne, S. Meaney

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Background and Objectives: Platelet-derived extracellular vesicles (PEVs) are submicron, membrane-bound particles released upon platelet activation, with a recognized role in haemostasis, inflammation and immunoregulation. PEVs remain insufficiently characterized in blood products. This study compared four isolation methods to evaluate their impact on PEV yield, purity and characteristics, aiming to identify a practical approach for transfusion service workflows. Materials and Methods: PEVs were isolated from expired single-donor aphaeresis platelet concentrates (n = 12) using methods based on different isolation principles: ultracentrifugation (UC), size exclusion chromatography (SEC), mixed size/charge separation (hybrid) and an affinity-based spin column method (affinity). Size, number and biochemical …

Exploring The Postpartum Recovery After Hyperemesis Gravidarum: A Qualitative Study, Zeinab El-Dirani, Sergio A. Silverio, Eleni Niarchou, Elana Payne, Pauline Dunne, Melanie Nana, Catherine Williamson, Mary F. Higgins, Eileen O'Brien, Joan Devin, Aisling Walsh, Angela C. Flynn

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Introduction: Hyperemesis Gravidarum affects 0.3–3.6% of women during pregnancy and has a significant impact on maternal health. Investigation of both the immediate and longer-term effects remains a high research priority. However, there is limited research on postpartum recovery after hyperemesis gravidarum. Aim: To explore the postpartum recovery experiences of women who had hyperemesis gravidarum. Methods: A large descriptive qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews to explore the postpartum experiences of women who had hyperemesis gravidarum within the previous 5 years in Ireland. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Forty-one women participated, and four themes were identified: (1) …

Technical Skills And Their Roles In Agribusiness Supply Chain Management Education, Ryan Loy, Logan L. Britton, F. Bailey Norwood

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

The integration of advanced technical skills and supply chain management (SCM) tools is critical for the evolving demands of agribusiness. This study identifies the technical competencies, software proficiencies, and educational strategies essential for preparing students to excel in modern SCM roles. Through semi-structured interviews with 26 SCM professionals across US agribusiness sectors, the study highlights the demand for expertise in tools such as SAP, Power BI, and SQL alongside capabilities in data-driven decision-making and adaptability. Despite theoretical preparation, graduates often lack practical experience with industry-standard technologies, underscoring a gap in academic curricula. The findings suggest that agribusiness programs should emphasize …

The Effects Of Speak Out! On Hypokinetic Dysarthria In Individuals With Idiopathic Parkinson’S Disease, Linden King

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this single subject research study was to prove the efficacy of SPEAK OUT! therapy in improving loudness, rate of speech, and quality of life for individuals who have hypokinetic dysarthria due to Parkinson’s Disease. In this A-B-A design, five weeks of SPEAK OUT! therapy was provided twice a week to four individuals with a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. Results showed an increase in loudness in conversation and improved quality of life measured by statistical and visual analysis. These findings contribute to the research behind the use of SPEAK OUT! therapy for individuals with HKD due to PD.

Beyond The Classroom: The Continuing Impact Of Brown V Board On Equitable Access To Career And Technical Education For Historically Underrepresented Students, Shannon Hood

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Using a qualitative phenomenological design grounded in Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP), this study examined how institutional structures, instructional practices, and community and industry partnerships shape equitable access, engagement, and outcomes in secondary Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs serving students from historically marginalized backgrounds. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with thirteen participants, including educators, administrators, and industry partners engaged in secondary CTE implementation. Thematic analysis identified recurring patterns related to leadership decision-making, instructional relevance, culturally responsive teaching practices, relational trust and advocacy, and authentic work-based learning (WBL) experiences. Findings indicate that equitable participation in CTE extends …

Parent And Family Engagement In Middle Schools: A Qualitative Exploration Of Parent Perspectives And Student Success In West Tennessee, Angela Y. Searcy

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Parent and family engagement in middle school has been demonstrated to increase students' academic achievement; however, barriers often prevent parental participation. This study focused on parents' and teachers' perceptions of the parents' role in the educational process and sought to answer research questions about parents' perceptions, parents as equal partners in the educational process, and barriers to parental participation. A qualitative research design was used for the study. Teachers and parents from a middle school in West Tennessee participated in interviews to generate data used in this study. Teachers and parents identified common themes affecting the parent-school partnership, including …

Barriers To Mental Healthcare Among Men, Adrienne White

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Men are consistently less likely than women to seek professional mental health services despite experiencing significant rates of depression and psychological distress. Traditional masculine norms and depression-related stigma have been proposed as major contributors to this disparity. The present study examined the relationships among depression stigma, conformity to masculine norms, depression severity, perceived barriers to care, and attitudes toward seeking professional mental health treatment among adult men with current or past depression. Seventy participants completed measures of depression severity (PHQ-9), conformity to masculine norms (CMNI-30), depression stigma (DSS), attitudes toward help seeking (MHSAS), and perceived barriers to care (BMHS). Contrary …

The Long-Term Effects On Youth Growing Up In Foster Care, Brittney L. Olatunde

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This study examined the long-term effects of the foster care system on youth, with particular focus on how early life experiences shape developmental trajectories into adulthood. Findings indicated that involvement in the foster care system significantly influences socioemotional, psychological, and life outcomes that persist across the youth life span. Understanding these enduring effects is essential for recognizing how early disruptions and transitions impact later adult functioning. Guided by life course theory, this study explored how the timing of foster care experiences, critical life transitions, and environmental contexts collectively influence individual development over time. Emphasis was on how entry and …

Pediatric Both Bone Fracture Leading To Median Nerve Entrapment: A Case Report, Joshua Lyndon Dale, Frank Gerold

School of Medicine Publications

Introduction: Both-bone forearm fractures are common in pediatric patients and most often result from a fall onto an outstretched hand. Although rare, nerve entrapments, particularly of the median nerve, can occur, especially following closed reduction.

Case report: We present the case of a 13-year-old male who sustained a both-bone forearm fracture while on vacation in Mexico. The injury was managed with closed reduction and casting. Despite appropriate treatment, the patient developed progressive numbness, tingling, and thenar atrophy in the median nerve distribution. Electromyography and nerve conduction studies confirmed significant median nerve dysfunction. Surgical exploration revealed the median nerve entrapped in …

Computational And Ai Literacy: Lessons Learned From Computer Science Education, Sharin Jacob, Yenda Prado, Quinn Burke

Journal of Computer Science Integration

This conceptual paper explores the intersection of computational thinking (CT) and artificial intelligence (AI) literacy, proposing a framework integrating AI literacy into existing computational literacy models. We argue that computational thinking (CT) skills form the foundation for AI literacy, and that lessons learned from decades of computer science (CS) education research can ably guide the development of AI literacy instruction for a wide range of  students and within integrative contexts. Drawing on Kafai and Proctor's (2022) conceptualization of computational literacy, as well as encompassing cognitive, situated, and critical dimensions, we extend their framework to advance our understanding of AI literacy. …

Hyena: An Observing System Simulation Experiment For Hypothetical Energetic Neutral Atom Imagers, Joel Tibbetts, Amy Keesee, Matina Gkioulidou, Robert Demajistre, Viacheslav Merkin

Faculty Publications

Mesoscale plasma sheet flows are widely understood to be a critical component of the overall picture of energy, particle, and magnetic flux transport during periods of geomagnetic activity. Without simultaneous measurements with true global coverage, the short lifetime (~10 min) and localized spatial extents (~1–3 R_E in azimuth) of these structures make obtaining a global picture of their contributions to stormtime magnetosphere dynamics difficult to characterize. Energetic neutral atom (ENA) imaging can enable remote mapping of plasma energization in the magnetosphere; however, its line-of-sight integrated nature, coupled with the challenging-to-characterize attributes of the target physical phenomena, means that numerous …

Beyond Income Deprivation: Assessing The Compounding Impacts Of Fixed Costs And Broadband Equity On Food Security, Aemro Worku, Morgan Woodle Phd, Nakeina E. Douglas-Glenn, Research Institute For Social Equity Rise

Research Institute for Social Equity

Nearly 47 million people in the United States, including 14 million children, are considered food insecure by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These nutritional deficiencies are often considered problems of uniform economic hardships. Analyzing 50-state data, this report reveals two distinct structural challenges: financial cash flow and physical geography. First, absolute food insecurity is driven by high costs of living, fueled by housing rent burdens, and is mitigated by strong broadband internet access that connects families to benefits. Second, physical access to healthy food shows no independent relationship with household budgets; rather, it is a problem of corporate grocery placement …

Connecting The Dots - Recognition Of Artificial And Natural Shapes Relies On Representing Points Of High Information, Gunnar Schmidtmann, Nicholas Baker, Kevin J. Lande, Filipp Schmidt

School of Health Professions

Physiological and psychophysical evidence suggests that the visual system represents object outlines using prominent curvature features, particularly regions of extreme curvature (convex maxima and concave minima). These curvature extrema often coincide with points of high informational content (“surprisal”), but this relationship is only correlational. It remains unclear whether the visual system explicitly encodes curvature extrema or instead prioritizes the most informative contour locations. To address this, we conducted two shape-matching experiments comparing the roles of curvature extrema and surprisal in shape representation. Observers performed match-to-sample tasks in which smooth reference shapes were matched to simplified polygonal versions created by connecting …

Cytocompatibility, Osteogenic Potential, Antibacterial And Antibiofilm Efficacy Of A Calcium-Silicate-Based Intracanal Medication, Shehabeldin Mohamed Saber Prof.Dr.

Dentistry

This study assessed the biological and antimicrobial properties of a calcium silicate-based material and calcium hydroxide (CH) when used as intracanal medications. MTT assay, osteogenic differentiation of human periodontal stem cells (hPDLSCs), cell mineralization-assay, and determination of ALP activity were assessed to investigate the biological properties. While the agar well diffusion, crystal violet (CRV) assay and LIVE/DEAD staining of dentin slices infected with a mature E. faecalis biofilm were used to assess the antimicrobial properties. Normally distributed data were analyzed using one and two-way ANOVA and post hoc Tukey test, while for non-normally distributed data Kruskal Wallis and Dunn's tests …

Automatic Teeth Segmentation In Panoramic Radiographs Using Attention U-Net, Shehabeldin Mohamed Saber Prof.Dr.

Dentistry

Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of the Attention U-Net architecture for teeth segmentation in panoramic dental images. By exploring the potential of Attention U-Net, the study aims to contribute to the development of more precise and automated dental imaging analysis, which could enhance diagnosis, treatment planning, and computer-aided dental systems. Subjects and methods: The TUFTS University dataset consisting of 1000 de-identified panoramic radiographs was used for training and testing an Attention U-Net architecture with 10-fold cross-validation. These scores surpass those of all other networks implemented on the same dataset. using a newly available benchmark …

Effect Of Caries Removal Techniques On Micro-Tensile Bond Strength Of Cad/Cam Composite Blocks To Dentine (In-Vitro Study), Hend Sayed Ahmed, Mohamed Fouad Haridy, Hoda Fouda, Basma Khalifa, Youssef M. Haridy

Dentistry

No abstract provided.

Laser Versus Fluoride Varnish In Management Of Dentine Hypersensitivity In Non-Carious Lesions: A Randomized Clinical Trial, Hend Sayed Ahmed, Mohamed Fouad Haridy, Hoda Fouda, Amr Adham Shalaby, Youssef M. Haridy

Dentistry

No abstract provided.

Fracture Resistance Of Resin Composite Restorations With Different Underlying Core Build Up Materials As A Dentin Substitute In Mod Cavities In Premolars (In-Vitro Study), Hend Sayed Ahmed, Mohamed Haridy, Hoda Fouda, Nourhan Kamel, Ahmed Refaat

Dentistry

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Different Packing Protocols On Fracture Resistance Of Maxillary Premolars Restored With Bioactive Composite, Hend Sayed Ahmed, Mohamed Haridy, Hoda Fouda, Alaa Elgembri

Dentistry

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to verify effect of different packing protocols on fracture resistance of

maxillary premolar teeth with standardized mesioocclusodistal (MOD) preparations restored with bioactive composite.

Materials and Methods: Seventy sound maxillary premolar teeth with standardized MOD cavities were randomly

allocated to seven groups (n=10): G1 (control): sound teeth; G2: unrestored MOD preparation; G3: was filled by an

incremental technique with nanohybrid resin composite (Beautifil II LS, Shofu); G4: was filled in bulk with flowable

composite (Beautifil Bulk Flowable, Shofu); G5: bulk filled with nanohybrid composite (Beautifil Bulk, Shofu); G6: was

restored by increment …

Prevalence Of Oral Mucosal Lesions Among Smokers Based On Gender: A Bicentric Cross-Sectional Study In Egypt, Dalia Ghalwash, Fatheya Zahran

Dentistry

Abstract

Background

Smoking is a major risk factor for developing various types of oral mucosal lesions (OMLs), including benign and potentially malignant lesions. However, scarce data is available concerning gender differences regarding the prevalence of oral mucosal lesions in smokers worldwide. Accordingly, this study assesses the prevalence and types of OMLs among male smokers compared to female smokers in an Egyptian population.

Methods

This hospital-based cross-sectional study included 300 male and 300 female smokers. All participants underwent a thorough case history review and a comprehensive clinical examination.

Results

The overall prevalence of oral lesions was significantly higher in males (75%) …

Six Decades Of Constant Change In Key Earth System Indicators, John Aber

Faculty Publications

Fifteen core indicators of global change and human impacts have been changing at an astonishingly constant rate for nearly 70 years.  Correlations among these indicators support the prevailing scientific understanding of climate change, and suggest how difficult it will be to change course, but there are two trends that, if continued, could lead to a stable global population and a carbon-neutral global economy.

Neuromuscular Adaptations Following Eight Weeks Of French Contrast Training In Elite Youth Football Players: Implications For Athletic Performance, Okan Demir, Tolga Altug, Christopher B. Taber, Mehmet Bayansalduz

Exercise Science Faculty Publications

Neuromuscular training is increasingly recognised for enhancing football performance and athletes’ capacity to tolerate the repetitive high-intensity demands of match play. The French Contrast Method (FCM) combines heavy resistance, plyometric, and ballistic exercises within a post-activation performance enhancement framework, yet evidence in elite youth players during the competitive season remains limited. This study examined the effects of an eight-week in-season FCM program on reactive strength, neuromuscular performance, maximal strength, anaerobic performance, and short-distance sprint ability. Twenty-eight elite male youth football players were randomly assigned to an experimental group (FCM plus regular football training; n = 14) or a control group …

Mending The Broken Heart: Applying Selective Spiritual Practices To Navigate The Grief Process At Reeder Memorial Baptist Church Charlotte, North Carolina, Kathryn A. Bonapart

Doctor of Ministry Projects

This Doctor of Ministry capstone examined how guiding congregants through intentional spiritual disciplines can foster grief healing at Reeder Memorial Baptist Church in Charlotte, NC. Many members face grief related to death, illness, relational loss, or communal trauma. The project integrated the biblical narrative of Jesus in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36–46) with group practices such as prayer, silence, solitude, lament, and journaling. Quantitative pre- and post-surveys and qualitative data from journals, field notes, and interviews revealed growth in emotional awareness, spiritual endurance, consistent grief practices, deeper faith during mourning, greater awareness of God’s presence in suffering, and stronger community connections.  The …

Framing Home: Extending Beyond The Threshold, Kaitlin R. Kirsch

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This thesis body of work inspects the changes in the artist’s relationship to domesticity and their perceived sense of control over the spaces they have called home. By creating and embellishing spaces that subvert the threshold between the physical and psychic, the works stimulate feelings of comfort or discomfort. Installations of found materials, mixed media, and text-based dark humor, come together to account for this artist’s attempt to navigate the tediousness of daily life. The work takes into consideration the intangible rules that infiltrate a household, defining the framework in which a person learns to live within, or adapt to, …

Numerical Simulation Of Micro-Cutting Processes For The Estimation Of Material Fracture Toughness, Juan J. Lainez

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Accurate determination of plane-strain fracture toughness is essential for structural integrity assessments of engineering components, yet conventional ASTM standardized testing methods require large, notched specimens that are impractical in many industrial and research contexts. This thesis presents a finite element method-based approach for estimating the mode I plane-strain fracture toughness of engineering materials from orthogonal micro-cutting simulations if the continuum damage mechanics-based fracture locus is calibrated. This method will eliminate the need for pre-cracked specimens while maintaining physically grounded fracture mechanics principles. The methodology applies to the Atkins energy-based cutting force model, in which the depth-independent intercept of the specific …