Monastic Botanical Gardens: Medicinal Plants, Cultural Heritage, And Tourist Routes, Polyxeni G. Moira Dr, Dimitrios Mylonopoulos

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

in the natural environment. The natural environment, of which humans are an integral part, served as the first laboratory for the production of medicines. Medicinal botany can be traced back to ancient Greece, continued through ancient Rome, was closely linked to Islamic tradition, and persisted through the rise of Christianity in monasteries, enduring to the present day. Monastic botanical gardens serve as living proof of the relationship between humans, nature, healing, and spirituality. These gardens, which for centuries cultivated plants for medicinal, nutritional, and functional uses, can now be leveraged to promote tourism, cultural heritage, and environmental awareness.

This study …

Geospatial Assessment Of Agrivoltaic Opportunities And Land Use Requirements In Nigeria, Ifeoluwa Ezekiel Babarinde, Bashir Salisu, Jude A. Benavides, Engil Pereira, Steven M. Grodsky, Rafael M. Almeida

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Agrivoltaics, the co-location of agriculture and solar photovoltaic (PV) infrastructure, can deliver co-benefits like reduced plant drought stress and improved yields of shade-tolerant crops, particularly in water-scarce regions. Despite growing global interest, the technical potential and opportunities for agrivoltaics remain poorly understood in many regions facing both food and energy insecurity, such as sub-Saharan Africa. Here we provide a spatial assessment of agrivoltaic opportunities in Nigeria by integrating cropland distribution, solar resources, and water stress. We find that northern states—where cropland is abundant and water-stressed, solar irradiance is high, and electricity access remains low—offer the greatest potential for agrivoltaic systems …

Umn Morris Faculty And Staff Honored, Communications And Marketing

Campus News Archive

No abstract provided.

The Path To Impulse: A Cognitive-Affective-Conative Model Of Live E-Commerce Behaviour Across Southeast Asia, Any Urwatul Wusko, Aminullah Aminullah

The South East Asian Journal of Management

Research Aims: This study investigates how cognitive and affective mechanisms jointly shape impulse buying intentions in live e-commerce environments, using the Cognitive-Affective-Conative (CAC) model, with a focus on Southeast Asian consumers.

Design/Methodology/Approach: A quantitative, cross-sectional survey was conducted with 430 respondents from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Data were gathered from participants with recent live-shopping experience on platforms such as TikTok Shop and Shopee Live. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) using SmartPLS was employed to test the proposed relationships.

Research Findings: Perceived authenticity and interactivity significantly influence emotional arousal and fear of missing out, which in turn predicted impulse …

Inherited Tbx4 Frameshifting Variants Predicted To Escape Nonsense Mediated Decay In Two Families With Variable Phenotypes, Including Lethal Lung Developmental Disorders, Shruti A Pande, Hiuling Chan Joiner, Przemyslaw Szafranski, Tomasz Gambin, Michelle Wright, Qian Wang, Maiah Walters, Jan M Friedman, Jessica Saunders, Nicholas Avdimiretz, Cornelius F Boerkoel, Nahir Cortes-Santiago, Gail Deutsch, Pawel Stankiewicz

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Pathogenic variants involving the transcription factor TBX4 gene have been associated with various skeletal and pulmonary abnormalities, including lethal lung developmental disorders (LLDD).

Methods: Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) with AI-powered platform for variant detection and interpretation followed by Sanger sequencing targeted variant segregation analysis were used. Reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) studies were performed to assess gene and protein expression levels, respectively.

Results: We describe two unrelated families with intrafamilial variability in the TBX4 phenotypic expressivity, including LLDDs. WGS analyses revealed two frameshift variants, c.1019del; p.(Arg340GlnfsTer40) in the penultimate exon and c.1167dup; p.(Arg390GlnfsTer30) in the last exon …

Age-Dependent Effects Of Mkp-2 Deletion On Glucose Homeostasis In Female Mice, Laura Rain Chambliss

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

Fine-Scale Foraging Behavior Of Chick-Provisioning Pigeon Guillemots Cepphus Columba, Stella P. Solasz, Michael E. Johns, Scott A. Shaffer

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Understanding how prey selection influences foraging behavior is critical for assessing ecological flexibility in central place foragers. It can also inform how resources are partitioned among colonial breeding species like seabirds. The goal of the present study was to examine the spatial context and foraging effort by breeding pigeon guillemots Cepphus columba during the chick-provisioning period. We used a combination of miniature GPS loggers, time–depth recorders, and diet surveys of tracked individuals to test for associations between foraging location and prey selection. Guillemots were studied in 2023 and 2024 at Southeast Farallon Island, USA, where historical diet surveys indicate that …

Clustering Digestive Tract Tumors Using Transcriptomic And Mutation Data, Dwayne G Tally, Polina Bombina, Jake Reed, Jeffrey Kinne, Lynne V Abruzzo, Kevin R Coombes, Zachary B Abrams

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Digestive tract cancers, like most other cancers, are usually categorized based on cell or tissue of origin. Molecular clustering based on the transcriptome often produces the same classification.

METHODS: We developed a new method, Newmanization, to reduce underlying tissue signals from transcriptomic analysis. To test our method, we downloaded data on 1635 samples of digestive tract cancers from The Cancer Genome Atlas. The available data includes transcriptomic data by RNA-Seq, as well as binary mutation allele frequency data by whole exome sequencing. We compared, using silhouette widths and visualization by dimension reduction plots, the effectiveness of Newmanized transcriptome and …

Cylindrical Versus Spherical Self-Similar Capillary Cavity Collapse, Karl Cardin, Christophe Josserand, Raul Bayoan Cal

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Drop tower experiments have been performed to study the capillary collapse of large high-aspect-ratio cavities. Cavities are formed by momentarily impinging the free surface of a liquid bath with a jet of air in the microgravity environment of a drop tower. The collapse may give rise to a jet and three distinct jetting regimes are identified. Simulations are performed to further investigate the phenomena. The abrupt emergence of a thin high velocity jet is observed experimentally and numerically at a specific initial cavity aspect ratio. Different power laws are identified in different regions of the cavity during the collapse providing …

An Improved Logarithmic Ratio-Product Type Estimator For Mean Modeling And Estimation Under Neutrosophic Uncertainty, Anchal Yadav, Mukesh Kumar

Neutrosophic Systems with Applications

In classical statistics, population mean estimation generally assumes precise and determinate data along with known auxiliary information. However, in real-world situations where observations are imprecise or expressed in interval form, such as temperature variations or financial market data, classical approaches become less effective. To address this limitation, neutrosophic statistics provide a more flexible framework for handling uncertainty and indeterminacy. This study proposes a neutrosophic logarithmic ratio-product type estimator for estimating the finite population mean using auxiliary information. The bias and mean squared error (MSE) of the proposed estimator are derived using a first-order approximation. Furthermore, performance evaluation is carried out …

Global Distribution And Origin Of Manganese Deposits: Insights Into Oman's Role In Production And Economic Significance, Abdulrahman Kayode Shehu, Salah Al-Khirbash, Mohammed Farfour

Sultan Qaboos University Journal For Science

Manganese is a globally significant industrial metal essential for steelmaking, battery technologies, and emerging green-energy applications. As demand increases, understanding the geological diversity, distribution, and economic context of manganese deposits is critical. Manganese deposits occur in a range of tectonic settings and include hydrogenetic, diagenetic, and hydrothermal–exhalative systems associated with ophiolites, mid-ocean ridges, back-arc basins, and sedimentary basins. These genetic types exhibit distinct mineralogical, geochemical, and isotopic signatures that reflect processes such as hydrothermal precipitation, hydrogenetic crust formation, and diagenetic remobilization. These different genetic Mn types have distinct mineralogy, major and trace element compositions, REE geochemistry, and isotopic compositions, reflecting …

Isolation Of Stigmasterol, Α –Amyrin And Lupeol Acetate From The Hexane Extract Of Calatropis Procera Leaves, Saleh N. Al-Busafi, Al-Hawraa Al-Harthi, Azhaar Al-Mufargi, Wid Al-Saadi, Sharif Al-Hashmi

Sultan Qaboos University Journal For Science

In this paper we report the isolation, purification and characterization of three triterpenes, stigmasterol (1), α -amyrin (2), and lupeol acetate (3) from the hexane extract of Calatropis procera leaves. These three natural compounds have been identified before from C. procera and from other plants. The compounds 1, 2 and 3 were isolated from C. procera in the Sultanate of Oman for first time. The structures of the isolated triterpenes were identified by different spectroscopic methods.

Determination Of Antioxidants, Fatty Acids And Mineral Content Of Cherry Tomatoes (Solanum Lycopersicum Var. Cerasiforme) Grown In The Kingdom Of Bahrain, Neda Almubarak, Hawra Abdulhussain, Mona Aljar, Simone Perna, Afnan Freije

Sultan Qaboos University Journal For Science

Cherry tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme) are small, nutrient-rich fruits, with vibrant colors, sweet flavor and health-promoting components. This study aims to investigate the fatty acids, mineral content and antioxidant properties of red, orange, yellow, and purple varieties grown in Bahrain, providing the first biochemical assessment of locally cultivated cherry tomatoes under arid conditions. Fatty acids were extracted, methylated, and analyzed using gas chromatography. The mineral content was assessed through sample digestion followed by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) analysis. Antioxidant properties, including total antioxidant capacity (TAC), reducing power (RP), ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), were evaluated …

Pharmacoinformatics And Drug Repurposing For Identifying Novel Potential Compounds Targeting Cyp2s1, Rana Adnan Tahir

Sultan Qaboos University Journal For Science

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) monooxygenases are versatile drug-metabolizing enzymes that primarily catalyze the metabolism of drugs, steroids, and carcinogens. CYP comprises a vast subfamily of heme-thiolate proteins engaged in the oxidative metabolism of exogenous and endogenous compounds. CYP2S1 is a dioxin-inducible member of CYP, and its expression has been found in tumors of epithelial origins, including colorectal cancer. The absence of structural information regarding targets has hampered drug design. The present study focuses on generating the 3D structure of the target protein using computational tools and exploring its structural features to identify binding sites, mutational changes, and hydrogen-bonding patterns, thereby facilitating …

Utilization Of Visual Metaphors For Improving Health Literacy, Kadir Alp Özler, Morgan Dressel, Madeline Weiner, Robert D Lucito, Alice Fornari

Patient Experience Journal

Health education is practiced in patient encounters via verbal communication and educational pamphlets. However, these techniques are faulty and do not provide true patient comprehension of their conditions and treatments reform is necessary to prevent the mortality and hospitalization rates that are linked to poor health literacy. Visual aids and metaphors are individually known to be powerful educational tools. A student organization at Stony Brook University, Artists in Medicine, has sought to synergize these tools to create visual metaphors artwork that links everyday concepts to patient illnesses to facilitate comprehension of this information. For example, one project “Aortic Dissections” depicts …

Factors Influencing Patient Satisfaction In Health Services: A Cross-Sectional Study In The Holy City Of Najaf, Ahmed Abdul Hasan Mohsin, Lamees A. Abdul-Lateef, Noor Ismeal Nasser

Patient Experience Journal

The healthcare system in the city of Najaf works to improve the quality of services provided to patients. Since patient satisfaction serves as a key measure of service quality, this study was designed to identify the potential factors that influence satisfaction within these facilities. cross-sectional study was conducted for 300 patients using public healthcare services in Najaf. the selection of patients based on the stratified random sampling across hospitals and primary health centers. Data were collected using a 24-item structured questionnaire that measured four domains: accessibility, staff attitude, service quality, and physical environment, rated on a four-point Likert scale. The …

The Patient's Lived Experience: A Phenomenological Study On Factors Influencing Tuberculosis Treatment Outcomes In Medan, Indonesia, Erida Novriani, Urip Harahap, Khairunnisa Khairunnisa, Wiryanto Wiryanto

Patient Experience Journal

This qualitative phenomenological study was conducted to analyze the factors influencing tuberculosis (TB) treatment outcomes from the patient's perspective in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. The objective was to uncover the nuanced human factors shaping the patient's treatment journey, moving beyond a sole reliance on statistics and quantitative methods. The research was conducted across all 41 Primary Health Centers (PHCs) in Medan. Through a purposive sampling strategy, data was collected from 22 TB patients via in-depth interviews until data saturation was achieved. The collected data was analyzed using thematic, narrative, and phenomenological approaches to interpret the detailed lived experiences of the …

Volume 12 Full Text, Bjur Staff

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Effective Indigenous Participation In Renewable Energy Development: An Analysis Of Solar And Hydropower Projects In The Navajo Nation, Zoë T. Noble

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

The Navajo Nation, a Native American tribe in the southwestern United States, has an extensive history of disenfranchisement by the U.S. government in many areas, including loss of traditional tribal land, systematic water scarcity, and exposure to environmental hazards, as well as the overall exclusion of Indigenous perspectives from decision-making processes. In recent years, the Navajo Nation has been undergoing a transition from fossil fuels, namely coal plants, to renewable electricity generation, with varying degrees of Indigenous participation and success. In this paper, a comparative analysis of the Kayenta and Red Mesa Tapaha Solar projects and the Black Mesa Pumped …

Religious Practices And Spiritual Support In Palliative Medicine, Camille C. Yancey

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

Palliative care is a form of healthcare focused on providing pain relief and support to patients facing serious illness. This practice is conducted by a team of healthcare professionals and aims to improve patients’ quality of life in the context of long-term, serious illness. Palliative medicine supports patients with a wide range of diseases, including but not limited to cancer, dementia, stroke, and Parkinson’s disease. It focuses on managing symptoms associated with severe conditions, such as pain, nausea, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and stress (Mayo Clinic, 2024). Catering palliative care to include the patient’s religious and spiritual beliefs would benefit symptom …

Wallflowers, Misfits, And Gender Nonconformists: Roller Derby As A Refuge, Kate Clement

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

This article explores how roller derby serves as a unique space for queer women and gender minorities to foster community and build “found families,” engage in activism, and practice self-expression, from its creation in 1935 to the present. This study will outline the unusual historical context that allowed the sport to evolve radically differently from other professional sports, twentieth-century feminine beauty standards and their role within the era’s roller derby, the inclusive nature of its modern bylaws, and the lived experiences of queer roller derby athletes. Utilizing a wide range of primary sources, including oral history interviews of current roller …

Reclaiming The Past: Contextualizing The Role Of Women And Gender In Celtic Paganism, Angus Mccolloch

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

This article evaluates the role of women and gender in pre-Christian Celtic paganism and how these concepts can be applied to the modern era, building on the prior understanding that Celtic women had more freedoms than other women during their time. I utilize archaeological findings, primary sources, and scholarly sources to develop an understanding and interpretation of how women and gender were perceived by the communities who observed and practiced these ancient belief systems. I argue, through the study of Celtic women ranging from figures in their mythologies to physical artifacts and accounts, that these women had a more significant …

Front Matter And Table Of Contents, Bjur Staff

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Collegiate Experiences Of Genderqueer And Nonbinary Youth, Angela Clark-Taylor, Alexandra Kay Hicks, Heather Johnson

New York Journal of Student Affairs

This study explores the collegiate experiences of genderqueer and nonbinary students, frequently marginalized in higher education research. While scholarship on transgender students has expanded, it often centers on binary identities, thereby excluding those who identify outside the man-woman dichotomy. This research responds to that gap by asking: What are the experiences of nonbinary students in college? Drawing on in-depth interviews with six genderqueer and nonbinary undergraduate students, the study amplifies their voices to challenge dominant gender norms and essentialist narratives within academic spaces. Participants shared experiences of systemic erasure, invalidation, and microaggressions, as well as the resilience and strategies they …

Minecraft: A Retrospective, Kylie Salinger

Pepperdine Journal of Communication Research

This speech explores Minecraft as more than a popular sandbox video game, framing it as a creative, narrative-rich, and culturally influential platform that has shaped how players interact with virtual worlds. Beginning with the game’s simple mechanics and origins, the work examines Minecraft’s deeper lore, including its progression through multiple dimensions and the philosophical implications of the End Poem. It also highlights fan-driven theories suggesting a complex, hidden history within the game’s world-building. Finally, the piece analyzes the reasons behind Minecraft’s enduring success, emphasizing its multiplayer connectivity, resurgence during the COVID-19 pandemic, and immersive musical design. Ultimately, the essay argues …

Reflections On Language And Translation: Toward A "Translation Turn" In Archival Studies, Fiorella Foscarini

Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies

As the dominant lingua franca, the English language acts as an invisible, hegemonic force that exerts a strong influence over the framing of the global world. By using English unreflexively in research, education, and professional cross-cultural exchanges, we may unwittingly support unequal power structures, the homogenization of research, and the marginalization of traditions and knowledge systems based on languages other than English. In most cases where translation is involved, the translating act is treated as a fait accompli or a mere technical process, without acknowledging that exact equivalence is impossible to achieve, and that translation has important epistemological, methodological, …

A Comparative Study Examining The Effects Of Nifedipine And Minoxidil On Stimulating Hair Growth Using A Mouse Model, Nihad Hussein Ahmed, Rabei Abdullah Salih, Shereen M. Mekkey

Al-Mustaqbal Journal of Pharmaceutical and Medical Sciences

Hair loss is a common human scalp condition caused by chemotherapy, chronic diseases, and aging. Currently, it is estimated that approximately 50% of males and 15–30% of females experience hair loss issues. Minoxidil is considered a preferred treatment for hair loss in men and women. Nifedipine is effective in improving blood circulation and blood supply via its vasodilator action. To compare nifedipine and minoxidil in terms of their effect on stimulating hair growth using a mouse model. Fifteen female albino mice, aged 8 to 10 weeks, were randomly assigned to three groups of five mice each, all with shaved dorsal …

Buccal Films As An Emerging Drug Delivery System: A Comprehensive Review, Syed Faizan Syed Nizamuddin, Nishan N. Bobade, Vikrant P. Wankhade, Sandeep C. Atram, Shrikant D. Pande, Nakul S. Dhore, Shraddha P. Malpani, Ashwin A. Pahurkar

Al-Mustaqbal Journal of Pharmaceutical and Medical Sciences

Oral administration through the digestive tract is still the most common means by which drugs are given, as it is simple and cheap. However, it has some biopharmaceutical limitations in general, such as varying gastrointestinal conditions, enzymatic degradation, and extensive hepatic first-pass metabolism, which decrease drug stability and bioavailability To address these challenges, drug delivery through the oral mucosa (OMDD) has emerged as a potential non-invasive option. The buccal mucosa is well supplied with blood, provides a relatively mild environment, and avoids hepatic first-pass metabolism, thereby resulting in a faster onset of action and improved bioavailability. Mucoadhesive buccal films have …

Ethnopharmacology, Phytochemistry, And Pharmacological Potential Of Philenoptera Laxiflora: An Emerging African Medicinal Plant For Drug Discovery, Albashir Tahir

Al-Mustaqbal Journal of Pharmaceutical and Medical Sciences

Medicinal plants remain an important source of therapeutic agents and play a significant role in modern drug discovery. Philenoptera laxiflora (Fabaceae) is a tropical African plant widely used in traditional medicine, but the scientific evidence supporting its therapeutic potential remains fragmented. This review aims to comprehensively summarize the current knowledge on the ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemical composition, pharmacological activities, and toxicological profile of P. laxiflora, while highlighting research gaps and future directions for drug discovery. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using electronic scientific databases, including PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect. Relevant publications on the ethnobotany, …

The Impact Of People Interests In Evaluating The Open Public Spaces' Quality In The City Centre, Hasan Hadi, Adil Al-Saidi, Haitham Alshamari

HBRC Journal

The quality of open public spaces in city centres significantly affects people's satisfaction and responses to their built environment. The significance of these areas allow people to assess their performance. this paper addresses the issue of People's interests that affect their evaluation of public urban spaces in city centres. The research applied an ontological methodology that is people's experiences determine the spatial quality of the public spaces in city centres. In order to discover and assess the seven value variables, it recommended diagnosing a random sample of users as a group (A) and (B). The urban space in the historic …