Digital Commons Network^™

Micrornas In Prostate Cancer Liquid Biopsies: Early Detection, Prognosis, And Treatment Monitoring, Seyyed Mohammad Yaghoubi, Erfan Zare, Sina Jafari Dargahlou, Maryam Jafari, Mahdiye Azimi, Maedeh Khoshnazar, Solmaz Shirjang, Behzad Mansoori

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a common malignancy in men worldwide, with incidence projected to rise in the coming years. Traditional screening and diagnostic methods, such as prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing and biopsy, face limitations in specificity and invasiveness. Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as stable, non-invasive biomarkers obtainable via liquid biopsies (blood, urine, semen) that could transform PCa management. These small regulatory RNAs reflect underlying tumor biology and are detectable at early disease stages, enabling improved early detection when used alongside or in place of PSA. Distinct miRNA expression patterns correlate with tumor aggressiveness. For example, miR-141 and miR-375 are …

Eapi At Sixty Years: Quo Vadis?, Father Antonio F. Moreno, Sj

Asia Pacific Mission Studies

No abstract provided.

The Vision And Mission Of Eapi, Jeyaraj Rasiah, Sj

Asia Pacific Mission Studies

No abstract provided.

Pastoral Ministry At The Intersections Of Life For A Synodal Church In Asia, Charles Bertille

Asia Pacific Mission Studies

This paper is condensed from the Keynote Address presented by the author at EAPI's 60th Anniversary. Pastoral ministry in Asia unfolds amid pluralism, migration, inequality, and shifting identities, requiring a vision beyond sacramental maintenance toward lived experience and communal struggle. Rooted in Vatican II, Asian theology, and the Synod on Synodality, ministry is participatory, dialogical, and mission-oriented. Synodality calls for conversion of spirit and structure: humility, discernment, and trust. Leadership must be missionary, interculturally competent, and committed to the poor and creation. Formation institutes such as EAPI and NIFSA serve as laboratories for synodal practice, fostering prophetic leadership. Ultimately, synodality …

From Missionary Apologetics To Mission Networking, Arthur Leger, Sj

Asia Pacific Mission Studies

No abstract provided.

The Use Of The Church Fathers In John Henry Newman’S An Essay On The Development Of Christian Doctrine, Salvador G. Agualada, Jr.

Landas

This paper offers a systematic summary of John Henry Newman’s An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, with particular attention to his sustained and methodical use of the Church Fathers. It traces how Newman consistently appeals to patristic testimony in articulating and illustrating his seven “notes” of authentic doctrinal development, showing that the Fathers function not merely as historical witnesses but as integral components of his theological reasoning. By following the structure of the Essay itself, the study highlights the role of patristic sources in Newman’s distinction between genuine developments and corruptions of doctrine. The paper is primarily expository …

Proposed Pathways For Renewal: Fabc Restructuring In The Light Of Synodality, Charles Bertille

Landas

Church organizations, like secular ones, face ageing, inertia, and the need for reform. Management scholars argue renewal is best pursued during an organization’s prime, when it is thriving. The Synod on Synodality offers such a pathway, continuing the vision of Vatican II. Renewal is urgent today, given shifting mission contexts and declining religious participation, with many Christians among the religiously disaffiliated. In the build-up to the FABC 50 assembly (November 2022), bishops’ conferences in Asia raised concerns about the Church’s internal life—its structures, ministries, relationships, and governance; and called for a review of the organizational framework of the FABC. For …

The Bombing Of Cities And Economic Sanctions: A Comparative Moral Analysis Using The Catholic Just War Tradition, Eric Marcelo O. Genilo

Landas

This essay analyzes two moral cases using the Church’s just war teaching: the Allied bombing of German cities during World War II and modern-day economic sanctions imposed by certain governments on other countries. The first part of this paper discusses the arguments used by moral theologian John C. Ford, S.J., in his article “The Morality of Obliteration Bombing,” to condemn the Allied forces’ policy of bombing civilian areas in Germany during World War II.1 The second part of this article discusses how economic sanctions are used in international relations as a non-violent means to punish or correct the behavior or …

The Evolution Of Societies Of Apostolic Life: From The Early Church To The 19th Century, Arnaud Touré

Landas

This article is drawn from a broader thesis devoted to the Societies of Apostolic Life and presents a synthesized version of Part One, entitled “Historical Profile: From Antiquity to the Second Vatican Council.” Using the criteria articulated in canon 673 §1 of the 1917 Code of Canon Law—namely, life in common under the governance of superiors according to an approved constitution, and the absence of the three public vows of obedience, chastity, and poverty—the study seeks to reconstruct the historical development of Societies of Apostolic Life. Beginning with the biblical and early Christian experience, the article traces the emergence and …

Full Issue, Volume 38, Issue 1

Landas

No abstract provided.

Sediment Grain Size Distribution And Composition From Coastal Enviroments At Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Puerto Rico, Xiomara Cruz-De León, Angelique Rosa Marín, Natalia B. López-Figueroa, Pamela Hallock

Making Waves REU

• Grain size analysis is an essential technique in sedimentology, providing vital information on sedimentary processes and depositional environments in coastal and marine systems.
• This study focuses on the Jobos Bay National Estuarine Reserve (JBNERR) in Guayama, Puerto Rico, an estuary significantly influenced by both natural and anthropogenic factors.
• The objective of this research is to compare the composition and textures of sediments collected from 16 sites across various habitats at Jobos Bay in December 2023.
• This study aims to support ongoing research initiatives and contribute to the effective management of the estuary.

Full Issue, Volume 7, Issue 1

Loyola Papers

No abstract provided.

A Critical Analysis Of The Protestant Principle Of Sola Scriptura In Light Of Catholic Arguments On The Temporal Precedence Of Tradition And The Formal Insufficiency Of Scripture, Salvador G. Agualada Jr.

Loyola Papers

This paper critiques the Protestant doctrine of Sola Scriptura from a Catholic theological perspective. It argues that Christian Tradition historically precedes Scripture and that, while Scripture is materially sufficient for revelation, it is formally insufficient apart from the living Tradition of the Church. The study further develops the Catholic position through the thought of the French Dominican theologian Yves Congar, particularly his notion of “the whole genius of tradition.” Drawing on the teaching of Dei Verbum of the Second Vatican Council, the paper emphasizes the intrinsic and inseparable relationship among Scripture, Tradition, and Magisterium.

The Place Of Touch In Greco-Roman Antiquity And In The Old Testament, Dom Joseph B. Bulan

Loyola Papers

This article examines the significance of touch in Greco-Roman Antiquity and the Old Testament. Through an interdisciplinary approach drawing from philosophy, law, medicine, religious practice, and biblical ritual, the study retrieves touch as a meaningful and performative medium that conveys power, holiness, and social order. It shows how touch functions to establish boundaries, mediate relationships, and regulate access to the sacred. By comparing Greco-Roman sensory hierarchies with Israel’s covenantal and purity-centered worldview, the article highlights key distinctions between holiness and purity and contributes to ongoing discussions in biblical theology, ritual theory, and theological anthropology.

The Experience Of Women’S Dignity In The Angolan Synodal Church: A Pastoral Critical Re-Reading Of Mulieris Dignitatem From Angolan Cosmology, José Abílio Praia

Loyola Papers

This article critically reexamines Mulieris Dignitatem within the context of Angolan cultural cosmology. The study highlights the tension between the symbolic reverence for women and their social marginalization in Angola. Employing feminist and pastoral perspectives, it explores how indigenous relational and life-giving concepts of womanhood can enrich theological reflection. By engaging African and Asian feminist insights, the paper proposes a synodal ecclesiology grounded in lived experience, co-responsibility, and structural transformation, emphasizing women’s dignity as integral to the Church’s identity and mission.

Anti-Csf-1r Therapy With Combined Immuno-Chemotherapy Coordinate An Adaptive Immune Response To Eliminate Macrophage Enriched Triple Negative Breast Cancers, Diego A Pedroza, Xueying Yuan, Fengshuo Liu, Hilda L Chan, Christina Zhang, William Bowie, Alex J Smith, Sebastian J Calderon, Nadia Lieu, Weiguo Wu, Paul Porter, Poonam Sarkar, Na Zhao, Constanze V Oehler, Ondrej Peller, M Waleed Gaber, Qian Zhu, Charles M Perou, Xiang H-F Zhang, Jeffrey M Rosen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Women diagnosed with metastatic triple negative breast cancer (mTNBC) have limited treatment options, are more prone to develop resistance and are associated with high mortality. A cold tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) characterized by low T cells and high tumor associated macrophages (TAMs) in mTNBC is associated with the failure of standard-of-care chemotherapy and immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) treatment. We demonstrate that the combination of immunomodulatory low-dose Cyclophosphamide (CTX) coupled with anti-CSF-1R antibody targeted therapy (SNDX-ms6352) and anti-PD-1 (ICB), was highly effective against aggressive metastatic Trp53 null TNBC transplantable syngeneic models that present with high macrophage infiltration. Mechanistically, CSF-1R inhibition along …

Bromodomain And Extra-Terminal Protein Inhibitors Modulate Natural Killer Cell Function And Differentiation., Eric S. Geanes, Gage Greening, Maria Aggelakopoulou, Linh Huyen Truong, Santosh Khanal, Cas Lemaster, Marc L. Herman, Rebecca Mclennan, Persephone Borrow, Todd Bradley

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Natural killer (NK) cells are integral to the innate immune system, playing a crucial role in immune surveillance and the rapid response to virally infected and tumor cells. Epigenetic gene expression regulation significantly influences NK cell function and differentiation. Using a high-throughput small-molecule drug screening approach, we identified bromodomain and extra-terminal domain (BET) inhibitors (BETi) as potent modulators of NK cell function, reducing proinflammatory cytokine secretion while increasing markers of NK cell maturation and cytotoxicity. During NK lineage specification from hematopoietic stem cells, we demonstrated that BETi reduced NK cell fate and promoted increased myeloid cell differentiation. Moreover, differentiated NK …

The Impact And Legacy Of The Kaplans, Craig Daniels

Journal of Math Circles

As we conclude this special issue on the Kaplans, we want to leave you with some reflections on their legacy. Craig Daniels attended seven week-long Math Circle Institutes organized by Bob and Ellen Kaplan at Notre Dame between 2009 and 2016, and was inspired to lead his own Math Circles for many years. Craig collected comments from many people who knew the Kaplans.

Optimal Intervention Strategies In Age-Structured Sirvd Model: Epidemiological And Economic Analysis Of Covid-19 In Korea, Joon Chun, Melisa Hendrata

Spora: A Journal of Biomathematics

This study employed an age-structured Susceptible-Infected-Recovered-Vaccinated-Deceased (SIRVD) model to design optimal COVID‑19 intervention strategies by integrating epidemiological dynamics with economic costs. Using empirical data from South Korea, we estimated transmission parameters and analyzed quarantine-based non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) alongside targeted vaccination scenarios. Our results indicated that a stronger form of mild NPI (upper range of Level I), when combined with targeted vaccination that prioritized seniors, achieved substantial reductions in infection peaks and overall economic burden. These findings underscore the effectiveness of age-specific strategies in epidemic management and offer critical insights for policymakers seeking balanced, resource-efficient approaches.

Inhomogeneous Branching Random Walks: Incorporating Genealogy And Density Effects, Lauren Ajax, Beatrice Durham, Pratima Hebbar, Cade Johnston, Jiayi Zhang

Spora: A Journal of Biomathematics

We introduce a novel framework using inhomogeneous branching random walks (BRWs) to model biological processes, specifically by introducing genealogy-dependence in branching rates and displacement distributions to model bacterial colony growth. Current stochastic models often either assume independent and identical behavior of individual agents or incorporate only spatiotemporal inhomogeneity, ignoring the effect of genealogy-based inhomogeneity on the long-time behavior of these processes. Such asymptotics are of independent mathematical interest and are crucial in understanding the emergence of patterns. We propose several inhomogeneous BRW models in 2D space where displacement distributions and branching rates vary with time, space, and genealogy. A combined …

The Sunday Math Circle, Nathan Pflueger

Journal of Math Circles

Bob and Ellen Kaplan envisioned and organized a style of math circle centered on the idea that children of all ages can work like mathematicians do: creatively, collaboratively, and ecstatically. This article surveys four sample topics covered during a Sunday morning math circle in the Boston area, based on Bob and Ellen's invaluable guidance. I also offer some reflections on what I learned from Bob and Ellen, and how it is reflected in these math circles.

Feasibility Study: Frugal Production Of Au@C60 (Gold Endohedral Fullerene), Xavier Pillet

Defensive Publications Series

This document, produced with the assistance of ChatGPT 5.2 Thinking and Gemini 3 Raisonnement, is released under the Apache 2.0 licence. It is a voluntary defensive publication (prior art) and therefore enters the prior art upon release under the applicable patent statutes : EPC Art. 54(2) (European Patent Convention), French PC Art. L 611-11 (French Intellectual Property Code), 35 U.S.C. §102(a) (United States Patent Act), Chinese Patent Law Art. 22(5)(中华人民共和国专利法), and Japanese Patent Act Art. 29(1)(特許法). It discloses frugal, industrializable routes to synthesize, purify, characterize, formulate, and deploy Au@C60 (helium arc discharge, composite anodes, arc control, gas recirculation, quench/soot collection, …

Sheep Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Biological Characteristics, Ethical Considerations, And Translational Applications, Hasan M. Agha, Mohammed A. Abdalqader, Oh Chin Kin Michelle, Sabaa M. Agha, Jantson Hoh, Abdulmutalib Alabeed Allaq, Amjad Abdulhadi Mohammed, Muneer Mohammed Saleh Alsayadi

AUIQ Complementary Biological System

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are widely used in regenerative medicine due to their self-renewal capacity, multilineage differentiation potential, and paracrine activity. Limitations associated with the sourcing and scalability of human MSCs have increased interest in xenogeneic alternatives, particularly sheep umbilical cord–derived MSCs (sUC-MSCs). These cells display high proliferative capacity, stable karyotypes, and a typical MSC immunophenotype (CD44, CD73, CD90, CD105), with low basal immunogenicity. sUC-MSCs exhibit osteogenic, chondrogenic, and adipogenic differentiation potential and secrete angiogenic and immunomodulatory factors, including VEGF, HGF, IGF-1, TGF-β, and IL-10. Owing to their biological similarities to human MSCs and accessibility from perinatal tissue, …

Llm Fine-Tuning Using A Multimodal Reward Model Trained With Ground Truth, Khalid Salama, Tomasz Kępa

Defensive Publications Series

This disclosure describes techniques to improve the accuracy of large language model (LLM) responses by using a trained multimodal reward model (RM) to fine-tune the LLM. In contrast to traditional techniques that train the RM without consideration of the ground truth, the RM is trained using the prompt (including image and/or other forms of input), the response, and the ground truth. The trained RM can be applied to score the LLM response to the prompt in relation to the ground truth. The score can be used to fine-tune the LLM to improve the accuracy and the form of its responses …

Following The Thread: Maria Lai’S 1981 Legarsi Alla Montagna, Claire Borre

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines Maria Lai’s (1919-2013) Legarsi alla montagna (1981), a three-day, relational project in which seventeen miles of ribbon were wound through the Sardinian town of Ulassai. In its conception, execution, and legacy, Lai’s project represented a significant challenge to traditional monumentality.

Fugitive Formalisms: Strategies Of Dissemblance And Dissent In The Work Of Queer-Identifying Artists, 1970–Present, Rowan Diaz-Toth

Theses and Dissertations

Utilizing case studies of works by Hélio Oiticica, Scott Burton, and Felix Gonzalez-Torres as points of departure, this thesis puts forth a speculative historical framework for reconsidering queer art practices up through the present day in opposition to regimes of visibility and transparency, exploring the subversive, fugitive potential of non-representational formalisms.

The Role Of Exotic Plants In The Diet Of Black-And-White Colobus Monkeys (Colobus Guereza) In Kibale National Park, Uganda, Michelle Gaykov

Theses and Dissertations

Exotic plants have both positive and negative impacts on their environment. They may act as additional food sources for the local fauna or as competition for local flora or leading to changes within a landscape or ecosystem. To considere the role of exotics in primate diet, this study focused on the dietary role of exotic plant species in the diet of a leaf-eating foregut fermenting monkey, the black-and-white colobus monkeys (Colobus guereza) in Kibale National Park, Uganda. Int this study, I followed individuals in two groups of black-and-white colobus monkeys for 21 days recording their food intake (0700-1900). I also …

The Decadent Bible: Biblical Intertextuality In Flaubert’S Herodias And Wilde’S Salome, Shoshana Mintz

Theses and Dissertations

This paper argues that Gustave Flaubert’s Hérodias and Oscar Wilde’s Salomé incorporate biblical intertextuality throughout their work as a means to showcase Decadent technique and themes. Both authors weave direct quotations from biblical sources such as the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Revelation, and Acts into their texts, layering biblical passages with themes of excess, eroticism, and decay central to the Decadent movement. Drawing on Julia Kristeva’s theory of intertextuality, I show how these biblical fragments intersect with narrative voice to destabilize meaning and form a unique, new work of writing that intertwines their own words with biblical …

The Double Gaze: Weaving Historical, Decolonial, And Indigenous Perspectives Through Maruch Sántiz Gómez’S Creencias., Elisa Gutiérrez Eriksen

Theses and Dissertations

The Double Gaze examines Maruch Sántiz Gómez’s series Creencias (1994-2000) at the intersection of sociopolitical changes in southeastern Mexico and the 1995 Johannesburg Biennial. Drawing on Rita Segato’s “capillary disobedience” and the Mayan philosophy of kab’awil, the research considers Creencias as a theoretical proposal for reading Indigenous art practices.

One Stone's Journey, Satoko Saito

Theses and Dissertations

One Stone’s Journey is a participatory, experiential thirty-minute documentary about uranium. By using an embroidered world map and appealing to participants’ senses—especially touch—the project explores the possibility of telling the story of radiation, which is invisible, intangible, and silent. Uranium is a radioactive material used by the United States in the development and production of the atomic bombs during the Manhattan Project. This year, 2025, marks the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident in 2011 was on a scale comparable to the Chernobyl disaster of 1986, and the threat …