Digital Commons Network^™

Digital Confessions: A Genealogy Of Belonging, Obedience, And Platform Power, Mohammad M. Ibrahimi

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

This paper critiques social media as a moral architecture that shapes how individuals understand belonging, visibility, and selfhood. Drawing primarily on Nietzsche, with support from Foucault, Dostoevsky, and Zuboff, it explores why users continue to invest digital platforms with authority despite their widely recognized harms, treating social media less as a technological tool and more as a medium of belonging and livelihood. To provide a broader context for this critique, the paper situates social media within a genealogy of moral architectures, tracing developments from the Church, through capitalism as an ideology, and ultimately to contemporary digital platforms. In doing so, …

Water Circulation Beneath A Hovering Suas For Water Quality Monitoring Applications, Erin E. Hackett, Boone Fleenor, Jensine C. Coggin, Duvall Dickerson-Evans, Nikolaos Vitzilaios, Whitney E. Schuler, Paige K. Williams, Michael L. Myrick

Marine Science

Water quality has traditionally been measured via in situ sensors and satellites. The latter has limited applicability for smaller inland water bodies, while the former requires significant logistics, labor, and expense for routine sampling, and reactive/spurious sampling is often not feasible as a result (e.g., sampling pre-/post-storm). Consequently, small uncrewed aircraft system-based (sUAS-based) sampling has emerged as a potential solution to bridge these sampling gaps and challenges. But sampling from an sUAS is complicated by the need to pump water from depth, rather than suspending a sensor from the sUAS, due to concern over sampling sUAS-impacted waters. Here, we measure …

Spike Timing Depended Plasticity Produces Unsupervised Learning Of Synergistic Muscle Feedback In A Synthetical Neural Network, Mark Allen Pupkiewicz

Dissertations and Theses

This study investigates how type Ia feedback from muscle spindles can be organized into groups representing agonistic muscle pairs through Spike Timing Dependent Plasticity (STDP). A single degree of freedom joint is actuated with four biologically modeled muscles forming two agonistic pairs. In order to emulate the sensory dynamics of biological muscle spindles, sensors in the model record the active length and velocity states of each muscle, the two primary factors eliciting type Ia afferent responses. In biological networks, synapses from Ia sensory neurons frequently activate interneurons representing agonistic muscle sources. This research investigates whether this organization can emerge in …

Investigation Of The Endogenous Opioid Neural Circuitry In Pain, Erin Nicole Bobeck

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Usu Subaward: Creation Of A Cooperative Bs Degree Program For The Marianas Islands And Beyond, Abby Benninghoff

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Myocardial Lipin1 Protects The Heart Against Ischemic Injury By Preserving Lipid Homeostasis, Jiaxi Guo, Brian N. Finck, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Impaired cardiac lipid metabolism has been reported to cause heart failure. Lipin1, a multifunctional protein, is a phosphatidate phosphatase that generates diacylglycerol from phosphatidic acid and a transcriptional cofactor that regulates lipid metabolism-related gene expression. Here, we investigated the roles of lipin1 in cardiac remodeling after myocardial infarction (MI). The expression levels of lipin1 significantly decreased in cardiomyocytes of the human failing heart and murine ischemic myocardium. Cardiomyocyte-specific Lpin1 knockout (cKO) mice showed left ventricle enlargement and reduced fractional shortening after MI, compared with control mice. This was accompanied by elevated cardiac fibrosis, accumulation of reactive oxygen species, and increased …

Liver Injury In A Preclinical Model Of Short Bowel Syndrome Is Associated With Impaired Autophagy, Daniel M Alligood, Alex Park, Kerry Swanson, Naima Pyarali, Evan Mayse, David M Alvarado, Xiuli Liu, Jae-Sung Kim, Nicholas O Davidson, Deborah C Rubin, Jun Guo, Brad W Warner

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Critical for cellular maintenance and repair, autophagy recycles damaged or redundant cellular components. Dysregulated autophagy is associated with progressive cellular injury in various liver pathologies. However, the role of autophagy in intestinal failure-associated liver disease has not previously been investigated. Using a preclinical murine model of short bowel syndrome, we explored the role of autophagy impairment at early and late time points. Regardless of sex, small bowel resected (SBR) mice demonstrated significant liver injury compared to sham controls, exhibiting elevated serum transaminases, altered liver histology, and increased mRNA expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress marker (Ddit3) and oxidative stress marker (Nqo1). …

Mapas, Marcos Y Meta-Comunicación: Bases Epistemológicas Para Una Teoría Del Juego Derrol De Mesa En Las Industrias Creativas / Maps, Frames, And Metacommunication: Epistemological Foundations For A Theory Of Tabletop Role-Playing Games In The Creative Industries, Cristo Leon Ph.D.

STEM for Success Resources

Artículo académico de Cristo León (2025) sobre juegos de rol de mesa, teoría de marcos y meta-comunicación en las industrias creativas. El estudio propone una base epistemológica para comprender cómo los juegos de rol coordinan identidades, ficciones, acciones, agencia múltiple y niveles diegéticos mediante procesos colaborativos de creación narrativa. Publicado en Game Studies e as Indústrias Criativas, 5(2).

Ecological Drivers Of Habitat Selection And Maternal Survival In Female Mule Deer (Odocoileus Hemionus), Brady R. Knight

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the ecological and biological factors that influence habitat selection by mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) is crucial for effective management. Mule deer select cover, forage, and water, each critical to energy acquisition and survival of mule deer. Here, we evaluate the factors that influence habitat selection and reproductive decisions by mule deer . In chapter one we evaluate the influence of treatments to restore quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) on habitat selection by mule deer. We hypothesized that mule deer would not use habitats randomly because of variability in nutrition and perceived risk of predation. We predicted that areas with aspen …

Primary And Secondary Hyperaldosteronism, Joanna Lam

Senior Honors Theses

Hyperaldosteronism is characterized by the excess production of aldosterone in the body. This disorder manifests in two subtypes: while primary hyperaldosteronism is due to the excess secretion of aldosterone from the adrenal glands, secondary hyperaldosteronism originates from imbalances elsewhere in the body. Here, recent literature will be reviewed to examine the etiology and effects of both subtypes of hyperaldosteronism across molecular, cellular, and organ levels. Current diagnostic and treatment options for both subtypes of this disorder will also be reviewed, as well as recent research examining the prevalence of hyperaldosteronism over varying demographics.

Elephant In The Classroom: How Ethical Ai Can Improve Student Success, Ibrahim Kocaman, Daniel A. Cutrer

Publications

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into teaching and learning in higher education without compromising academic integrity is a pressing issue. To make the benefits of generative AI (GenAI) available to students while upholding principles of ethics and academic honesty, the authors implemented an ethical use of AI policy in their Introduction to Research Methods at Embry-Riddle University. The authors hypothesized and found that allowing ethical utilization of AI would lead to higher student engagement and academic success. These findings offer valuable insights for higher education programs and educators, particularly in security studies.

Mitochondrial Insoluble Aggregates In Aging And Alzheimer’S Disease Models: Cross-Species Proteomic Integration, Identification Of Conserved Candidates, And Pharmacological Disruption Of Eef-2 Interactions, Sonu Pahal

Theses and Dissertations

Protein aggregation within mitochondria emerges early in both aging and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and contributes to progressive loss of proteostasis. Insoluble mitochondrial aggregate fractions from Caenorhabditis elegans revealed extensive enrichment of metabolic and translational proteins that also appear in human Alzheimer hippocampal aggregates. Comparative analysis across age and genotype identified a conserved subset of aggregation-prone proteins, several of which cluster around elongation factor 2 (eEF-2), a regulator of ribosomal translocation and energy coupling. Cross-species integration defined a network in which eEF-2 links chaperones, metabolic enzymes, and RNA-binding proteins that co-aggregate in both human Alzheimer material and nematode models. Functional tests …

155 Linden Llc V. Washington

All Decisions

In this nonpayment proceeding, the court granted the tenant's motion for leave to file an amended answer and for summary judgment. The landlord sought rent arrears for a Rent Stabilized apartment. The tenant argued that the landlord was barred from collecting rent due to open Department of Buildings (DOB) violations indicating occupancy contrary to the building's certificate of occupancy. Citing MDL §§ 301 and 302 and the controlling precedent of *Chazon, LLC v. Maugeneset*, the court found that the sixteen open DOB violations for unauthorized conversion of commercial space precluded the landlord from prosecuting the nonpayment action, regardless of whether …

Intouch Week Of December 8, 2025, New York Medical College

InTouch

No abstract provided.

Polycystin-2 Is Cardioprotective Against Myocardial Infarction By Regulating The Calcium-Mediated Er-Stress Response, Virdjinija Vuchkovska

Dissertations

Patients with autosomal polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) have an increased risk and worse outcomes after acute myocardial infarction, but the mechanism for this is unknown. Polycystin 2 (PC2), one of the two main proteins mutated in ADPKD, is a calcium permeant channel that localizes to the ER/SR. In non-cardiac cells, PC2 regulates the unfolded protein response (UPR) pathway under ER stress. However, whether PC2 is cardioprotective against ER stress is unknown. We found that PC2 expression increased in cardiomyocytes from human ischemic hearts and infarcted murine hearts. Cardiomyocyte-specific PC2 KO (PC2 KO) mice had worsened cardiac function after myocardial infarction …

Using Light To Dissect Mechanisms Of Septin Recruitment, Shreya Chandrasekar

Dissertations

Cells interpret biochemical and mechanical signals through dynamic regulation of the cytoskeleton and adhesion complexes, enabling key processes such as shape adaptation, force generation and migration. As these signals vary in both time and space, they can be challenging to resolve using traditional bulk assays. To overcome this limitation, we employ light-based optogenetic tools to reversibly modulate biochemical signals and mechanical equilibrium within cells. Specifically, we use the iLID optogenetic approach to locally activate signaling and manipulate contractility within the cytoskeleton for the purpose of investigating the role of RhoA and contractility on septin organization and adhesion protein localization. We …

Deep Learning For Underwater Manatee Counting And Tracking, Theodor Owchariw

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris), a threatened marine mammal often found in coastal waters, require accurate monitoring to inform conservation strategies. However, traditional counting methods are hindered by observer bias and surface distortions. Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) address these challenges using captured aerial footage of manatees, demonstrating the potential of artificial intelligence for automating manatee counting. Still, various challenges arise hindering accurate counts.

Building on these studies, this work advances artificial intelligence with underwater footage, instance segmentation, data augmentation, and pseudo-labeling to automate manatee counting in data-scarce environments. Three experiments were conducted using 10%, 60%, and 90% …

Imaging Reactive Oxygen Species With L-012 Reveals Neutrophil Extracellular Trap Formation In Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma, Angisha Basnet, Kaitlyn M Landreth, Michael Sestito, Kristen Ranson, Seth T Gammon, David Piwnica-Worms, Brian A Boone, Tracy W Liu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Neutrophils, key effector cells of the innate immune system, combat pathogens through mechanisms including the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). While these responses are critical for host defense, prolonged elevation of ROS and dysregulated NETosis mediated by neutrophils have been implicated in autoimmune diseases, chronic inflammation, and cancer. In pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), a highly aggressive and inflammatory malignancy, an increase in neutrophils infiltrating the tumor microenvironment promotes cancer progression and metastasis through increased ROS production and NET release. Using bioluminescence imaging with the reporter L-012 and NET assays, we assessed …

Collaborative Research: Verification Of Atmospheric Mercury Redox Reaction Rates, Colleen Patricia Jones

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Investigating The Role Of Mitochondria In Postmortem Metabolism And Shelf Stability Of Fresh Meat, Sulaiman K. Matarneh, Kara J. Thornton-Kurth, Stephan Van Vliet

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Performance Of The Iupod Intrauterine Device For Long-Term Fertility Control In Free-Roaming Mares, Chris Davies

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Gastrectomy Promoted Diabetes Remission Involves The Molecular Clock And Epigenetic Mechanisms In A Rat Model Of Lean Type 2 Diabetes., Aurélie Le Lay, François Brial, Claude Rouch, Xiaojian Shao, Mathieu Bourgey, Kazuhiro Sonomura, Huiting Ou, Sara Ghezzal, Mylène Vincent, Marylène Rugard, Karine Audouze, Jiannis Ragoussis, Fumihiko Matsuda, Guillaume Bourque, Elin Grundberg, Mark Lathrop, Christophe Magnan, Dominique Gauguier

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Bariatric surgery results in type 2 diabetes (T2D) improvement. To identify mechanisms associated with gastrectomy-promoted T2D remission in lean individuals, we performed pathophysiological, behavioural and molecular (liver transcriptome, metabolome and lipidome) investigations in the Goto-Kakizaki (GK) model of spontaneously-occurring non-obese T2D following vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) or sham operation. VSG resulted in sustained reduction in hyperglycemia and changes in nycthemeral feeding patterns and activity. Liver transcriptome and lipidome profiling pointed to changes in the expression of genes involved in inflammation, PPAR signalling and fatty acid metabolism, and in the regulation of phosphatidylcholine and lysophosphatidylethanolamine classes. Deeper analysis revealed altered expression …

Library Guides For Graduate Students: A Content Analysis, Maria Kiriakova, Junli Diao, Joan Kelly Castro

Journal of Graduate Librarianship

This study looked at 117 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) academic library websites and identified 48 library guides that consider graduate students in general as their target audience. The broad and systematic content analysis of these library guides resulted in the discovery of four different types, which we categorized as Checklist, Orientation Module, Directory, and Comprehensive. We identify and describe content patterns that address the different roles graduate students might play as advanced library users, novice researchers, and teaching assistants/instructors. Academic librarians who have already created library guides for graduate students could use the results of …

Volume 23 - Front Matter

DePaul Business & Commercial Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Immeasurable Halls And Dreamlike Forms: Tracing The Caves Of Cheddar Gorge Throughout Tolkien’S Legendarium (And Beyond), Kristine Larsen

Journal of Tolkien Research

Cheddar Gorge (Mendip Hills, Somerset County, southwest England) is home to extensive cave systems carved into ancient limestone. Two of the most picturesque, Gough’s Cave and Cox’s Cave, are among the most important geological tourist attractions in England. Among the caves’ many enthusiasts was J.R.R. Tolkien, who first visited the site in 1916 while on his honeymoon and later in 1940 on a family vacation during his early work on The Lord of the Rings. As he noted in a 1971 letter these two visits (in particular, his earlier memories of the caves before their unfortunate commercialization) spawned the …

Tax Clinic, Paul Farber

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.

The Tax Adviser, Volume 1, Number 5, May 1970, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.

Southern Adventist University Commencement Winter 2025, Southern Adventist University

Commencement Programs

Program for Southern Adventist University Winter 2025 graduation. The commencement service took place on December 18, 2025 at 7 pm in Iles Physical Education Center.

Arabic Around Us: Exploring Everyday Life Group Project, Bret Windhauser

Open Educational Resources

Students will work in small groups to create a comprehensive and engaging project that explores a particular aspect of everyday life in an Arabic-speaking country. This could include food, traditions, daily routines, or an introduction to the language itself. By the end of the assignment, students will demonstrate their understanding of Arabic vocabulary, grammar, and culture through a creative project.

French 123 Assignment: Group Project, Jovensel Ngamaleu

Open Educational Resources

This assignment is a way to engage with the real world through the practice of French in various areas of everyday life, in order to improve oral and written language skills.