Digital Commons Network^™

African American Men's Perceptions Of Law Enforcement, Dr. Dedrie Reshell Leonard-Francis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American Black men are more likely to report unreasonable, unnecessary, and unwarranted experiences with U.S. law enforcement than men of other racial groups, and they higher mistrust toward law enforcement than any other racial group. These experiences have been described as unjustifiable due to the level of force used by police. In some cases, excessive force by law enforcement has resulted in the death of Black men. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore Black men’s perceptions of law enforcement and to understand their distrust. The study centered on the facilitators and barriers to Black men trusting …

The Need For Updated Curriculum, Krahseeva N. Hugmeyer-Walsh

Masters Projects

The modern world requires a workforce equipped with diverse, adaptable skills, yet many students remain unprepared due to outdated curriculum models that no longer align with current societal and professional demands. This project explores the growing disconnect between traditional educational systems and the skills needed in today’s fast-paced, technology-driven world. Current curricula often emphasize theoretical knowledge over practical application, leaving students ill-equipped to navigate real-world challenges. This project also proposes the development of a modernized secondary-level curriculum unit that prioritizes critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, ethics, and technological literacy. The proposed unit is designed to reflect student interests, promote engagement, and …

Reimagining Read-Alouds: Fostering Critical Consciousness And Social Justice Through Children's Literature, Kylie Brigham

Masters Projects

During this era of heightened political and social divides, it is more important than ever to provide elementary students with inclusive and socially conscious literacy instruction. While classroom read-alouds have been long valued for their impact on literacy development, they are often underutilized as tools for fostering student identity, empathy, and social justice. This project, grounded in the frameworks of critical literacy, culturally responsive pedagogy, and Frierian theory, positions the read-aloud as a powerful entry point for critical and age-appropriate conversations about social issues, representation, and power.

Research has shown that many educators lack the training, tools, and confidence to …

Nemvaleukin Alfa Monotherapy In Patients With Advanced Melanoma And Renal Cell Carcinoma: Results From The Phase 1/2 Non-Randomized Artistry-1 Trial, Emiliano Calvo, Valentina Boni, Olivier Dumas, Sang Joon Shin, Seth D Rosen, Arvind Chaudhry, Philip R Debruyne, Xiaomin He, Ulka N Vaishampayan, David F Mcdermott

School of Nursing and Midwifery

BACKGROUND: Despite improved outcomes with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and their combinations in advanced solid tumors, a subset of patients remains unresponsive or progresses, highlighting an unmet need for novel treatments with durable benefit. Nemvaleukin alfa (nemvaleukin, ALKS 4230) demonstrated manageable safety and antitumor activity, alone and in combination with pembrolizumab, across heavily pretreated advanced solid tumors in the ARTISTRY-1 study. We report in-depth antitumor activity, safety, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of nemvaleukin monotherapy at the recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) in advanced melanoma and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cohorts from ARTISTRY-1.

METHODS: ARTISTRY-1 was a three-part (A, B, and C), …

Pica Syndromes And Iron Deficiency Anemia Treatment: A Mini Review, Humza Mallick, Samir Dalia

Student Publications

Background/Objectives: Pica, the compulsive ingestion of non-nutritive substances, has long been observed in patients with iron deficiency anemia (IDA). This behavior is particularly noted in adults, including pregnant women, and poses both diagnostic and management challenges. We conducted a review of studies from the past decade to evaluate the epidemiology and nature of pica in adult IDA patients and the outcome of various treatment strategies on anemia and pica behaviors. Methods: We searched PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Library for peer-reviewed articles (including observational studies, clinical trials, and reviews) published in English between 2015 and 2025. Inclusion criteria targeted studies of …

The Place Speaks: Sacred & Artistic Genealogies Of Appalachia, The Reece Museum, East Tennessee State University

The Reece Museum Exhibition Publications

Jimmy Morrow was born March 6, 1955 in Raven Branch, a population area in rural Del Rio, Tennessee. His father, Albert Morrow, is remembered as a very devout man who raised his seven children in the church, and young Jimmy Morrow began preaching there when he was just six years old, soon after he received his first vision. Throughout his career, in which the Rev. Morrow was the founder and pastor of the Edwina Church of God in Jesus Christ’s Name, Morrow also preached at churches in Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and Kentucky. Alongside his work as a spiritual …

Mechanistic Role Of Heavy Metals In Driving Antimicrobial Resistance: From Rhizosphere To Phyllosphere, Rahul Kumar, Tanja P. Vasić, Sanja P. Živković, Periyasamy Panneerselvam, Gustavo Santoyo, Sergio De Los Santos Villalobos, Adeyemi Nurudeen Olatunbosun, Aditi Pandit, Leonard Koolman, Debasis Mitra, Pankaj Gautam

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Heavy metal pollution represents a pervasive environmental challenge that significantly exacerbates the ever-increasing crisis of antimicrobial resistance and the capacity of microorganisms to endure and proliferate despite antibiotic interventions. This review examines the intricate relationship between heavy metals and AMR, with an emphasis on the underlying molecular mechanisms and ecological ramifications. Common environmental metals, including arsenic, mercury, cadmium, and lead, exert substantial selective pressures on microbial communities. These induce oxidative stress and DNA damage, potentially leading to mutations that enhance antibiotic resistance. Key microbial responses include the overexpression of efflux pumps that expel both metals and antibiotics, production of detoxifying …

From Hildeburh To Héra: Recuperating Women’S Presence In Beowulf, J.R.R. Tolkien’S The Lord Of The Rings, And Kenji Kamiyama’S The War Of The Rohirrim, Christopher Vaccaro

Online Midwinter Seminar (OMS)

No abstract provided.

The Lay(Er)S Of The Corrigan, Lelie Brémont

Online Midwinter Seminar (OMS)

No abstract provided.

“Mysterium Tremendum Et Fascinans”: Melian’S And Lúthien’S Numinosity, Alexandra Filonenko

Online Midwinter Seminar (OMS)

No abstract provided.

Silicon Is The Next Frontier In Plant Synthetic Biology, Aniruddha Acharya, Kaitlin Hopkins, Tatum Simms

Faculty Publications - Biological Sciences

Silicon has a striking similarity to carbon and is found in plant cells. However, there is no specific role that has been assigned to silicon in the life cycle of plants. The amount of silicon in plant cells is species specific and can reach levels comparable to macronutrients. Silicon is used extensively in artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, and the digital revolution, and thus can serve as an informational molecule such as nucleic acids. The diverse potential of silicon to bond with different chemical species is analogous to carbon; thus, it can serve as a structural candidate similar to proteins. The discovery …

Stem Cell-Derived Corneal Epithelium: Engineering Barrier Function For Ocular Surface Repair, Emily Elizabeth Fresenko, Jian-Xing Ma, Matthew Giegengack, Atalie Carina Thompson, Anthony Atala, Andrew J W Huang, Yuanyuan Zhang

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The cornea, the transparent anterior window of the eye, critically refracts light and protects intraocular structures. Corneal pathologies, including trauma, infection, chemical injury, metabolic diseases, genetic conditions, and age-related degeneration, can lead to significant visual impairment. While penetrating keratoplasty or full-thickness corneal transplantation remains a standard and effective intervention for severe corneal dysfunction, limitations in donor tissue availability and the risk of immunogenic graft rejection necessitate alternative therapeutic strategies. Furthermore, for cases of isolated epithelial disfunction, a full-thickness cornea graft may not be required or effective. This review examines the potential of corneal epithelial constructs derived from autologous stem cells …

Working Memory In Major Depressive Disorder: A Meta-Analysis Of Structural And Functional Brain Differences, Eunji Back

Master's Theses

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most prevalent mental health disorders in the US and is characterized by depressed mood and loss of interest. Many MDD patients also experience difficulties with executive function, including working memory. Neuroimaging studies reveal structural and functional brain differences between MDD patients and healthy controls that may underlie these working memory difficulties, but findings have been mixed. A quantitative synthesis of neuroimaging data through a meta-analytic approach offers a promising avenue to identify commonalities across studies. We conducted separate meta?analyses of structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data, with the latter focused …

Unci Maka’S Gift: An Outdoor Science Adventure For The First Graders, Arlene A. Abao, Larry M. Browning, Matt Miller, Jiyul Chang, Srinivas Janaswamy, Jessica Larson, Lydia Yellow Hawk, Michael Prate, Madhav P. Nepal

iLEARN Teaching Resources

In this super-fun lesson, kids are going outside to explore the schoolyard! They will look for all sorts of amazing plants, also called flora. They will use a special tablet to help us learn their names and then draw pictures of them. They will also dig a little to see the soil and learn why it's so important for plants to grow big and strong. And guess what? They’ll even look for little animals like ants or butterflies, also called fauna, that live near the plants, because everything in nature works together! They'll also hear cool stories about how people …

Our Flag Means Gender: Gender “Fuckery” In Our Flag Means Death, Megan Abrahamson, Dusty Brooks, Cassidy Percoco

Online Midwinter Seminar (OMS)

No abstract provided.

Revisiting Ambiguous Aredhel, Megan Abrahamson

Online Midwinter Seminar (OMS)

No abstract provided.

Sex, The Body, And Learning Gender: Demons In The World Of The Five Gods, Erin Mcbrien

Online Midwinter Seminar (OMS)

No abstract provided.

Witches, Prophets, And Outcasts: Liminal Women In Mythopoeic Fantasy, Supriya Baijal

Online Midwinter Seminar (OMS)

No abstract provided.

Reimagining Human-Nonhuman Friendships Through Feminist Animal Studies: An Exploration Of Sunny And Della’S Cross-Species Friendship In Nnedi Okorafor’S The Nsibidi Scripts Series, Akshitha Javahar

Online Midwinter Seminar (OMS)

No abstract provided.

Transgressive Body, Open Mind, And Perceptive Spirit For Nurturing Soul: A Reflection On Teaching To Transgress, Akie F. Wenk

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

In this reflection essay, I discuss my journey into the liberatory pedagogy bell hooks champions. As a foreign-born Japanese woman, who speaks English as her second language, being in the classroom itself can be seen as a transgressive act. Positioning myself as an educator who strives to creates an environment that is liberatory for me and my students, I discuss my specific experience and relationship to theories surrounding critical feminist pedagogy and how I practice these theories in my own classroom.

Welcome And Announcements, The Mythopoeic Society

Online Midwinter Seminar (OMS)

Join us for a screening of the Welcome and Announcements video and have a cup of coffee before we get started!

Sex, Stress And Hormones : The Role Of Modifiable Risk Factors In The Kinetics Of Alzheimer’S Disease, Hannah Marie Edwards

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease hallmarked by the presence of amyloid- plaques and tau tangles in the brain. The process of the disease begins decades prior to the onset of symptoms and is thought to be driven first by a buildup of amyloid- peptide in the extracellular space, triggering a cascade of pathology and symptomology culminating in loss of cerebral volume and cognitive impairment. Women are diagnosed with AD at a rate 2/3 higher than their male counterparts, even when controlling for age. While most driving factors of the disease are thought to be genetic, roughly 40% of …

The Unseen Struggle: Poems From The Abyss, Victor Ihechiluru Unachukwu

All ETDs from UAB

The Unseen Struggle: Poems from The Abyss is a collection of seventy poems. The poems cracked into the experiences of Nigerians—enduring social, political, and environmental oppression. Socially, ethnic divisions and limited education restrict opportunity; politically, corruption and repression silence dissent; environmentally, resource exploitation devastates livelihoods. Through poetry, I constructed a fictionalized Imo and Abia State, rendering these struggles visceral without requiring the reader’s physical presence. Drawing on personal experience, I employed sensory, auditory, and visual imagery to immerse readers in the systems that dictate and constrain Nigerian life. As a Nigerian living in America, I intertwine real events with familial …

Efficacy Of Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (Valsartan, Candesartan, Losartan) In Lowering Blood Pressure: A Systematic Review, Shafa S. Maharani, Dika P. Destiani

Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy Research

Hypertension is a significant health issue that significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) are commonly used in Indonesia to treat hypertension, yet comprehensive comparative efficacy data within this drug class remain limited. This review seeks to evaluate the blood pressure-lowering efficacy of three particular angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs)—Valsartan, Candesartan, and Losartan—in individuals diagnosed with hypertension. This systematic review identified randomized controlled trials (RCT) obtained from PubMed and Google Scholar using several keyword combinations. Among 20 RCTs with 6.425 patients treated with three ARBs, all included studies demonstrated significant blood pressure reductions. The mean reductions …

Phytochemical And Nutritional Composition Of Vernonia Amygdalina: Antioxidant, Antidiabetic Efficacy, And Hematological Benefits, Hassan A. Adewuyi, Atapia I. Messiah, Ochonung E. Ogar, Waheed S. Adio, Adebimpe H. Aluwatoyin, Obunadike Obunadike, Adeleye A. Edema, Samad Hussein, Usman A. Mohammed, Kevin L. Sebastine, Tolulope O. Jaiyeola

Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy Research

Vernonia amygdalina, a traditionally used medicinal plant, has been purported to possess health-promoting properties.The aim of this study is to investigate the phytochemical and nutritional composition of V. amygdalina, evaluate its antioxidant and antidiabetic efficacy, and assess its hematological benefits. Phytochemical screening, proximate analysis, antioxidant assays (DPPH, ABTS), antidiabetic evaluations in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats, and hematological assessments were conducted according to standard protocol. V. amygdalina exhibited a rich phytochemical profile, comprising flavonoids, phenolic acids, and terpenoids, alongside significant antioxidant activity (IC50 = 12.5 μg/mL) and complete source of protein. Proximate analysis revealed high protein (21.1%) and fiber (15.6%) content. Antidiabetic …

Limosilactobacillus Reuteri Enables Oral-To-Systemic Absorption Of Iberiotoxin For Treatment Of Collagen-Induced Arthritis In Rats, Mohamed R Kady, R Nicholas Elston, Lauren J Snyder, Jorie D Fleischman, Madilyn J Brandt, Duolong Zhu, Robert A Britton, Christine Beeton

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by joint inflammation and damage in which fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) play a central role. Invasiveness and proliferation of FLS in RA is dependent on activity of the KCa1.1 potassium channel. Peptide blockers of KCa1.1, such as iberiotoxin (IbTX), can be delivered subcutaneously to treat animal models of RA. We tested whether an engineered probiotic oral delivery platform could effectively deliver IbTX systemically in a rat model of RA.

Results: A plasmid for inducible secretion of IbTX was constructed and transformed into probiotic Limosilactobacillus reuteri ATCC PTA-6475 to generate LrIbTX. No differences …

Inhibition Of Epithelial Cell Yap-Tead/Lox Signaling Attenuates Pulmonary Fibrosis In Preclinical Models, Darcy Elizabeth Wagner, Hani N Alsafadi, Nilay Mitash, Aurelien Justet, Qianjiang Hu, Ricardo Pineda, Claudia Staab-Weijnitz, Martina Korfei, Nika Gvazava, Kristin Wannemo, Ugochi Onwuka, Molly Mozurak, Adriana Estrada-Bernal, Juan Cala-Garcia, Katrin Mutze, Rita Costa, Deniz Bölükbas, John Stegmayr, Wioletta Skronska-Wasek, Stephan Klee, Chiharu Ota, Hoeke A Baarsma, Jingtao Wang, John Sembrat, Anne Hilgendorff, Jun Ding, Andreas Günther, Rachel Chambers, Ivan Rosas, Stijn De Langhe, Naftali Kaminski, Mareike Lehmann, Oliver Eickelberg, Melanie Königshoff

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive and lethal disease characterized by excessive extracellular matrix deposition. Current IPF therapies slow disease progression but do not stop or reverse it. The (myo)fibroblasts are thought to be the main cellular contributors to excessive extracellular matrix production in IPF. Here we show that fibrotic alveolar type II cells regulate production and crosslinking of extracellular matrix via the co-transcriptional activator YAP. YAP leads to increased expression of Lysl oxidase (LOX) and subsequent LOX-mediated crosslinking by fibrotic alveolar type II cells. Pharmacological YAP inhibition via verteporfin reverses fibrotic alveolar type II cell reprogramming and LOX …

Mississippi Libraries Volume 87, Number 1 And 2

Mississippi Libraries

Complete issue of Vol. 87, Nos. 1 and 2 of Mississippi Libraries

Does Woody Encroachment In Eastern Iowa Crp Fields Depend On Age Or Surrounding Forest Cover?, Drew Denotter, Tyler Evans, Laura Jackson

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Historically, tallgrass prairie covered approximately 85% of Iowa’s landscape. Today, Iowa has experienced the most extensive land conversion and destruction of native habitats, with nearly all of the biodiversity from the native prairie converted to private cropland. This transformation has led to declines in water and soil quality, as well as losses in plant and animal genetic diversity. The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) incentivizes farmers to remove land from production and restore it to tallgrass prairie, but these restorations face a growing threat: woody encroachment. Invasive woody species can expand rapidly, with densities increasing over a relatively short period of …

Finding Aid For The Charlie Cox Collection (Mum00827)

Archives & Special Collections: Finding Aids (alphabetical)

Charlie Cox’s glass plate photography mostly from Benton County, Mississippi in the early 1900s.