Digital Commons Network^™

Perfluoroalkyl Substance Pollutants Disrupt Microglia Function And Trigger Transcriptional And Epigenomic Changes, Yating Cheng, Jian-Rong Li, Hangjin Yu, Shuang Li, Boranai Tychhon, Chao Cheng, Yi-Lan Weng

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly referred to as "forever chemicals", are widely utilized in various industries and consumer products worldwide. Their exposure has been associated with numerous diseases and malignancies, including neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying PFAS-induced adverse effects on the central nervous system (CNS) remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the transcriptomic and epigenetic changes in microglia exposed to perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), a prevalent PFAS compound. Our findings demonstrate that 24-hour PFOS exposure (25 and 50 µM) disrupts the microglial transcriptome and compromises their homeostatic state, marked by increased inflammation and impaired …

Targeting Steroid Receptor Coactivators For The Treatment Of Benign Female Reproductive Disorders, Yuri Park, Jaeyeong Jeong, Eunsu Kim, Nuri Sung, Sang Jun Han

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Steroid receptor coactivators (SRCs) are master regulators of nuclear receptor signaling and play essential roles in female reproductive physiology. By integrating steroid hormone signaling with growth factors and metabolic pathways, SRC-1, SRC-2, and SRC-3 coordinate key processes such as decidualization, placental development, and ovarian function. Dysregulation of SRCs is strongly linked to the progression of benign gynecologic disorders, including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, and uterine fibroids, largely through enhancing hormonal hypersensitivity and disrupting nuclear receptor-mediated cellular pathways. Emerging evidence further implicates specific SRC isoforms in disease pathogenesis, underscoring their potential as biomarkers and therapeutic targets. To inhibit SRC activity, …

Nirfasterff: An Accessible, Cross-Platform Python Package For Fast Photon Modeling, Jiaming Cao, Samuel Montero-Hernandez, Rickson C Mesquita, Adam T Eggebrecht, Hamid Dehghani

2020-Current year OA Pubs

SIGNIFICANCE: Accurate and efficient photon modeling plays an essential role in the rapidly developing field of diffuse optical imaging, whereby the use of model-based analysis and image reconstruction can provide both educational and research benefits.

AIM: NIRFASTerFF is a cross-platform (Linux, macOS, and Windows) Python package for finite element method (FEM)-based light propagation modeling, supporting continuous-wave, frequency-domain, and time-resolved data for both exogenous and endogenous optical imaging applications. It also enables modeling of the autocorrelation function (

APPROACH: NIRFASTerFF incorporates highly parallelized FEM solvers for efficient computation on both CPU and GPU, leveraging OpenMP and CUDA acceleration. To support image …

Episodic Memory Involves Transient And Sparse Connectivity Aligned To Both Internal And External Events, Adam J. O. Dede, Peter Brunner, Jarod L. Roland, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Episodic memory depends on the coordination of local processing, indexed by high-frequency broadband (HFB) activity, with global organization, indexed by theta oscillations. However, theta and HFB exhibit asynchronous timing, raising the question of how results of local processing are communicated. Using intracranial EEG in patients performing a recognition memory task, we examined this coordination across medial temporal (MTL) and prefrontal (PFC) regions. HFB peaks occurred earlier in the MTL than in the PFC. Contrasting analyses were anchored either to these internally driven HFB peaks or to the external event of stimulus presentation. We discovered three key results. First, the role …

Comparison Of Metal Nanoparticles As Antifungal Agents: Efficacy, Mechanisms, And Toxicity Against Candida, Aspergillus, And Cryptococcus, Ahmed Falah Imran, Hayder Hameed Saeed, Khaldoon Jasim Mohammed

AUIQ Complementary Biological System

Candida albicans, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Cryptococcus neoformans are the invasive fungi whose diseases are becoming a growing health issue in the global community, particularly in immunocompromised people. The increasing resistance of the conventional antifungals and the shortage of the existing treatment methods require alternative methods. The present review is an evaluation of the antifungal activity of metal-based nanoparticles, including silver (Ag), copper (Cu), zinc oxide (ZnO), titanium dioxide (TiO₂), and selenium (Se) in relation to the three predominant pathogenic fungi. It also talks about their mode of action, relative efficacy, toxicity and their possible future clinical …

Composing A Kaleidoscope: A Scholarly Personal Narrative Of Academia In A Time Of Digital Overload, Suzanne Porath

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

s Scholarly Personal Narrative (SPN) explores the experience of fractured academic identity amid illness, remote teaching, and digital saturation. Anchored in the methodology of SPN as described by Nash (2004) this narrative integrates personal storytelling with critical reflection and theoretical engagement. Drawing on Rushkoff’s concept of digiphrenia, Makowka’s fractal identity, and Gergen’s absent presence, the paper examines how academic life in the digital age increasingly demands simultaneous performances of self across disjointed timelines and virtual spaces. Through vignettes of presenting at concurrent conferences, teaching from chemotherapy bays, and supporting a dissertation defense in unlikely places, this piece reflects on the …

Educators Perspectives Of Systematic English Language Development : A Qualitative Explanatory Study, Yvette Beavers, Nichole Bell

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

Multilingual English Learner (MLL) students are the fastest-growing student population in the U.S. and are often academically behind their native English-speaking peers. One factor in the achievement gap is MLL students' ability to gain English proficiency and inadequate teacher professional development. An explanatory study was conducted to explain the perspectives of teachers, and principals and assistant principals on Systematic English language development (SELD). The study collected data from five English Language Development (ELD) teachers and three principals and two assistant principals who supervised the ELD program at their school sites. The participants engaged in one-to-one interviews with ten semi-structured interview …

Tax Trends, Harry Z. Garian, John F. Kalben

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.

The Paradox Of The Broker: Why Educators Of Color Must Be Supported, Not Just Celebrated, Tatiana C. Parker

Gatherings

In this article, Dr. Tatiana C. Parker examines the transformative potential of social capital brokering within the higher education system, particularly for communities that have been systematically excluded through opportunity hoarding and network closures both historically and presently. Institutions of learning have long served as sites for the transmission of instrumental (tangible) and expressive (emotional) social capital returns. Yet, the same system that has supported mobility is now under attack through the divestment of education, ideological resistance, and the longstanding disenfranchisement of educators of color.

Drawing on her research regarding Black women and upward mobility, she asserts that when educators, …

Introduction: Building Space For Gathering In Hostile Times, Roberta Hurtado

Gatherings

This introduction serves as a means to share with you, the reader, about an upstate New York symposium that occurred in March of 2025. The event aimed to create a space where we could explore the trials, tribulations, and jubilations that women of color in New York higher education experience. Speakers and attendees gathered from all over the state—and, indeed, country—on a cold wintery day in a spirit of togetherness and awareness of where we find ourselves in this moment. We were there to learn and grow, and to find community.

Gatherings 2.1 (Complete Volume), Roberta Hurtado

Gatherings

Proceedings from The State of Women of Color in New York Higher Education.

Roberta Hurtado, "Acknowledgement" -- Table of Contents -- p. vi: Editorial Board.

Journal contents follow: p. 1: Roberta Hurtado (Ed.), "Introduction" -- p. 7: Liz Gil, "Community, Reflection, Wisdom" -- p. 9: Luisa Arroyo Cruzado (narrative) and Julie Fogden (image), "Guerrillera Blesson Interlude I" -- p. 11: Heather Hathaway Miranda, "Round Tables" -- p. 13: Estela López, "Guerrilleras: Speaking Truths and Strategizing Futures" -- p. 17: María Luisa Arroyo Cruzado (narrative) and Julie Fogden (image), "Guerrillera Blesson Interlude II" -- p. 19: Jeanine Irons, "No More Hester …

Fines, Fees, & Felon Disenfranchisement: An Unjust Punishment Barring A Fundamental Right, Molly Crain

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Comparative Legal Rhetoric, Lucy Jewel

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Conversation Canon, Evan C. Zoldan

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Paying To Punish: How Criminal Legal Debt In Kentucky Extends Beyond The Proportionate Punishment, Morgan King

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Is Truth Truth?, James R. Steiner-Dillon

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Balancing Broad Disclosure And Candid Consideration: Third-Party Consultants And Intra-Agency Exemptions Under The Freedom Of Information Act, Zac Losey

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

False Hope: How Kentucky's Unpaid Wage Lien Laws Fail To Protect Our Most Vulnerable Workers, B. Gammon Fain

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Underestimating Fraud, David Kwok

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Telepsychiatry For Substance Use Disorders: Evolution From Rapid Covid-19 Pandemic Adoption To Sustainable Integration, Jack Wang

Marshall Journal of Medicine

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, telepsychiatry for substance use disorder (SUD) management was generally an underutilized modality, mainly due to regulatory constraints. Through the pandemic, governmental deregulations rapidly and massively expanded their adoption, bringing out their significant potential to expand access, overcome barriers, and mitigate stigma for individuals seeking addiction care, particularly for rural and underserved populations. This narrative review consolidates the recent research on the growing adoption of telepsychiatry in the management of SUDs. It aims to explore the evidence-based benefits, identify common challenges, and underscore key considerations for its effective and equitable integration into SUD treatment …

Configuring Terminal Access To Non-Terrestrial Networks During Emergencies Through Broadcasted Authorization Data, Jean-Philippe Cormier, Pavan Nuggehalli

Defensive Publications Series

During events such as emergencies or terrestrial network outages, non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) may need to provide temporary access to specific, non-subscribed user equipment (UEs), such as smartphones or other computing devices, while managing potential network overload. This disclosure describes a method for dynamic and selective access control. An NTN can broadcast authorization data, for example a list of allowed international mobile subscriber identity ranges or an access probability threshold, using a broadcast mechanism such as evolved multimedia broadcast multicast services or a configuration channel like TS.43. On a device, a specialized application can receive this information. If the UE is …

Adaptive Satellite Modem Management Based On User And Device Context For Power Optimization, Shailesh Maheshwari, Sat K, Sooraj Sasindran, Chinmay Dhodapkar

Defensive Publications Series

Inconsistent satellite service coverage for mobile devices, such as a smartphone or wearable device, may cause increased power consumption as a modem repeatedly searches for a stable signal, particularly in locations with compromised reception. A method is described for managing power usage by controlling satellite modem activity based on user and device context. The approach may use contextual triggers, for example, screen status, device location (e.g., indoors or in a pocket), battery level, and historical connectivity patterns, to place the modem into a dormant mode when a reliable connection is determined to be unlikely. The system can also use service …

Bypassing Connection Backoff Timers During Voice Over Wi-Fi To Voice Over Long Term Evolution Handover Failures, Max Mo, Poying Chuang

Defensive Publications Series

A handover failure from a first communication service, such as voice over Wi-Fi, to a second communication service, such as voice over long-term evolution, may trigger a backoff timer on a user equipment (UE). This can delay the establishment of an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) packet data network (PDN) connection and result in a temporary loss of voice service. This disclosure describes a method to address this issue. When the UE receives a PDN CONNECTIVITY REJECT message with one of a set of designated cause codes (e.g., "missing or unknown access point name") following a PDN connectivity request made for …

Dynamic Management Of Radio Access Technologies For Calling, Max Mo, Yuantao Lee, Poying Chuang, Peggy Huang

Defensive Publications Series

A system is described for managing radio access technologies used for calling. A network carrier may provide call support on a particular radio access technology (RAT) that the user has disabled. The disclosed methods can involve a user equipment (UE) detecting the initiation of a call that requires access to a particular RAT. In response, the UE may automatically and temporarily re-enable the disabled RATs for the call's duration, and may optionally revert the setting afterward. An alternative method can involve the UE proactively identifying when it is in a region where a specific RAT is utilized for certain calls …

Selective Battery Charging Profile Management Via Cloud-Based Sparse Serial Number Validation, Yao Ding, Amos Lee

Defensive Publications Series

To help manage performance and reliability risks that may be associated with unverified user-removable batteries in devices, such as hearables, an authentication method can be used as an alternative to certain traditional cryptographic techniques. The described technology may utilize a low-power integrated circuit within the battery pack that stores a unique serial number (S/N) from a sparsely populated namespace, where many possible S/Ns can be deliberately unused. Upon battery insertion, a host device can read the S/N and send it for validation via a cloud-based server. This verification can allow the system to differentiate authentic batteries from unverified or counterfeit …

Decentralized Architecture For Collaborative Ai Agents Sharing Synthesized Knowledge., Gaurav Gupta, Ashish Tendulkar

Defensive Publications Series

Some personal artificial intelligence assistants may present a trade-off between collaborative functionality and user data privacy. The disclosed technology describes a decentralized architecture where a personal artificial intelligence agent can operate on a user's local computing device (e.g., a smartphone, smart watch, wearable device, laptop computer, augmented reality glasses, etc.). The agent can utilize a locally trained personal likeness model and a secure on-device data vault to process information. A decentralized collaboration module may enable peer-to-peer communication between agents, governed by user-managed permissions. During collaboration, a privacy-preserving query protocol can be used to exchange synthesized, abstract knowledge summaries rather than …

Automated Software Bug Reproduction Via An Iterative Multi-Agent System., Leonid Kuligin

Defensive Publications Series

Resolving software defects can be delayed by incomplete bug reports, which may require manual developer follow-up to obtain information needed for reproduction which increases the time required to fix the bug (mean-time-to-resolve). The disclosed technology describes an automated, iterative multi-agent system that can process these reports. The system can ingest a report (for example, a bug raised by a user through an issue tracker) and use specialized agents (for example, for coding, verification, and reflection) within a reproduction loop to attempt to generate a runnable code example that triggers the described error. A reflection agent can analyze failed attempts to …

Multimodal Artificial Intelligence Based Solver, Cliff Kuang, Yangfan Wu, Kelly Tsai

Defensive Publications Series

This document describes a multimodal AI-based solver that is usable to perform various tasks related to mathematical calculations within a user’s context. The solver helps users understand quantifiable problems in their current context and assists in obtaining solutions and making sense of them. The solver also helps users take action on these solutions. The solver user interface is provided within the user's current task context. The solver is implemented using a large language model (LLM) as its backend. This improves the user experience of performing calculations, taking actions based on those calculations, and interpreting numbers in real-world context,

Strengthening On-Device Trust Anchors With Rotation And Multiple Sources, Darren Krahn

Defensive Publications Series

This disclosure describes a scheme to strengthen on-device trust anchors using key rotation and multiple sources. The trust anchors enable device-to-device authentication where software relies on the trust anchor. The described scheme includes rotating public keys over time. A device receives a list of trusted public keys from multiple sources, with the final trust anchor being the intersection of the copies of the list received from the different sources. This approach offers benefits such as enhanced security if individual sources are compromised and continued functionality for older devices. The described techniques can be implemented by operating system providers and/or device …

Unaccompanied Migrant Minors: A Psychiatric Case Series Review, Cecilia De Vargas, Eden Hernandez Robles, Fernando Doval Perez, Leslie Salazar-Hinojosa, Danielle Parker, Javier Segovia, Aleli Campbell, Deborah J. Clegg

International Journal on Responsibility

Unaccompanied children and adolescents who migrate from Central America and Mexico into the United States (U.S.) are exposed to and experience trauma throughout the process of migration. These traumatic experiences result in an increasing prevalence of psychiatric illnesses and challenges to treatment. This study presents a psychiatric patient record review of minors and their complex trauma. Unaccompanied migrant minors (UMM) ages 12-17 (28 males and 22 females; n = 50) received comprehensive psychiatric assessments at the El Paso Texas Tech Child and Adolescent Psychiatry outpatient clinic. Their charts were reviewed for psychiatric diagnosis, treatment progress, and trauma experiences before, during, …