Digital Commons Network^™

Differentiation In The Human Urothelia Is Defined By Distinct Alternative Polyadenylation, Ninh B Le, Surbhi Sona, Briana Santo, Yi Zhang, Rosie Ou, R Allen Schweickart, Veena Kochat, William I Padron, Kunal Rai, Shih-Han Lee, Joo Mi Yi, Oliver Wessely, Byron H Lee, Angela H Ting

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Distinct epithelial cell states arise during differentiation, but mechanisms generating transcriptomic diversity among them remain poorly defined. The human ureter urothelium contains basal progenitor, intermediate cells, and terminally differentiated umbrella cells. Prior single-cell RNA sequencing revealed similar global gene expression profiles across these states, raising the question of how distinct identities emerge. Here, we show that alternative cleavage and polyadenylation (APA) introduces a major layer of transcriptomic diversity during urothelial differentiation, largely independent of changes in mRNA levels. Analysis of 13,544 urothelial cells identified hundreds of differentiation-associated APA events. Single-cell imaging revealed spatially specific APA patterns, and reporter assays demonstrated …

Conned By The Enemy: The Entomopathogenic Fungus Metarhizium Anisopliae Lures And Kills Drosophila Suzukii, Ibrahim M. Farid, Shepard Ndlela, Paul G. Becher, Christopher W. Weldon, Abdelmutalab Ga Azrag, Helgi B. Schiöth, Samira A. Mohamed, Sunday Ekesi

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

BACKGROUND: Drosophila suzukii, commonly known as spotted wing drosophila (SWD), is a highly invasive and economically major pest that inflicts significant damage on soft-skinned fruit crops, including raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, cherries and grapes. The recent invasion of D. suzukii in Africa represents a key impediment to the berry industry on the continent. Conventional control strategies for this pest rely heavily on chemical insecticides, which pose several adverse side effects on biodiversity and environmental health. In this study, we evaluated five Metarhizium anisopliae isolates (ICIPE 7, ICIPE 18, ICIPE 20, ICIPE 30, ICIPE 78) for development as a biopesticide for …

Recurrence Of Locally Perturbed Random Walks With Long Jumps, Tamer Oraby, András Telcs

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

We study the effect of local perturbations on the recurrence of random walks with long jumps. Such walks serve as discrete models for infinite-horizon Lorentz processes, in which a particle can take arbitrarily long steps in specific directions. Motivated by a question of Sinai in the finite-horizon case and its extension by Szász to the infinite-horizon setting, we give recurrence and transience criteria for long-jump walks on Z2 and certain classes of graphs, and we prove that local perturbations in a bounded region do not change the recurrence property. Our proofs combine the Markov chain approach with the electrical network …

Carrasquillo V. 303 W. 122nd St. Hous. Dev. Fund Corp.

All Decisions

The Appellate Division affirmed the denial of the tenant's motion for a preliminary injunction to prevent the sale of co-op shares or termination of the proprietary lease. The court found the tenant failed to demonstrate a likelihood of success on the merits, primarily by not proving the landlord breached the warranty of habitability; cited violations were largely corrected, and the tenant denied access for repairs. Furthermore, the notice to cure was deemed valid. As the tenant defaulted on the loan agreement, the landlord was permitted under UCC § 9-610[a] to sell the shares or terminate the lease.

Sg & Sons Realty Llc. V Noman

All Decisions

In a non-payment proceeding, the tenant moved for summary judgment dismissal, asserting the landlord was barred from collecting rent due to an active Department of Buildings violation for occupancy contrary to the certificate of occupancy (CofO). The court granted the tenant's motion, dismissing the petition without prejudice. Citing *Chazon LLC v Maugenest* and Multiple Dwelling Law §§ 301 and 302, the court held that an open CofO violation for any part of a dwelling bars the landlord from recovering rent for the entire premises, even if the tenant's specific unit is not directly implicated.

Mapping Post-Rainfall Recovery In Arid Regions Using A Hierarchical U-Net, Xin Hong

All Works

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) experienced an extreme rainfall event between April 15 and 17, 2024, and that resulted in severe flooding in its coastal regions. Dubai was among the most affected regions. This study applies a hierarchical deep learning model on PlanetScope imagery to detect flood inundation, quantify flood extent by land cover, and examine short-term recovery dynamics. While earlier work detailed the methodological development of a hierarchical U-Net model (Hong et al., in press), here we emphasize its application for monitoring resilience trajectories in an arid urban environment. Results show that approximately 22 km² of land was …

Assessing Urban Flooding And Vegetation Impact In Dubai Creek Following The April 2024 Extreme Rainfall, Dana Alhammadi, Xin Hong

All Works

During April 2024, the United Arab Emirates experienced an unusual phenomenon of an intense rainfall episode between April 14 and 18 that resulted in massive flooding in urban environments, particularly low-lying areas such as Dubai Creek. As a tidal waterway with dense urban development and environmentally sensitive zones surrounding it, Dubai Creek is an ideal site for assessing environmental changes caused by to floods. The study employed pre-flood (14 April) and post-flood (18 April) high-resolution PlanetScope satellite images, in combination with QGIS analysis, to evaluate vegetation health and surface water changes. Quantification of affected areas from flooding was achieved through …

Systemic Drug Delivery In Pigs Using Biodegradable Microneedle Patches, Katherine A. Miranda-Munoz, Tsungcheng Tsai, Jacy Riddle, Ke He, Lee Blaney, Jeremy Powell, Jorge Almodovar

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Transdermal microneedle systems offer a minimally invasive strategy for systemic drug delivery in veterinary medicine. In this study, biodegradable microneedle patches composed of polyvinyl alcohol, collagen, and chitosan were evaluated in pigs for the delivery of two model compounds, fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran (FITC-dextran, 4 kDa) and flunixin meglumine (FLU). Patches were applied to the ear and neck to assess the influence of anatomical site on systemic absorption. FITC-dextran delivered via a single 50 mg patch on the neck achieved approximately 1.2-1.4-fold higher plasma concentrations than oral administration and ear-applied patches, demonstrating enhanced uptake from vascularized regions. FLU patches applied to the …

Hard Hats And Second Chances: A Phenomenological Study Of Employer Support In Construction-Based Reintegration, Christofer M. Pacheco

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study examines how formerly incarcerated individuals perceive and experience employer support during workplace reintegration in the construction industry. Although employment is widely recognized as a protective factor against recidivism, post-hire experiences from the perspective of justice-involved employees remain underexplored. Grounded in an interpretivist paradigm and informed by Social Support, Social Learning, and Identity perspectives, the study investigated how structure, self, and environment interact to influence retention, growth, and desistance.

Nineteen interviews were completed with six construction workers in New Mexico who had maintained employment for at least one year following incarceration. Through the use of Seidman’s three-interview …

The Global Extent Of The Grassland Biome And Implications For The Terrestrial Carbon Sink, A S. Macdougall, B Vanzant, J Sulik, S Bagchi, D Naidu, T O. Muraina, E. Hersch-Green

Michigan Tech Publications

Land cover data are commonly used to model the terrestrial carbon (C) sink, yet these data have wide margins of error that significantly alter estimates of global C storage. Here we demonstrate this data vulnerability in grasslands, which are critical to C cycling but whose estimated distribution has varied by >50 million km (3.5-42% of the Earth's terrestrial surface). Comparing multiple high-resolution land cover products with expertly annotated grassland data from six continents, we show sources of mapping error and discuss C implications based on 2023 United Nations (UN) FAO estimates. Past misidentification arose from inconsistent definitions on grassland identity …

Establishing Functional Communication Responses And Mands: A Scoping Review Of Teaching Procedures And Implications For Future Investigation., Kyle W. Dawson, Amanda N. Zangrillo, Samantha J. Bryan, Rebecca J. Barall, Colin G. Wehr

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

The functional communication response (FCR) shares fundamental properties with the mand, with both responses linking the relevant motivating operation and the reinforcer maintaining a response. The FCR differs from the mand in that the communication response has the expressed intention of replacing challenging behavior by providing an outlet to access the same functional reinforcer. Research describes the development of mand and FCR repertoires; however, no research to date elucidates differences and similarities in how these repertoires are established. A scoping review was selected to systematically map and compare instructional procedures across FCT and mand training studies. In this scoping review, …

Apolipoprotein E4 And Its Later-Life Health Effects On The Multiple Sclerosis Population, Dean Zeldich, Chia Hsin Cheng, Yi Guan, Sriman Narain, Bang-Bon Koo

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease causing neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. The apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4) allele, a major genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's Disease, accelerates cognitive decline and neuroinflammatory processes, including blood-brain-barrier disruption. This study explores the impact of APOE4 on later-life health in MS patients using biomarkers from the UK Biobank.

METHODS: MS patients were grouped by APOE4 carrier status: MS-E4 and MS-nonE4. Age- and sex-matched non-MS controls (control-E4, control-nonE4) were included for comparison. Analyses assessed retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFL) from optical coherence tomography (OCT), blood biomarkers, cognitive performance, and brain magnetic …

Through The Ages: Reflecting On 250 Years Of Ai Technology, Ethan Brue

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"The only thing historians know for certain is that humans have been proven quite inept at being certain, particularly when it involves the future."

Posting about the longterm influence of artificial intelligence from In All Things, an online hub that offers insight into maintaining and faithful and orthodox Reformed Christian worldview while fearlessly engaging in every aspect of contemporary life – until all is made new.

Through the Ages

Spherex: Aromatics, Aliphatics, And Pah Size Across The Iris Nebula, C. Boersma, A. Maragkoudakis, L. J. Allamandola, J. D. Bregman, P. Temi, Vincent J. Esposito, R. C. Fortenberry

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Observations by the Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx) are combined with counterpart Spitzer spectral map data to study the aromatic, aliphatic, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) size evolution across the northwest photodissociation region (PDR) of the Iris Nebula (NGC 7023). The 3.3–3.4 μm complex (I_3.3) and 11.2 μm (I_11.2) PAH band strength are determined through direct integration. In addition, the former is decomposed into a 3.3 (I_3.3) and 3.4 μm (I_3.4) subfeature by fitting SPHEREx bandpass-integrated photometry using a modeled, highly sampled, multicomponent …

Coexisting Salps Exhibit Distinct Feeding Selectivity On Microorganisms In The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, Anne W. Thompson, Kylee Lamberson, Kelly R. Sutherland

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Mortality mechanisms play an important role in how oceanic microorganisms contribute to global biogeochemical cycles. Salps are widespread pelagic tunicates known to remove phytoplankton from coastal and high-latitude waters, but their interaction with microorganisms in the vast tropical and subtropical gyres is not well quantified. Using quantitative measurements of six major marine microorganisms in the guts of six distinct but co-occurring salp species from the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, we examined the impact and dynamics of salp feeding on marine microorganisms in a vast open ocean region. All salps preferentially removed prey greater than 1 μm in diameter, including marine …

Mechanical Performance Evaluation Of Natural Composites Recycled Hemp Rice Bag Reinforced With And Without Silicon Carbide Particles, Gaber A. Elawadi, A. S. Fayed

Mansoura Engineering Journal

Significant progress has been made in the development of natural fiber-reinforced composite materials, owing to their potential to enhance mechanical properties while offering a greener and more sustainable alternative to traditional materials. These materials combine superior ecological benefits with enhanced mechanical performance. This study examines how recycled hemp fiber bags, including recycled hemp fibers obtained from rice hemp fiber bags, affect the mechanical characteristics of unreinforced and reinforced composites. Four composite systems were fabricated and tested: (1) HFR (randomly chipped recycled hemp fiber bags–epoxy composite), (2) HFB (continuous recycled hemp fiber bag–epoxy composite), (3) HFR SiC (randomly chipped recycled hemp …

A Constructive-Engaging Analysis Of Descarrtes (European) And Oyeshile (African) On Personhood, Olanrewaju Shitta-Bey

Comparative Philosophy

An examination of the nature of the human person provides a crucial foundation for understanding human life and identity. Conceptions of personhood have far-reaching implications beyond philosophy, influencing politics, ethics, religion, and epistemology. Beliefs about what constitutes a person shapes theories of rights, responsibility, and justice; moral views on duty and accountability; religious understandings of the soul and the afterlife; and epistemological reflections on the sources and limits of knowledge. Inquiry into human nature is therefore not merely abstract, but central to understanding social organization and individual conduct. This paper examines two influential accounts of human nature drawn from distinct …

A Critique Of Ziporyn’S Interpretation Of Early Chinese Thought: From The Constructive-Engagement Vantage Point, Xiaoqiao Liu

Comparative Philosophy

Sameness and difference are among the most fundamental and yet most tension-laden categories in philosophy, bearing directly on the conditions under which judgment, classification, and meaning become possible. This article critically reconstructs and compares two influential but methodologically divergent approaches to this issue in contemporary comparative philosophy. One is Brook Ziporyn’s idea of coherence, which seeks to articulate a non-substantialist metaphysics as a response to tensions internal to the Western metaphysical tradition. The other is Bo Mou’s enhanced account of relative identity, which revises both absolute and modern relative identity theories through a bottom-up, semantically grounded framework oriented toward cross-tradition …

Father Knows Best? Not Here: Metaphors Of Kinship And Kingship In Haudenosaunee, Aristotelian, And Confucian Political Thought, Ian Kalman

Comparative Philosophy

The notion that the organization of large-scale social structures are rooted in domestic ones has a longstanding history in both Chinese and Greek classical political philosophy. Aristotle and Confucius independently reasoned that a good family, one with a strong father, mapped onto a good state, one with a strong king - though they differed on the details. While there is a strong literature juxtaposing these two titans, less attention has been paid to how their ideas compare with other philosophical traditions. This article provides an anthropological intervention to the comparative study of Confucius and Aristotle – while both autonomously argued …

The Coherence Of Navayāna Pragmatism: Ambedkar And The Pragmatist Reconstruction Of Buddhist Philosophy, Danish Hamid

Comparative Philosophy

This paper examines the philosophical coherence of B.R. Ambedkar’s reconstruction of his (Navayāna) Buddhism in relation to John Dewey’s pragmatism. Building on Scott Stroud’s reading of Ambedkar as a Deweyan Pragmatist (2017, 2023), it argues that Dewey’s evolutionary naturalism, his conception of growth, and pragmatic redefinition of concepts provide Ambedkar with the methodological tools for a naturalistic and socially reconstructive reinterpretation of Buddhist doctrines such as anicca (impermanence), dhamma (Buddha’s teaching), nirvāṇa (enlightenment), karuna (compassion), etc. Ambedkar transforms impermanence from a metaphysics of flux into an ethics of progressive growth, and recasts dhamma as a social morality grounded in fraternity …

Challenging The Double-Negation Principle: An Analysis Of Strategic Theories Of Sun Zi, Carnot, And Clausewitz Through Intuitionist Logic, Antonino Drago

Comparative Philosophy

To study a subject similarly represented in Eastern and Western cultures, I examine some classical theories of war strategy according to a new analytical method. This method is based on the recognition that the most important strategic theories are organized as theories essentially not deduced from axioms according to classical logic. Such theories reason through doubly negated propositions (DNPs), whose meanings differ from those of their affirmative counterparts. This corresponds to the use of intuitionist logic instead of classical logic. An inspection of the works of the texts of Sun Zi, Lazare Carnot, and Clausewitz reveals many such propositions, and …

Procedure To Evaluate Artificial Intelligence (Ai) Output For Educational And Clinical Tasks, Lynn Gilbertson, Cody Marie Busch, Jon Spike, Kaitlin Demoss, Jae Thompson

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

As generative artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more ubiquitous and accessible, there is a call to promote awareness, implementation, and evaluation skills among AI users. Free AI platforms offer unprecedented opportunities to transform how education and healthcare tasks are approached. However, a process for evaluating AI output has yet to be standardized. The current study implemented a structured process for guiding graduate and undergraduate students through critical evaluations of various AI platforms, promoting students' critical thinking and career readiness.

Effects Of Infused Instruction On Graduate Students’ Knowledge, Self-Perceptions, And Misconceptions Of African American English Dialect, Virginia L. Dubasik, Tim Brackenbury, Jasmine I. Wilson

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

Despite guidelines and requirements for training programs in communication sciences and disorders (CSD), pre-service and practicing speech-language pathologists report feeling under-prepared to work with speakers of Nonmainstream American English (NMAE) dialects such as African American English (AAE; Latimer-Hearn, 2020). The current study explored explicit instruction of the phonological and syntactic characteristics of AAE via infused instruction with speech-language pathology graduate students. Participants were 43 first- and second-year students in a CSD program. At the start of the course, participants completed a pre-instruction survey containing questions regarding demographics, exposure/experiences with AAE, baseline knowledge of AAE characteristics, and misconceptions regarding the dialect. …

Review Of "Canada And The Korean War: Histories And Legacies Of A Cold War Conflict" Edited By Andrew Burtch And Tim Cook, Tod Strickland

Canadian Military History

Review of Canada and the Korean War: Histories and Legacies of a Cold War Conflict edited by Andrew Burtch and Tim Cook

Profile: Susan Feldman

Creative Nonfiction Magazine

No abstract provided.

Consanguinity, Jill Carpenter

Creative Nonfiction Magazine

No abstract provided.

Minding Machines: A Note On Alienation, Sascha Engel

Fast Capitalism

This paper discusses an underrepresented dimension of contemporary alienation: that of machines, and particularly of computing machines. The term 'machine' is understood here in the broadest sense, spanning anything from agricultural harvesters to cars and planes. Likewise, 'computing machine' is understood broadly, from homeostatic machines, such as thermostats, to algorithmic universal machines, such as smartphones. I suggest that a form of alienation manifests in the functionalist use and description of machines in general; that is, in descriptions of machines as mere tools or testaments to human ingenuity. Such descriptions ignore the real and often capricious existence of machines as everyday …

Max Weber's Odyssey: The Wild West, The Frontier, And The Capitalist Spirit, David Norman Smith

Fast Capitalism

This article examines one aspect of Weber's thinking with respect to the United States: his view of frontier regions as new horizons for capitalism. This was not an incidental or side issue for Weber, whose famed analysis of The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism was only half-finished when he traveled through the United States in 1904. Nor is Weber's outlook on this topic immaterial for contemporary historians, many of whom now affirm quasi-Weberian views under such rubrics as "the New Western" history. A full account of Weber's notion of the frontier would exceed the limits of a journal …

Divining Domination: Steve Bannon As A Political Mystagogue, Tony Allen Feldmann

Fast Capitalism

Right-wing commentators (on tv, radio, newspapers, documentaries, or the internet) are often considered a source of misinformation and radicalization in American politics. Understanding the role of such commentators in the political sphere has taken on new significance since the election of Trump, who regularly takes talking points as well as political advice from prominent figures in right-wing media. The purpose of these political "shock jocks" also extends beyond mere political commentary: They offer their audience a framework for understanding the world. This framework contains certain reified perceptions of society and history. Durkheim and those working in his tradition have long …

Shakespeare's Plays Of Deranged Authority: The King's Three Bodies, Daniel Krier

Fast Capitalism

Shakespeare's plays are situated upon the threshold of two worlds: a declining traditional order torn apart by political rivalry and ascendant early-modern capitalism. The history plays dramatize infighting among warring factions of privileged aristocrats as well as revolutionary forces propelled by the rising commons and the politics of commodity. Legitimate authority is rarely secure among the kings perched upon Shakespearean thrones. In Shakespeare's Henriad and King John, crowns are contested from the moment they are placed upon royal heads, inspiring Kantorwicz's political theology: the corporeal body of short-lived kings is distinct from the sovereign's sublime body that reigns without cease. …