Digital Commons Network^™

Compadre: Combined Pedigree-Aware Distant Relatedness Estimation For Improved Pedigree Reconstruction, Grahame F Evans, James T Baker, Lauren E Petty, Alexander S Petty, Hannah G Polikowsky, Ryan J Bohlender, Hung-Hsin Chen, Che-Yu Chou, Kathryn Z Viljoen, Janet M Beilby, Shelly Jo Kraft, Wanying Zhu, Joshua M Landman, Autumn R Morrow, Dayi Bian, Alyssa C Scartozzi, Chad D Huff, Jennifer E Below

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Designing powerful and unbiased genomic studies requires accurate assessment of familial relatedness even when this information is not captured from participants. Characterization of pairwise degrees of relatedness from participants' genetic data enables reconstruction of pedigrees, and several pedigree reconstruction tools have emerged in the last decade. However, limitations of these tools include high computational burden in large datasets, reliance on external information, reduced accuracy in admixed populations, and most notably, an inability to accurately reconstruct pedigrees when only a subset of family members is represented in the genetic data. To improve pedigree reconstruction in large-scale data and in pedigrees with …

Bond Trustee's Objection To Confirmation

Catholic Dioceses in Bankruptcy

No abstract provided.

Site Specific Reliability-Targeted Snow Loads And Winter Wind Parameters Across The World, Brennan Bean, Nicholas Brimhall, Bikram Bhusal, Marc Maguire, Maha Moussa

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

This report presents a framework for estimating Reliability Targeted Snow Loads (RTSLs) and Winter Wind Parameters (WWPs) at locations outside the Conterminous United States (OCONUS). The methodology integrates ground-based in-situmeasurements with gridded global climate products to generate spatially continuous RTSL estimates for nearly any location in OCONUS. RTSLs are computed at qualifying in-situ stations, and predictive models relating gridded climate products to in-situRTSLs enable estimation at locations lacking direct measurements. This report describes the development of the in-situ annual maximum snow load database, the construction of global gridded climate summaries, the estimation of site-specific RTSLs and Service Targeted …

Montana Kaimin, November 6, 2025, Students Of The University Of Montana, Missoula

Montana Kaimin, 1898-present

Student newspaper of the University of Montana, Missoula.

Torso Synthetic Ct Generation By Integrating Deep Learning And Segmentation For Fdg-Pet/Mr Attenuation Correction, Jin Uk Heo, Robert S. Jones, Theodore Higgins Arsenault, Jennifer Dorth, Tithi Biswas, Raymond F. Muzic Jr

Faculty Scholarship

Introduction. Positron Emission Tomography/Magnetic Resonance (PET/MR) offers benefits over PET/CT including simultaneous PET and MR acquisition, intrinsic spatial registration accuracy, MR-based functional information, and superior soft tissue contrast. However, accurate attenuation correction (AC) for PET remains challenging as MR signals do not directly correspond to attenuation. Using deep learning algorithms that learn complex relationships, we generate synthetic CT (sCT) from MR for AC. Our novel method for AC, merges deep learning with threshold-based segmentation, to produce an AC map for the entire torso from Dixon MR images, which heretofore has not been demonstrated. Method. Twenty-nine prospectively collected, paired FDG-PET/CT and …

Kenyon Collegian

The Kenyon Collegian

No abstract provided.

Menin Inhibitor Ds-1594b Drives Differentiation And Induces Synergistic Lethality In Combination With Venetoclax In Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells With Rearranged Mixed-Lineage Leukemia And Mutated Nucleophosmin-1, Valerio Ciaurro, Vassilena Sharlandjieva, Anna Skwarska, Catherine Chahrour, Natalia Baran, Zhihong Zeng, Cassandra Ramage, Naval Daver, Bing Z Carter, Sovira Chaundhry, Palaniraja Thandapani, Maria Paola Martelli, Thomas A Milne, Marina Konopleva

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Mixed-lineage leukemia (MLL) rearrangements and Nucleophosmin-1 (NPM1) mutations are associated with acute leukemias whose pathogenesis is critically influenced by protein-protein interactions between menin and MLL. We hypothesized that targeting the menin-MLL interaction using DS-1594b and blocking the antiapoptotic BCL-2 protein using venetoclax may promote differentiation and enhance eradication of MLL-rearranged and NPM1-mutated leukemias models. We treated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell lines with MLL rearrangements, NPM1 mutations, other leukemias and primary samples from AML patients with venetoclax alone, DS- 1594b alone, and their combination. We measured proliferation, viability, apoptosis, and differentiation using a variety of cellular assays, Western blotting, and …

Investigating Whether Giving Or Receiving Support Impacts Caregivers Who Were Maltreated Or Not Maltreated Differently, Tara D. Matta-Singh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Caregivers can experience higher levels of stress, anxiety and depression compared to non-caregivers. However, a growing body of literature is beginning to show that while caregiving may be stressful, there may also be benefits to the caregiver, such as feeling closer to the care recipient, a sense of purpose or personal growth. Further, research now demonstrates that giving support to others can be more beneficial than receiving support from others in terms of mental health and even mortality. While these are important advances in the literature, understanding the impacts of giving and receiving support on individuals who were maltreated by …

A Collaborative Approach To Marine Species Tracking: Insights From The Fish Intel Acoustic Telemetry Network, Alice E. Hall, Tom Stamp, Peter Davies, Mathieu Woillez, Martial Laurans, Marine Gonse, Lydie I.E. Couturier, Olivier Blanpain, Katia Frangoudes, Emmanuelle Quillérou, Eider Graner, Jan Reubens, Carlotta Muñiz, Lucy A. Hawkes, Matthew J. Witt, Thomas W. Horton, Tom Hooper, Ricky Pender, Erwin Quemeneur, Mewen Abjean, Xavier Tetard, Pascal Provost, Silvana Birchenough, Jean Luc Solandt, Colin Trundle, Amy Y. Cartwright, Sian Rees, Ronan Conlon, Shion E.A. Reynell, Ben Ciotti

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Acoustic telemetry offers valuable insights into species' spatial and temporal movement patterns, helping to understand habitat use, behaviour and migration timings. The Fish Intel Network established a collaborative cross-English Channel acoustic telemetry network to track multiple species over small and large spatial scales. This network was designed in close alliance with local fishers to incorporate essential local ecological knowledge of target species and habitats, gathered through interviews and workshops. To date, 254 acoustic receivers have been deployed, and 874 animals have been tagged across the Channel. Six species were tracked for this study: European bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), pollack (Pollachius pollachius), …

Use Of An Expert Panel For Symptomatic Patients With Grade I Degenerative Lumbar Spondylolisthesis: A Randomized Clinical Trial, Zoher Ghogawala, Tasneem Rizvi, Zhibang Lin, Adam Kanter, Praveen Mummaneni, Erica Bisson, Todd Albert, Daniel Resnick, Michael Wang, Steven Glassman, David Polly, Mohamad Bydon, Subu Magge, Luis Tumialan, Michael Fehlings, Michael Steinmetz, Robert Whitmore, Vedantam Rajshekhar, James Harrop, Roger Härtl, Elnasri Ahmed, Dom Coric, Paul Mccormick, Richard Assaker, Abdul Msaddi, Langston Holly, Yoshiharu Kawaguchi, Asdrubal Falavigna, Fred Barker, Edward Benzel

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The appropriate utilization of lumbar fusion when performing laminectomy for lumbar spondylolisthesis is uncertain. The objective was to determine whether the use of a surgical expert review panel recommending fusion might improve patient selection, possibly reducing surgical failures.

METHODS: Randomized clinical trial of patients with symptomatic degenerative lumbar stenosis with spondylolisthesis enrolled from 14 North American hospitals was conducted with patients randomized to receive an expert panel review of their case or not. Spinal expert review consisted of 10 to 15 surgeons' review of patient images and clinical data with voting on the appropriateness of fusion. Primary …

Surveying Secondary Ela Teachers’ Engagement With Ai-Powered Tools For Classroom Assessment, Mona Alrashidi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents profound challenges andpossibilities for educational assessment, particularly in English Language Arts (ELA), where AI- powered tools can generate the very linguistic products traditionally used as evidence of student learning. While scholarship has primarily explored theoretical frameworks and broad perceptions, a critical gap remains in understanding how secondary ELA teachers navigate and report AI integration within formative assessment workflows. This understanding is essential: formative assessment has been recommended as a strategy to mitigate AI-related challenges by prioritizing learning processes over products. Yet empirical evidence of teachers’ practices remains limited.

This exploratory study surveyed 102 …

Communicating The Truth-Telling And Space-Making Of Black Women In Higher Education: A Trap Feminist Study, Chazman Deira Mckoy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation adopts a “for Black women, by Black women” approach to examine how Black women’s lived experiences and performances of racialized gender become communicative acts of agency as they navigate the intersecting challenges of race and gender within pedagogical contexts.

Grounded in Black Feminist Pedagogy and expanded through Trap Feminism, this study celebrates the complexity of racialized gender performances and theorizes them as intentional communicative acts of resistance. These acts not only confront dominant ideologies but also create ongoing spaces for truth-telling, spaces where Black women can reframe how their stories, labor, and brilliance are recognized in academic contexts …

Mathematics And Growth Mindset: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis Of Interventions At The Post-Secondary Level, Sean E. Murphy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Growth mindset interventions have been implemented in academic settings for over three decades (C. S. Dweck et al., 1995a). One academic field where growth mindset may be most needed is mathematics, as it is not unusual for a student to claim, “I’m not a math person.” Notably, no meta-analysis of mindset interventions in post-secondary mathematics classrooms existed prior to the current study. To close this gap in the literature, the present study included a systematic review and meta-analysis, drawing on two search methods: Boolean and snowballing. The results from both methods were screened using inclusion/exclusion criteria. Snowballing search was hypothesized …

The Utility Of Ultra-Deep Rna Sequencing In Mendelian Disorder Diagnostics, Sen Zhao, Jefferson C Sinson, Shenglan Li, Jill A Rosenfeld, Gladys Zapata, Kristina Macakova, Mezthly Pena, Becky Maywald, Kim C Worley, Lindsay C Burrage, Monika Weisz-Hubshman, Shamika Ketkar, William Craigen, Lisa Emrick, Undiagnosed Diseases Network, Tyson Clark, Gila Yanai Lithwick, Zohar Shipony, Christine Eng, Brendan Lee, Pengfei Liu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) has emerged as a powerful tool for resolving variants of uncertain significance (VUSs), particularly those affecting gene expression and splicing. However, most reference datasets and diagnostic protocols employ relatively modest sequencing depths (∼50-150 million reads), which may fail to detect low-abundance transcripts and rare splicing events critical for accurate diagnosis. We evaluated the diagnostic and translational utility of ultra-high-depth (up to ∼1 billion unique reads) RNA-seq in four clinically accessible tissues using the Ultima sequencing platform. After validating the performance of Ultima RNA-seq, we investigated how increasing sequencing depth affects gene and isoform detection, splicing variant discovery, …

Geographic Patterns Of Educational Achievement: A Methodological Case Study Of Regression Modeling Approaches, Leokadia Lipien

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This methodological case study introduces a novel approach to investigate the impact of student, teacher, and geographic factors on the academic achievement of virtual school students in Florida. Traditional linear regression models, and even multilevel models, often overlook spatial dependencies, which can lead to biased estimates and incomplete inferences. This research addresses this limitation by comparing a cross-classified multilevel model (CCMM) with a novel cross-classified spatial model (CCSM) that incorporates coefficients from geographically weighted regression (GWR). Utilizing secondary data from a statewide virtual school, including student demographics, teacher characteristics, and standardized test scores, along with U.S. Census Bureau data, the …

Separating Memory And Attention In Secondary Tasks, Anne Olsen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Memory and attention are intricately intertwined throughout life. How these processes interact and effect the encoding process shows to be just as complex and intricate. A recent study by Sahakyan and Malmberg (2018) revealed that when cognitive resources are strained during encoding, long-established retrieval patterns in both recall and recognition alter. These patterns found were suggested to be the result of an altered mechanism in strengthening processes that eliminated trace strengthening when cognitive resources were strained. This work investigates those claims through a direct replication of the original experiment (Experiment 1) as well as investigating the components of the secondary …

The Effects Of Caffeine And Resistance Exercise On Pulse Wave Reflection In Resistance-Trained Women, Sarah G. Kearney, Therese M. Smith, Meredith C. Paskert Joplin, Erica Marshall, Jason C. Parks, Stacie M. Humm, Michelle A. Kern, J. Derek Kingsley

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 18(6): 1310-1320, 2025. https://doi.org/10.70252/RWDY4284 Caffeine, alone or in conjunction with an acute bout of resistance exercise (RE), increases measures of pulse wave reflection (PWR), with most studies focusing on men. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate caffeine’s effects on measures of PWR alone and following an acute bout of RE in young, healthy, resistance-trained women. Eleven resistance-trained women completed an acute bout of RE using free-weights with repetitions to failure for squat and bench press with caffeine (4mg/kg) and a placebo. Measures of PWR were measured at Rest, 50 minutes following ingestion …

A New Map For Understanding Peoples Temple And Jim Jones, Laura Johnston Kohl

Communal Societies

No abstract provided.

The Political Economy Of Communal Life: Zionist Settlement Policy And Kibbutz Collective Practices, 1920–2010, Daniel Demalach

Communal Societies

No abstract provided.

Jp Mcmahon - An Irish Food Story: 100 Foods That Made Us, Gabrielle Kathleen Machnik-Kekesi

European Journal of Food Drink and Society

No abstract provided.

The Communal Ethos Of The Mennonite Central Committee: Testing The Bounds Of Community In Kenya, Emily Welty

Communal Societies

No abstract provided.

Factors Affecting Public Knowledge About Ocd Mental Health Literacy, Lauren Angell, Aleena Babu, Jimmy Dumont, Lauren Masapollo, Kaitlyn Silva

The Graduate Review

This research project aimed to examine how varying portrayals of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) influence public mental health literacy (MHL). Our research questions focused on the impact of multidimensional vs single portrayals of OCD on OCD MHL, as well as the influence of certain sociodemographic factors on OCD MHL. Additional exploratory questions were investigated and aimed to explain the relationship between OCD MHL and media, as well as OCD MHL and education levels. To investigate these questions, the study employed a combination of experimental and survey-based methods. By fostering greater awareness of misinformation about OCD, the study not only aimed to …

Slave Society Upon A Hill: A Historiography Of Slavery In Colonial Massachusetts, Katherine Mcgann

The Graduate Review

This paper explores the treatment of slavery in New England by different historians throughout the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. Slavery in the U.S. is most often associated with the American South, but slavery also existed and flourished in New England. The study of how slavery developed in New England is an integral part of American history, as it is significant to see how slavery could have existed in a place known for its liberal ideals and democratic heroism and how that affected the development of American society. It is also important to explore why the story of slavery in …

Engaged Employees Deliver Returns: Evidence On Financial Performance From Spain, Carlos Gomez-Mugica

Engaged Management ReView

Does investing in your employees create long-term value? Although many firms pursue employee-focused policies, studies show little agreement on which specific dimensions of employee satisfaction yield sustainable financial performance. Building on Edmans (2011), who linked employee satisfaction to superior stock performance in the United States, this study turns to the Spanish market. Using 15 years of data from Actualidad Económica—Spain’s most recognized benchmark for employee satisfaction—we apply Herzberg’s (1968) two-factor theory to distinguish between motivators, such as sense of belonging, talent management, and training, and hygiene factors, like compensation and work environment. Applying a Carhart (1997) four-factor model, we find …

Pearl Buck’S Humanitarian Vision In War And Peace, David M. Crowe

Presidential Fellows Articles and Research

"Eurasia, that vast continental region that encompasses Europe and Asia, was a tablet for many of Pearl S. Buck’s works and campaigns for human rights and international efforts to improve the human condition globally. Though she is principally known for her works on China, some scholars, while acknowledging that her novels were principally for an American female audience, gave little attention to her significant body of non-fictional works on a variety of subjects on America and East Asia. I made my first trip to China in the summer of 1985 via the Trans-Siberian Railroad and Mongolia to Beijing."

The Head-Direction Signal Is Generated From Two Types Of Head Direction Cells In Brainstem Nuclei, Ryan M. Yoder

Psychology

Head direction (HD) cells discharge based on an animal's directional heading. Computational models propose that a ring-attractor network across the connections between the lateral mammillary (LMN) and dorsal tegmental nuclei (DTN) underlies the signal's generation. These models contain neurons that encode either HD or angular head velocity (AHV), but also require cells that are sensitive to both parameters conjunctively (HD + AHV). Here we identify both types of HD cells in the LMN and DTN of female rats, with one population sensitive to AHV (both symmetric and asymmetric), and the other population insensitive to AHV. Notably, many HD + AHV …

Physics 2426 Lecture Slides Volume 3, Chapter 2: Geometric Optics And Image Formation, Raji Kannampuzha Ph.D.

Physics

Lecture slides for PHYS 2426 (University Physics II) were developed using OpenStax Physics Volume II and III from Rice University. These materials were created as part of Collin College’s 2023-2024 OER Faculty Development Grant. Supported by State Farm Insurance Company, these grants are designed to help faculty develop and integrate open educational resources (OER) into their classrooms and expand the use of OER. All materials were peer-reviewed by Collin College faculty and administrators as part of the grant process to ensure quality and alignment with course objectives.

Physics 2426 Lecture Slides Volume 3, Chapters 3-4: Interference And Diffraction, Raji Kannampuzha Ph.D.

Physics

Lecture slides for PHYS 2426 (University Physics II) were developed using OpenStax Physics Volume II and III from Rice University. These materials were created as part of Collin College’s 2023-2024 OER Faculty Development Grant. Supported by State Farm Insurance Company, these grants are designed to help faculty develop and integrate open educational resources (OER) into their classrooms and expand the use of OER. All materials were peer-reviewed by Collin College faculty and administrators as part of the grant process to ensure quality and alignment with course objectives.

Physics 2426 Lecture Slides Volume 2, Chapter 16: Electromagnetic Waves, Raji Kannampuzha Ph.D.

Physics

Lecture slides for PHYS 2426 (University Physics II) were developed using OpenStax Physics Volume II and III from Rice University. These materials were created as part of Collin College’s 2023-2024 OER Faculty Development Grant. Supported by State Farm Insurance Company, these grants are designed to help faculty develop and integrate open educational resources (OER) into their classrooms and expand the use of OER. All materials were peer-reviewed by Collin College faculty and administrators as part of the grant process to ensure quality and alignment with course objectives.

Educational Indebtedness, Youth Precarity, And Neoliberalism: A Comparative Analysis Between Chile And Colombia., Alejandro Rodriguez-Mejia

Working Papers

No abstract provided.