Digital Commons Network^™

Standard Deviations Of Mr Signal Intensities Show A Consistent Trend During Imaging Follow-Ups For Glioblastoma Patients When Corrected For Non-Biological Heterogeneity Due To Hardware And Software Variation, Subhendra N. Sarkar, Rafael Rojas, Evans Lespinasse, Xiangfu Zhang, Ruth Zeron

Publications and Research

Introduction

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) has a poor prognosis in spite of advanced MRI guided treatments today. Routine MRI using conventional T₁ or advanced permeability based MRI of GBM often does not adequately represent changing tumor phases or overall survival. In this work, region of interest (ROI) based tissue MR standard deviation (SD) is demonstrated as an important MRI variable that could be a potential biomarker of GBM heterogeneity and radioresistance.

Materials and methods

MRI characterization is often qualitative and lacks reproducibility. Using standardized MRI phantoms we have normalized retrospective records of 12 radioresistant GBM patients that underwent radiation therapy …

Soft X-Ray And Susceptibility Based Magnetic Resonance Imaging To Map Iron Distribution In Apples: Initial Results To Model Iron Storage In Water-Deficient Or Dehydrated Biological Tissue, Subhendra Sarkar, Eric Lobel, Evans Lespinasse, Zoya Vinokur, Analia Basilicata, Sonia Orellana, Maria Orellana, Aaliyah Salmon, Joanna Syska, Aravis Mcbroom, Jian Wang, Anam Riaz, Jody-Ann Douglas

Publications and Research

Radiology departments have contributed significantly to greenhouse gases including release of toxic imaging contrast media to environment. We feel Radiology also has several spectroscopy and imaging tools that may apply to monitor and support cleaner environmental goals. The current manuscript is one of the firsts to prompt Radiology to move in that direction by non-invasive imaging of bio metals that are less abundant in biological tissues but play key roles as co-factors in tissue structure and function. Conventional analytical tools are mostly invasive and cannot characterize the native oxidation states of bio metals. We chose carbohydrate matrix of metal-rich fruits …

Mathematics Preparatory Workshops To Foster Student Success, Sandie Han, Diana Samaroo, Janet Liou-Mark, Lauri Aguirre

Publications and Research

Mathematics preparatory workshops were offered to college students at a diverse urban undergraduate institution. The goal was to prepare students for their mathematics course, by offering non-credit bearing and free preparatory workshops. The lack of adequate preparation for mathematics courses is a barrier for student engagement in future STEM courses. We believe that by providing preparatory workshops, we can improve not only the success but access for students in foundational mathematics courses. The workshops allowed students to engage with the course content in a rigorous and intensive manner prior to the start of the semester. Students who participated in the …

Examining Sociodemographic Correlates Of Opioid Use, Misuse, And Use Disorders In The All Of Us Research Program, Hsueh-Han Yeh, Cathryn Peltz-Rauchman, Christine C Johnson, Pamala A Pawloski, David Chesla, Stephen C Waring, Alan B Stevens, Mara Epstein, Christine Joseph, Lisa R Miller-Matero, Hongsheng Gui, Amy Tang, Eric Boerwinkle, Mine Cicek, Cheryl R Clark, Elizabeth Cohn, Kelly Gebo, Roxana Loperena, Kelsey Mayo, Stephen Mockrin, Lucila Ohno-Machado, Sheri Schully, Andrea H Ramirez, Jun Qian, Brian K Ahmedani

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: The All of Us Research Program enrolls diverse US participants which provide a unique opportunity to better understand the problem of opioid use. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of opioid use and its association with sociodemographic characteristics from survey data and electronic health record (EHR).

Methods: A total of 214,206 participants were included in this study who competed survey modules and shared EHR data. Adjusted logistic regressions were used to explore the associations between sociodemographic characteristics and opioid use.

Results: The lifetime prevalence of street opioids was 4%, and the nonmedical use of prescription opioids was 9%. …

Editorial: Advances In Mathematical And Computational Oncology, Volume Iii, George Bebis, Mamoru Kato, Mohammad Kohandel, Kathleen Wilkie, Dinler A Antunes, Ken Chen, Jinzhuang Dou

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Editorial: Women In Molecular And Cellular Oncology, Petranel T Ferrao, Laura Rosanò, Valeria Poli, Shilpa S Dhar, Ana Paula Lepique

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Editorial: Women In Molecular And Cellular Oncology, Volume Ii: 2022, Shilpa S Dhar

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

The Importance Of "When" In Calorie Restriction-Induced Lifespan Extension, Kristin Eckel-Mahan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

A Case Of Successful Treatment Of Recurrent Urinary Tract Infection By Extended-Spectrum Β-Lactamase Producing Klebsiella Pneumoniae Using Oral Lyophilized Fecal Microbiota Transplant, Naomi Bier, Blake Hanson, Zhi-Dong Jiang, Herbert L Dupont, Cesar A Arias, William R Miller

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a challenging clinical entity that can be frustrating for patient and physician alike. Repeated rounds of antibiotics can select for multidrug-resistant organisms, further complicating care. We describe the successful use of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) for the treatment of recurrent extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae UTIs in a patient with an ileal conduit and urostomy. In the 18 months after FMT, the patient had not experienced new infections with ESBL-producing organisms. The urine and stool microbiomes of the patient were tracked before and post-FMT using 16s RNA sequencing with measurement of α-diversity. Sequencing of …

Editorial: The Interplay Between Microbiota And Allergen In Shaping Respiratory Mucosa Immunity: Role In Development Of Asthma, Zhenwei Xia, Wenwei Zhong, Min Wu, Scott E Evans

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Targeted Genomic Sequencing Of Tsc1 And Tsc2 Reveals Causal Variants In Individuals For Whom Previous Genetic Testing For Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Was Normal, Hannah D West, Mark Nellist, Rutger W W Brouwer, Mirjam C G N Van Den Hout-Van Vroonhoven, Luiz Gustavo Dufner De Almeida, Femke Hendriks, Peter Elfferich, Meera Raja, Peter Giles, Rosa M Alfano, Angela Peron, Yves Sznajer, Liesbeth De Waele, Anna Jansen, Marije Koopmans, Anneke Kievit, Laura S Farach, Hope Northrup, Julian R Sampson, Laura E Thomas, Wilfred F J Van Ijcken

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is caused by inactivating variants in TSC1 and TSC2. Somatic mosaicism, as well as the size and complexity of the TSC1 and TSC2 loci, makes variant identification challenging. Indeed, in some individuals with a clinical diagnosis of TSC, diagnostic testing fails to identify an inactivating variant. To improve TSC1 and TSC2 variant detection, we screened the TSC1 and TSC2 genomic regions using targeted HaloPlex custom capture and next-generation sequencing (NGS) in genomic DNA isolated from peripheral blood of individuals with definite, possible or suspected TSC in whom no disease-associated variant had been identified by previous …

Financial Toxicity In Cancer Patients And Subsequent Risk Of Repeat Acute Care Utilization, Julia J Shi, J Alberto Maldonado, Chi-Fang Wu, Susan K Peterson, Ying-Shiuan Chen, Kevin Diao, Robert J Volk, Sharon H Giordano, Ya-Chen T Shih, Kelsey Kaiser, Grace L Smith

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Acute care (AC) visits by cancer patients are costly sources of healthcare resources and can exert a financial burden of oncology care both for individuals with cancer and healthcare systems. We sought to identify whether cancer patients who reported more severe initial financial toxicity (FT) burdens shouldered excess risks for acute care utilization.

Methods: In 225 adult patients who participated in the Economic Strain and Resilience in Cancer (ENRICh) survey study of individuals receiving ambulatory cancer care between March and September 2019, we measured the baseline FT (a multidimensional score of 0-10 indicating the least to most severe global, …

A Bibliometric And Visual Analysis Of Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts, Wei-Chen Yuan, Jie-Xiang Zhang, Hai-Bin Chen, Ying Yuan, Yu-Pei Zhuang, Hong-Li Zhou, Mu-Han Li, Wen-Li Qiu, Hong-Guang Zhou

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) represent the predominant stromal component within the tumour microenvironment (TME), exhibiting considerable heterogeneity and plasticity that significantly impact immune response and metabolic reprogramming within the TME, thereby influencing tumour progression. Consequently, investigating CAFs is of utmost importance. The objective of this study is to employ bibliometric analysis in order to evaluate the current state of research on CAFs and predict future areas of research and emerging trends.

Methods: Conduct a comprehensive search for scholarly publications within the Web of Science Core Collection database, encompassing the time period from January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2022. Apply …

“What Do Any Of Us Really Know About Love:” A Discussion Of Irony Within Raymond Carver’S Short Story Cycle What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, Niyonna Johnson

Honors College Theses

With minimalist technique, Raymond Carver manages to accurately depict a depressed working-class America. Current contemporary criticism has focused on the main themes of Carver’s work such as the struggle with identity, alcoholism, disconnection, and domesticity hardships; the one ideal that has seemed to be missing is the irony that lies within the lives of the characters. This paper will analyze, in depth, short stories from a short story cycle of Raymond Carver and detail how their current situations are directly juxtaposed by their occupations and how this benefits the currently discussed themes of his work.

Reconnoitering Generative Deep Learning Through Image Generation From Text, Vishnu S. Pendyala, Vigneshkumar Thangarajan

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

A picture is worth a thousand words goes the well-known adage. Generating images from text understandably has many uses. In this chapter, the authors explore a state-of-the-art generative deep learning method to produce synthetic images and a new better way for evaluating the same. The approach focuses on synthesizing high-resolution images with multiple objects present in an image, given the textual description of the images. The existing literature uses object pathway GAN (OP-GAN) to automatically generate images from text. The work described in this chapter attempts to improvise the discriminator network from the original implementation using OP-GAN. This eventually helps …

Well-Being, Changes To Academic Behavior, And Resilience Among Families Experiencing Parental Immigration Imprisonment, Caitlin Patler, Gabriela Gonzalez

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

While the deleterious impacts of parental incarceration are well documented, we know less about the experiences of children with parents imprisoned by immigration authorities. We draw from 62 multigenerational and multiperspective interviews conducted in California with school-age children experiencing parental immigration imprisonment (PII), and their nondetained caregivers. We find that children experiencing PII report feelings and behaviors suggestive of significant psychological distress, which leads to changes in engagement and behavior at school. While some children access academic support and counseling, often following advocacy from nondetained parents or interventions by teachers, others do not receive such support. Many children conceal their …

Establishing A Framework For The Ethical And Legal Use Of Web Scrapers By Cybercrime And Cybersecurity Researchers: Learnings From A Systematic Review Of Australian Research, Katie Logos, Russell Brewer, Colette Langos, Bryce Westlake

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The Internet has become an increasingly attractive location for collecting data about cyber threats, driven by the abundance of quality data available and accessible online. As such, researchers and practitioners have turned to automated data collection technologies (ADCT), including ‘web crawlers’ and ‘web scrapers’, to study these threats. The rapid proliferation of ADCT has meant directions for their ethical and legal operation have been slow to adapt, with no clear guidelines regulating their use for research. This article identifies the relevant ethical and legal frameworks guiding the deployment of ADCT in Australia for cybersecurity research. This is accomplished through a …

Intersections Of Disproportion: A Critical Quantitative Examination Of Dis/Ability And Gender In Black Students’ School Discipline Outcomes, Ceema Samimi, Noah Jefferson, Shelby Flanagan, Yolanda Anyon

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

This study uses critical race quantitative intersectionality to examine the impacts of gender and dis/ability type on Black students’ school discipline outcomes. We use multilevel logistic regression models to analyze data from a large urban school district, considering the intersectional impact of gender and dis/ability type on school discipline outcomes among Black students (suspension, restorative justice, referral to law enforcement). We found that Black students identified as male, labeled with emotional dis/abilities, or identified as having ADHD were more likely to experience school discipline consequences than those who were not. These findings suggest that gender and dis/ability status are significant …

Restorative Practices And Exclusionary School Discipline: An Integrative Review, Ceema Samimi, Tyler M. Han, Amy Navvab, Jennifer A. Sedivy, Yolanda Anyon

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

This study used integrative review methodology to synthesize research on the relationship between school-based restorative practices and exclusionary discipline outcomes in the United States. Exclusionary discipline outcomes were defined as out-of-school suspensions, expulsions, and referrals to law enforcement. A literature search produced 5,764 publications, and 11 studies were included in the final sample. Peacemaking circles were the most common restorative practice implemented, and secondary analysis of school records was the most common method utilized. Findings indicated that restorative practices are associated with reduced suspension rates, which suggest that school-based restorative practices are a promising approach to reducing exclusionary discipline outcomes.

Learning From The First Citizen Science Association Virtual Conference, Abigail Hils, Skye Kelty, Angel Hjarding, Linda Silka, Alison Cawood

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The Citizen Science Association (CSA) is a member-driven organization that connects people with interest in community/citizen science (c*science) from a wide range of backgrounds, disciplines, and experiences. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the bi-annual CSA conference pivoted away from an in-person format to a virtual format. CitSciVirtual: Local, Global, Connected occurred throughout May 2021 and brought together more than 700 attendees from 36 countries. The conference prioritized interactive experiences for attendees, including 16 collaborative poster sessions featuring 240 virtual posters, 55 workshops to learn and practice new skills, and 7 social events. This paper summarizes the impacts of the …

Investigating The Factor Structure And Measurement Invariance Of The Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (Ede-Q) In A Community Sample Of Gender Minority Adults From The United States, Jason M. Nagata, Emilio J. Compte, F. Hunter Mcguire, Tiffany A. Brown, Jason M. Lavender, Stuart B. Murray, Matthew R. Capriotti, Annesa Flentje, Micah E. Lubensky, Mitchell R. Lunn, Juno Obedin-Maliver

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Objective: The Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (EDE-Q) is one of the most widely used self-report assessments of eating disorder symptoms. However, evidence indicates potential problems with its original factor structure and associated psychometric properties in a variety of populations, including gender minority populations. The aim of the current investigation was to explore several previously published EDE-Q factor structures and to examine internal consistency and measurement invariance of the best-fitting EDE-Q model in a large community sample of gender minority adults. Methods: Data were drawn from 1567 adults (337 transgender men, 180 transgender women, and 1050 gender-expansive individuals) who participated in The …

Artistic Representation And Self Esteem, Brianna Davis

Honors College Theses

Dependent upon the constructs of the perception of self and the viewpoint of others, humans base the value of their self esteem on outer perspectives rather than internal ones. For this thesis in particular, the outer perspective to be examined is representation in the field of the arts. This thesis project explores the process of self esteem, artistic representation in the arts, how one affects the other, a history of the correlation between the two, and ways to inform and educate the masses with the tools necessary to advance representation in the arts thus raising the self esteem of its …

Algorithms And Their Affordances: How Crowdworkers Manage Algorithmic Scores In Online Labour Markets, Francesca Bellesia, Elisa Mattarelli, Fabiola Bertolotti

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

On online labour platforms, algorithmic scores are used as indicators of freelancers' work quality and future performance. Recent studies underscore that, to achieve good scores and secure their presence on platforms, freelancers respond to algorithmic control in different ways. However, we argue, to fully understand how freelancers deal with algorithmic scores, we first need to investigate how they interpret scores and, more specifically, what scores can do for them, i.e., perceived algorithmic affordances and constraints. Our interviews and other qualitative data collected with knowledge intensive gig workers on a major platform allow us to explain how the perceived affordances of …

Comparing Enacted And Perceived Parental Communication As Predictors Of Adolescents’ Emotion Regulation In Families With Harmful Versus Non-Harmful Parental Alcohol Use, Marie C. Haverfield, Jennifer A. Theiss

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Emotion regulation is an important skill that adolescents typically learn through early interactions with their primary caregivers. Associations between parental communication and adolescent emotion regulation are well-documented however, it is unclear whether the parent’s actual communication behavior or adolescents’ perceptions of the parent’s behavior is a more robust predictor of emotion regulation outcomes. This study used Baumrind’s parenting styles typology as a theoretical foundation for examining parents’ enacted responsiveness and control and adolescents’ perceptions of their parent’s responsiveness and control during conversation as competing predictors of adolescents’ self-reported emotion regulation during two parent-child interactions. Sixty parent-adolescent dyads participated in an …

Non-Traditional Learning In Stem: How Students Autonomy And The Impact Of Teacher Delivery Develops Deeper Conceptual Understanding At The Middle School Level, Sarah Kelly

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Non-traditional forms of curriculum development and delivery have shown particular promise in supporting the autonomy of students particularly in relation to science. Programs such as OPENSCIED are inquiry based- learning that promotes problem solving skills and cross curricular development supported by the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). This mixed method research study sought to illuminate how these types of curricular programs influence student autonomy and learning, especially with the implementation of OpenSciEd within Des Moines Public Schools. The study utilizes student state testing (ISASP)data alongside teacher surveys, interviews and observations to investigate the strengths or potential deficits of inquiry based …

The Pandemic-Uncanny: Self-Estrangement And Environment In Out There And Bliss Montage, Kersten Khaley

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the WHO on March 11, 2020. The COVID-19 Public Health Emergency lasted from January 30, 2020, to May 11, 2023. During this time, abundant literature across disciplines began appearing, assessing the pandemic experience and aftermath. However, there needs to be more investigation and application of the term uncanny in the pandemic experience and literature.

Two short story collections, Out There by Kate Folk and Bliss Montage by Ling Ma, both published in 2022, are works of pandemic literature demonstrating the pandemic's inherent uncanniness and the human experience. The term pandemic-uncanny represents an inherent attachment …

Graduate Recital Yuxiao Sun, Piano, Yuxiao Sun

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Yuxiao Sun presented a solo piano recital on November 2, 2023 at 8:00 p.m. in Davis Hall of the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center at the University of Northern Iowa. This recital marked a partial completion of her Master of Music degree in Piano Performance. The program included the following works: Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 “Appassionata” by Ludwig van Beethoven, Partita No.1 in B flat Major, BWV 825 by Johann Sebastian Bach, and Pour le Piano, L. 95 by Claude Debussy.

Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 “Appassionata” by Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig …

A Graduate Recital In Piano, Christine Compton

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Christine Compton presented a full graduate piano recital on Monday, November 6th, 2023. The recital was presented at 6:00 p.m. in Davis Hall in the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa. This recital was given in partial fulfillment of the Master of Music degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy. It consisted of works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Franz Schubert, Frédéric Chopin, and Claude Debussy. This abstract contains further discussion of performed works.

Estrés Postraumático Y Covid-19 En América Latina: Un Llamado A La Acción/Posttraumatic Stress And Covid-19 In Latin American: A Call To Action, Alfonso Mercado, Andy Torres, Amanda Palomin, Frances Morales, Cecilia Colunga-Rodríguez, Mario Angel Gonzalez, Luis E. Sarabia-López, Gabriel Davalos-Picazo, Diemen Delgado-García, Daniel Duclos

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the mental wellbeing of the entire globe. However, Latin American countries’ systemic and environmental challenges hindered the ability of many nations in the region to serve the mental health needs of its habitants. Compared to other mental health symptoms, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms (PTSS) were particularly higher among this geographical region. Nonetheless, there is scarcity of research identifying the unique symptom profile of PTSS. Given that the typology of PTSS is multidimensional and appears to be contingent on the type of stressor, this study (as part of larger international study) aimed to identify differences in PTSS …

Home-Based Electrical Stimulation To Accelerate Wound Healing-A Double-Blinded Randomized Control Trial, Alejandro Zulbaran-Rojas, Catherine Park, Nesreen El-Refaei, Brian Lepow, Bijan Najafi

Center on Aging Staff Publications

Background: Electrical stimulation (E-Stim) may offer a unique adjunctive treatment to heal complicated diabetic foot ulcers (DFU). Our primary goal is to examine the effectiveness of daily home-based E-Stim therapy to speed-up wound healing.

Methods: Patients with chronic DFUs and mild to severe peripheral arterial disease (PAD) were recruited and randomized to either control (CG) or intervention (IG) groups. The IG received 1-hour home-based E-Stim therapy on daily basis for 4 weeks (4W). E-Stim was delivered through electrical pads placed above the ankle joint using a bio-electric stimulation technology (BEST®) platform (Tennant Biomodulator® PRO). The CG was provided with an …