Digital Commons Network^™

Response Of Ipsc-Derived Neurons From Individuals With Treatment-Resistant Depression To (2 R, 6 R)-Hydroxynorketamine And Reelin: An Exploratory Study, Jenessa N Johnston, Peixiong Yuan, Bashkim Kadriu, Nirmala Akula, Brandi Quintanilla, Shiyong Peng, Greg H Jones, Anton Schulmann, Mani Yavi, Ioline D Henter, Francis J Mcmahon, Lisa E Kalynchuk, Carlos A Zarate, Hector J Caruncho

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is associated with worse clinical outcomes and longer course of illness. However, TRD is more difficult to model in animal phenotypes, suggesting that other experimental and translational models must be considered to properly address and research novel therapeutics. Reelin, an endogenous glycoprotein downregulated in depression, has shown rapid antidepressant-like effects akin to those of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonist ketamine. Interestingly, the antidepressant-like effects of both ketamine and reelin affect mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) activity and that of its related downstream signalers. (2 R,6 R)-hydroxynorketamine (HNK) is a major metabolite of ketamine that, at …

Food Insecurity, Educational Attainment, And Type 2 Diabetes In African Americans In Rural Southern Us, Dana Elaine Lowe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract Rural African Americans experience a higher prevalence of Type 2 diabetes compared to their White counterparts, yet little research has explored the roles of food insecurity and educational attainment in this disparity. The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to examine whether food insecurity and educational attainment were associated with the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes among African Americans aged 18 to 65 years in rural Southern United States, using the World Health Organization’s social determinants of health framework. Data from the 2019-2022 IPUMS National Health Interview Survey (N=793) were analyzed both descriptively and using multiple logistic regression …

Efficacy And Safety Of Glibenclamide Compared With Insulin In Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Alifia Fauziyyah Haifa, Khairunnisa Qomariyanti, Ratu Ayu Dewi Sartika, Rani Sauriasari

Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a prevalent pregnancy complication associated with an increased risk of maternal and neonatal complications compared with non-diabetic pregnancies. Pharmacological treatments, such as glibenclamide, are expected to provide optimal glycemic control and reduce these risks. However, concerns regarding its safety persist and some regulatory agencies have not approved glibenclamide for GDM treatment. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize the most recent evidence on the efficacy and safety of glibenclamide compared with insulin in the management of GDM, with a focus on maternal and neonatal outcomes based on the most recent RCT. The objective is …

Advancing Nurse Practitioner Education Using Targeted Curriculum In Critical Care Obstetrics, Jennifer Brower, Caitlin Luebcke

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Purpose: Adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner (AGACNP) education has not held a historical emphasis on care of acutely ill obstetric patients. The aim of this study was to examine the knowledge base and self-efficacy of AGACNP students pre- and post-multimodal instruction in the care of this vulnerable patient population.

Background: Maternal mortality has risen in the United States from 7.2 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1987 to 23.8 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020. Obstetric patients are more likely to be of advanced age with chronic illnesses and using reproductive technologies than in previous years. An increase in …

Design And Delivery Of Trump Accounts: Clearing Fund And Custodian Network With Automatic Enrollment, Jin Huang, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

Enacting legislation established the federal Trump Accounts policy and directed the U.S. Treasury Department to implement it. Drawing upon insights and evidence from Child Development Account research conducted by the Center for Social Development and others, this brief proposes a two-step strategy for the policy’s implementation: (a) a clearing fund and custodian network and (b) a three-pathway automatic-enrollment system. The brief details the proposal and discusses its implications.

Esg Performance Evolution In Retail: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Jiyeon Kim Ph.D., Wooyoung Yang

Faculty Publications

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices have transformed from peripheral corporate social responsibility initiatives into core strategic imperatives in retail. Despite growing interest, the literature remains fragmented across disciplines and geographic contexts, with no comprehensive sector-specific analysis examining the evolution of ESG performance in retail contexts. Following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 127 empirical studies published between 1988 and 2024 across major databases. Random-effects models assessed ESG-performance relationships, while stakeholder theory, the resource-based view, and Consumer Behavior frameworks explained the underlying mechanisms through temporal and subsectoral analysis. ESG practices demonstrate significant positive correlations …

Nursing Students As Advocates: Addressing Social Determinants Of Health Through Service-Learning, Rebekah Mullins

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

Advocacy is at the heart of nursing practice, and advocating for the social determinants of health (SDOH) is crucial when providing care to patients from vulnerable populations. Service-learning is a strategy that can be used to teach students advocacy skills. Chapter 2 of this dissertation portfolio presents a concept analysis that explores the definition of advocacy using the Walker and Avant method (2019). The concept analysis informed the development of the case study presented in Chapter 3 and the research study presented in Chapter 4. The portfolio includes original, qualitative research that was guided by the interpretive descriptive method. The …

Program Agenda 11-18-25, Angela Brock

Programs Committee (PC)

No abstract provided.

Fy26 Dcag Committee 11.18.2025, Julia Lovett

HELIN Board of Directors reports

Minutes from the DCAG Affinity Group 11.18.2025

Faculty Advisors Perspectives Of Baccalaureate Nursing Students' Attrition: A Qualitative Study, Danielle E. Shaver, Jennifer Dunbar Viveiros, Susan Hunter Revell, Christine Ann Devine

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Background: Exploring faculty advisors' perspectives on voluntary attrition is essential to optimize resources and increase the number of nursing graduates. This qualitative study aimed to uncover nursing faculty advisors' perceptions of the extrinsic factors, intrinsic factors, and mediators that influence four-year baccalaureate students' decisions to voluntarily leave nursing programs.

Method: A qualitative descriptive design utilized Rubin and Rubin’s (2012) interviewing methodology to solicit narrative accounts from 12 experienced nursing faculty advisors in four-year baccalaureate nursing degree programs.

Results: The semi-structured interviews revealed four intrinsic themes: preparedness, fear, maturity, and personal crisis. Four extrinsic themes emerged: external motivations, interpersonal relationships, program …

Love At A Distance: Exploring Perceptions Of Long-Distance Relationships Through Q Methodology, Ljubica Ivanovic Klobcic

Theses and Dissertations

With technology advancing and making it easier for individuals to connect and keep in touch, long-distance romantic relationships (LDRRs) have become increasingly common. While some people thrive in these relationships despite physical separation, others find the experience stressful and unsatisfying. This study explores how individuals perceive and navigate LDRRs and what their experiences are. Using Q methodology, participants sorted and ranked statements related to their experiences. Factor analysis revealed three unique groups: Traditional Romantics, who see their relationships in traditional terms despite technology use; Debbie Downers, who perceive distance as a burden and do not feel that technology improves their …

Ucc Minutes 11-18-25, Angela Brock

UCC Agendas/Minutes

No abstract provided.

A Week-Long Departmental Scholarship Curriculum For Pediatric Subspecialty Fellows, Amy Creel, Amanda Messer, Robin English

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Scholarly activity is a key requirement in pediatric subspecialty fellowship training. However, clear guidance on how to effectively support fellows in their scholarly endeavors remains limited. OBJECTIVE: This study assesses the impact of a week-long departmental scholarship curriculum designed to enhance fellows' research competencies. METHODS: In 2024, a curriculum was designed and delivered to first-year pediatric subspecialty fellows over 5 days, combining group learning sessions with individualized tasks. Pre- and post-curriculum surveys assessed fellows' confidence and knowledge across key scholarly domains. Daily session evaluations provided additional feedback. Fourteen fellows from 9 pediatric subspecialty programs participated. RESULTS: All first-year fellows …

Preparing For The Artificial Intelligence (Ai) Economy In The Mountain West, 2025, Kian Parikh, Taylor Volk, Maisoon Faris, Kristian Thymianos, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet presents data from the Brainly report, “Here Are the States Most (and Least) Prepared to Win the AI Race in 2025” for the five Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah. This fact sheet highlights the national and individual rankings of four key metrics for each Mountain West state: the fixed percentage of businesses using artificial intelligence (AI); the number of AI jobs per 1,000 workers; the number of AI-related degrees per 10,000 people ages 20-24; and federal funding for small business technology innovation per $1 million of gross domestic product (GDP).

Aqueous Humor Biomarkers In Ocular Oncology: Insights And Advances, Lara Cheslow, Signe Caksa, Rachel E. Cain, Scott A. Waldman, Andrew A. Aplin

Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

Ocular malignancies, though relatively rare, pose significant risks to patients' vision, quality of life, and potential for developing metastatic disease. Due to the eye's complicated and delicate anatomy, diagnosing ocular malignancy and monitoring its progression can be technically challenging. Current approaches include direct tumor biopsy, vitreous humor sampling, and imaging. However, these techniques are associated with rare, yet potentially severe, side effects and can be invasive or limited in detecting microscopic disease. Recent studies have introduced aqueous humor sampling as a promising, minimally invasive alternative to diagnose ocular malignancy, guide therapeutic management, monitor response to treatment, and track early recurrence. …

Fostering Intercultural Competence In Healthcare: Insights From An Online Audiology Course, Lata A. Krishnan, Aparajita Jaiswal, Sakhi Aggrawal

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

Intercultural competence (ICC) is essential for students, particularly in healthcare, to provide culturally responsive care. This study examines the integration of intercultural learning (ICL) activities in a fully online, asynchronous 300-level undergraduate audiology course. Pre- and post-test data from the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI®) revealed a significant increase in ICC among senior students, while non-seniors showed no measurable change. Qualitative analysis of final reflections supported these findings, with seniors articulating deeper intercultural insights. These results suggest that ICC development may vary based on academic level and prior experience. Additionally, intentionally structured interventions aligned with students’ prior experiences could further enhance …

A Multi-Case Study Of Peer Tutoring Programs: Program Structure, Faculty-Tutor Partnerships, And Access To Instructional Knowledge, Becky W. Packard, Amanda Xu, Teah Shi

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

Peer tutors make important contributions within higher education institutions, yet the tutoring program structures vary widely with regard to how tutors are positioned, which in turn, affords and constrains access to instructional knowledge. Using a multi-case method, this study contrasts the structures of four tutoring programs: two programs within a private four-year college and two programs within a public two-year college. Two primary factors, the nature of faculty-tutor partnership and connection to a peer mentoring community, were examined and found to shape access to instructional knowledge. In addition, the results suggested that tutor prior experience as students in courses, experience …

Community College Students' Experiences With The Syllabus: A Qualitative Study, Diego Pliego, Abby Kaplan

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

Most existing literature on college students’ use of the course syllabus has been conducted in artificial settings, collected a limited range of data, or both. This study addresses this gap in the literature with a series of in-depth qualitative interviews with students at a community college about how they interact with a syllabus from one of their current classes. We find that most students report reading at least part of the syllabus, most often the calendar and information on grading. Students are most likely to read information specific to the class and are least likely to read general college information …

Beyond The Mic: Fostering Critical Consciousness Through Podcasting In A Social Foundations Of Education Course, Jacob Kelley

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

This article contributes to the scholarship of teaching and learning by examining the ways in which a podcast project facilitated the development of critical consciousness among pre-service teachers in an undergraduate social foundations of education course at a research university in the southeastern United States. It draws on data generated using semi-structured interviews with 10 pre-service teachers across two semesters of the course who completed the podcast project. Using inductive thematic analysis, I identified four themes in this case study: (1) Personal Experiences as Catalysts for Critical Consciousness, (2) Dialogical Learning as a Pathway to Critical Consciousness, (3) Grappling with …

Trump’S Lasting Impact On The U.S. Presidency, Imer Kj Cespedes-Alvarado

Political Science Student Research

The first presidency of Donald J. Trump had a lasting impact on the American Presidency, expanding executive power through robust assertions of constitutional power, unconventional communications, and an unprecedented disregard for political norms. The two terms further blurred the line between governance and personal branding, cultivating this new model of leadership that depends on constant public exposure and polarization among the American people. This research examines how Trump's executive power and political tactics during both of his presidencies redefined expectations of presidential behavior and accountability by consolidating executive authority, reorganizing federal institutions, and placing even greater emphasis on loyalty and …

Incorporating Behavioral Health Strategies In Primary Care To Improve Outcomes Of Depressed Patients, Amy L. Brummett

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Depression, otherwise known as major depressive disorder, is a mood disorder characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, loss of interest, sleep disturbances, changes to weight (both gain and loss), difficulty concentrating, and in extreme cases, suicidal thoughts, and/or attempts (Mayo Clinic, 2022). An estimated 8.3% or 21.0 million adults in the United States have experienced at least one episode of depression. Primary care clinicians are often the first to recognize the symptoms of depression. Depression was very prevalent in the clinic where this DNP Scholarly project took place. The owner/nurse practitioner found that she was increasingly treating depressed …

Estimated Impact Of 2022–2023 Influenza Vaccines On Annual Hospital Burden In The United States, Kaiming Bi, Shraddha Ramdas Bandekar, Anass Bouchnita, Annalise Cramer, Spencer J Fox, Rebecca K Borchering, Matthew Biggerstaff, Lauren Ancel Meyers

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

During the COVID-19 pandemic early years, infection prevention measures suppressed transmission of seasonal influenza and other respiratory viruses. The early onset and moderate severity of the US 2022-2023 influenza season may have resulted from reduced use of nonpharmaceutical interventions or lower population immunity after 2 y of limited influenza virus circulation. We used a mathematical model of influenza virus transmission that incorporates vaccine-derived protection against both infection and severe disease to estimate the impact of influenza vaccines on healthcare burden. Assuming reported levels of past vaccine effectiveness (VE) against infection and hospitalization, we estimate that influenza vaccines prevented 69,886 (95% …

Allergenai: A Deep Learning Model Predicting Allergenicity Based On Protein Sequence, Jiajia Liu, Surendra S Negi, Chengyuan Yang, Xiaobo Zhou, Catherine H Schein, Werner Braun, Pora Kim

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Innovations in protein engineering offer promising solutions for redesigning allergenic proteins to minimize adverse reactions in sensitive individuals. Earlier models for predicting allergenicity have relied on the knowledge of physicochemical properties and sequence homology to assess the potential risk. However, to better understand the allergenic proteins’ sequence features, we need a novel sequence-based deep learning model for predicting allergenicity.

RESULTS: We present a novel AI-based tool, AllergenAI, to quantify the allergenic potential of a protein’s sequence without using any other known features. Our study utilized allergenic protein sequence data archived in the three well-established databases, SDAP 2.0, COMPARE, and …

Using Machine Learning For Early Prediction Of In-Hospital Mortality During Icu Admission In Liver Cancer Patients, Zhuo Zheng, Jinhong Xia, Jiawei Luo, Lei Du, Xiaobo Zhou, Xiaoyan Yang, Yan Xia, Mengyao Liu, Shixin Huang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Liver cancer has a high incidence and mortality rate globally, particularly in patients requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Early prediction of in-hospital mortality for these patients is crucial, yet lacking reliable tools. This study aims to develop and evaluate machine learning (ML) models for predicting in-hospital mortality in critically ill liver cancer patients admitted to the ICU. This retrospective study used data from the MIMIC-III and MIMIC-IV databases, including 862 patients from MIMIC-III (training cohort) and 692 patients from MIMIC-IV (validation cohort). The study focused on patients diagnosed with liver cancer, identified by specific ICD codes. Four ML algorithms, …

Accounting For Population Structure In Genomic Prediction Of Strawberry Sweetness At A Global Scale, Mulusew Fikere, Jason D Zurn, Sujeet Verma, Iraida Amaya, Pilar Muñoz, José F Sánchez-Sevilla, Helen M Cockerton, Richard J Harrison, Lise L Mahoney, Thomas M Davis, James F Hancock, Chad E Finn, Megan M Mathey, Jodi Neal, Hian-Lien Ko, Vance M Whitaker, Nahla V Bassil, Craig Hardner

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Genomic prediction models that fit multiple environments globally are valuable tools for assessing cultivar performance across diverse and variable growing conditions. We analyzed 2,064 strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) accessions genotyped with 12,591 SNP markers. Soluble solids content (SSC) was measured in multi-year trials conducted at seven locations spanning the U.S., Europe, and Australia. Population structure analysis grouped accessions into two major clusters corresponding to subtropical and temperate origins, which was confirmed by significant differences in allele frequency distributions. To improve prediction accuracy across environments, we developed factor analytic models focusing on genotype-by-environment interactions rather than covariance between sub-populations. We compared …

Read The Data For Diverse Truths-And Quantitative Myocardial Perfusion Versus Angiography, Kenneth Lance Gould, Nils P Johnson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Sex Differences In Atherosclerotic Coronary Artery Disease Patterns, Kazumasa Ikeda, Daniel Munhoz, Sofie Brouwers, Jeroen Sonck, Hitoshi Matsuo, Toshiro Shinke, Hirohiko Ando, Brian Ko, Simone Biscaglia, Fernando Rivero, Thomas Engstrøm, Ketina Arslani, Antonio Maria Leone, Domenico Galante, Lokien X Van Nunen, William F Fearon, Evald Høj Christiansen, Stephane Fournier, Liyew Desta, Andy Yong, Julien Adjedj, Javier Escaned, Masafumi Nakayama, Ashkan Eftekhari, Frederik M Zimmermann, Koshiro Sakai, Tatyana Storozhenko, Bruno R Da Costa, Gianluca Campo, Colin Berry, Damien Collison, Thomas Johnson, Tetsuya Amano, Divaka Perera, Allen Jeremias, Ziad Ali, Bernard De Bruyne, Frederic Bouisset, Takashi Kubo, Nobuhiro Tanaka, Kazuhiro Satomi, Nils P Johnson, Carlos Collet, Takuya Mizukami

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Sex differences in coronary artery disease (CAD) have been increasingly recognized, as women present with distinct clinical characteristics and outcomes compared with men. This study investigated the impact of sex on pathophysiological CAD patterns (focal versus diffuse) in stable patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI).

Methods: We conducted a subanalysis of the PPG Global (Pullback Pressure Gradient Global Registry) study, a multicenter, prospective trial including 993 patients (236 [23.8%] women and 757 [76.2%] men) with hemodynamically significant CAD, defined as fractional flow reserve ≤0.80. The pullback pressure gradient metric categorized CAD patterns as focal or diffuse. Patient-reported outcomes were …

Vessel-Specific Myocardial Mass In Patients With Stable Coronary Artery Disease, Nikolaos Stalikas, Takuya Mizukami, Frederic Bouisset, Kazumasa Ikeda, Atomu Tajima, Daniel Munhoz, Thabo Mahendiran, Adriaan Wilgenhof, Koshiro Sakai, Bjarne Noorgard, Thomas Engstroem, Jonathon Leipsic, Giulio Stefanini, Antonio Bartorelli, Timothy Fairbairn, Alan Bagnall, Brian Ko, Nils P Johnson, Colin Berry, Divaka Perera, Evald Høj Christiansen, Toshiro Shinke, Hiromase Otake, Bon Kwon Koo, Emanuele Barbato, Salvatore Brugaletta, Damien Collison, Gianluca Campo, Eric Van Belle, Tommaso Goori, Lokien Van Nunen, Adam Witkowski, Patricio Astudillo, James Spratt, Tetsuya Amano, Hirohiko Ando, Georgios Sianos, Jeroen Sonck, Daniele Andreini, Bernard De Bruyne, Carlos Collet

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Assessing the myocardial mass at risk is essential in evaluating patients with coronary artery disease. This study aims to establish reference values for vessel-specific myocardial mass derived from coronary computed tomography angiography, providing a quantitative assessment of the myocardial mass subtended by each epicardial vessel.

Methods: Left ventricular (LV) and vessel-specific myocardial mass were calculated from coronary computed tomography angiography using the Voronoi method in patients with stable coronary artery disease. Myocardial mass was quantified for each epicardial coronary artery with a diameter >1.5 mm.

Results: We included 948 patients with 9228 epicardial coronary artery branches. Mean age was …

Prognosis And Treatment Response Stratification According To Loss Of Proofreading (Lop), Giulia Maddalena, Fadl A Zeineddine, Saikat Chowdhury, Mohammad A Zeineddine, Abdelrahman M Yousef, Francesca Bergamo, Sara Lonardi, Timothy A Yap, Michael Geoffrey White, Michael J Overman, Scott Kopetz, John Paul Shen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Only a subset of polymerase epsilon (POLE) mutations is associated with hypermutant phenotype; we hypothesized that only loss-of-proofreading (LOP) POLE mutations are associated with favorable immunotherapy response.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included a pan-cancer cohort of 69,223 patients from cBioPortal and a cohort of patients with 41 POLE mutant metastatic colorectal (CRC) treated with immunotherapy at the MD Anderson Cancer Center between January 2017 and May 2023. We evaluated prognosis according to POLE mutation functionality.

Results: In the pan-cancer cBioPortal cohort (n=69,223) POLE was mutated in 2.8% (1,965) of tumors; of these, only 7.5% (n=148) had …

Voices: Future Directions In Targeting The Tumor Microenvironment, Tanja De Gruijl, Catherine Sautès-Fridman, Daniela S Thommen, Michael A Curran

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

What do you envision as the most promising future directions for therapeutic strategies aimed at modulating the tumor microenvironment?