Digital Commons Network^™

Examing The Role Of Complement Signaling In Viral Neuroinflammatory Responses, Marlene Kanmogne

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The complement system is an ancient pathway that serves dual roles as a key regulator of neuroinflammation and a critical regulator of neural networks. Few studies have addressed how these two pathways may interact during infection of the central nervous system. While some components of complement are expressed in the healthy developing brain, complement component 3a receptor (C3aR) is a G protein coupled receptor that is expressed by astrocytes, microglia and infiltrating immune cells during inflammatory states. We previously found that C3aR is required for engulfment of synaptic material by activated microglia during neuroinvasive viral infection. Here, we used a …

Mutant-Specific Analysis Of Tumor Cell Heterogeneity In Glioblastoma, Patrick Desouza

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive brain tumor driven by the interplay between tumor cell-intrinsic and -extrinsic heterogeneity, enabling rapid evolution. To investigate how canonical GBM mutations promote functional plasticity, we developed an isogenic human neural stem cell (NSC) model of GBM by sequential addition of TERT promoter, TP53, and PDGFRA point mutations. TP53 loss-of-function increased TERT expression during serial mutagenesis, but only triple mutant NSCs reliably formed lethal brain tumors in vivo that recapitulate GBM. Tumor cell evolution triggered stress-related metabolic changes and transitioned toward a neuronal progenitor network driven by transcription factor INSM1. INSM1 is highly expressed in human …

Acquisition Algorithms For Protein Mass Spectrometry And Their Application To Clinical Proteomics, Nathan Wamsley

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Bottom-up protein mass spectrometry aims for the identification and quantification of protein species by proxy of their proteolytic peptides. This dissertation presents methodological advances in three areas of protein mass spectrometry: acquisition methods, clinical appli- cations, and data analysis algorithms. The second chapter presents an optimized internal standard-triggered parallel reaction monitoring (OIS-PRM) method and demonstrates its application to study prognostic biomarkers in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HN- SCC). OIS-PRM uses intelligent scan scheduling and real-time monitoring of peptide elution profiles to reduce cycle-times and improve quantitative precision and accuracy. The assay measured NRF2 activation in both cell lines …

First-Principles Studies Of Excited-State Properties In Large-Scale Systems, Du Li

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Density Functional Theory (DFT) is widely used as a powerful tool for studying the electronic structure of materials. However, due to the local or semilocal nature of exchange-correlation functionals, such as the local density approximation and generalized gradient approximation functional, DFT often underestimates the electronic band gap. Many-body perturbation theory (MBPT) within the GW approximation provides more accurate quasiparticle energies calculation by incorporating many-electron screening effects. Additionally, solving the Bethe-Salpeter Equation (BSE) allows for a detailed analysis of excitonic effects in optical spectra. Despite their accuracy, GW-BSE calculations are computationally expensive, particularly for large-scale systems such as defects and substrate-supported …

Mechanisms Of Protective Humoral Immunity And Pathogenesis In Alphavirus Infection, Natasha Monir Kafai

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Alphaviruses are enveloped, mosquito-transmitted, positive-sense RNA viruses of the Togaviridae family classified into Old and New World groups based on endemic regions and human disease characteristics. Old World alphaviruses, including chikungunya virus preferentially cause arthritogenic disease, whereas New World viruses like Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV), Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV), and Western equine encephalitis virus (WEEV) can cause neurological disease. Since the 1920s, VEEV has been responsible for major periodic outbreaks affecting hundreds of thousands of humans and equines in South and Central America. Expansion of mosquito vectors raises concern for possible VEEV reemergence. In addition, VEEV is a …

A Curriculum To Foster Self-Management Through Morning Meetings, Emily Auld

Masters Theses/Capstone Projects

The purpose of this capstone is to create a curriculum for morning meetings that foster self-management skills in 5th grade students. I have created a four-week curriculum that addresses self-management skills for students in 5th grade, although, this curriculum can be easily adjusted to fit the needs of students in younger grades. This curriculum was created using the research I have outlined in my literature review. Additionally, this curriculum uses The Collaborative for Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) framework guide my curriculum.

Initial Scripts And Final Code Data For E2021-260 Study 1, Undergraduates' Access And Usability Of The Contentdm Interface And Irb2022-263 Study 2, Faculty Needs Assessment Of The Library Dam System, Lindsey Memory, Rebecca A. Wiederhold, Abby Beazer, Greg Seppi, Nicole Lewis, Elizabeth Smart, Brent Ellingson

ScholarsArchive Data

Included are the initial scripts and the final qualitative thematic codes (created using the grounded method) of two IRB studies completed by the BYU Library's Digital Collections Systems Management Committee. Study 1, "Undergraduates' Access and Usability of the CONTENTdm Interface" (BYU IRB E2021-260) administered a usability test and an oral survey/interview, resulting in two datasets: codes from video observational data of undergraduate subjects using the library's digital asset management system, CONTENTdm, to complete ten pre-set usability tasks, and also codes from open-ended interview questions about those undergraduate students' perceived effectiveness in the system, and their preferences in a library digital …

The Echo: May 5, 2025, Taylor University

2024-2025 (Volume 112)

No abstract provided.

Trump’S Lies: An Examination Of The Fictitious Perception Of Latin American Immigrants As Violent Criminals, Sophia A. Esposito

Honors Scholar Theses

Trump’s presidency created a heightened scrutiny of immigrants, specifically Latin American immigrants, as his initiative focused on building a wall on the Mexico-US border. Trump’s extreme xenophobic speech was disseminated by the media, influencing the public to perceive Latin American immigrants as dangerous individuals responsible for violent crime. This is despite Latin American immigrants committing crimes at lower rates than native-born citizens. Further, his presidency continued the American criminalization of immigration as he enacted punitive and discriminatory policies and legislation. This thesis expands on previous scholarly work by examining the impact Trump’s anti-immigrant messages had on the media and public …

Music As A Method For Conversion In 16th Century New Spain, Liana Howe

USF St. Petersburg campus Honors Program Theses (Undergraduate)

This thesis examines how music contributed to the conversion of Nahuatl-speaking Indigenous peoples in sixteenth-century New Spain during the Spanish “spiritual conquest” that followed the fall of Tenochtitlan. Drawing on historical, anthropological, and psychological scholarship, as well as primary sources from the colonial period, the study compares pre-Columbian Nahua musical traditions with Franciscan missionary practices to explore why music proved to be an effective tool of religious instruction and persuasion. The research demonstrates that music occupied a central role in Nahua religious, educational, and social life prior to Spanish contact, making it a familiar and powerful medium through which missionaries …

The James Museum's "Art In Mind" Program Evaluation, Violet Adams

USF St. Petersburg campus Honors Program Theses (Undergraduate)

This thesis evaluates the effectiveness of the Art in Mind program at the James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art in St. Petersburg, Florida, a therapeutic arts initiative designed for individuals with cognitive impairments, including Alzheimer’s disease, and their caregivers. Drawing inspiration from the Meet Me at MoMA model, the program uses guided art discussions, Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS), and Personal Response Strategies (PRS) to promote social engagement, emotional well-being, and meaningful connections through art. Using pre- and post-tour surveys, the study assessed changes in participants’ mood, communication, and desire for social interaction. While quantitative analyses did not reveal statistically …

Latin American Prevalence Of Glaucoma: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Denisse J Mora-Paez, Jaime Guedes, Dillan Cunha Amaral, Marcelo Alves Ferreira, Bruno Fernandes, Sacha Pereira, Bruno Botton, Alisha Desai, Helena Messinger Pakter, Fabio Lavinsky, Adroaldo Alencar Costa Filho

Wills Eye Hospital Papers

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the prevalence of all types of glaucoma in Latin America (LATAM) and evaluate potential demographic associations. This study followed PRISMA guidelines and was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42024506330). A comprehensive search of PubMed, SciELO, and Web of Science was conducted to identify population-based or cross-sectional studies reporting glaucoma prevalence in LATAM. Studies were categorized into two groups: Group 1 included general population studies without selection based on visual acuity (VA), and Group 2 included studies limited to individuals with VA < 20/60. Data from five studies in Group 1 (25,288 individuals) and eight studies in Group 2 (29,882 individuals) were analyzed using R software. The pooled prevalence of glaucoma was 4% (95% CI: 1–3%) in Group 1 and 1% (95% CI: 0–1%) in Group 2. No statistically significant associations were found between glaucoma prevalence and sex (p = 0.08) or age (p = 0.5669). Although our findings …

Evaluating The Impact Of Initial Injury Severity On Post-Traumatic Joint Contracture In A Rat Elbow Model, Genevieve Jarrell

Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Independent Study

Post-traumatic joint contracture (PTJC) is a common complication following elbow injuries, often leading to stiffness, pain, and impaired limb function. A simple elbow dislocation model in Long-Evans rats has been validated to replicate clinical PTJC. However, real-world elbow trauma frequently involves more complex injuries such as chronic instability or fracture dislocation. The objective of this study was to evaluate outcomes of two newly developed, more severe elbow injuries in vivo for the first time. A three-tiered injury model of increasing severity was implemented: Tier I (simple dislocation), Tier II (instability), and Tier III (fracture dislocation). Mechanical hyperalgesia thresholds, forelimb strength, …

Evaluation Of A Multistage Implementation Of Medication For Opioid Use Disorder Services In Primary Care, Sarah Lawson, Allie Hamilton, Jordan Lazarus, Gregory A. Jaffe, Erica Li, Lara Weinstein, Susan Fidler, Erin Kelly

Department of Family & Community Medicine Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: Despite effective treatment for opioid use disorder, access to care is limited. Increased availability of evidence-based medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) treatment within primary care is urgently needed. This study describes efforts to increase MOUD services within a large urban primary care practice.

METHODS: After an internal assessment of barriers to MOUD services, a two-phase approach was used to educate providers and to implement MOUD services within a primary care practice over 2.5 years. Physicians became X-waiver certified in the education phase and completed four internal training sessions. Physicians completed pre-post surveys to assess their intention to prescribe …

Modeling Literary Connections: Exploring Transregional Resistance In Dalit Poetry, Antara Bhattacharyay

Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science Honors Projects

Structuring socio-political identities, the caste system (a graded form of hierarchy) remains entrenched in contemporary Indian society. Dalits, marginalized by the caste system, have expressed their resistance through literature, envisioning substantive equality and social change. In this thesis, I draw on digital humanities methods to examine regional variation in translated Dalit poetry from Bengali, Hindi/Urdu, Marathi, and Tamil languages. I utilize topic modeling—a machine learning algorithm that detects latent semantic structures in a text—as a point of departure for poetry analysis. I observe how topic modeling enables newer readings of the poems, revealing regionally resonant and broader Dalit themes.

Vienna In The New Century: From Public Housing Haven To Neoliberalized Mega Projects, Connery R. Ritter

Geography Honors Projects

While Vienna is often presented as a utopia for social sustainability, the urban developments after the turn of the century have revealed the variegated nature of Neoliberalization. Since the fall of the USSR, Vienna has privatized municipal bodies and engaged with financialized urban development projects. While this Neoliberalized urban governance approach has met with resistance, the resistance ironically has also enabled the city to capitalize on its social-welfarist past. Vienna nowadays brands itself as a sustainable and livable city for corporations, which leads to land assetization and new economic segregation.

Normothermic Regional Perfusion In Donation After Circulatory Death: The Essential Role Of The Certified Clinical Perfusionist. A Scoping Review., Robert A. Perdue

Student Works

Background: Donation after Circulatory Death (DCD) was the original mode of transplantation (e.g., first lung transplant in 1963 and first heart transplant in 1967) (1,2) but was largely abandoned post-1968 following the Harvard brain-death criteria (3). Recently, Normothermic Regional Perfusion (NRP) has renewed interest in DCD by mitigating warm ischemic injury. However, Certified Clinical Perfusionists (CCPs), who manage the extracorporeal circuits essential for NRP, remain largely overlooked or underrepresented in protocols and literature, even though they are, according to the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion (ABCP), the only professionals “formally educated and trained in adult and pediatric extracorporeal technology” (4). …

Hybridize Functions: A Tool For Automatically Refactoring Imperative Deep Learning Programs To Graph Execution, Raffi Khatchadourian, Tatiana Castro Vélez, Mehdi Bagherzadeh, Nan Jia, Anita Raja

Publications and Research

Efficiency is essential to support responsiveness w.r.t. ever-growing datasets, especially for Deep Learning (DL) systems. DL frameworks have traditionally embraced deferred execution-style DL code—supporting symbolic, graph-based Deep Neural Network (DNN) computation. While scalable, such development is error-prone, non-intuitive, and difficult to debug. Consequently, more natural, imperative DL frameworks encouraging eager execution have emerged but at the expense of run-time performance. Though hybrid approaches aim for the “best of both worlds,” using them effectively requires subtle considerations to make code amenable to safe, accurate, and efficient graph execution—avoiding performance bottlenecks and semantically inequivalent results. We discuss the engineering aspects of a …

Void And Other Stories, Savanna Stewart

Master's Projects

Void and Other Stories is a collection of works from my time at KSU that exemplifies my writing process. This process involves finding inspiration, doing research, and editing. “Void,” a short story, is included in the title of my capstone because it best represents all three of these elements and contains the haunting element that characterizes the majority of my writing. As I continue to pursue my goal of publishing, I have the advice and experience from my time in the KSU MAPW program. I also have relationships with peers and teachers from whom I can seek help and advice. …

Increasing Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Among C-Suite Executives In Non-Profit Rural Hospitals, Veaunka Gulley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Rural hospital health systems in the United States provide different services to rural communities, such as serving vulnerable populations, providing better access to healthcare, and contributing to the overall health of the community. Ninety percent of nonprofit CEOs are White, and 90% of nonprofit board members are White. This integrative review aimed to explore evidence of strategies to implement, promote, and increase DEI representation among C-suite executives in rural health systems. Twenty-five articles published between 2018 and 2024 were selected based on words used across the databases which included rural health*, hospital*, diversity*, and equity*. Literature containing the inclusion criteria …

What Are The Effects Of Time-Restricted Eating Upon Metabolic Health Outcomes In Individuals With Metabolic Syndrome: A Scoping Review, Rory J Heath, Jessie Welbourne, Daniel Martin

Peninsula Medical School

The primary objective of this scoping review (ScR) was to assess the breadth and type of evidence related to time-restricted eating (TRE) as an intervention to modify metabolic health outcomes in individuals with diagnosed metabolic syndrome (MetS), a major health challenge due to increasing prevalence and association with other chronic diseases. MetS comprises three or more of hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, dyslipidaemia, dysregulated glucose homeostasis, and abdominal obesity. TRE, also known as time-restricted feeding (TRF), restricts food intake to specific time windows within a day, for example, a 10-h eating period between 10:00 and 20:00. Via multiple mechanisms, TRE interventions may provide …

Gdgse: An Algorithm To Evaluate Pathway Enrichment By Discretizing Gene Expression Values, Jiangti Luo, Qiqi Lu, Mengjiao He, Xiaobo Zhang, Xiang Yang, Xiaosheng Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

We proposed gdGSE, a novel computational framework for gene set enrichment analysis. Unlike conventional methods that rely on continuous gene expression values, gdGSE employs discretized gene expression profiles to assess pathway activity. This approach effectively mitigates discrepancies caused by data distributions. This algorithm consists of two steps: (1) applying statistical thresholds binarizing gene expression matrix, and (2) converting the binarized gene expression matrix into a gene set enrichment matrix. Our results demonstrated that gdGSE could robustly extract biological insights from a diverse array of simulated and real bulk or single-cell gene expression datasets. Notably, gene set enrichment scores by gdGSE …

Language Mapping During Awake Brain Surgery In A Deaf Patient With A Brain Tumor: Illustrative Case, Ene Chibawanye I, Elizabeth Silva, Kyle Noll, Mariana Bradshaw, Katherine Connelly, Ho-Ling Liu, Ravi Tummala, David Ferson, Frederick F Lang, Vinodh A Kumar

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Signed language integrates complex sensorimotor processes involving visual and motor networks. The contribution of language regions such as Broca's and Wernicke's areas during signing is not well established. Here, the authors report the case of a 45-year-old right-handed male with congenital deafness, who communicates using American Sign Language (ASL) and Signed English, presenting with focal seizures. Imaging showed a diffuse infiltrative glioma in the right cerebral hemisphere.

Observations: Remarkably, preoperative functional MRI language activations were bihemispheric and overlapped for both traditional language paradigms and sign paradigms, suggesting that the same cortical regions of the brain are used for language …

Hybridize Functions: A Tool For Automatically Refactoring Imperative Deep Learning Programs To Graph Execution, Raffi Khatchadourian, Tatiana Castro Vélez, Mehdi Bagherzadeh, Nan Jia, Anita Raja

Publications and Research

Efficiency is essential to support responsiveness w.r.t. ever-growing datasets, especially for Deep Learning (DL) systems. DL frameworks have traditionally embraced deferred execution-style DL code—supporting symbolic, graph-based Deep Neural Network (DNN) computation. While scalable, such development is error-prone, non-intuitive, and difficult to debug. Consequently, more natural, imperative DL frameworks encouraging eager execution have emerged but at the expense of run-time performance. Though hybrid approaches aim for the "best of both worlds," using them effectively requires subtle considerations to make code amenable to safe, accurate, and efficient graph execution—avoiding performance bottlenecks and semantically inequivalent results. We discuss the engineering aspects of a …

Proteogenomic Analysis To Inform Causal Gene Prioritization For Human Disease, Daniel Western

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been key in expanding our understanding of the genetic contributions to common diseases. However, these genetic associations frequently fail to clarify causal disease mechanisms, as they often fall in non-coding regions and are difficult to interpret. One solution is to perform a GWAS for the levels of a cellular trait, known as quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping. Through methods such as colocalization, Mendelian Randomization, and transcriptome/proteome-wide association studies, the QTL variants can be compared to disease GWAS, identifying shared variation between cellular and disease traits. We can then prioritize cellular traits as potential causative, targetable …

Essays On Macroeconomic Frictions And Policy, Siyu Chen

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Information, Production Networks and Optimal Taxation: This paper studies optimal taxation in an economy with information frictions and a production network across industries. I show that when all industries share the same information structure, production efficiency holds and optimal policy features no taxes on intermediate goods. Deviating from this benchmark, I characterize the optimal policy when information structure is heterogeneous across industries: The government optimally imposes higher revenue taxes on industries during economic downturns if: (i) these industries exhibit greater information rigidity, (ii) their downstream industries display less information rigidity, and (iii) their input goods are also utilized by less …

Noninvasive Assessment Of The Tumor Using Cfdna, Irfan Alahi

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Next-generation high-throughput sequencing, which is increasingly generating vast amounts of genomic data, offers opportunities for a deeper understanding of the multifaceted nature of cancer and, hence, better patient care. However, the inherently complex and heterogeneous nature of cancer and the significant challenges in the generated data demand advanced data-driven frameworks to decode the molecular underpinnings of cancer. Moreover, the undeniable need for non-invasive approaches presents additional technical challenges in this domain. This dissertation proposes novel frameworks addressing three key challenges in computational oncology. The first study of this dissertation develops a data-driven algorithm to identify stemness signatures in metastatic castration-resistant …

Three-Dimensional Learning Through Phenomenon-Based Science Education And Its Application Via The Collapsed Container Phenomenon, Maryam Saberi, Noushin Nouri

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

This research aims to investigate and explain three-dimensional (3D) learning through the phenomenon-based science education approach. The study employed documentary review research methodology to analyze sources that introduce phenomenon-based science education (including research articles, new science education standards, and Iran's national science curriculum guide). The findings indicate that three-dimensional learning, with its emphasis on disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and science and engineering practices, provides a comprehensive framework for understanding and explaining natural phenomena. In this research, the six stages of phenomenon-based science education—including introducing the phenomenon, creating a questions-observations-interpretations table, developing an initial model, exploring the phenomenon, completing a …

Dynamic Vertebral Artery Recanalization As A Cause For Recurrent Posterior Circulation Thromboembolic Stroke: Illustrative Case, Hussein A Zeineddine, Gabriel Galan Castro, Antonio Dono, William W Wroe, Salvatore A D'Amato, Duncan Trimble, Nimer Adeeb, Andrew Barreto, Spiros L Blackburn

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Posterior circulation strokes comprise one-fourth of ischemic strokes and can arise from many causes. One rare etiology is transient occlusion of the vertebral artery (VA) with head rotation due to an osteophyte, termed bow hunter's syndrome. The authors present the case of recurrent thromboembolic posterior strokes secondary to transient reopening of an osteophyte-occluded VA.

Observations: A 71-year-old man presented with dizziness and visual changes with a history of prior cervical fusion and myocardial ischemia, controlled with Plavix and aspirin. CT angiography of the neck revealed osteophyte occlusion of the right VA at C4, and MRI revealed a right posterior …

On Metric Choice In Dimension Reduction For Fréchet Regression, Abdul Nasah Soale, Congli Ma, Siyu Chen

Faculty Scholarship

Fréchet regression is becoming a mainstay in modern data analysis for analysing non-traditional data types belonging to general metric spaces. This novel regression method is especially useful in the analysis of complex health data such as continuous monitoring and imaging data. Fréchet regression utilises the pairwise distances between the random objects, which makes the choice of metric crucial in the estimation. In this paper, existing dimension reduction methods for Fréchet regression are reviewed, and the effect of metric choice on the estimation of the dimension reduction subspace is explored for the regression between random responses and Euclidean predictors. An extensive …