Digital Commons Network^™

Programs Agenda 1-28-25, Angela Brock

Programs Committee (PC)

No abstract provided.

A Phenomenological Inquiry Into The Recruitment And Retention Of Diverse Candidates In A Teacher Educator Preparation Program At A Predominantly White Institution, Tiffany Nicole Mosley

Student Theses and Dissertations

The number of Teachers of Color has continuously declined for quite some time. As the K-12 student population becomes more diverse, the teaching population becomes less diverse, with less than 20 percent of teachers representing Teachers of Color. Teachers of Color are vital to K-12 students because they help improve students’ academic achievements, promote educational equity, and decrease the rate of disciplinary actions diverse students face (Sharp et al., 2019). Researchers suggest addressing the supply pipeline to improve the low rate of diverse teachers (Carter Andrews et al., 2019; Ingersoll et al., 2019; Rogers-Ard et al., 2019). This study aimed …

Synergizing Tqm, Jit, And Green Supply Chain Practices: Strategic Insights For Enhanced Environmental Performance, Aamir Rashid, Rizwana Rasheed, Noor Aina Amirah

Publications and Research

Background: This study examined the role of total quality management, just-in-time, and green supply chain management practices to improve environmental performance. Methods: Data from 207 manufacturing industry respondents from a developing economy were tested through a quantitative method using PLS-SEM with the help of SmartPLS to validate the measurement model. Results: The results show that just-in-time significantly impacts total quality management and green supply chain management practices. Similarly, total quality management significantly affects environmental performance. However, just-in-time insignificantly affects the environment. Likewise, total quality management is insignificant and negatively affects green supply chain practices. Conclusion: This research provides practical insight …

Ucc Minutes 1-28-25, Angela Brock

UCC Agendas/Minutes

No abstract provided.

A Linear Periodized Resistance Training Program Is Effective At Reducing Depressive Symptoms But Not Anxiety In Females: A Pilot, Jason Sawyer, Matthew Mcpherson, Meghan Reuter, Paul A. Cacolice

Biological and Biomedical Sciences Department Faculty Journal Articles

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a periodized resistance training program would influence self-reported depression and anxiety scores in college-aged females. Methods: Eight participants participated in a six-week periodized resistance training program. The participants completed a 3–5 repetition maximum (3–5 RM) for the sumo deadlift (SDL), bench press (BP), barbell back squat (BBS), and standing shoulder press (SSP). These data were used to estimate the 1 repetition maximum (1RM), which in turn was used to develop the periodization program. Following baseline testing, participants participated in two full-body workouts per week for six weeks. Each individual was retested …

Two Umn Morris Students Named Fulbright Semifinalists, Communications And Marketing

Campus News Archive

No abstract provided.

Minutes, Curriculum Committee Meeting, Tuesday, January 28, 2025, Curriculum Committee

Curriculum Committee Minutes

No abstract provided.

Deep Learning-Based Auto-Segmentation For Liver Yttrium-90 Selective Internal Radiation Therapy, Jun Li, Wookjin Choi, Rani Anne

Department of Radiation Oncology Faculty Papers

The aim was to evaluate a deep learning-based auto-segmentation method for liver delineation in Y-90 selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT). A deep learning (DL)-based liver segmentation model using the U-Net3D architecture was built. Auto-segmentation of the liver was tested in CT images of SIRT patients. DL auto-segmented liver contours were evaluated against physician manually-delineated contours. Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and mean distance to agreement (MDA) were calculated. The DL-model-generated contours were compared with the contours generated using an Atlas-based method. Ratio of volume (RV, the ratio of DL-model auto-segmented liver volume to manually-delineated liver volume), and ratio of activity (RA, …

Cameroon Could Do With Some Foreign Help To Solve Anglophone Crisis – But The State Doesn’T Want It, Julius A. Amin

History Faculty Publications

What began in late 2016 as a peaceful protest by lawyers and teachers in Cameroon’s North West and South West regions quickly turned violent and developed into what’s become known as Cameroon’s anglophone crisis. The protest was instigated by perceived marginalisation of Cameroon’s anglophone region, which makes up 20% of the nation’s 29 million people. The conflict has resulted in immense destruction and casualties. Cameroon’s military responded to the protest with arrests and torture. Voices that called for complete secession of the anglophone regions from the Republic of Cameroon gained momentum. They created a virtual Ambazonia Republic and an interim …

Normal And Known: Identity And Community Amongst Queer Women Involved In The Social Reform Movements Of The Late 1800s And Early 1900s, Kathleen W. Johndrow

History Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity

The late 1800s and early 1900s saw a wave of social change in the United States, including increased urbanization, European immigration, the end of Reconstruction in the South, and new educational opportunities for women. These changes combined in various ways to contribute to ongoing social reform movements addressing education, health, and safety. Much of this reform was initiated by women, particularly those coming out of institutions of higher learning. The women described in scholarship have typically been white and of middle or upper class origins, and have been classified as being so dedicated to their work that they chose to …

Cross-Platform Analysis Of Mammography Narratives: A Comparative Study On Social Media Engagement, Thomas Stirrat, Jonathan Garner, Parth Tailor, Daniel Weitz, Muhammad Umair, Yusuf T. Akpolat

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: This study examines the representation of mammography on social media platforms, specifically, X (Twitter), Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram, from 2006 to 2023. X (Twitter) went public in 2006, Facebook in 2004, Instagram in 2012, and TikTok in 2018 (after merging with Musical.ly). The analysis starts from after the public launch years to analyze personal experiences shared online.

Methods: A retrospective content analysis was conducted on 1,771 posts using specific hashtags related to mammography. Posts were categorized into themes including emotional and psychological impacts, clinical and procedural details, and social and supportive interactions. The analysis involved summarizing the distribution of …

Hospital Travel Times Are Too Long In Rural Puerto Rico, Catherine García

Population Health Research Brief Series

Access to timely hospital care is essential for health equity, yet there are significant disparities in hospital accessibility across Puerto Rico. This data slice uses data from the 2023 U.S. Census Bureau to show the stark geographic inequities in travel times to the nearest hospitals in Puerto Rico. While many residents in urban areas enjoy hospital access within 15 minutes, those in rural and mountainous regions face an average travel time of 30 minutes or more to reach critical care facilities. These travel time disparities underscore a troubling reality: residents in rural and isolated areas are disproportionately disadvantaged in accessing …

Acceptance And Commitment Therapy With Huntington's Disease: A Narrative Review And Case Report Of A Caregiver-Assisted Intervention, Simone H. Schriger, Chelsi N. Nurse, C. Virginia O'Hayer

Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Faculty Papers

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is an experiential, action-oriented talk therapy that emphasizes acceptance of painful inner experience through increased psychological flexibility. In this narrative review and case report, we first review the extant literature on applications of ACT to patients with a variety of mental and physical health challenges, including neurodegenerative disorders, and their caregivers. We then discuss applications of ACT to Huntington's disease (HD). We provide a case report of a 52-year-old man living with HD who, accompanied by his caregiver, received a virtually-delivered 6-session ACT intervention. We measured the patient's self-reported symptoms of depression (PHQ-9) and anxiety …

Approved Programs 1-28-25, Angela Brock

Programs Committee (PC)

No abstract provided.

Management Of Hip Fracture Patients On Direct Oral Anticoagulants: A Survey Of Orthopaedic Trauma Surgeons, Systematic Review, And Meta-Analysis, Clay Spitler, Robert Rutz, Nigel Blackwood, Meghan Wally, Joseph Johnson, Peter Krause, Jaimo Ahn, Zuhair Mohammed, Mark Mcclure, Rebecca Billings, Ziqing Yu, Matthew Yeager

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVES: This systematic review examined the literature regarding management of fracture patients who take direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) medications, with a focus on delay in surgical treatment, and need for transfusions. In addition, a survey of orthopaedic trauma surgeons was conducted to gain insight on current practices. DATA SOURCES: A review of PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, and Scopus databases was performed from inception through March 2024, including English language publications. STUDY SELECTION: Studies were included if they reported time to surgery and transfusion rates among fracture patents who were taking DOAC medications. Additional data points were collected on an "if-reported" basis, …

An Innovative Method Of Singular Spectrum Analysis To Conduct Gap-Filling And Denoising On Time Series Data

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Heart rate data collected from wearable devices - one type of time series data - could provide insights into activities, stress levels, and health. Yet, consecutive missing segments (i.e., gaps) that commonly occur due to improper device placement or device malfunction could distort the temporal patterns inherent in the data and undermine the validity of downstream analyses. This study proposes an innovative iterative procedure to fill gaps in time series data that capitalizes on the denoising capability of Singular Spectrum Analysis (SSA) and eliminates SSA's requirement of pre-specifying the window length and number of groups. The results of simulations demonstrate …

Multisociety Endorsement Of The 2024 European Guideline Recommendations On Coronary Revascularization, Marc Ruel, Song Wan, Lars G Svensson, Leonard N Girardi, Y Joseph Woo, Vinay Badhwar, Marc R Moon, Wilson Y Szeto, Vinod H Thourani, Rui M S Almeida, Zhe Zheng, Walter J Gomes, Dawn S Hui, Rosemary F Kelly, Miguel Sousa Uva, Joanna Chikwe, Faisal G Bakaeen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Screening Young Adult Cancer Patients For Vocational Rehabilitation Services: A Vocational Rehabilitation Readiness Screening Tool, Melissa Scardaville, Sha-Ron Conley, David Farris, Michael Roth, Vinh Nguyen, Lex Frieden

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: We aimed to develop an online vocational rehabilitation (VR) readiness screening (VRRS) tool for young adults diagnosed with cancer. VR readiness was defined as being physically and cognitively ready to enter or return to work or school.

Methods: We developed an initial VRRS tool informed by previous studies, a scoping review to determine such a tool had not already been developed, and consultation with subject matter experts. We iteratively refined the tool on the basis of four rounds of interviews with young adults with cancer. The refined VRRS was then administered online to patients before they attended scheduled clinic …

Security Protection For Real-Time Cyber-Physical Systems, Yujie Wang

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Real-time cyber physical systems play increasingly important roles in the real world, operating in environments that are sensitive to timing and encompassing a wide range, from low-end embedded devices such as microcontrollers to high-end platforms such as drones and autonomous vehicles. For computational efficiency, these systems are predominantly written in memory-unsafe languages like C/C++, which can introduce numerous memory safety vulnerabilities and lead to several security issues. Since these systems are often used in safety-critical applications, it is essential to ensure security in addition to timeliness. However, existing security protection mechanisms are primarily designed for general-purpose computing systems, and can …

A Morphometric Signature To Identify Ductal Carcinoma In Situ With A Low Risk Of Progression, Marcelo Sobral-Leite, Simon P Castillo, Shiva Vonk, Hendrik A Messal, Xenia Melillo, Brandi De Bruijn, Myrna Van Den Bos, Joyce Sanders, Mathilde Almekinders, Lindy L Visser, Emma J Groen, Petra Kristel, Caner Ercan, Leyla Azarang, Jacco Van Rheenen, E Shelley Hwang, Yinyin Yuan, Renee Menezes, Esther H Lips, Jelle Wesseling

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) may progress to ipsilateral invasive breast cancer (iIBC), but often never will. Because DCIS is treated as early breast cancer, many women with harmless DCIS face overtreatment. To identify features associated with progression, we developed an artificial intelligence-based DCIS morphometric analysis pipeline (AIDmap) on hematoxylin-eosin-stained (H&E) tissue sections. We analyzed 689 digitized H&Es of pure primary DCIS of which 226 were diagnosed with subsequent iIBC and 463 were not. The distribution of 15 duct morphological measurements was summarized in 55 morphometric variables. A ridge regression classifier with cross validation predicted 5-years-free of iIBC with an …

Overcoming Cd226-Related Immune Evasion In Acute Myeloid Leukemia With Cd38 Car-Engineered Nk Cells, Luciana Melo Garcia, Achintyan Gangadharan, Pinaki Banerjee, Ye Li, Andy G X Zeng, Paul Lin, Sunil Acharya, May Daher, Luis Muniz-Feliciano, Gary M Deyter, Gabriel Dominguez, Jeong Min Park, Francia Reyes Silva, Ana Karen Nunez Cortes, Rafet Basar, Nadima Uprety, Mayra Shanley, Mecit Kaplan, Enli Liu, Elizabeth J Shpall, Katayoun Rezvani

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

CD226 plays a vital role in natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity, interacting with its ligands CD112 and CD155 to initiate immune synapse formation, primarily through leukocyte function-associated-1 (LFA-1). Our study examined the role of CD226 in NK cell surveillance of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). NK cells in patients with AML had lower expression of CD226. CRISPR-Cas9 deletion of CD226 led to reduced LFA-1 recruitment, poor synapse formation, and decreased NK cell anti-leukemic activity. Engineering NK cells to express a chimeric antigen receptor targeting the AML antigen CD38 (CAR38) could overcome the need for CD226 to establish strong immune synapses. LFA-1 …

Optimal Size And Peg Coating Of Gold Nanoparticles For Prolonged Blood Circulation: A Statistical Analysis Of Published Data, Dmitry Nevozhay, Ronald Rauch, Zhongya Wang, Konstantin V Sokolov

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

This study presents a statistical analysis of how gold nanoparticle (GNP) size and polyethylene glycol (PEG) coating molecular weight (MW) affect the circulation of nanoparticles in blood. We showed a non-linear relationship with interaction between GNP size and PEG MW. The findings revealed a threshold effect, and recommendations for GNP coating are discussed.

Trmt1l-Catalyzed M22g27 On Tyrosine Trna Is Required For Efficient Mrna Translation And Cell Survival Under Oxidative Stress, Sseu-Pei Hwang, Han Liao, Katherine Barondeau, Xinyi Han, Cassandra Herbert, Amirtha Shekar, Patrick A Limbach, Jeffrey T Chang, Catherine Denicourt

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

tRNA modifications are critical for several aspects of their functions, including decoding, folding, and stability. Using a multifaceted approach encompassing eCLIP-seq and nanopore tRNA-seq, we show that the human tRNA methyltransferase TRMT1L interacts with the component of the Rix1 ribosome biogenesis complex and binds to the 28S rRNA as well as to a subset of tRNAs. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that TRMT1L is responsible for catalyzing N2,N2-dimethylguanosine (m22G) solely at position 27 of tRNA-Tyr-GUA. Surprisingly, TRMT1L depletion also impaired the deposition of 3-(3-amino-3-carboxypropyl) uridine (acp3U) and dihydrouridine on tRNA-Tyr-GUA, Cys-GCA, and Ala-CGC. TRMT1L knockout cells have a marked decrease in tRNA-Tyr-GUA …

Erk Activation Dynamics In Maturing Oocyte Controls Embryonic Nuclear Divisions In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Han Bit Baek, Debabrata Das, Shin-Yu Chen, Hongyuan Li, Swathi Arur

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

ERK activity oscillates between sustained activation during oocyte formation and transient inactivation during oocyte maturation, fertilization, and early embryogenesis. Consequences of ectopic ERK activity upon oocyte maturation and in early embryogenesis are unknown. We show, in Caenorhabditis elegans, that ectopic ERK activity upon oocyte maturation (metaphase I oocytes) results in embryos with abnormalities in nuclear divisions leading to embryonic death. We uncover that ERK directly phosphorylates Polo-like kinase I (PLK-1), on Serine 404, to inhibit nuclear envelope breakdown (NEBD) in early embryogenesis. The RAS/ERK/PLK-1 pathway poisons zygotic NEBD and inhibits the merging of parental genomes, underlining the importance of turning …

Sex-Specific Astrocyte Regulation Of Spinal Motor Circuits By Nkx61, Junsung Woo, Yi-Ting Cheng, Debosmita Sardar, Ozlem Sert, Ehson Maleki, Kwanha Yu, Ekin Su Akdemir, Kaitlyn Sanchez, Juyeon Jo, Matthew N Rasband, Hyun Kyoung Lee, Akdes Serin Harmanci, Benjamin Deneen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Astrocytes exhibit diverse cellular and molecular properties across the central nervous system (CNS). Recent studies identified region-specific transcription factors (TF) that oversee these diverse properties; how sex differences intersect with region-specific transcriptional programs to regulate astrocyte function is unknown. Here, we show that the TF Nkx6.1 is specifically expressed in ventral astrocytes of the spinal cord and that its deletion results in sex-specific effects on astrocyte morphology. Astrocytes from males exhibit enhanced morphological complexity, accompanied by increased motor function and cholinergic synapses. In contrast, female astrocytes exhibit reduced complexity and no changes in motor function. Mechanistically, we found that Nkx6.1 …

The Adiponectin-Pparγ Axis In Hepatic Stellate Cells Regulates Liver Fibrosis, Jan-Bernd Funcke, Zhuzhen Zhang, May-Yun Wang, Qian Lin, Bianca Field, Xue-Nan Sun, Guannan Li, Mbolle Ekane, Toshiharu Onodera, Na Li, Yi Zhu, Christine M Kusminski, Terry D Hinds, Philipp E Scherer

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are key drivers of local fibrosis. Adiponectin, conventionally thought of as an adipokine, is also expressed in quiescent HSCs. However, the impact of its local expression on the progression of liver fibrosis remains unclear. We recently generated a transgenic mouse line (Lrat-rtTA) that expresses the doxycycline-responsive transcriptional activator rtTA under the control of the HSC-specific lecithin retinol acyltransferase (Lrat) promoter, which enables us to specifically and inducibly overexpress or eliminate genes in these cells. The inducible elimination of HSCs protects mice from methionine/choline-deficient (MCD) diet-induced liver fibrosis, confirming their causal involvement in fibrosis development. We generated …

The Golgi Complex Governs Natural Killer Cell Lytic Granule Positioning To Promote Directionality In Cytotoxicity, Evelyn Hernandez, Everardo Hegewisch-Solloa, Tabitha K Orange, Keri B Sheehan, Susan Prockop, Aaron Bodansky, Ivan K Chinn, James R Lupski, Jennifer E Posey, Emily M Mace, Yu Li, Jordan S Orange

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Cytotoxic immune cells mediate precise attacks against diseased cells to maintain organismal health. Their operational unit of killing and host defense is lytic granules (LGs), which are specialized lysosomal-related organelles. Precision in cytotoxicity is achieved by converging the many LGs to the microtubule-organizing center (MTOC) and polarizing these to the diseased cell for secretion. We identify unappreciated intimate relationships between the Golgi, MTOC, and LGs after cytotoxic cell activation, as well as the trans-Golgin protein GCC2 on the LG surface. GCC2 serves to tether LGs to the Golgi following convergence, and both GCC2 and the Golgi are required for the …

Robust Cluster Prediction Across Data Types Validates Association Of Sex And Therapy Response In Gbm, Kristin A Waite, Edward Pan, Jacob Mandel, Yoshie Umemura, Jingqin Luo, Joshua B Rubin, David Pot, Jill Barnholtz-Sloan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Previous studies have described sex-specific patient subtyping in glioblastoma. The cluster labels associated with these "legacy data" were used to train a predictive model capable of recapitulating this clustering in contemporary contexts.

Methods: We used robust ensemble machine learning to train a model using gene microarray data to perform multi-platform predictions including RNA-seq and potentially scRNA-seq.

Results: The engineered feature set was composed of many previously reported genes that are associated with patient prognosis. Interestingly, these well-known genes formed a predictive signature only for female patients, and the application of the predictive signature to male patients produced unexpected results. …

Executive Committee - Minutes, 1/28/2025, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Minutes

No abstract provided.

Challenges And Opportunities In The Dissemination Of Scientific Content: Insights From Media Professionals In Jordan, Ruba Mustafa Mohammad, Mahmoud Ahmad Al-Rajabi, Hala Nabil Amr

This study explored the challenges and opportunities in disseminating scientific content from the perspective of media experts in Jordan. Using a descriptive methodology and a questionnaire, the research aimed to understand the landscape better. The sample included 343 media experts holding master's degrees or higher in various media fields, along with several journalists actively working in the sector. The study revealed several key findings. Chief among them are the numerous obstacles hindering the dissemination of scientific content in Jordanian media. These include a lack of training for journalists on accessing new scientific information, a general absence of critical thinking skills …