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Flea News 96 (November 2025), R. L. Bossard

Flea News

Flea News is a twice-yearly newsletter about fleas (Siphonaptera). Before including in publications any of the citations given here, please review for accuracy and correct formatting. Many of our sources are abstracting journals and current literature sources, and editors have not necessarily checked citations.

Announcements

Obituary: Lane Douglas Foil (June 16, 1949 - June 22, 2025)

Siphonaptera Literature (2025): Taxonomy, Conservation, Hosts and Distributions, Physiology and Morphology, Evolution, Ecology, Pathology and Control, Microbial Symbionts

Identifying Superior Finger Millet (Eleusine Coracana L.) Landraces Using The Multi-Trait Genotype-Ideotype Distance Index (Mgidi), Sujan Chapagaina, Bishnu Prasad Kandela, Sudikshya Shresthaa, Ankur Poudela, Shubh Pravat Singh Yadavb

Extension Publications

Genetic variability and selection are crucial for finger millet breeding programs to maximize genetic gain and productivity. This study evaluated 18 finger millet landraces cultivated in the mid-hills of Nepal, along with ‘Kavre Kodo 2’ as a check variety, assessing 14 agro-morphological traits. The objective was to identify superior finger millet landraces using a multivariate approach based on the multi-trait genotype– ideotype distance index (MGIDI). The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Principal component analysis revealed that the first five components collectively accounted for 80.8% of the total variation, reflecting the genetic relatedness …

Reverse Auction As Purchasing Tool: Literature Review And Research Agenda, Jaroslav Urminsky, Marketa Zajarosova

European Management Studies

Purpose: The study aims to organize and analyse the fragmented knowledge base on reverse auctions that has emerged across multiple disciplines due to global digitization. It seeks to identify key research themes, methodologies, and trends in both private and public sector applications.

Design/methodology/approach: A systematic literature review was conducted covering two decades of research indexed in the Web of Science and Scopus databases. Hundreds of articles addressing diverse aspects of reverse auctions were examined and categorized through network and content analysis to uncover thematic clusters and methodological tendencies.

Findings: The analysis indicates a growing academic interest in reverse …

Characterization Of Colorectal Cancer Cell Responses Using A Wound-Healing Scratch Assay Model On Wild-Type (P53 +/+) And Knockout (P53 -/-), Mehrael Faragalla, Karen Barsoum, Erick Spears

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Colorectal cancer progression is driven in part by dysregulated signaling pathways that alter cell growth and migration. One key pathway is the Wnt signaling pathway, a key regulator in colorectal tumorigenesis, which promotes MYC overexpression, leading to uncontrolled proliferation. Interestingly, in the absence of p53, MYC has been found to induce expression of the tumor suppressor gene EGR1, shifting the cellular response toward apoptosis rather than growth. This study investigates the MYC–EGR1 pathway in HCT116 colorectal cancer cells with either wild-type (p53+/+) or knockout of the TP53 gene (p53−/−). Early findings indicate that p53+/+ cells exhibit faster initial growth compared …

Impact Of Height On Primrose Leaf Litter Decomposition, Lilianna Wrenne, Jacey Cardenas, Danner Brown, Wyatt Fooks, Darlene Panvini

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Decomposition is a crucial process in nutrient cycling, where dead organic matter turns into nutrients for the environment. Height is a significant abiotic factor that can influence these factors. Dried primrose was chosen for this experiment to test how much height affects decomposition; 8 mesh bags were filled with 4.0g of dried primrose leaves. Four bags were placed at ground level, and four were placed on top of a plant, 2ft above the ground. Using the fishing line, the bags at each site were tied together to prevent them from blowing away. By changing the height of the plants, the …

Comparative Decomposition Rates Of Prickly Pear And Sage Using Litterbags, Curtis Jang, Vy Ly, Ashlyn Reagan, Ellie Sebaugh, Darlene Panvini

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Litterbags are used to study nutrient cycling and track the rate of decomposition over time. Decomposition rates may vary between plant species due to various factors. One factor includes the abundance of lignin, or a structural component that provides support to a plant, which can slow the rate of decomposition. This study compared the decomposition rate of sage (Salvia officinalis), which has higher lignin levels, and prickly pear (Opuntia humifusa), which has higher water content and thus lower lignin levels. Four samples of each species, with two replicates each, were initially weighed and then placed in …

Presence Of Ophiognomonia Clavivignenti-Juglandacearum On Juglans Cinerea At Beaman Park In Nashville, Tennessee, Corinne Parker, Kidist Aklile, Darlene Panvini

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Butternut trees, (white walnut, Juglans cinerea), are infected by a fatal canker, Ophiognomonia clavigignenti-juglandacearum (O-cj), which impacts the survival and population density of the species. Once found throughout the eastern United States, the species has decreased considerably. Due to its uncommon occurrence in Middle Tennessee, the conditions of J. cinerea were investigated at Beaman Park in Nashville, TN. All butternut trees were hypothesized to be infected by O-cj. Each known tree in the park was examined to assess its bark health and determine the presence of the canker. Ecosystem analyses around each tree included surveys of soil characteristics, …

A Convolutional Neural Network Approach To Breast Cancer Tumor Boundary Detection, James Leah Matlosz

Master's Theses

Breast cancer is the second most common form of cancer and often goes undetected in its initial stages due to its subtle symptoms. As the tumors grow, they become more difficult to surgically remove with clean borders. To minimize the chance of recurrence, a 2D convolutional neural network is developed in this work for delineating tumor boundaries. Specifically, the U-shaped network model is trained, validated, and tested with longitudinal MRI scans of patients diagnosed with breast cancer and undergoing neoadjuvant therapy. For training, image masks were generated as ground truths using signal enhancement ratio segmentation, thresholding, and contour detection. The …

Compassion, Connection, And Capacity: Outcomes Of A Yearlong Contemplative Medicine Fellowship, Anne Kennard, Jennifer Clinkenbeard, Erin Gillespie, David Iozzi

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective: To evaluate how a year-long Contemplative Medicine Fellowship impacts physician burnout, moral injury, work-life integration, meaning, capacity for compassion, and professional resilience.

Design: A pre–post survey observational study using a combination of validated survey tools and questionnaire items authored by the research team.

Setting: The New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care (NYZC), an educational nonprofit in the US, offers a year-long, remote learning fellowship in contemplative medicine that integrates mindfulness, compassion training, reflective inquiry, community engagement, and other contemplative approaches to the practice of medicine.

Intervention: Participation in the Contemplative Medicine Fellowship, which includes experiential contemplative practice, didactic …

Inventory Assortment Model For Retailers With Multi-Level Substitution Of Products, Gian Paolo G. Guiao, Gabriel John L. De Leon, John Kenneth P. Punongbayan, Kathleen L. Baldoz, Ven-Rem Bill A. Pasion, Angelo C. Ani

Journal Article

Ensuring a sufficient inventory level at the retail stage of the supply chain is essential to meet customer demand. However, determining the ideal quantity of products to be ordered by a retailer is challenging when there is a substitution of products. This study addresses the occurrence of customers substituting products in the store in case of product unavailability by developing a two- phase stochastic optimization model. The first phase created a discretized demand profile, one of the novelties of this study, that allows customers to substitute up to two attempts. The second phase developed a mixed-integer program (MIP) model that …

The Root Cause Of Perceived Appraisal Politics Using Evidence From The South Korean Public Sector, Jinwoong Yoo, Saeyeon Roh, Mohamed Haddoud, Smita Tripathi

Plymouth Business School

The purpose of this study is to investigate the root causes of Perceived Appraisal Politics (PAP) within the public sector in South Korea. Scholars in the field of Human Resource Management (HRM) have identified the determinants of PAP in an effort to mitigate it. However, the complex interactions among those determinants and root causes have been overlooked. Therefore, we adopt a novel methodology in this study that combines Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM) and fuzzy-Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (f-DEMATEL). The findings indicate that the root causes of PAP include the presence of cliques, ambiguity of appraisal policies and goal ambiguity …

A Gis Method To Summarize Changes Among Classes During A Time Series With An Application To Land Cover In Western Bahia, Brazil, Robert Gilmore Pontius, Antonio Victor Galvão Da Fonseca

Geography

Petabytes of raster maps exist that show numerous classes across a series of many time points. Scientists need new methods to summarize the temporal changes so scientists can understand broad patterns and have guidance for how to look deeper into particular places, trajectories, classes, and time intervals. Our manuscript addresses this need by presenting an innovative method that summarizes the temporal changes in terms of a map of four trajectories and bar charts of five components: quantity, allocation exchange, allocation shift, alternation exchange, and alternation shift. An application illustrates the method using 16 land cover classes at 7 time points …

Broadening Workforce Participation In Transportation: Challenges And Strategies, Jodi Godfrey, Stephanie Ivey

Mineta Transportation Institute

Attracting and retaining a diverse, skilled workforce remains one of the most pressing challenges in the transportation industry. A new MTI-led California State University Transportation Consortium report examines why workforce participation gaps persist and identifies practical strategies organizations can implement to address them. Drawing on an extensive literature review, a nationwide industry survey with 996 respondents, and in-depth interviews with 15 transportation professionals, the study highlights both the barriers and the solutions to workforce participation. The findings emphasize that open dialogue, intentional investment, and inclusive workplace policies can help transform industry culture, making transportation careers more appealing to a broader …

Impact Of Sociodemographic, Clinical, And Intervention Characteristics On Pain Intensity Within A Single Music Therapy Session, Samuel N. Rodgers-Melnick, Douglas Gunzler, Thomas E. Love, Siran M. Koroukian, Mark Beno, Jeffery A. Dusek, Johnie Rose

Faculty Scholarship

Several studies support the efficacy of music therapy (MT) for reducing pain, but few have examined which interventions are most effective or which patients are more likely to respond. This study investigated which sociodemographic, clinical, and intervention characteristics are associated with clinically significant reductions in pain intensity (0–10 numeric rating scale reduction ≥2 units) within a single MT session. We conducted a retrospective review of 2039 MT sessions provided across a large health system among 1203 adult patients reporting pre-session pain ≥4/10, a complete post-session pain score, and a complete pre-session stress score. We employed a multivariable logistic mixed effects …

Global Standards And Local Ambitions Across Green Taxonomies: Climate Change Mitigation From The European Union To South Africa, Theodor Florian Cojoianu, Andreas G. F. Hoepner, Ifigeneia Paliampelou, Anh Vu, Dariusz Wojcik

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Country-level green finance taxonomy standards have emerged to provide clarity on environmentally-sustainable economic activities to attract investment, protect financial services consumers, and counteract greenwashing. This paper adopts the Global Production and Financial Network (GPFN) approach and analyses factors affecting the climate change mitigation ambition level of the South African Green Finance Taxonomy (RSA GFT) in comparison with the EU taxonomy, which served as a model for South Africa's (RSA) regulators. It accounts for (i) the interplay between EU’s and RSA’s production and financial networks, and (ii) RSA’s willingness to attract European funding for sustainable development. We find that EU private …

Seeing Culture: A Benchmark For Visual Reasoning And Grounding, Burak Satar, Zhixin Ma, Patrick Amadeus Irrawan, Wilfried Ariel Mulyawan, Jing Jiang, Ee-Peng Lim, Chong-Wah Ngo

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Multimodal vision-language models (VLMs) have made substantial progress in various tasks that require a combined understanding of visual and textual content, particularly in cultural understanding tasks, with the emergence of new cultural datasets. However, these datasets frequently fall short of providing cultural reasoning while underrepresenting many cultures.In this paper, we introduce the Seeing Culture Benchmark (SCB), focusing on cultural reasoning with a novel approach that requires VLMs to reason on culturally rich images in two stages: i) selecting the correct visual option with multiple-choice visual question answering (VQA), and ii) segmenting the relevant cultural artifact as evidence of reasoning. Visual …

Seeing Is Fixing: Cross-Modal Reasoning With Multimodal Llms For Visual Software Issue Fixing, Kai Huang, Jian Zhang, Xiaofei Xie, Chunyang Chen

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Large language model (LLM)-based automated program repair (APR) techniques have shown promising results in resolving real-world github issue tasks. Existing APR systems are primarily evaluated in unimodal settings (e.g., SWE-bench), relying solely on textual issue descriptions and source code. However, these autonomous systems struggle to resolve multimodal problem scenarios (e.g., SWE-bench M) due to limitations in interpreting and leveraging visual information. In multimodal scenarios, LLMs need to rely on visual information in the graphical user interface (GUI) to understand bugs and generate fixes. To bridge this gap, we propose GUIRepair, a cross-modal reasoning approach for resolving multimodal issue scenarios by …

From Personas To Talks: Revisiting The Impact Of Personas On Llm-Synthesized Emotional Support Conversations, Shenghan Wu, Yimo Zhu, Wynne Hsu, Mong-Li Lee, Yang Deng

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The rapid advancement of Large Language Models (LLMs) has revolutionized the generation of emotional support conversations (ESC), offering scalable solutions with reduced costs and enhanced data privacy. This paper explores the role of personas in the creation of ESC by LLMs. Our research utilizes established psychological frameworks to measure and infuse persona traits into LLMs, which then generate dialogues in the emotional support scenario. We conduct extensive evaluations to understand the stability of persona traits in dialogues, examining shifts in traits post-generation and their impact on dialogue quality and strategy distribution. Experimental results reveal several notable findings: 1) LLMs can …

Adasteer: Your Aligned Llm Is Inherently An Adaptive Jailbreak Defender, Weixiang Zhao, Jiahe Guo, Yulin Hu, Yang Deng, An Zhang, Xingyu Sui, Xinyang Han, Yanyan Zhao, Bing Qin, Tat-Seng Chua, Ting Liu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Despite extensive efforts in safety alignment, large language models (LLMs) remain vulnerable to jailbreak attacks. Activation steering offers a training-free defense method but relies on fixed steering coefficients, resulting in suboptimal protection and increased false rejections of benign inputs. To address this, we propose AdaSteer, an adaptive activation steering method that dynamically adjusts model behavior based on input characteristics. We identify two key properties: Rejection Law (R-Law), which shows that stronger steering is needed for jailbreak inputs opposing the rejection direction, and Harmfulness Law (H-Law), which differentiates adversarial and benign inputs. AdaSteer steers input representations along both the Rejection Direction …

Chain Of Strategy Optimization Makes Large Language Models Better Emotional Supporter, Weixiang Zhao, Xingyu Sui, Xinyang Han, Yang Deng, Yulin Hu, Jiahe Guo, Libo Qin, Qianyun Du, Shijin Wang, Yanyan Zhao, Bing Qin, Ting Liu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The growing emotional stress in modern society has increased the demand for Emotional Support Conversations (ESC). While Large Language Models (LLMs) show promise for ESC, they face two key challenges: (1) low strategy selection accuracy, and (2) preference bias, limiting their adaptability to users’ emotional needs. Existing supervised fine-tuning (SFT) struggles to address these issues, as it rigidly trains models on single gold-standard responses without modeling nuanced strategy trade-offs. To overcome these limitations, we propose a novel two-stage framework that optimizes strategy selection preferences at each dialogue turn. We first leverage Monte Carlo Tree Search to construct ESC-Pro, a high-quality …

Exploring Autonomous Agents: A Closer Look At Why They Fail When Completing Tasks, Ruofan Lu, Yichen Li, Yintong Huo

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Autonomous agent systems powered by Large Language Models (LLMs) have demonstrated promising capabilities in automating complex tasks. However, current evaluations largely rely on success rates without systematically analyzing the interactions, communication mechanisms, and failure causes within these systems. To bridge this gap, we present a benchmark of 34 representative programmable tasks designed to rigorously assess autonomous agents. Using this benchmark, we evaluate three popular open-source agent frameworks combined with two LLM backbones, observing a task completion rate of approximately 50%. Through in-depth failure analysis, we develop a three-tier taxonomy of failure causes aligned with task phases, highlighting planning errors, task …

Envisioning Future Interactive Web Development: Editing Webpage With Natural Language, Truong Hai Dang, Jingyu Xiao, Yintong Huo

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The evolution of web applications relies on iterative code modifications, a process that is traditionally manual and time-consuming. While Large Language Models (LLMs) can generate UI code, their ability to edit existing code from new design requirements (e.g., ”center the logo”) remains a challenge. This is largely due to the absence of large-scale, high-quality tuning data to align model performance with human expectations. In this paper, we introduce a novel, automated data generation pipeline that uses LLMs to synthesize a high-quality fine-tuning dataset for web editing, named Instruct4Edit. Our approach generates diverse instructions, applies the corresponding code modifications, and performs …

Energy-Harvesting Concurrent Lora Mesh With Timing Offsets For Underground Mine Emergency Communications, Hilary Kelechi Anabi, Samuel Frimpong, Sanjay Madria

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Underground mine emergencies destroy communication infrastructure when situational awareness is most critical. Current systems rely on centralized network infrastructure, which fails during emergencies when miners are trapped and require rescue coordination. This paper proposes an energy-harvesting LoRa mesh network that addresses self-powered operation, interference management, and adaptive physical layer optimization under severe underground propagation conditions. A dual-antenna architecture separates RF energy harvesting (860 MHz) from LoRa communication (915 MHz), enabling continuous operation with supercapacitor storage. The core contribution is a decentralized scheduler that derives optimal timing offsets by modeling concurrent transmissions as a Poisson collision process, exploiting LoRa's capture effect …

Numerous Emerging Applications In N-Cylindrical Fuzzy Neutrosophic Topological Spaces, Basker P, Vennila J, Prakash V S, Ranjitha M, Shivakumar B. N, Thenmozhi K

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Finding Better Solutions: How Algorithms Tackle Complex Problems, Mahmoud El-Hashash

Bridgewater Review

Have you ever tried to solve a puzzle, only to realize that every time you got close, you ended up stuck in the same dead end? Mathematicians and scientists face a similar challenge when trying to solve optimization problems, finding the “best” solution among countless possibilities. These problems arise everywhere, from designing airplanes to training artificial intelligence systems.

Correctional System Involvement And Health Outcomes, Sarah Mason Eck ,Ph.D

All Materials

The Institute for Health Policy and Practice (IHPP) at the University System of New Hampshire commissioned Scientific Health to conduct an evidence-based review of the relationship between criminal justice system involvement and health outcomes. This research synthesized findings from recently published, peer-reviewed academic literature and relevant reports to examine how correctional system involvement affects physical health, mental health, and overall well-being among incarcerated individuals, their families, and communities. The review identified common themes related to behavioral health, chronic conditions, and systemic impacts, providing insight into the broader health implications of mass incarceration and deinstitutionalization. These findings aim to inform policy …

The Resource Characteristics Of Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises (Smes) And The Impact Of Platform Participation On Business Performance, Xue Tan

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Against the backdrop of deeply integrated digital and platform economies, the resource characteristics of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and platform participation’s impact on business performance have emerged as key interdisciplinary research focuses between strategic management and digital economy studies. Building upon the resource-based view (RBV) and dynamic capabilities theory (DCT), the study establishes a theoretical framework of “resource characteristics-platform participation-business performance.” It systematically examines the relationships and moderating mechanisms among SMEs’ resource endowment, platform embedding strategies, and performance outcomes.

The study adopts a mixed-method design, combining quantitative analysis with qualitative case studies. Using valid samples of 333 Chinese SMEs, …

2025 November - Tennessee Monthly Climate Report, Tennessee Climate Office, East Tennessee State University

Tennessee Climate Office Monthly Reports

Hi All,

The month of November 2025 averaged warmer than normal by 2-4°F across most of the state. The northeastern corner of TN was closer to average, with a few areas even slightly cooler than normal. Additionally, November was drier than normal for most areas, with the exception of a few parts of the Cumberland Plateau and in East TN where heavier bands of precipitation set up while most of the state recorded only light rainfall.

The main weather and climate story of November 2025 was the early taste of winter that impacted the state November 9-12, which also coincided …

Impact Of Lignin Content On Decomposition Rates, Lindsey Powell, Olivia Fawkes, Moses Elijah Cadawas, Isaac Paul Dent, Darlene Panvini

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

This study aimed to analyze decomposition rates of plants containing different amounts of lignin. Lignin can be found within cell wall structures in plants and aids in natural rigidity. Opuntia humifusa was chosen to represent plants with high levels of lignin, and Allium schoenoprasum was chosen in contrast because of its significantly lower levels of lignin. Due to these characteristics, A. schoenoprasum is hypothesized to decompose at a quicker rate than O. humifusa. To test this hypothesis, eight samples of O. humifusa and eight samples of A. schoenoprasum were placed in litter bags to prevent macroorganisms from aiding in …

Assessment Of Nature Based Solutions Through Soil Microbial Community Diversity Using Biolog Ecoplates™, Roma C. Brassell, Lili M. Wrenne, Darlene Panvini

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Nature-based solutions (NBS) mimic the functions of natural environments to promote ecosystem services beneficial to society and biodiversity, which is especially crucial to urban environments. On a college campus in an urban landscape, how do NBSs affect soil microbial diversity? Three soil samples were collected from seven locations across Belmont University’s campus in Nashville, TN: a community garden, rose garden, indigenous-people’s garden, manufactured creek, two green roofs, and an alley-berm as the control. To characterize each site, the pH, nitrogen and phosphorus level, percent moisture, and soil type were determined. Plant diversity and percent coverage were assessed using a 1 …