Digital Commons Network^™

Considerations On Design And Analysis Of External Control In Pediatric Oncology, Jingjing Ye, Haitao Pan, Gregory Reaman, Satrajit Roychoudhury, Chengxing Lu, Lindsay A Renfro, Yuan Ji, Rong Liu, Ying Yuan, Weidong Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Pediatric cancer consists of a diverse group of rare diseases. Due to limited patient populations, standard randomized and controlled trials are often infeasible. As a result, single-arm trials are common in pediatric oncology and the use of external controls is often desirable or necessary to help generate actionable evidence and contextualize trial results. In this paper, we illustrate unique features in pediatric oncology clinical trials and describe their impact on the use of external controls. Various types of relevant external control data sources are described in terms of their utility and drawbacks. Statistical methodologies and design implications with external control …

Nuanced Impacts And Social Perceptions Of Alpine Newts Ichthyosaura Alpestris In The Uk, Alexandra North

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Invasive species are major drivers of environmental change and their incidence appear to be growing worldwide. An understanding of the subtleties and complexities of invasion is important for conservation decision-making as not all introduced species become invasive, and the impacts of those that do can be highly context dependent. The alpine newt Ichthyosaura alpestris is a non-native species that is now widely distributed across the UK. An understanding of the drivers of introduction and spread of this species are in its infancy, and whilst anecdotal reports are indicative of negative ecological impacts, empirical evidence is lacking. This interdisciplinary thesis aims …

Cas Monthly Newsletter January 2024, Andrews University

College of Arts & Sciences Newsletter

Key Dates for January

IN THIS ISSUE

UPDATES & REPORTS

Welcome to Dr. Jill Manoukian

Religion Department News

Visual Art, Communication & Design Department News

Community & International Development Program News

HAPPENINGS

Quantitative Research Working Group

Faculty & Staff Appreciation Week

Winter Symposium

Christmas at the Biology Botanical Conservatory

ACADEMIC & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Research Deadlines

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Maker Lab

Writing Center

Registration Tips

New Copy Machine in Nethery Hall

Professional Development In Gifted Education: A Systematic Literature Review, Geraldine Townend, Jennifer L. Jolly, Adrian W. Chew

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This systematic literature review explored the importance of professional development (PD) for educators working with gifted students. Findings highlighted the need for PD to improve teacher knowledge, skills, efficacy, and student outcomes, especially considering the heterogeneously grouped classrooms, unique student needs, and lack of pre-service gifted education training for most teachers. The review identified key themes including PD evaluation, teacher perceptions, and pedagogical practices. The findings suggested that effective PD programs should (a) enhance knowledge and classroom practice, (b) be evidence-based, (c) consider both teacher and student outcomes, (d) be of sustained duration, and (e) include collaborative activities with ongoing …

Review On Sizing And Management Of Stand-Alone Pv/Wind Systems With Storage, Guétinsom Jean Kafando, Daniel Yamegueu, Etienne Tchoffo Houdji

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

Extending the public electricity grid to rural or peri-urban areas is sometimes very costly and unprofitable due to their remoteness, low population density and sometimes difficult accessibility. In view of this, and in the concern of a sustainable development, the autonomous PV and/or wind power systems is increasingly used. However, these fluctuating source systems remain unreliable due especially to their intermittent nature, what justifies the integration of battery storage systems to them. They are also still expensive, particularly in the African context, limiting their access to the greatest number of the population. In addition to these problems of cost and …

Theorizing Cultural Appropriation: Complications Of Globalization And Power In Hybrid K-Pop, David C. Oh

Media Studies - All Scholarship

The purpose of this paper is to theorize cultural appropriation using a critical perspective that centers structural inequity and uneven global power by examining the case of South Korean media. This paper argues that cultural appropriation is a particular form of intercultural borrowing that relies on structural inequities of power, whereby a more powerful culture takes from a less powerful culture in such a way that it causes structural and representational harm to the borrowed culture. To clarify cultural appropriation as a particular form of cultural borrowing, I provide a typology of different forms of cultural borrowing before positing six …

Immersive Storytelling As A Technology, A Practice, And An Experience, Nick Bowman, Lyndsay Gratch, Dan Pacheco, Tamara Makana Chock

Media Studies - All Scholarship

This thematic issue explores the transformative potential and challenges of immersive storytelling through extended technologies. While these technologies have been hailed as potential “empathy machines” that will encourage perspective-taking and understanding of others, they have also been critiqued for being distracting or engaging in identity tourism. Essays in this collection further demonstrated the complexities of extended reality storytelling. Collectively, these essays reflect ongoing dialogues about the efficacy of extended reality in conveying meaningful narratives, urging a nuanced understanding of technology’s role in storytelling. This collection serves as a catalyst for future explorations into where and how to craft immersive narratives …

Affirmative Action's Asian American Problem, Huyen Pham, Joseph Thai

Faculty Articles

Asian American opponents of affirmative action have received both credit and blame for their pivotal role in toppling racial preferences in university admissions in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard (SFFA). Allied conservatives highlighted evidence of discrimination against Asian American applicants as a compelling reason to dismantle affirmative action; liberals either denied this discrimination existed or tolerated it as an acceptable cost of helping other minority applicants. But largely unacknowledged is the precipitating history of the Supreme Court’s marginalization of Asian American applicants and its decades of tacit approval of their exclusion from affirmative action programs. This unwritten history is …

Route Competition In Hong Kong's Aviation Industry, Yizhang Qiu, Sinchit Lai

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

Open sky policies have been implemented for decades, giving birth to many airline newcomers from diverse backgrounds lifting off into liberalized skies. EasyJet, Ryanair, Wizz Air, and Southwest Airlines are examples of independent budget airlines, branding the outcome of aviation liberalization and contributing to interoute competition through their networks. However, Hong Kong International Airport, which aspires to be a better and greater air hub, is crowded with local carriers, and the airport flight timetables rarely show the presence of non-local budget airlines or competing routes. This Article examines the importance of interoute competition and the role that budget airlines play …

Proposed Methodologies To Cure The No-Fly List’S Current Violations Of The Due Process Clause For Affected U.S. Citizens, Sierra Stone

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

Often, the No-Fly List is a helpful tool that increases the safety of commercial aviation for U.S. citizens flying domestically and internationally. The TSA and various intergovernmental agencies utilize a nomination process and those who meet the requisite criteria are added to a database and can be entered into the No-Fly List. Once being placed on the “List,” an individual is no longer allowed to board a flight flying anywhere within or over U.S. airspace. However, for a small number of people, this deprivation of the ability to fly came unjustifiably and without realistic opportunities to be removed from the …

Growing Tensions: Consumer Privacy And Corporate Disclosures, Megan Wischmeier Shaner

Faculty Articles

Data privacy and data security have become key issues for legislators, regulators, and individual citizens. Roughly two-thirds of Americans believe their data is being regularly tracked, monitored, and collected by companies and the government. A majority of U.S. adults also believe their data is less secure today than five years ago, expressing concerns that they have little control over how their personal information is being used and that the entities who control their data are not responsible stewards. In the absence of comprehensive federal regulation, a continuous stream of privacy statutes have been proposed at the state level. Beginning with …

Hybridization Of Learning Techniques And Quantum Mechanism For Iiot Security: Applications, Challenges, And Prospects, Ismaeel Abiodun Sikiru, Ahmed Dooguy Kora, Eugène C. Ezin, Agbotiname Lucky Imoize, Chun-Ta Li

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

his article describes our point of view regarding the security capabilities of classical learning algorithms (CLAs) and quantum mechanisms (QM) in the industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) ecosystem. The heterogeneity of the IIoT ecosystem and the inevitability of the security paradigm necessitate a systematic review of the contributions of the research community toward IIoT security (IIoTsec). Thus, we obtained relevant contributions from five digital repositories between the period of 2015 and 2024 inclusively, in line with the established systematic literature review procedure. In the main part, we analyze a variety of security loopholes in the IIoT and categorize them into …

Phase Structure Transformation And Growth Mechanism For Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Synthesized By Mechanochemical Method: A Mini-Review, Joseph Ekhebume Ogbezode, Nkechi Elizabeth Offia-Kalu, Bello A. Abdulhakeem, Vitalis Chioh Anye, Peter Azikiwe Onwalu

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

The various methods of synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) have been extensively studied in several works of literature. These methods include physical, chemical, and biological nanosynthesis methods with applications in water filtration, environmental remediation, plant improvements, biomedicines, etc. These nanosynthesis approaches revolve around their mode of application, nanomaterial properties, and characterization mechanisms, while little effort has been made to investigate the effect of nanosynthesis parameters based on phase transformation and growth mechanisms of such IONPs. The parameters, which are physical, chemical, mechanical, mineralogical, and morphological, have proven to have tremendous implications on the magnetic behaviors, crystalline size, degree of …

Experimental Investigation And Comparative Environmental Impact Analysis Of Conventional And Naturally Occurring Kinetic Hydrate Inhibitors In Offshore Environments Using Toxicity And Bioconcentration Tools, Okon Okon, Joseph Atubokiki Ajienka, Sunday Sunday Ikiensikimama, Onyewuchi Emmanuel Akaranta, Virtue Urunwo Wachikwu-Elechi

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

In this present study, an in vivo experiment was carried out to determine the tendencies of a naturally occurring high-phenolic compound red-onion skin extract (HPC-ROSE) and conventional N-Vinylcaprolactam (N-VCAP) kinetic hydrate inhibitors (KHIs) to bio-accumulate in offshore environment through the analysis of their uptake and depuration kinetics by a Fish-Chemical Model using Cyprinus carpio marine invertebrate. This test was performed in the laboratory in a flow through experimental set up according to the guidelines by [49] (Fish-chemical exposure test). The uptake duration was 10 days with a depuration period of twenty days. The inhibitor toxicity test was evaluated by …

Microbiological Contamination Of Lettuce (Lactuca Sativa) Reared With Tilapia In Aquaponic Systems And Use Of Bacillus Strains As Probiotics To Prevent Diseases: A Systematic Review, Angelica Adiacao Jossefa, Leonildo Dos Anjo Viagem, Brunno Da Silva Cerozi, Sebastian Wilson

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

Aquaponic systems are food production systems that combine aquaculture and hydroponic in a closed recirculation system where water provides nutrients to plants while plants purify water for fish. In this system, tilapia is the most commonly cultured fish and can be easily integrated with vegetable cultivation. However, tilapia host a diverse microbiota some of which are pathogenic and can infect humans. Previous studies have reported contamination of lettuce by pathogenic bacteria which can cause human diseases. Thus, there is an urgent need to employ effective methods to control those bacteria, and Bacillus strains have been successfully used in this context. …

Development Of Nanobodies Against The Coat Protein Of Maize Chlorotic Mottle Virus, Faith Njeri Njeru, Olivier Zwaenepoel, Geert Haesaert, Kris De Jonghe, Jan Gettemans

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

Maize lethal necrosis (MLN) is a maize disease caused by the maize chlorotic mottle virus (MCMV), a potyvirus which causes yield losses of 30–100%. The present study aimed to isolate nanobodies against the MCMV coat protein (CP) for the diagnosis of MLN. MCMV CP expressed in Escherichia coli was used for llama immunization. VHH (i.e. variable heavy domain of heavy chain) gene fragments were prepared from blood drawn from the immunized llama and used to generate a library in E. coli TG1 cells. MCMV specific nanobodies were selected by three rounds of phage display and panning against MCMV CP. The …

Determinants Of The Share Of The Economy Contributed By The Forestry Industry In Ghana From 1975 To 2023, Kwabena Asomanin Anaman, Samuel Ampomah, Joseph Manzvera

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

The macroeconomic determinants of the share of the economy contributed by the forestry industry in Ghana were examined over the period from 1975 to 2023, based on the development of time-series cointegration and error correction models. The analysis indicated that the share of the forestry industry was positively influenced by the real value of the cocoa industry, the exchange rate, and the real interest rate. The relationship between the forestry industry's share and per capita real gross domestic product (GDP) was found to be curvilinear: at low levels of per capita income, the share of the forestry industry in the …

Analysis Of Mushroom Consumption And Its Determinants In Ghana, Saani Nassam Iddrisu, Akwasi Akwasi Mensah-Bonsu, Irene Susana Egyir

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

Mushroom cultivation in Ghana has gained some modest success due to increased consumption especially by urban dwellers. However, commercial cultivation is still low in the country. The conception of this study is that higher levels of mushroom consumption will boost production in the country. The study analysed mushroom consumption and its influencing factors in Ghana. A multi stage sampling technique was used to collect data from 550 households. The data was collected using a well-structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and ordered probit model were used to analyze the frequency of mushroom consumption and the determinants of mushroom consumption respectively. The results …

Usp22 Overexpression Fails To Augment Tumor Formation In Mmtv-Erbb2 Mice But Loss Of Function Impacts Mmtv Promoter Activity, Xianghong Kuang, Andrew Salinger, Fernando Benavides, William J Muller, Sharon Y R Dent, Evangelia Koutelou

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The Ubiquitin Specific Peptidase 22 (USP22), a component of the Spt-Ada-Gcn5 Acetyltransferase (SAGA) histone modifying complex, is overexpressed in multiple human cancers, but how USP22 impacts tumorigenesis is not clear. We reported previously that Usp22 loss in mice impacts execution of several signaling pathways driven by growth factor receptors such as erythroblastic oncogene B b2 (ERBB2). To determine whether changes in USP22 expression affects ERBB2-driven tumorigenesis, we introduced conditional overexpression or deletion alleles of Usp22 into mice bearing the Mouse mammary tumor virus-Neu-Ires-Cre (MMTV-NIC) transgene, which drives both rat ERBB2/NEU expression and Cre recombinase activity from the MMTV promoter resulting …

Contrastive Learning With Transformer For Adverse Endpoint Prediction In Patients On Dapt Post-Coronary Stent Implantation, Fang Li, Zenan Sun, Ahmed Abdelhameed, Tiehang Duan, Laila Rasmy, Xinyue Hu, Jianping He, Yifang Dang, Jingna Feng, Jianfu Li, Yichen Wang, Tianchen Lyu, Naomi Braun, Si Pham, Michael Gharacholou, Delisa Fairweather, Degui Zhi, Jiang Bian, Cui Tao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Effective management of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) following drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation is crucial for preventing adverse events. Traditional prognostic tools, such as rule-based methods or Cox regression, despite their widespread use and ease, tend to yield moderate predictive accuracy within predetermined timeframes. This study introduces a new contrastive learning-based approach to enhance prediction efficacy over multiple time intervals.

Methods: We utilized retrospective, real-world data from the OneFlorida + Clinical Research Consortium. Our study focused on two primary endpoints: ischemic and bleeding events, with prediction windows of 1, 2, 3, 6, and 12 months post-DES implantation. Our approach first …

Usp22 Overexpression Fails To Augment Tumor Formation In Mmtv-Erbb2 Mice But Loss Of Function Impacts Mmtv Promoter Activity, Xianghong Kuang, Andrew Salinger, Fernando Benavides, William J Muller, Sharon Y R Dent, Evangelia Koutelou

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The Ubiquitin Specific Peptidase 22 (USP22), a component of the Spt-Ada-Gcn5 Acetyltransferase (SAGA) histone modifying complex, is overexpressed in multiple human cancers, but how USP22 impacts tumorigenesis is not clear. We reported previously that Usp22 loss in mice impacts execution of several signaling pathways driven by growth factor receptors such as erythroblastic oncogene B b2 (ERBB2). To determine whether changes in USP22 expression affects ERBB2-driven tumorigenesis, we introduced conditional overexpression or deletion alleles of Usp22 into mice bearing the Mouse mammary tumor virus-Neu-Ires-Cre (MMTV-NIC) transgene, which drives both rat ERBB2/NEU expression and Cre recombinase activity from the MMTV promoter resulting …

The Use Of Large Language Models To Accelerate Literature Review Towards Digital Health Equity And Inclusiveness, Taylor B Harrison, Dian Hu, Sunyang Fu, Hongfang Liu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Digital health technologies (DHTs) have revolutionized clinical trials, offering unprecedented opportunities to streamline processes, enhance patient engagement, and improve data quality. Growing technology device and broadband access are contributing to the increasing number of DHT-enabled trials. Ideally, DHTs have the potential to make clinical research more inclusive and diverse. However, while the variety in digital technologies and implementations present a strong display of healthcare innovation, major challenges arise concerning DHT generalizability and translation into real-world medical practice. In this study, we report our efforts in accelerating the literature review process related to the use of DHTs in randomized controlled trials …

Editorial: Ai/Ml In Pharmacovigilance And Pharmacoepidemiology, Wen Zou, Pantelis Natsiavas, Assaf Gottlieb

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Metarnn: Differentiating Rare Pathogenic And Rare Benign Missense Snvs And Indels Using Deep Learning, Fang Li, Zenan Sun, Ahmed Abdelhameed, Tiehang Duan, Laila Rasmy, Xinyue Hu, Jianping He, Yifang Dang, Jingna Feng, Jianfu Li, Yichen Wang, Tianchen Lyu, Naomi Braun, Si Pham, Michael Gharacholou, Delisa Fairweather, Degui Zhi, Jiang Bian, Cui Tao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Effective management of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) following drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation is crucial for preventing adverse events. Traditional prognostic tools, such as rule-based methods or Cox regression, despite their widespread use and ease, tend to yield moderate predictive accuracy within predetermined timeframes. This study introduces a new contrastive learning-based approach to enhance prediction efficacy over multiple time intervals.

METHODS: We utilized retrospective, real-world data from the OneFlorida + Clinical Research Consortium. Our study focused on two primary endpoints: ischemic and bleeding events, with prediction windows of 1, 2, 3, 6, and 12 months post-DES implantation. Our approach first …

Puerto Rican Welfare Queens And The Semiotics Ofrespectability: The Language Of Race, Class, Andgender, Mary Beaton

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Randomized Controlled Trial Of The Happy, Healthy, Loved Personalized Text-Message Program For New Parent Couples: Impact On Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy And Mood, Erin J. Henshaw, Marie Cooper, Teresa Wood, Sanchita Krishna, Marie Lockhart

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Arsenic And Accountability: A Retrospective On The Arsenic-Life Controversy, Jules Lieberman

The Synapse: Intercollegiate science magazine

No abstract provided.

Front Matter

The Synapse: Intercollegiate science magazine

No abstract provided.

From Fictional Pandemics To Potential Reality: The Realities And Myths Of 'The Last Of Us' Cordyceps Fungus, Jaedyn O'Reilly

The Synapse: Intercollegiate science magazine

No abstract provided.

In The Age Of Ozempic: Semiglutide's Impact On The Weight-Loss Frontier, Luke Dodson

The Synapse: Intercollegiate science magazine

No abstract provided.