Digital Commons Network^™

Pre-Amplification Of Cell-Free Dna: Balancing Amplification Errors With Enhanced Sensitivity, Wei Yen Chan, Ashleigh Stewart, Russell J. Diefenbach, Elin S. Gray, Jenny H. Lee, Richard A. Scolyer, Georgina V. Long, Helen Rizos

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) is a promising biomarker for personalised oncology. However, its clinical utility is limited by detection sensitivity, particularly in early-stage disease. T-Oligo Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction (TOP-PCR) is a commercial amplification approach utilising an efficient “half-adapter” ligation design and a single-primer-based PCR strategy. This study evaluated the clinical value and application of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) pre-amplification. cfDNA amplification with TOP-PCR preserved DNA size profiles and resulted in a 22 bp size increase due to the half-adaptor ligation. Gene target amplification rates varied, showing lower efficiency for the GC-rich TERT promoter amplicon and higher efficiency for the BRAF …

Does Third Party Litigation Funding Need Regulations On Consumer Protection, Ronen Avraham, Eric Schuller, Anthony J. Sebok

Articles

Transcript of a roundtable discussion during the Third-Party Litigation Symposium at the S.J. Quinney College of Law.

The Right To Exit Religion, Zalman Rothschild

Articles

This Article argues that just over fifty years ago, in Wisconsin v. Yoder, the Supreme Court recognized what might be called a right to exit religion. In this decision, the Court expressed appreciation for preserving insular religious communities, while simultaneously articulating the principle that accommodations for such communities must not unduly restrict community members’ ability to exit should they wish to do so. Yet courts and scholars have largely overlooked Yoder’s recognition of a right to exit religion. To make this “right” more concrete, the Article examines impediments to it through a case study of one large insular religious community—the …

Capacity Investment In The Presence Of Correlated Demand And Production Resource Uncertainties And Its Implications For Financial Hedging, Onur Boyabatli, Guiyun Feng

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

In manufacturing firms, besides demand uncertainty, capacity investment decisions may also be subject to uncertainty in the availability of a production resource (e.g., budget or commodity component) which may become constraining for manufacturing. When the production resource uncertainty is tied to a financial index (e.g., asset or commodity price), the firm can enter into financial hedging contracts at the time of capacity investment to engineer this uncertainty. Our paper characterizes the optimal capacity investment and hedging decisions and examines how production resource uncertainty impacts the firm’s decisions, profitability, and the value of hedging. We identify three key drivers of these …

‘Making A Positive Environmental Impact’: Exploring The Role Of Volunteering At A Campus Community Garden, Dina Izenstark, Barbara Ann Boone

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Promoting sustainability in higher education is a social and environmental imperative. This paper explores how and why volunteering at a campus community garden (CCG) can serve as a unique context for promoting sustainability. Twenty-five undergraduate students between the ages of 18 and 27, who had volunteered at a campus garden, participated in individual semi-structured interviews. A majority of participants identified as female (80%) and Asian American (52%). Using reflexive thematic analysis, we first found students were motivated to volunteer for personal and academic reasons as well as to learn more about gardening. Childhood gardening experiences influenced participants’ re-engagement as adults. …

Lse-Net: Integrated Segmentation And Ensemble Deep Learning For Enhanced Lung Disease Classification, Bhavan Kumar Basavaraju, Mohammad Masum

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Accurate classification of lung diseases is vital for timely diagnosis and effective treatment of respiratory conditions such as COPD, pneumonia, asthma, and lung cancer. Traditional diagnostic approaches often suffer from limited consistency and elevated false-positive rates, highlighting the demand for more dependable automated systems. To address this challenge, we introduce LSE-Net, an end-to-end deep learning framework that combines precise lung segmentation using an optimized U-Net++ with robust classification powered by an ensemble of DenseNet121 and ResNet50. Leveraging structured hyperparameter tuning and patient-level evaluation, LSE-Net achieves 92.7% accuracy, 96.7% recall, and an F1-score of 94.0%, along with improved segmentation performance (DSC …

On The Application Of Long Short-Term Memory Neural Network For Daily Forecasting Of Pm2.5 In Dakar, Senegal (West Africa), Ahmed Gueye, Serigne Abdoul Aziz Niang, Ismaila Diallo, Mamadou Simina Dramé, Moussa Diallo, Ali Ahmat Younous

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

This study aims to optimize daily forecasts of the PM2.5 concentrations in Dakar, Senegal using a long short-term memory (LSTM) neural network model. Particulate matter, aggravated by factors such as dust, traffic, and industrialization, poses a serious threat to public health, especially in developing countries. Existing models such as the Autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) have limitations in capturing nonlinear relationships and complex dynamics in environmental data. Using four years of daily data collected at the Bel Air station, this study shows that the LSTM neural network model provides more accurate forecasts with a root mean square error (RMSE) of …

In Vitro Comparison Of Two Python-Based Programs For The Automated Analysis Of Tight-Junction Phenotype In Brain Endothelium During Bacterial Infection, Henry D. Mauser, Janessa Caroza, Shane Nicole Homez, Alyssa S. Arnett, William D. Cutts, Daryl W. Lam, Justin Thornton, Walter Adams, Brandon J. Kim

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Tight junction complexes are crucial features of brain endothelial cells, as they restrict the paracellular route across the blood–brain barrier. Tight junction disruption has been observed in conjunction with numerous diseases of the CNS. In such cases, the organization or integrity of cell–cell junctions may be analyzed with a variety of automated computer programs that quantitatively assess junction images. Here, we directly compare two previously developed python-based programs—JAnaP and IJOQ— for the semi- or fully automated analysis of tight junctions in human stem cell-derived brain-like endothelial cells. Cells were infected with S. pneumoniae and S. agalactiae to initiate junction disruption, …

Introducción: Texturas Aurales Del Istmo, Antonio Monte Casablanca, Andrés R. Amado, María Soledad Hernández

School of Music Faculty Publications

Este dossier examina las configuraciones sonoras de Centroamérica y el Caribe a partir de un enfoque que entrelaza música, lenguaje, cuerpo y memoria en contextos de desplazamientos trasnacionales y transístmicos. Los artículos reunidos abordan las resonancias transístmicas como formas de conocimiento y resistencia. A través de análisis literarios, etnográficos y sonoros, se describen y analizan prácticas culturales que reconfiguran identidades en movimiento. Los artículos estudian desde la situación de los músicos exiliados, los carnavales populares, las interpretaciones de la poesía en clave de modernidad y nacionalismo, hasta cantos de hinchadas futboleras. La noción de “texturas aurales” articula producciones escritas, orales …

Baseline Habitual Dietary Nitrate Intake And Alzheimer's Disease Related Neuroimaging Biomarkers In The Australian Imaging, Biomarkers And Lifestyle Study Of Ageing, Anjana Rajendra, Nicola P. Bondonno, Kevin Murray, Liezhou Zhong, Stephanie R. Rainey-Smith, Samantha L. Gardener, Lauren C. Blekkenhorst, Vincent Doré, Victor L. Villemagne, Simon M. Laws, Belinda M. Brown, Kevin Taddei, Colin L. Masters, Christopher C. Rowe, Ralph N. Martins, Jonathan M. Hodgson, Catherine P. Bondonno

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Dietary nitrate, as a nitric oxide (NO) precursor, may support brain health and protect against dementia. Objective: Our primary aim was to investigate whether dietary nitrate is associated with neuroimaging markers of brain health linked with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Participants: Study participants were cognitively unimpaired individuals from the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle Study of Ageing (AIBL) who had β-amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) scans (n = 554) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans (n = 335) and had completed a Food Frequency Questionnaire at baseline. Methods: Source-specific nitrate intakes were estimated using comprehensive nitrate food composition databases. Rates …

Cardiac Autonomic Dysfunction In Patients With Cancer: Exploring The Role Of Physical Exercise, Anita Borsati, Linda Toniolo, Christian Ciurnelli, Francesco Bettariga, Silvia Teresa Riva, Paolo Frada, Lorenzo Belluomini, Ilaria Trestini, Daniela Tregnago, Jessica Insolda, Marco Sposito, Federico Schena, Michele Milella, Robert U. Newton, Sara Pilotto, Alice Avancini

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose: Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of non-cancer mortality among patients with cancer, with cardiac autonomic dysfunction identified as a significant predictor of future cardiovascular conditions. Despite the importance of autonomic dysfunction as a prognostic marker being well-established in healthy individuals and other chronic conditions, its role in patients with cancer remains underexplored. This narrative review aims to synthesize existing literature on the role of cardiac autonomic dysfunction in patients with cancer and explore the potential of physical exercise as a non-pharmacological intervention to modulate the autonomic nervous system positively. Methods: This review examines methods for assessing cardiac autonomic …

Developing An Inclusive Dance Guide For Children With Cerebral Palsy: A Co-Design Process And Initial Feasibility Study, Eduardo Duarte Machado, Laura Miller, Joanna Nicholas, Joanne Cross, Rhyannon Orr, Michael H. Cole

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Participation in community activities has shown positive outcomes for all children, yet those with cerebral palsy (CP) still experience varying levels of inclusion. This study aimed to address the challenges faced by families of children with CP in accessing community-based dance classes by co-designing a practical guide to support their inclusion. Design: The guide was developed through a collaborative process involving academic researchers, dance professionals, therapists and families of children with CP. The co-design phase was guided by the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2), workshops were conducted with 11 research partners, including two parents of children with CP, …

The Association Of Body Composition And Musculoskeletal Characteristics With Police Recruit Performance: A Cross-Sectional Study, Vanessa R. Sutton, Myles C. Murphy, Callum J. Mccaskie, Paola T. Chivers, Nicolas H. Hart, Jodie L. Cochrane Wilkie, Garth Allen, Jack Dalla Via

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Objective: Exploring how body composition and musculoskeletal characteristics relate to physical performance may provide insights for optimising training outcomes. We explored if body composition and musculoskeletal characteristics were associated with tactical and cardiorespiratory performance.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of police recruits within the Western Australia Police Force was performed. Total and regional body composition was assessed using Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry, with the tibial morphology and mid-thigh muscle cross-sectional area assessed using peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography. Tactical performance was measured with a Physical Performance Evaluation, and cardiorespiratory fitness assessed using the Beep Test. Variables that were significant in univariate regressions progressed …

Enditnow Impact Study Findings, Shannon M. Trecartin, René Drumm, Petr Cincala, Ellen Nogueira Rodrigues, Yazmik Cantillano, Kayla-Hope Bruno, Lalramliani Ralte

Faculty Publications

In January 2025, researchers at Andrews University (AU) initiated a study to evaluate Seventh-day Adventist churches’ engagement with the 2024 Abuse Prevention or enditnow Sabbath. The purpose of the study was initially to assess visibility and participation through the publicly available digital platforms of the sampled churches. The findings from that investigation were reported to the Departments of Archives and Statistics and Women’s Ministries in June 2025. The study’s scope expanded when researchers received a faculty research grant from Andrews University’s Office of Research to further investigate how Adventist churches across the NAD participate in the enditnow Sabbath. This report …

The Potential Scalability Of High-Pressure Sliding Technique For Developing Ultrafine Grained Material With Enhanced Mechanical Properties Of Aa7075, Eman Zayed, Nahed El-Mahallawy, Mostafa Shazly

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Using Industry-Level Characteristics To Assess The Degree To Which Interventions Engage An Employee Population, Haley C. Trust, Brett Amazon, Anthony Puline, Evan Sassenberger, Kristin Horan

The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research

Participation is an essential component in workplace health and safety programs or interventions. While those who conduct interventions often report participation rates among the overall organization, it could be useful to compare participants to industry statistics, given that health and safety risks can diverge widely among industries. Research students from Kennesaw State University analyzed a sample of published papers that focus on occupational health psychology interventions. This narrative review analyzed existing studies to look for similarities or dissimilarities between a sample of intervention participants and employees of their industry as a whole. The students considered demographic, socioeconomic, job-related, and health-related …

Our Relentless Objectification Of Native Americans: As Exemplified By Louise Erdrich And Cherie Dimaline, Lena Kozubek

The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research

Indigenous communities relentlessly challenge the normalized commodification of their culture and beliefs. One way they actively address these oppressions is through storytelling. Their accounts educate readers and encourage them to re-frame modern perspectives and how stereotypes affect Native communities. Their stories are not a simple myth; instead, they serve as an active participant to combat actions that treat Indigenous people as an anomaly. We should treat Native Americans as human beings who invariably struggle with present-day degradations, commodification, and continual displacement. Indigenous authors reclaim their narrative by using their historical context and storytelling skills to dissect the parallels between fact …

Treasures Of God: The Fur Trade As A Motivating Factor Of The Swedish Crusades, Aidan R. Mcdonald

The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research

The Fur trade was one of Medieval Europe’s most profitable industries. The Republic of Novgorod in the north of Russia was one of this industry's chief suppliers. Swedish expansion into Finland increasingly brought it into competition with Novgorod who had interests in the Karelians tribe of the region. The Swedes would justify their actions as a series of crusades. However, their actions and words often betrayed their true intentions, repeatedly seeking to seize control of Novgorodian trade as well as the Novgorodian fur tribute. Significant studies have been made of both the Russian fur trade and the Swedish expansion eastwards, …

The Income Tax As A Market Correction, Rebecca N. Morrow

UC Law Journal

I confess. As a tax professor, it has long hurt my feelings that economists label tax as a market distortion. My field is summed up as an impurity on the otherwise pristine complexion of the economist’s pure market. I like to think that tax scholars are not so disparaging of economics. We do not view economically motivated action as a distortion to our tax system, but as a component of it. It is tax planning. This Article proposes that tax should be viewed as a component of a market system. Just as tax scholarship acknowledges that an imagined world in …

Legal Personhood For Artwork, Sergio Alberto Gramitto Ricci

UC Law Journal

Artwork is unique and irreplaceable. It is signifier and signified. The signified of a work of art is its coherent purpose. But the signified of a work of art can be altered when not protected. The ramifications of unduly altering the signified of a work of art are consequential for both living and future generations. While the law provides protection to artists and art owners, it fails to grant rights to works of art themselves. The current legal paradigm, designed around the interest of owners and artists, also falls short of protecting Indigenous art aimed at conserving traditions and cultural …

Usm Franco-American Collection Newsletterjune 2025, Franco-American Collection

Franco-American Collection Newsletters

The June 2025 issue features information on news and publications of interest to the Franco-American community in Maine. The issue includes an events calendar, and a special "in memorium" section to honor recent losses in our community.

Nebline, June/July 2025

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

4-H embryology will crack 50 years of chicks hatching in local classrooms, Vicki Jedlicka

Simple ways to eat more fruits and veggies every day, Alyssa Havlovic

Recipe of the month: Crunchy veggie wraps

Annual flowers for sunny locations, Mary Jane Frogge

Garden guide: Things to do this month, Mary Jane Frogge

2025 Gro Big Red

It’s time for private well maintenance, Becky Schuerman

Monitoring pastures for improving management and productivity, John Nelson

Why play is your child's most important work, Hayley Jackson Perez

Keep an eye out for some common caterpillars, Kait Chapman

Lancaster County Super Fair

Upcoming babysitting trainings …

Integrating Universal Generative Ai Platforms In Educational Labs To Foster Critical Thinking And Digital Literacy, Vasiliy S. Znamenskiy, Joel Hernandez, Rafael Niyazov

Publications and Research

This study investigates the educational potential of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) platforms based on large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, as tools for studentcentred learning. Recognizing the current limitations of GenAI, particularly its propensity for generating inaccurate or misleading information—the paper proposes a novel instructional strategy: an interdisciplinary laboratory designed to foster critical evaluation of GenAI-generated outputs. In this pedagogical model, students engage with GenAI systems by posing questions or solving problems drawn from topics they have already studied and understand. Equipped with correct answers, students are positioned to assess the accuracy and relevance of AI-generated …

Vol. 48 No. 1 (2025): Pacific Studies Front Matter, The Jonathan Napela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Front Matter for the Vol. 48, No 1-Jun 2025 edition of the Pacific Studies Journal.

From The Margin To The Centre: Tongan Knowledge At The Heart Of Inquiry, Lisita Finau Paongo

Pacific Studies

Editorial Policy: Pacific Studies is published two times a year by The Jonathan nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies, Brigham Young University Hawai‘i #1979, 55–220 Kulanui Street, Lā ‘ie, Hawai‘i 96762, but responsibility for opinions expressed in the articles rests with the authors alone. Subscription rate is US$40.00 yearly, payable to The Jonathan nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies. The Jonathan nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies (formerly The Pacific Institute) is an organization funded by Brigham Young University Hawai‘i. The Center assists the University in meeting its cultural and educational goals by undertaking a program of …

Reconciling Theology, God, And Climate Change In The Pacific Islands: The Emergence Of Syncretism And Ecotheology, Dan F. Orcherton

Pacific Studies

No abstract provided.

Why Study Others?, Richard Feinberg

Pacific Studies

No abstract provided.

Legitimacy Throughlines In The Structural Design Of International & "Internationalized" Criminal Tribunals, Michael J. Kelly

Notre Dame Journal of International & Comparative Law

Today, the rather surprising and sudden surfeit of prosecutions for international crimes by states utilizing universal jurisdiction as we open the second decade of the 21^st Century may represent a preference for domestic over international criminal prosecution altogether. Yet, the legitimacy quotient remains a key part of the discussion. For example, as discussed in section V below, with respect to the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine, opinion is divided as to whether prosecution for this crime should proceed from a newly created international tribunal or from an “internationalized” court within the Ukrainian judicial system.[1] Ukraine backs the …

Beautiful Means For Nefarious Ends, Eric Wahoff

Notre Dame Journal of International & Comparative Law

This note will attempt to address the laws of art dealers and banks in a way that draws parallels with the past struggles of banks and today’s struggle in the art world to keep bad actors out. It will begin with surveying how art is currently used as a tool of criminals and the current regulatory regimes in the EU, New York, and California – the states with the most art brokers.Then the note will analyze relevant laws from the US banking industry. Finally, the note will discuss ways that banking laws that have been used to address money -laundering …

Letter To The Philippine Economic Team "At A Crossroads: Progress Or More Of The Same (Mots)?", Jesus Felipe, Mariel Monica Sauler, Gerardo L. Largoza, Susan Kurdli, Alellie Sobrevinas, Christopher James Cabuay

Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies (AKI)

No abstract provided.