Age-Dependent Effects Of Mkp-2 Deletion On Glucose Homeostasis In Female Mice, Laura Rain Chambliss

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

Creating A Unique Hemoglobin-Based Oxygen Carrier, Clayton Fuller

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

The purpose of this thesis is to explain the current state of alternative oxygen carriers and propose a new hemoglobin-based oxygen carrier (HBOC) as a blood substitute/ blood therapeutic. Blood donation has drawbacks: risk of spread of infection, short storage time, and blood typing, and the current shortage. There are several possible modifications for hemoglobin to create a carrier (HBOC) which address specific issues related to allowing free hemoglobin to exist extra cellularly. One issue to address is vasoconstriction caused by nitric oxide scavenging, which has been solved by increasing the molecular weight of the HBOC via (co)polymerization, or by …

Warming Climate Amplifies Vapor Pressure Deficit Limits On Gross Primary Productivity, Shiqin Xu, Nate G. Mcdowell, Tim R. Mcvicar, Diego G. Miralles, Stephen Sitch, Pablo Sanchez-Martinez, Joshua B. Fisher, Pierre Friedlingstein, Hylke E. Beck, Matthew F. Mccabe

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Ongoing climate warming may profoundly impact terrestrial gross primary productivity (GPP), a key component of the global carbon cycle. However, uncertainty in the relative roles of atmospheric water demand (vapor pressure deficit, VPD) and root-zone soil moisture (SM) limits predictions of drought impacts on GPP. Here, we show that growing-season GPP was more strongly constrained by VPD than SM globally, based on observation-constrained model estimates, satellite retrievals and Dynamic Global Vegetation Model simulations. The importance of VPD increased with higher temperatures and more severe and prolonged droughts. This pattern reflects VPD’s critical role in regulating stomatal conductance and plant hydraulic …

Sociocultural Change And The Prevalence Of Chronic Diseases Among Women In Arabian Gulf Countries: Kuwait As An Example, Yagoub Y. Al-Kandari

Journal of Arts and Social Sciences

This study aims to examine the effect of modernity and the prevalence of chronic diseases among women in Kuwait as an example of Arabian Gulf countries. A total of 5,749 married and previously married women aged 18–79 years were selected from 10 primary health care clinics out of 50, using a stratified random sample. A questionnaire was the major tool of this study. The questionnaire included some sociocultural and health variables. Information about age, level of education, governorate, family income, job position, the respondents’ and their parents’ types of marriage, and ethnic groups were collected. Respondents were asked to self-report …

Admixture-Informed Polygenic Risk Reporting Using The Eprs Framework, Yu-Jyun Huang, Nuzulul Kurniansyah, Matthew O Goodman, Brian W Spitzer, Jiongming Wang, Adrienne Stilp, Cecelia Laurie, Paul S De Vries, Han Chen, Yuan-I Min, Mario Sims, Gina M Peloso, Xiuqing Guo, Joshua C Bis, Jennifer A Brody, Laura M Raffield, Jennifer A Smith, Wei Zhao, Jerome I Rotter, Stephen S Rich, Susan Redline, Myriam Fornage, Robert Kaplan, Nora Franceschini, Daniel Levy, Alanna C Morrison, Eric Boerwinkle, Nicholas L Smith, Charles Kooperberg, Bruce M Psaty, Sebastian Zöllner, Tamar Sofer

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Polygenic risk score values vary with genetic ancestry due to differences in population-specific allele frequencies and linkage disequilibrium patterns. We present a framework to calibrate polygenic risk scores based on ancestral makeup. We propose the "expected polygenic risk score" or ePRS, defined as the expected value of a polygenic risk score based on one's global or local admixture patterns. We further define the "residual polygenic risk score" or rPRS as measuring the deviation of the polygenic risk score from the ePRS. The ePRS reflects the baseline ancestry-driven component of genetic risk, whereas the rPRS isolates an ancestry-agnostic measure of genetic …

Prevalence Of Polypharmacy And Its Association With Adverse Drug Effects Among Elderly Individuals In An Urban Field Practice Area Of A Tertiary Care Institution In South Kerala, Ajas Sn, Shameer Hakkim, Asha Raby N

Muthanna Medical Journal

Background: Polypharmacy (≥ 5 medications) is increasingly common among the elderly due to multimorbidity, longer life expectancy, and fragmented care, and is linked to adverse drug effects (ADEs). In urban Thiruvananthapuram, community-level evidence on its burden and ADE association is limited.This study was done to estimate the prevalence of polypharmacy among community-dwelling elderly and examine its independent association with self-reported ADEs. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional analytical study (March–December 2024) was conducted among 420 elderly individuals (≥ 60 years) selected via systematic random sampling. A validated interviewer-administered questionnaire (CVI = 0.94; ICC = 0.87) assessed medication use (past 30 days), ADEs, …

The Mapping Of Huma Betang Character In Physics Learning Based On Machine Learning (Artificial Neural Network And Fuzzy C-Means), Pri Ariadi Cahya Dinata, Desy Kumala Sari, Theo Jhoni Hartanto, Gunarjo Suryanto Budi

Jurnal Pendidikan dan Pembelajaran

Background: Huma Betang (big house) is a philosophy of the Dayak community and serves as a value instilled in learning at schools in Central Kalimantan. While numerous studies have explored the application and inculcation of Huma Betang character values in students, few have quantitatively measured and mapped these characters as part of educational evaluation. Objective: This study aims to map the profile of the Huma Betang character in Physics learning among high school students in Palangka Raya City, Central Kalimantan. The characters measured in this study consist of four pillars: Hapahari (kinship), Handep (mutual assistance), Belom Bahadat (civilized living), and …

Reinforcement Learning Improves Llm Accuracy And Reasoning In Disease Classification From Radiology Reports, Yishu Wei, Yi Lin, Adam Flanders, George Shih, Yifan Peng

Department of Radiology Faculty Papers

Accurate disease classification from radiology reports is essential for many applications. While supervised fine-tuning (SFT) of lightweight LLMs improves accuracy, it can degrade reasoning. We propose a two-stage approach: SFT on disease labels followed by Group Relative Policy Optimization (GRPO) to refine predictions by optimizing accuracy and format without reasoning supervision. Across three radiologist-annotated datasets, SFT outperformed baselines and GRPO further improved classification and enhanced reasoning recall and comprehensiveness.

Strengthening Adolescent Self-Regulation Through School-Based Psychological Empowerment Programs, Masfuukhatur Rokhmah

Bhakti: Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat

Adolescence is a critical developmental stage characterized by increasing academic demands, emotional fluctuations, and the need for effective self-management skills. Many senior high school students experience difficulties in regulating time, emotions, and priorities, which may hinder both academic adaptation and psychological well-being. This study reports a school-based psychological empowerment program designed to strengthen self-regulation among students of a public senior high school in Indonesia. Using a pretest–posttest design, the program involved 323 tenth-grade students who participated in a structured intervention consisting of psychoeducation, self-reflection, case-based discussions, journaling exercises, and self-care training. Self-regulation was measured using the Short Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SSRQ). …

Clustering Digestive Tract Tumors Using Transcriptomic And Mutation Data, Dwayne G Tally, Polina Bombina, Jake Reed, Jeffrey Kinne, Lynne V Abruzzo, Kevin R Coombes, Zachary B Abrams

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Digestive tract cancers, like most other cancers, are usually categorized based on cell or tissue of origin. Molecular clustering based on the transcriptome often produces the same classification.

METHODS: We developed a new method, Newmanization, to reduce underlying tissue signals from transcriptomic analysis. To test our method, we downloaded data on 1635 samples of digestive tract cancers from The Cancer Genome Atlas. The available data includes transcriptomic data by RNA-Seq, as well as binary mutation allele frequency data by whole exome sequencing. We compared, using silhouette widths and visualization by dimension reduction plots, the effectiveness of Newmanized transcriptome and …

Sex Or Survival: Does Wounding Elicit A Somatic Reproductive Tradeoff In Narnia Femorata Males?, Lillian E. Burbulis

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

Animals must partition resources into different life history traits resulting in tradeoffs because resources are finite. A tradeoff is the allocation of resources to one trait over another. Theory states that energy is allocated in a hierarchical fashion. For example, somatic maintenance should be a higher priority than reproduction, resulting in more resources being allocated to somatic maintenance compared to reproductive traits. The metabolic investment hypothesis states that energy must follow a hierarchical order prioritizing somatic maintenance over reproduction. Another hypothesis for energy allocation is the terminal investment hypothesis. This hypothesis states that energy will be allocated to reproduction over …

A Two-Phase Hippocampal Code Linking Time And Distance Estimation To Action, Raphael Heldman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

A critical component of spatial navigation is the ability to estimate elapsed time or distance traveled. How the brain generates such estimates and links them to behavior remains unclear. In this thesis, we identify a previously unrecognized population coding strategy for time or distance in hippocampal CA1, a region critical for navigation and memory. Using novel behavioral paradigms in head-fixed mice combined with electrophysiological recordings, we show that this code is carried by two functionally distinct subpopulations of pyramidal neurons, termed PyrUp and PyrDown, whose firing rates evolve in opposite directions during navigation. Both populations exhibit a common two-phase dynamic: …

Therapists’ Perspectives On Female Patients’ Recovery From Sexual Violent Trauma Committed By Familiar Offenders, Lauren S. Doran

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A mental health therapist is a licensed professional who is trained to identify any barriers or regression during the recovery process with their female patients’ psychological experiences from sexual violent trauma (SVT) perpetrated by a degree of familiar offenders. In this study, the therapists’ perceptions identified the impact of the SVT committed by a familiar offender toward the female victim’s recovery process. The theoretical foundation included betrayal trauma theory, moral injury, and victimology. The research question addressed how therapists described the psychological recovery of female patients who experienced sexual violence by a familiar offender. The research design was data collection …

Health-Related Quality Of Life Of Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome In Malaysia, Stephanie Yang

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is the most prevalent endocrine condition among women of reproductive age. PCOS is known to be a chronic disease that presents significant physical and body image issues, which in turn are associated with lowered emotional and health-related quality of life. Previous studies point to widespread dissatisfaction and delays with the diagnosis of PCOS and a lack of information provided by doctors. This phenomenological study was guided by Wilson and Cleary’s model of health-related quality of life to explore the health-related quality of life in Malaysian women with PCOS. Seven Malaysian women aged 29 to 50 years …

Global Distribution And Origin Of Manganese Deposits: Insights Into Oman's Role In Production And Economic Significance, Abdulrahman Kayode Shehu, Salah Al-Khirbash, Mohammed Farfour

Sultan Qaboos University Journal For Science

Manganese is a globally significant industrial metal essential for steelmaking, battery technologies, and emerging green-energy applications. As demand increases, understanding the geological diversity, distribution, and economic context of manganese deposits is critical. Manganese deposits occur in a range of tectonic settings and include hydrogenetic, diagenetic, and hydrothermal–exhalative systems associated with ophiolites, mid-ocean ridges, back-arc basins, and sedimentary basins. These genetic types exhibit distinct mineralogical, geochemical, and isotopic signatures that reflect processes such as hydrothermal precipitation, hydrogenetic crust formation, and diagenetic remobilization. These different genetic Mn types have distinct mineralogy, major and trace element compositions, REE geochemistry, and isotopic compositions, reflecting …

Isolation Of Stigmasterol, Α –Amyrin And Lupeol Acetate From The Hexane Extract Of Calatropis Procera Leaves, Saleh N. Al-Busafi, Al-Hawraa Al-Harthi, Azhaar Al-Mufargi, Wid Al-Saadi, Sharif Al-Hashmi

Sultan Qaboos University Journal For Science

In this paper we report the isolation, purification and characterization of three triterpenes, stigmasterol (1), α -amyrin (2), and lupeol acetate (3) from the hexane extract of Calatropis procera leaves. These three natural compounds have been identified before from C. procera and from other plants. The compounds 1, 2 and 3 were isolated from C. procera in the Sultanate of Oman for first time. The structures of the isolated triterpenes were identified by different spectroscopic methods.

Determination Of Antioxidants, Fatty Acids And Mineral Content Of Cherry Tomatoes (Solanum Lycopersicum Var. Cerasiforme) Grown In The Kingdom Of Bahrain, Neda Almubarak, Hawra Abdulhussain, Mona Aljar, Simone Perna, Afnan Freije

Sultan Qaboos University Journal For Science

Cherry tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme) are small, nutrient-rich fruits, with vibrant colors, sweet flavor and health-promoting components. This study aims to investigate the fatty acids, mineral content and antioxidant properties of red, orange, yellow, and purple varieties grown in Bahrain, providing the first biochemical assessment of locally cultivated cherry tomatoes under arid conditions. Fatty acids were extracted, methylated, and analyzed using gas chromatography. The mineral content was assessed through sample digestion followed by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) analysis. Antioxidant properties, including total antioxidant capacity (TAC), reducing power (RP), ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), were evaluated …

Pharmacoinformatics And Drug Repurposing For Identifying Novel Potential Compounds Targeting Cyp2s1, Rana Adnan Tahir

Sultan Qaboos University Journal For Science

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) monooxygenases are versatile drug-metabolizing enzymes that primarily catalyze the metabolism of drugs, steroids, and carcinogens. CYP comprises a vast subfamily of heme-thiolate proteins engaged in the oxidative metabolism of exogenous and endogenous compounds. CYP2S1 is a dioxin-inducible member of CYP, and its expression has been found in tumors of epithelial origins, including colorectal cancer. The absence of structural information regarding targets has hampered drug design. The present study focuses on generating the 3D structure of the target protein using computational tools and exploring its structural features to identify binding sites, mutational changes, and hydrogen-bonding patterns, thereby facilitating …

Utilization Of Visual Metaphors For Improving Health Literacy, Kadir Alp Özler, Morgan Dressel, Madeline Weiner, Robert D Lucito, Alice Fornari

Patient Experience Journal

Health education is practiced in patient encounters via verbal communication and educational pamphlets. However, these techniques are faulty and do not provide true patient comprehension of their conditions and treatments reform is necessary to prevent the mortality and hospitalization rates that are linked to poor health literacy. Visual aids and metaphors are individually known to be powerful educational tools. A student organization at Stony Brook University, Artists in Medicine, has sought to synergize these tools to create visual metaphors artwork that links everyday concepts to patient illnesses to facilitate comprehension of this information. For example, one project “Aortic Dissections” depicts …

Factors Influencing Patient Satisfaction In Health Services: A Cross-Sectional Study In The Holy City Of Najaf, Ahmed Abdul Hasan Mohsin, Lamees A. Abdul-Lateef, Noor Ismeal Nasser

Patient Experience Journal

The healthcare system in the city of Najaf works to improve the quality of services provided to patients. Since patient satisfaction serves as a key measure of service quality, this study was designed to identify the potential factors that influence satisfaction within these facilities. cross-sectional study was conducted for 300 patients using public healthcare services in Najaf. the selection of patients based on the stratified random sampling across hospitals and primary health centers. Data were collected using a 24-item structured questionnaire that measured four domains: accessibility, staff attitude, service quality, and physical environment, rated on a four-point Likert scale. The …

The Patient's Lived Experience: A Phenomenological Study On Factors Influencing Tuberculosis Treatment Outcomes In Medan, Indonesia, Erida Novriani, Urip Harahap, Khairunnisa Khairunnisa, Wiryanto Wiryanto

Patient Experience Journal

This qualitative phenomenological study was conducted to analyze the factors influencing tuberculosis (TB) treatment outcomes from the patient's perspective in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. The objective was to uncover the nuanced human factors shaping the patient's treatment journey, moving beyond a sole reliance on statistics and quantitative methods. The research was conducted across all 41 Primary Health Centers (PHCs) in Medan. Through a purposive sampling strategy, data was collected from 22 TB patients via in-depth interviews until data saturation was achieved. The collected data was analyzed using thematic, narrative, and phenomenological approaches to interpret the detailed lived experiences of the …

Volume 12 Full Text, Bjur Staff

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Effective Indigenous Participation In Renewable Energy Development: An Analysis Of Solar And Hydropower Projects In The Navajo Nation, Zoë T. Noble

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

The Navajo Nation, a Native American tribe in the southwestern United States, has an extensive history of disenfranchisement by the U.S. government in many areas, including loss of traditional tribal land, systematic water scarcity, and exposure to environmental hazards, as well as the overall exclusion of Indigenous perspectives from decision-making processes. In recent years, the Navajo Nation has been undergoing a transition from fossil fuels, namely coal plants, to renewable electricity generation, with varying degrees of Indigenous participation and success. In this paper, a comparative analysis of the Kayenta and Red Mesa Tapaha Solar projects and the Black Mesa Pumped …

Religious Practices And Spiritual Support In Palliative Medicine, Camille C. Yancey

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

Palliative care is a form of healthcare focused on providing pain relief and support to patients facing serious illness. This practice is conducted by a team of healthcare professionals and aims to improve patients’ quality of life in the context of long-term, serious illness. Palliative medicine supports patients with a wide range of diseases, including but not limited to cancer, dementia, stroke, and Parkinson’s disease. It focuses on managing symptoms associated with severe conditions, such as pain, nausea, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and stress (Mayo Clinic, 2024). Catering palliative care to include the patient’s religious and spiritual beliefs would benefit symptom …

Wallflowers, Misfits, And Gender Nonconformists: Roller Derby As A Refuge, Kate Clement

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

This article explores how roller derby serves as a unique space for queer women and gender minorities to foster community and build “found families,” engage in activism, and practice self-expression, from its creation in 1935 to the present. This study will outline the unusual historical context that allowed the sport to evolve radically differently from other professional sports, twentieth-century feminine beauty standards and their role within the era’s roller derby, the inclusive nature of its modern bylaws, and the lived experiences of queer roller derby athletes. Utilizing a wide range of primary sources, including oral history interviews of current roller …

Reclaiming The Past: Contextualizing The Role Of Women And Gender In Celtic Paganism, Angus Mccolloch

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

This article evaluates the role of women and gender in pre-Christian Celtic paganism and how these concepts can be applied to the modern era, building on the prior understanding that Celtic women had more freedoms than other women during their time. I utilize archaeological findings, primary sources, and scholarly sources to develop an understanding and interpretation of how women and gender were perceived by the communities who observed and practiced these ancient belief systems. I argue, through the study of Celtic women ranging from figures in their mythologies to physical artifacts and accounts, that these women had a more significant …

Front Matter And Table Of Contents, Bjur Staff

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Collegiate Experiences Of Genderqueer And Nonbinary Youth, Angela Clark-Taylor, Alexandra Kay Hicks, Heather Johnson

New York Journal of Student Affairs

This study explores the collegiate experiences of genderqueer and nonbinary students, frequently marginalized in higher education research. While scholarship on transgender students has expanded, it often centers on binary identities, thereby excluding those who identify outside the man-woman dichotomy. This research responds to that gap by asking: What are the experiences of nonbinary students in college? Drawing on in-depth interviews with six genderqueer and nonbinary undergraduate students, the study amplifies their voices to challenge dominant gender norms and essentialist narratives within academic spaces. Participants shared experiences of systemic erasure, invalidation, and microaggressions, as well as the resilience and strategies they …

Minecraft: A Retrospective, Kylie Salinger

Pepperdine Journal of Communication Research

This speech explores Minecraft as more than a popular sandbox video game, framing it as a creative, narrative-rich, and culturally influential platform that has shaped how players interact with virtual worlds. Beginning with the game’s simple mechanics and origins, the work examines Minecraft’s deeper lore, including its progression through multiple dimensions and the philosophical implications of the End Poem. It also highlights fan-driven theories suggesting a complex, hidden history within the game’s world-building. Finally, the piece analyzes the reasons behind Minecraft’s enduring success, emphasizing its multiplayer connectivity, resurgence during the COVID-19 pandemic, and immersive musical design. Ultimately, the essay argues …

Reflections On Language And Translation: Toward A "Translation Turn" In Archival Studies, Fiorella Foscarini

Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies

As the dominant lingua franca, the English language acts as an invisible, hegemonic force that exerts a strong influence over the framing of the global world. By using English unreflexively in research, education, and professional cross-cultural exchanges, we may unwittingly support unequal power structures, the homogenization of research, and the marginalization of traditions and knowledge systems based on languages other than English. In most cases where translation is involved, the translating act is treated as a fait accompli or a mere technical process, without acknowledging that exact equivalence is impossible to achieve, and that translation has important epistemological, methodological, …