Digital Commons Network^™

Matthew Draper, Matthew Draper, Gus Guikema

Oral Histories of Farming along the Middle Rio Grande

No abstract provided.

The Prospector, December 2, 2025, Utep Student Publications

The Prospector

No abstract provided.

A Double-Edged Sword: Ethical And Psychological Implications Of Apoe Genotype Disclosure Across The Lifespan, Diego Iacono

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

The apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene is the strongest genetic risk factor for sporadic Alzheimer’s disease (AD), with the ε4 allele increasing risk and decreasing the average age of onset. While APOE genotyping is primarily used in research or clinical settings for patients with memory concerns, interest in disclosing APOE status to asymptomatic individuals—particularly during early adulthood—is growing. This trend is fueled by the rise of direct-to-consumer genetic testing and emerging prevention-focused clinical trials. However, ethical debates remain unresolved about the potential harms of early disclosure, including anxiety, stigma, and misunderstanding of probabilistic risk. Conversely, some argue that knowledge of APOE …

The Triangular Interaction Between Dietary Polyphenols, Gut Microbiota, And Metabolic Syndrome, Emily Bayliss

Senior Honors Theses

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a growing global health concern characterized by peripheral insulin resistance as well as impaired insulin secretion from pancreatic β-cells. Emerging evidence suggests that the gut microbiome, specifically gut dysbiosis, an imbalance in the gut microbiome, is a critical modulator of the pathophysiology of T2DM. Dietary polyphenols, a diverse group of bioactive compounds that are abundant in plant-based foods, have recently gained attention for their potential to attenuate metabolic disorders through their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties as well as through modulating the composition and activity of gut microbes, thereby attenuating dysbiosis. However, the diabetic state …

T Cell Senescence And Nociplastic Pain: A Proposed Etiological Mechanism, Kayla S. Riggleman

Senior Honors Theses

Nociplastic pain is a newly identified chronic pain phenotype characterized by widespread hyperalgesia and allodynia. Its etiological mechanisms are currently unknown, making medical intervention elusive. The proposed pathophysiological model connects immunosenescence with a degradation of the blood-brain barrier as a result of peripheral inflammation. Neuronal hyperexcitability and glial cell activation result, leading to nociplastic pain. It is currently thought that central sensitization is the key mechanistic driver of nociplastic pain, so this literature review seeks to expound on that. Based on this framework, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy and stem cell treatments are proposed therapeutic methodologies to be explored. …

Knowledge Of Menopause And Sources Of Information In Women And Men In The United States, Roxanne Ropponen

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Problem: When it comes to health management, knowledge is power. Unfortunately, menopause education is gravely lacking in the U.S., despite the fact that menopause symptoms have a significant effect on women’s lives, including their relationships with men. Most people obtain health information from online sources or family and friends, both of which can vary from highly accurate to extremely inaccurate. Nurses, the patient educators of the health care team, are in a position to provide evidence-based menopause education. In order to create and implement such education there must be an established understanding of the population's current knowledge and sources of …

Investigating The Mechanisms By Which Gut Microbiome Dysbiosis Contributes To The Autoimmune Response In Multiple Sclerosis, Abigail Houtrouw

Honors Theses

This literature review explores the multifaceted relationship between gut microbiome (GM) dysbiosis and multiple sclerosis (MS), highlighting key themes that advance understanding of disease pathogenesis and therapeutic potential for treatments targeting the gut. The review underscores the immune system dysregulation in MS, emphasizing the roles of T cells, B cells, and microglia in neuroinflammation and demyelination. Historically, MS pathogenesis was thought to be driven mainly by T-cell dysregulation, but current research highlights the additional roles of B-cells and microglia, the resident immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS). Additionally, this literature review identifies GM alterations and dysbiosis as critical …

Undergraduate Stem Student Reflections On The Academic Support Ecosystem At A Rural Minority Serving Institution: The Importance Of Relationship, Stephany Runninghawk Johnson, Jessica L. Black, Karolynn Tom

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

This paper presents a research project with a group of STEM majoring undergraduates attending a Hispanic Serving Institution participating in the CRESCENT program intended to support undergraduates through their basic math and science courses. The research questions addressed in this paper include: What part of CRESCENT were students utilizing the most and how were they helpful? How did CRESCENT support students through COVID? What can we learn from this data to make future programs more responsive and relevant to STEM majoring students? We found that during COVID students were missing in person contact, had heightened responsibilities and distractions at home, …

Single Compost Application Benefits For Organic Dryland Wheat Production, Shikha Sharma, Matt Yost, Earl Creech, Jennifer R. Reeve, Astrid R. Jacobson, Idowu Ademola Atoloye

All Current Publications

This research highlights the long-term value of compost in dryland wheat systems, where water scarcity and declining soil fertility limit productivity. A single, high-rate compost application (22 tons per acre) can improve soil moisture content, organic carbon content, aggregate stability, and microbial activity. All these benefits contributed to higher and more stable wheat yields, even more than two decades after application. These changes help to make the compost-treated wheat more resilient during dry years. While composting incurs a high upfront cost, its long-term benefits can significantly reduce the need for repeated fertilizer or soil amendments, offering cost and labor savings …

Spartan Daily, December 2, 2025, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2025

Volume 165, Issue 40

Involvement Of A Tick-Borne Orthomyxovirus Matrix Protein In Vrnp Nuclear Export, Vaille A. Swenson, Jack Hemsath, Iris Yousaf, Carla Weisend, Michael A. Barry, Hideki Ebihara, Satoko Yamaoka

Student Publications

Thogotoviruses are arthropod-borne viruses belonging to the genus Thogotovirus within the family Orthomyxoviridae. Like other orthomyxoviruses, such as the influenza A viruses (IAV), thogotoviruses replicate in the nucleus. As a result, progeny viral ribonucleoprotein complexes (vRNPs) must be exported to the cytoplasm prior to virion assembly and budding at the plasma membrane. In IAV, this export depends on binding of the viral nuclear export protein (NEP) to the cellular exportin chromosomal maintenance 1 (CRM1). In contrast, the mechanism of vRNP nuclear export, including identification of a protein with NEP functionality, has not been characterized for any thogotoviruses. Here, we …

Netherton Syndrome: A Systematic Review Of The Challenges Of Diagnosis And Treatment, Maximus S. Reese, Ryan Nguyen, Noor Chughtai, Philip J. Haynos, Salma Alkhatib, Shantanu Amin, Ethan Speer, Jared Nichols

Student Publications

Netherton syndrome is an autosomal recessive genodermatosis caused by biallelic mutations in the SPINK5 gene, a gene that codes for lymphoepithelial Kazal-type-related inhibitor 1 (LEKT1) protein. This disorder is characterized by erythroderma, ichthyosis, hair shaft abnormalities, and immune dysregulation. While there is increasing research and recognition of Netherton syndrome, much remains unknown, with limited knowledge of the history, manifestations, and responses to therapies. The purpose of this study was to review case reports of Netherton’s to draw conclusions from patient demographics, symptoms, treatment, and outcomes. A systematic review of 30 case reports and clinical studies on Netherton syndrome was conducted, …

Multi-Omic Profiling Provides Insights Into The Heterogeneity, Microenvironmental Features, And Biomarker Landscape Of Small-Cell Lung Cancer, Mingchao Xie, Miljenka Vuko, Shashank Saran, Siyu Liu, Andrew G Chambers, Hana Baakza, Helen K Angell, Felicia Ng, Carl M Gay, Robert J Cardnell, Felix J Segerer, Alma Andoni, Jaime Rodriguez-Canales, Paul M Waring, Markus Schick, J Carl Barrett, Lauren A Byers, Giulia Fabbri

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Greater understanding of differential therapeutic sensitivity, specifically to immunotherapy, in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is required.

Methods: We explored SCLC heterogeneity through integrated molecular characterization of tumor tissue samples from 159 treatment-naive patients, utilizing genetic, epigenetic, transcriptional, and proteomic profiling, immunohistochemistry staining for multiple biologically relevant markers including transcriptional subtype-defining proteins, and spatial immune profiling using multiplex immunofluorescence.

Results: Multi-omics analysis confirmed high heterogeneity across/within neuroendocrine and non-neuroendocrine subtypes. Methylomics analysis identified four methylome clusters that may enhance subtype prediction, prognosis, and longitudinal monitoring of subtype evolution. Immunohistochemistry analysis showed high MHC-I expression in non-neuroendocrine subtypes, which have greatest …

Inhibition Of Clostridioides Difficile-Specific Dna Adenine Methyltransferase Cama By Analogs Of S‑Adenosyl‑L‑Methionine, Jujun Zhou, Youchao Deng, Dan Yu, Taraneh Hajian, Masoud Vedadi, Xing Zhang, Robert M Blumenthal, Rong Huang, Xiaodong Cheng

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Epigenetically targeted therapies, especially those inhibiting S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM)-dependent methylations of DNA, mRNA, and histones, have advanced rapidly in cancer treatment. However, these therapies remain underexplored for antibiotic development, despite the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance. Here, we screened a focused library of SAM analogs against the DNA adenine methyltransferase CamA specific to the enteric pathogen Clostridioides difficile. At the same time, we examined six other adenine methyltransferases, including two bacterial DNA methyltransferases and four human RNA methyltransferases having distinct RNA substrates. Compound 113 selectively inhibited CamA (IC50 = 0.15 μM). In addition, compound 67 inhibited Caulobacter crescentus CcrM …

Individualized Perioperative Blood Pressure Management In Patients Undergoing Major Abdominal Surgery: The Improve-Multi Randomized Clinical Trial, Bernd Saugel, Agnes S Meidert, Frank M Brunkhorst, Robert Bischoff, Joseph Esser, Minca Mattis, Pauline Naue, Katharina Vogel, Alina Bergholz, Moritz Flick, Alina Kröker, Dominik X Müller, Kristen K Thomsen, Christina Vokuhl, Mirja Wegge, Sebastian Bratke, Martin Graeßner, Bettina Jungwirth, Sebastian Schmid, Carla D Grundmann, Jan M Wischermann, Patrick Kellner, Moritz Steinhaus, Linda Grüßer, Sina M Coldewey, Kai Zacharowski, Patrick Meybohm, Marit Habicher, Alexander Zarbock, Amelie Zitzmann, Svenja Letz, Claudia Neumann, Jan Larmann, Thomas Renné, Linda Krause, Eik Vettorazzi, Antonia Zapf, Annemarie Carlstedt, Daniel I Sessler, Karim Kouz

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Importance: Intraoperative hypotension is associated with organ injury. However, it remains unknown if targeted blood pressure management during surgery can improve clinical outcomes.

Objective: To evaluate whether individualized vs routine perioperative blood pressure management during major abdominal surgery improves clinical outcomes in patients considered at high risk of postoperative complications.

Design, setting, and participants: This randomized single-blind clinical trial enrolled patients 45 years or older undergoing elective major abdominal surgery with general anesthesia expected to last 90 minutes or longer who had at least 1 additional high-risk criterion between February 26, 2023, and April 25, 2024, at 15 German university …

Fabrication And Evaluation Of Large Alumina Crucibles By Vat Photopolymerization Additive Manufacturing For High-Temperature Actinide Chemistry, R. Joey Griffiths, Christy Santoyo, Jean-Baptise Forien, Bradley Childs, Andrew J. Swift, Andrew Cho, Alexander Wilson-Heid, George Ankrah, Devin Rappleye, Aiden A. Martin, Jason Jeffries, Kiel Holliday

Faculty Publications

Additive manufacturing (AM) offers opportunities to advance the design and function of ceramic tooling in high temperature actinide pyrochemistry. In technical ceramics such as alumina, conventional forming techniques often restrict design flexibility and can limit experimental progress. In this study, we investigate the use of vat photopolymerization (VP) with commercial resins to fabricate large-scale alumina crucibles, reaching dimensions up to 125 mm, which is significantly larger than typically reported for dense VP ceramics. Notably, these additively manufactured components are produced using consumer-grade hardware, which limits process control, but offers significant upside in scalability and accessibility. Using microscopy and X-ray computed …

Activation Of Pro-Regenerative Gene Programs In The Mature Central Nervous System, Elizabeth Carlisle Batsel

Dissertations (1934 -)

Spinal cord injury (SCI) affects millions of people worldwide. Damage to the spinal cord disrupts the long-distance axon tracts of central nervous system (CNS) neurons. These axons fail to regenerate, leading to permanent dysfunction. Past work has shown that CNS neurons lose the capacity to elongate their axons as they mature. Conversely, after injury, embryonic and peripheral nervous system (PNS) neurons can elongate axons towards target cells, driven by the growth cone at the growing tip of the axon. Previous research has identified transcription factor (TF) families, such as the SoxC family, that contribute to embryonic and peripheral neurons’ high …

Hif-2-Dependent Regulation Of Pthrp And Paraneoplastic Hypercalcemia In Aggressive Clear-Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma, Arijit Mal, Bingqing Xie, Zane Gray, Charlotte Small, Susmita G Ramanand, Yunpeng Gao, Vanina Toffessi Tcheuyap, Sashi Debnath, Alana Christie, Jeffrey Miyata, Brooklyn Jackson, Hua Zhong, Boning Gao, Jay Lohrey, Naim M Maalouf, Sangeetha M Reddy, John D Minna, Ivan Pedrosa, Xiankai Sun, Ram S Mani, Payal Kapur, James Brugarolas

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients with hypercalcemia (HC) have worse outcomes. HC often involves PTHrP, and the role of HIF-2 is incompletely understood. Leveraging RCC tumorgraft (TG) models of HC, which were characterized by tumor cell autonomous inflamatory/immune signatures, we show that HIF-2 inhibition with PT2399 frequently normalized calcium, downregulated circulating PTHrP and reduced HIF-2 binding to the PTHLH (PTHrP) promoter. Likely contributing to the selective induction of PTHrP in a subset of HIF-2-dependent tumors, the PTHLH locus was generally more accessible in TG(HC). However, PTHLH chromatin accessibility was grossly unaffected by PT2399, unlike elsewhere (including EPO locus in a …

Using Gnotobiotic Mice To Decipher Effects Of Gut Microbiome Repair In Undernourished Children On Tuft And Goblet Cell Function, Yi Wang, Hao-Wei Chang, Jiye Cheng, Daniel M Webber, Hannah M Lynn, Matthew C Hibberd, Clara Kao, Ishita Mostafa, Tahmeed Ahmed, Michael J Barratt, Jeffrey I Gordon

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Studies have implicated perturbations in the postnatal development of the gut microbiome as a contributing factor to childhood undernutrition. Compared to a standard ready-to-use supplementary food, a microbiome-directed complementary food (MDCF-2) designed to repair these perturbations produced superior improvements in ponderal and linear growth in clinical trials of Bangladeshi children with moderate acute malnutrition. Here, "reverse translation" experiments are performed where intact fecal microbiomes collected from trial participants before and at the end of treatment are introduced into female gnotobiotic mice just after delivery of their pups. Pups received diets designed to resemble those consumed by children in the trials …

Statistically Significant Association Does Not Imply Improvement In Prediction Of Clinical Outcomes, Shu Jiang, Bernard A Rosner, Graham A Colditz

2020-Current year OA Pubs

UNLABELLED: In the current landscape of clinical studies, the concept of statistically significant association is often mixed up with the expectation of improved prediction performance. We discuss the two concepts, association and prediction, and present the epidemiologic principles and statistical constructs that underlie the discrepancy between statistically significant associations and the rationale for their lack of impact on improving prediction in terms of discrimination. This issue is illustrated using an existing breast cancer dataset. The concept of statistically significant association should not be mixed up with the expectation of improved discrimination performance. Although some markers may not markedly improve discrimination, …

Fucosylated N-Glycan Landscape Of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer, Danielle A Scott, Souvik Seal, Laura Spruill, Jaclyn Dunne, Graham Colditz, Anand S Mehta, Richard R Drake, Marvella E Ford, Peggi M Angel

2020-Current year OA Pubs

UNLABELLED: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer lacking targeted therapies. Although aberrant N-glycosylation is a hallmark of malignancy, the specific roles of core-fucosylated (CF) and outer arm-fucosylated (OAF) N-glycans in TNBC progression and patient survival remain underexplored. This study utilized multiplexed glycomics by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization imaging mass spectrometry to spatially profile 348 N-glycans in 59 TNBC tumors with clinical characteristics including survival data. Spatial analysis revealed distinct localization patterns of CF and OAF isomers within tumor microenvironments. Strikingly, OAF glycans, but not CF, were strongly associated with tumor stage, with expression increasing from stage …

Sex, The Body, And Learning Gender: Demons In The World Of The Five Gods, Erin E. Mcbrien

Mythopoeic Society Seminar Proceedings

“Sex, the Body, and Learning Gender” analyzes the relationship between the physical body, sexual orientation, and gender as characterized within Lois McMaster Bujold’s World of the Five Gods series, with a particular emphasis on her Penric and Desdemona novellas. Using the framework of Bussey and Bandura’s social learning theory, and a close reading of Bujold’s text, this paper explores how the demonic characters within this series are an example of gender as a learned concept rather than a biological imperative. This is further developed by examining how the demonic characters both imprint on and contrast against the more societally-bound sorcerers …

Unclos: Developments In Regulations On Deep-Sea Mining In International Waters, Logan Berg

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

Lunar Servicing, Assembly, And Manufacturing; Legal And Environmental Issues, Francesca Giannoni-Crystal

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

Systematic Classification Of Recent Benthic Foraminifera In Socotra Island And Hadhramout Coastline And Their Environmental Significance, Wafa’A M. Al-Qadassi, Mohammed A. Al-Wosabi, Enas A. Ahmed

Sultan Qaboos University Journal For Science

This study explores the ecological significance of benthic foraminifera in the subtropical marine ecosystems of Socotra Island and the Hadhramout coastline, located in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea. A total of 216 species from 91 genera were identified in 32 surface sand samples collected during 2017 and 2018. The study examines how environmental factors including salinity, temperature, and substrate type affect the distribution of foraminifera. The results reveal that the assemblages and species diversity are distinct in each studied region, indicating a notable adaptability of foraminifera to specific environments. This work highlights the potential of benthic foraminifera as bioindicators …

Mineralogical, Chemical And Physical Properties Of Zeolite Minerals In The Maryah Area, Dhamar, Yemen, Amer M. Al-Sabri, Salah A. Al-Khirbash, Nabil M. Al-Areeq

Sultan Qaboos University Journal For Science

Natural zeolite minerals are a group of hydrated aluminosilicates known for their unique properties, including ion exchange, adsorption, and catalytic capabilities. This paper aims to delineate the mineralogical, chemical, and physical properties of natural zeolite minerals in the Maryah area, Dhamar, Yemen and highlight their significance in various applications such as agriculture, environment, and industry. The petrographic study indicates that the zeolitization processes occurred due to volcanic glass alteration. Based on the XRD pattern, it was found that the zeolite minerals are clinoptilolite and hollandite, which represent most of the mineral content, and they are among the common commercial types …

Enhancing Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composite Performance Through Silane Coupling Agents, Muhammad Umair, Ayesha Shahbaz, Amna Siddique, Khubab Shaker, Zulfiqar Ahmad Rehan

Sultan Qaboos University Journal For Science

The utilization of natural fibers as reinforcement in composite materials is becoming increasingly significant due to their renewable nature and capacity to biodegrade, making them a viable alternative to glass fibers. The present study aims to evaluate and compare the impact of coupling agents made of silane on the characteristics of composites derived from jute and glass fibers. To improve the adhesion between the fiber-matrix interface, a silane coupling agent was applied to the jute and glass woven reinforcements. The present study aimed to explore the effects of varying silane concentrations (1%, 2%, and 3%) on the mechanical properties, specifically …

Antioxidant Status And Lipid Profile Of Experimental Rats Fed Animal Fat And Costus Afer Plant (Ker Gawl) Part Diets, Folake Lucy Oyetayo, Bukola Oluwagbemiga, Damilola Abosede Ojo

Sultan Qaboos University Journal For Science

Costus afer is an ethnomedicinal plant used in Africa for the management of hyperglycemia. Influences of Costus afer plant parts on key indicators linked to hyperlipidemia and antioxidant enzyme status were determined in this study. HPLC analysis displayed quercetin (67.84 μg/g) as the most dominant phenolic in the leaf. Seven rats were placed on commercial diet as control while forty-two rats placed on beef fat (tallow)/Animal fat diet (AFD) for two-weeks were randomly assigned into six dietary groups (2–7) of seven rats each viz; Group 1 normal diet, Group 2 animal fat diet (AFD), while Groups 3–7 pre-fed AFD rats …

Production Of Recombinant Β-Galactosidase Protein In Bombyx Mori (Bmn1) Baculovirus Insect Cells, Shuhrat Sh. Khasanov, Jumanazar Ch Mengturayev, Jaloliddin M. Abdurakhmanov, Dilmurodjon B. Turdaliyev, Shakhnoz S. Azimova

CHEMISTRY AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

In this study we aimed to obtain a novel recombinant β-galactosidase baculovirus using the Bombyx mori baculovirus – insect cell expression system. A new recombinant plasmid was constructed on the basis of the pBacPAK8 transfer vector and cloned in E. coli cells. Subsequently, a recombinant baculovirus was generated in Bombyx mori cells, and efficient expression of the β-galactosidase gene was observed. The enzymatic activity of the protein was confirmed by the ONPG assay. The results demonstrated that the baculovirus – insect cell system expands the possibilities for producing proteins of industrial significance.

(R2136) Dimensionless Modeling And Analytical Insights Into Botanical Biofiltration Systems For Voc Reduction, N. Jeeva, K. M. Dharmalingam, M. Veeramuni

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

This paper investigates the mathematical modeling of volatile organic compound (VOC) removal using a botanical biofiltration system, an effective biological treatment method. It examines mass balance concentrations in the gas and biofilm phases, highlighting their significance in VOC degradation and indoor air quality enhancement. The governing equations of the proposed model are converted into a dimensionless form, resulting in second-order nonlinear differential equations. Derived from mass transfer and reaction kinetics principles, these equations incorporate specific boundary conditions to capture gas-biofilm interactions and VOC removal dynamics in biofiltration. The modified Adomian decomposition method (MADM) is utilized to derive analytical solutions for …