Digital Commons Network^™

Identifying Compounds To Treat Opiate Use Disorder By Leveraging Multi-Omic Data Integration And Multiple Drug Repurposing Databases, Jeran K Stratford, Megan Ulmer Carnes, Caryn Willis, Melyssa S Minto, Logain Elnimeiry, Ravi Mathur, Matthew Schu, Bryan C Quach, Javan Carter, Tracy Nolen, Nathan Vandergrift, Thomas R Kosten, Eric Otto Johnson, Bradley T Webb

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Genes influencing opioid use disorder (OUD) biology have been identified via genome-wide association studies (GWAS), gene expression, and network analyses. These discoveries provide opportunities to identifying existing compounds targeting these genes for drug repurposing studies. However, systematically integrating discovery results and identifying relevant available pharmacotherapies for OUD repurposing studies is challenging. To address this, we've constructed a framework that uses existing results and drug databases to identify candidate pharmacotherapies. For this study, two independent OUD related meta-analyses were used including a GWAS and a differential gene expression (DGE) study of post-mortem human brain. Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) sub-networks enriched for GWAS …

Deletion Of Fibro-Adipogenic Progenitors-Specific Follistatin Impairs Muscle Function And Accelerates Skeletal Muscle Atrophy In Obese Mice, Muhammad Rahil Aslam, Muhammad Bilal, Allah Nawaz, Tomonobu Kado, Shinya Abe, Nguyen Quynh Phuong, Memoona, Sana Khalid, Le Duc Anh, Ayumi Nishimura, Yoshiyuki Watanabe, Yoshiko Igarashi, Naeem Iqbal, Maki Yokoyama, Yasuhiro Onogi, Kennichi Hirabayashi, Hiroyuki Miwa, Takumi Era, Martin M Matzuk, Seiji Yamamoto, Koichi Ikuta, Isao Usui, Kohta Kobayashi, Toshihiko Satake, Masaru Kato, Shiho Fujisaka, Kazuyuki Tobe

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Follistatin is a potent regulator of various TGF-β superfamily members, including myostatin (MSTN) and activin A. Previous studies have shown that follistatin is crucial in enhancing myogenesis during acute muscle injury. The mechanism by which fibro-adipogenic progenitors (FAPs)-specific follistatin influences muscle homeostasis in obese mice remains unknown. Therefore, we investigated the physiological role of follistatin in PDGFRα-positive FAPs in the regulation of muscle homeostasis and exercise in obese mice.

Methods: A PDGFRα-specific follistatin knockout (follistatin KO) mouse model was generated using PDGFRα-GFP-CreERT2 (PDGFRα-GCE) and follistatinflox/flox mice. These mice were fed a 60% high-fat diet (HFD) for 20 weeks, followed …

Reproducibility In Modeling Of Knee Joint Mechanics, Maryam Nazem

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Computational modeling of knee joint biomechanics can provide valuable insights into joint function, injury mechanisms, and patient outcomes, and can support surgical planning and informed clinical decision-making. However, achieving consistent and repeatable results, or reproducibility, is a significant challenge that affects the credibility of these models. This thesis addresses reproducibility through two studies related to the KneeHub Project, which is a multi-institutional collaboration designed to investigate reproducibility in finite-element modeling of the knee.

The first study involved model benchmarking, where predicted results of the calibrated models were compared with the experimental data to evaluate model reproducibility. While all models replicated …

Exploring Inorganic And Organometallic Chemistry, W. Christopher Boyd Phd

MSL Academic Endeavors eBooks

This textbook, Exploring Inorganic and Organometallic Chemistry, covers the fundamentals of inorganic and organometallic chemistry for undergraduate and graduate students. Both theories of structure and bonding and reaction chemistry are covered, with applications to the catalysis of organic reactions, biochemistry, and drug design. A modular approach allows for basic materials of each chapter to be covered in an undergraduate course, with more advanced material suitable for M.S. and Ph.D. students."

Destination Branding Strategies In The Hospitality And Tourism Industry, Mary Ann Richey

Senior Honors Theses

Within the last few decades, destination branding has gained significant traction in the hospitality and tourism industry. Therefore, it is essential that marketers within the industry pursue destination branding and analyze both successful and unsuccessful destination marketing campaigns. Successful campaigns cultivate positive consumer perceptions of destinations for both tourists and residents. Unsuccessful campaigns showcase that differentiation and a lack of residential support negatively impact national tourism. In order to successfully conduct destination branding campaigns, industry leaders must partake and acknowledge current industry trends. In 2025, the most impactful way to successfully market tourism destinations is through the use of online …

Supplement Use And Ed Self-Assessment Accuracy, Darin Beasley-Williams

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

The widespread availability of dietary supplements has contributed to their increased use, with over half of U.S. adults reporting regular consumption. Prior research suggests that supplement use is associated with better overall health, and regulatory legislation has been implemented to mitigate potential adverse effects. One motivation for supplement use may be self-diagnosed health issues; however, incorrect self-diagnoses could lead to inappropriate supplement consumption and potentially contribute to disordered eating patterns. This study examined whether regular supplement users are more accurate in self-identifying an eating disorder. A sample of 511 undergraduate students completed a self-report questionnaire assessing supplement use and eating …

Hawaiian Drosophila Host Plant Preferences, Kyrus Huang, Rodomir Stark

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Understanding how host plant availability influences behavior in Drosophila species provides valuable insight into ecological specialization and speciation. This study examines the effects of different host plants on the reproductive and oviposition behavior of Drosophila silvestris and Drosophila grimshawi. The primary objective of this project is to determine whether females exhibit host-plant preferences during egg-laying. A secondary aim is to assess whether sex and mating status influence host plant preference, specifically comparing male, unmated female, and mated female behavior with two host plants. To test these hypotheses, newly emerged flies were divided into three treatment groups: male-only, female-only, and mixed …

Doughnut Economics And Strong Sustainability: Rethinking The Role Of Financial Investment, Isabelle Pierotti

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates how private investment could align doughnut economic framework. Doughnut economics is a strong sustainability economic framework where the economy operates within planetary boundaries while ensuring social equity. Theories of sustainable development, weak sustainability, and strong sustainability are discussed to provide theoretical context for doughnut economics and mainstream economics. The analysis concludes that conventional, profit maximizing private investment does not support a doughnut economics system by supporting the depletion of natural resources and exacerbating social issues. Sustainable mainstream investment also fails to support a doughnut framework. Lastly, while impact investment is theoretically committed to social and financial returns, …

An Auto-Criticism: Exploration Of Professional Development For Secondary Science Educators, Mellissa Ann Pfaff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This auto-criticism investigates the benefits of experiential professional development for science educators by examining the reflective journey of one teacher-researcher—me—through multiple immersive learning experiences. Using narrative journaling and qualitative analysis, this study captures the influence of these experiences on my identity, instructional design, and ability to create experiential learning opportunities for students.

Rather than approaching professional development as a checklist of strategies, this research seeks to illuminate how deeply engaged, hands-on learning can transform teaching from routine delivery to embodied practice. Thematic coding revealed shifts in curriculum planning, increased responsiveness to student inquiry, and renewed clarity around the purpose of …

Archaeological Predictive Meta-Modeling In Pre-Columbian Mexico, Peter Stamm

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Archaeological Predictive Modeling stands firmly as an important tool for Archaeologists to predict undiscovered sites from civilizations all across the globe. While powerful, this methodology is not without its own set of qualms. Striking a balance between pure a data-driven approach while also observing leading expert theories can be a complicated task. Going further, deciding on the specific domain of features to emphasize or overlook can be a challenge within itself, as one misstep can drastically change the output of model, sometimes for the worst. In addition, creating models that can expose their reasoning process can be rather difficult to …

Understanding The U.S. Maternal Healthcare System At The Intersection Of Asian American Birth Outcomes And The Model Minority Stereotype: A Literature Review, Sophia Hevel

University Honors Theses

This thesis aims to explore the maternal healthcare system in the United States as it pertains to Asian American birthing people, the ways in which their racial, ethnic, and cultural identities are interacted with within the U.S. Healthcare system, and subsequently the detrimental effects of the medical system's devaluation of culturally specific birthing and postpartum practices have on Asian American birthing experiences. This will be accomplished through an exploration of the United States' maternal healthcare system, or rather, its crisis; how Asian Americans navigate a system that has not been structured to support their specific needs; and lastly, a discussion …

The Time-Dependent Association Between Irritable Bowel Syndrome And All-Cause And Cause-Specific Mortality In The Nih-Aarp Cohort Study, Daniela S Gutiérrez-Torres, Fangyu Li, Linda M Liao, Carrie R Daniel, Shreela V Sharma, Ruosha Li, Eric L Brown, Qing Lan, Maki Inoue-Choi, Baharak Moshiree, Paul Albert, Rashmi Sinha, Emily Vogtmann

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Evidence on the association between irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and mortality is conflicting. In this study, we estimated the association between IBS and all-cause and cause-specific mortality in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study.

Methods: IBS diagnoses between 1994 and 2008 were identified from Medicare claims data, and mortality outcomes through 2019 were obtained through linkage to the National Death Index. Using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models, we estimated hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for all-cause and cause-specific mortality within partitioned follow-up time categories (>2-5, >5-8, >8-11, >11-14, >14-17, and >17 years) with adjustment …

Liver-Directed Base Editing Of Abcc6 Prevents Ectopic Calcification In A Variant-Humanized Mouse Model Of Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum, Lauren C. Testa, Dora Obiri-Yeboah, Hooda Said, Ping Qu, Michael A. Levine, Mohamad-Gabriel Alameh, Kiran Musunuru, Qiaoli Li, Xiao Wang

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) is an autosomal recessive connective tissue disorder characterized by ectopic calcification of elastic fibers throughout the skin, retina, and arteries. It is caused by pathogenic variants in ABCC6 , which encodes a transmembrane transporter that primarily localizes to hepatocytes. Loss of ABCC6 function in hepatocytes leads to systemic deficiency of inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi), a potent inhibitor of calcification; such depletion of PPi from the circulation is responsible for multisystemic ectopic calcification seen in PXE. Therefore, liver-targeted variant correction by genome editing and subsequent restoration of systemic PPi may offer a one-and-done therapeutic approach for PXE. The ABCC6 …

Diras3-Derived Cyclic Peptides Disrupt Kras-Raf Interaction And Kras Nanoclustering, Suppressing Kras-Driven Pancreatic And Ovarian Tumors, Joshua P Gray, Gamze Bildik, Ha-Neul Kim, Margie N Sutton, Jing Wang, Amarachi O Osuji, Nefeli Batistatou, Hailing Yang, Weiqun Mao, Zhi Tan, Geneviève M C Gasmi-Seabrook, Junchen Liu, John F Hancock, Christopher B Marshall, Joshua A Kritzer, Mitsuhiko Ikura, Robert C Bast, Steven W Millward, Zhen Lu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Mutations in KRAS drive 88% of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDAC) and up to 40% of low-grade serous ovarian cancers (LGSOC), making KRAS a long-standing therapeutic target. We previously showed that DIRAS3 binds RAS, forming heterodimers that disrupt RAS clustering and downstream MAPK signaling. Building on this, we developed conformationally constrained DIRAS3-derived peptides using two cyclization strategies and characterized them by NMR and biolayer interferometry. These cyclic peptides attenuate the interaction between KRAS and the BRAF RAS-binding domain, penetrate cells efficiently, and inhibit KRAS nanoclustering on the inner leaflet of the plasma membrane. Functionally, they reduce cell viability and suppress PDAC …

Shp2: A Redox-Sensitive Regulator Linking Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy To Cancer Treatment And Vascular Risk, Silvia Fernanda López Moreno, Stefania Assunto Lenz, Bernardo Casso-Chapa, Angelica Paniagua-Bojorges, Jung Hyun Kim, Nicolas L Palaskas, Kevin T Nead, Venkata S K Samanthapudi, Gilbert Mejia, Oanh Hoang, Jonghae Lee, Steven H Lin, Joerg Herrmann, Guangyu Wang, Syed Wamique Yusuf, Cezar A Iliescu, Noah I Beinart, Charlotte Manisty, Masuko Ushio-Fukai, Tohru Fukai, Pietro Ameri, Roza I Nurieva, Michelle A T Hildebrandt, Keri Schadler, Efstratios Koutroumpakis, Sivareddy Kotla, Nhat-Tu Le, Jun-Ichi Abe

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Src homology 2-domain containing protein tyrosine phosphatase 2 (SHP2), encoded by the Ptpn11 gene (Tyrosine-protein phosphatase non-receptor type 11), is a key downstream effector of PD-1/PD-L1 signaling and is likely important, in addition to immune modulation, in tumor development and vascular homeostasis. SHP2 conveys PD-1 mediated inhibitory signaling in T cells, and is emerging as a therapeutic target. Importantly, there is an association between immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), immune-related adverse events (irAEs), and cardiovascular complications, underscoring the need to understand SHP2’s role in these processes. This review aims to summarize current knowledge on SHP2/PTPN11 biology, its role in immune …

Both Studying And Protecting Octopuses “On Their Own Terms”, Jennifer Jacquet, Janelle Kaz, Becca Franks, Christine Webb

Animal Sentience

Cephalopods – indeed, all animals – “must be seen on their own terms,” with respect for their autonomy and their ecological imperatives. This will provide greater scientific insight along with a more ethical and accurate understanding of minds beyond our own.

Culturally Aware Mindfulness Training For Army Leaders: A Scalable Solution To Strengthen Mental Readiness, Katherine Dutler (Skowronski)

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

This doctoral paper examines cost-effective, easily distributed mindfulness practices as a force-multiplier for psychological readiness in the U.S. Army. Daily mindfulness reduces symptom burden, raises distress tolerance, and sharpens performance—all without added equipment, appointments, or cost. However, stigma, long waitlists, and civilian-centric messaging still deter soldiers from adapting mindfulness practices. Rather than replacing clinicians, the program functions as preventive maintenance and a bridge while soldiers await care, thereby easing load on an overtaxed system. By embedding mental fitness alongside physical PT, the Army can advance its mandate to “deploy, fight, and win” with forces that are both mentally and physically …

Examining Microbial Biomass And Soil Organic Carbon In Annual Vs. Perennial Agricultural Ecosystem Soils, Paige Kenyon, Jacob Rutz, Kelsey S. Bitting

RURALS: Review of Undergraduate Research in Agricultural and Life Sciences

Soil systems have the ability to store large amounts of carbon for both short and long periods of time, much like other carbon pools such as oceans and forests. As increased amounts of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere via anthropogenic means, including the agricultural industry, scientists have been researching how to increase the amount of carbon cycled from the atmosphere and into soils as a climate change mitigation strategy. Soil systems have the capacity to sequester carbon in part due to fungal and bacterial community activity. Differences in soil microbial biomass levels between annual and perennial agricultural systems …

A Novel Drug-Loaded Injectable Hydrogel System Using Oxidized Inulin And Pluronic F-127 With Β-Cyclodextrin Nanocrystals For Ocular Defect Treatment, Salama Al Dhaheri

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

The human eyes have the most complex and advanced defence mechanisms. Due to this barrier, efficient treatment of ocular disorders is always a crucial issue, especially while treating the posterior segment of the eyes. Most of the diseases occurring in the posterior segment of the eyes include age-related macular degeneration, retinitis, diabetic retinopathy and uveitis. Topical and systemic administration of drugs, intravitreal injection, and insertion of non-biodegradable implants are several different approaches employed to treat ocular diseases. These methods have shown promising results in treating age-related macular degeneration but require higher dosage and multiple administration of the drug to the …

The Case For Data Sharing: Generalist Repository Real-World User Stories, Lisa Curtin

Medical Institutional Repositories in Libraries (MIRL) Symposium

The NIH Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Policy presents a significant challenge for librarians tasked with guiding researchers through a complex data repository landscape. This session will provide attendees with both practical tools and illustrative examples to support open data sharing practices at their institutions. The first part of the session (5 minutes) will provide an overview of the Generalist Repository Ecosystem Initiative (GREI) toolkit. We will highlight key resources—such as the generalist repository comparison chart (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3946719) and a data submission checklist (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14278906)—which can be used to facilitate researcher consultations and clarify the process of complying with the NIH policy. …

A Plática With Jimmy Santiago Baca, Nick Daniel Rivas

Regeneración: A Xicanacimiento Studies Journal

A Plática with Jimmy Santiago Baca, interview by Nick Daniel Rivas.

Re-Membering Self, Rewriting Histories, Reclaiming Futures: Chicanafuturist Agency In V. Castro's The Haunting Of Alejandra, Julia Reade

Regeneración: A Xicanacimiento Studies Journal

Re-membering Self, Rewriting Histories, Reclaiming Futures: Chicanafuturist Agency in V. Castro's The Haunting of Alejandra by Julia Reade.

Bioactive Membrane System For Efficient Emerging Pollutants Treatment, Ayat El Telib El Tayeb

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Emerging pollutants (EPs), such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products, are increasingly detected in municipal wastewater due to household discharge and improper industrial disposal. Their persistence and ecological risks pose major challenges to conventional treatment technologies. Among advanced options, membrane filtration, particularly microfiltration and ultrafiltration, has gained prominence for its efficiency and scalability. However, membrane fouling, especially biological and chemical fouling, remains a critical barrier, accounting for nearly half of total energy consumption and requiring frequent use of harsh chemical cleaning agents that further burden the environment.

This PhD research addresses these challenges by developing and evaluating hybrid bioactive enzyme-active …

Deaf Parents’ Infant-Directed Touch With Their Hearing And Deaf Babies: Intuitive, Cultural, Or In Need Of Instruction?, Brenda C. Seal Ph.D.

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

No abstract provided.

First Report Of A Bat Guano Fire From A Cave In Southeast Asia, Sopark Jantarit, Martin Ellis, Pruet Kalasuwan, Neeranuch Phusunti, Pimonsri Mittraparp-Arthorn, Jiranan Pattano, Arnon Chukamnerd, Turdtun Tong-In, Natthawut Khrueaaunruean

International Journal of Speleology

Fires occurring in cave guano are a rare and unusual phenomenon and the occurrence of such events in Southeast Asia is particularly novel. In this study, we document the first recorded instance of a bat guano fire in a tropical cave at Tham Chao Ram in Sukhothai province, northern Thailand. A bacteriological analysis was made of the guano at the fire site and from a control site within the cave. We give a comprehensive review of global reports on bat guano fires in caves, conduct an initial investigation of the physical factors at the fire site and discuss the potential …

Development Of Pack-Based Learning Outcome Tests For The Mechanical Engineering Education Study Program Of Teacher Professional Education, Dwi Agus Sudjimat, Darmawan Satyananda

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

This study aims to develop a learning outcome test instrument based on Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (PACK) for students of the Teacher Professional Education Program (PPG) in the Mechanical Engineering Education Study Program (Pendidikan Teknik Mesin, PTM) at Universitas Negeri Malang. The background of this study is based on the need for an assessment that can measure the integration of content knowledge, pedagogy, and technology in accordance with the demands of the Industry 4.0 era. The test development method follows psychometric procedures, including planning, writing, and validating test items, field testing, analyzing test items, and finalizing the instrument. …

Water Quality Assessment Of The Tigris River In Baghdad Using The Canadian Council Of Ministers Of The Environment Water Quality Index (Ccme-Wqi), Talib Kamil Abed, Muwafaq Hussein Al-Lami, Abass J. Kadhem, Moayed Nasser Muslim, Zainab Bahaa Mohammed

AUIQ Technical Engineering Science

The objective of this study was to assess the water quality of the Tigris River in Baghdad and its northern areas through the application of the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Water Quality Index (CCME-WQI). The study was conducted over two distinct periods representing dry (summer) and wet (winter) seasons over a 12-month period in 2021, encompassing nine strategic sampling sites along the river from Al-Karkh to Al-Wihda. Water samples were analyzed for sixteen physicochemical parameters including turbidity, alkalinity, total hardness, major ions, nutrients, and trace metals. The study revealed that water quality ranged from poor to marginal …

Zika Virus: A Review Of An Emerging Disease Threatening Global Health, Gudikandula Krishna, S. Sreedevi, Dasari Thrimothi

Maaen Journal for Medical Sciences

The Zika virus (ZIKV) has caused a widespread pandemic that is currently spreading throughout Central America, the United States of America, South America, and the Caribbean. The goal of the review is to provide a detailed summary of relevant information to the readers that is currently available about the genetic structure of the Zika virus, transmission, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, complications, treatment, diagnosis, and genetic composition of Zika virus infection. The relevant literature on ZIKV was retrieved by employing Science Direct, Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct Index, electronic databases. The analysis concludes that the Zika virus (ZIKV) primarily spreads among arboreal …

Molecular Analyses Of Cellulosimicrobium Cellulans Mosul Isolated From Crown Galls Of Olea Europaea, Ghazwan Qasim Hasan

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Olea europaea L. is farmed extensively for its oil in various parts of the world. Olives are abundant in bioactives and beneficial minerals that may have therapeutic and medicinal applications. Cellulosimicrobium cellulans belongs to the family Promicromonosporaceae and is classified as a Gram-positive bacillus. Since there is not much research on the topic, the goal of the current study was to analyze the whole genome sequence of this bacterium. The results showed that 99.8% of the raw values agreed well with the reference strain CP017660, with a GC content of 74.5% and a pairwise similarity of 98.1%. The de …

Novel Eco-Friendly Synthesis Of Coo Nps: Evaluation Of Their Diode Laser-Enhanced Inhibitory Activity Through Combined In Silico And In Vitro Approaches., Arshad Mahdi Hamad, Sahar Naji Rashid

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

In our study, for the first time worldwide, to the best of our knowledge, cobalt oxide nanoparticles (CoO NPs) were synthesized using naringin (Nar) extracted from citrus peels. The properties of the prepared Nar-CoO NPs were studied using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. All the test results demonstrated the efficiency and success of the nanofabrication process. The solution was then exposed to three types of diode lasers: red (650 nm), green (532 nm), and blue (405 nm). The purpose of this study was …