Digital Commons Network^™

Crisis Counseling For Individuals, Couples, And Families, Virginia (Toddy) Holeman

Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Science And Christian Faith, Michael Peterson

Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Seminar Two: Coaching In Complex Systems, Mark Dunwoody

Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Missional Formation: The Church In A Global Era, Andrew Mcfarland

Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Evolving Toward The Sun, Samuel Kan

The Business, Entrepreneurship & Tax Law Review

The United States is at a particularly important economic and environmental crossroads. To ensure energy independence and the sustainability of the economy, the government should help consumers and businesses in the United States evolve away from burning fossil fuels towards using renewable energy-especially solar power. Simultaneously, the government needs to foster the reduction of pollution and address climate change for the long-term health and welfare of society. In short, this article uses current events and the findings of a four-year study evaluating renewable energy equipment to propose draft legislation to address these critical issues.

The Money Behind Mommy: Addressing The Exploitation Of Kidfluencers On Social Media, Emma Goodlet

The Business, Entrepreneurship & Tax Law Review

Child Influencers, or “kidfluencers,” have become prevalent on social media platforms and have amassed great fame. Kidfluencers are capable of making millions of dollars each year, but the industry remains largely unregulated because these children are not subject to typical child labor laws. Kidfluencers often suffer from financial and sexual exploitation, and psychological harm as a result of this exploitation. There are few effective federal laws to protect kidfluencers from exploitation and harm on social media, which has allowed kidfluencer exploitation to run rampant. Some states have begun to enact laws to protect kidfluencers in a similar manner to child …

How Life-Cycle Real-World Evidence Can Bridge Evidentiary Gaps In Precision Oncology, Emanuel Krebs, Deirdre Weymann, Tania M. Bubela, Dean A. Regier

Office of the Provost

Precision oncology uses omics-based diagnostic technologies to inform histology-agnostic cancer treatment. To date, health system implementation remains limited owing to high uncertainty in regulatory and reimbursement evidence submissions. In this perspective, we describe a life-cycle approach to the evaluation of precision oncology technologies that addresses evidentiary uncertainty and is grounded in real-world evidence (RWE) derived using data routinely collected by healthcare systems. We consider the role for RWE in international regulatory and reimbursement decision-making, review common biases for observational precision oncology evaluations, make specific recommendations for RWE study design and analysis, and specify healthcare system requirements for data collection. We …

Acoustic Wave Manipulation Through Sparse Robotic Actuation, Tristan Shah, Noam Smilovich, Feruza Amirkulova, Samer Gerges, Stas Tiomkin

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Recent advancements in robotics, control, and machine learning have facilitated progress in the challenging area of object manipulation. These advancements include, among others, the use of deep neural networks to represent dynamics that are partially observed by robot sensors, as well as effective control using sparse control signals. In this work, we explore a more general problem: the manipulation of acoustic waves, which are partially observed by a robot capable of influencing the waves through spatially sparse actuators. This problem holds great potential for the design of new artificial materials, ultrasonic cutting tools, energy harvesting, and other applications. We develop …

Development Of Single Droplet Interface-Specific Sum Frequency Scattering Spectroscopy, Yi Rao

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Synthetic Plasmodium Antigens, Compositions, And Uses Thereof, John H. Adams, Christopher L. King, Niraj H. Tolia, Edwin Chen, Nichole Diane Salinas, Miriam Thankam George, Francis B. Ntumngia, Samantha Jones Barnes

USF Patents

Provided herein are synthetic P. vivax antigens, antibodies and pharmaceutical formulations and vaccines thereof. Also provided herein are methods of treating and/or preventing Plasmodium infection and/or disease by administering the synthetic P. vivax antigens, antibodies and pharmaceutical formulations and vaccines thereof.

The Art Of Compassion: How Viewing Art Affects Prosocial Intentions, Melissa Dolese

Faculty, Staff, and Students

Art functions as a communicative medium that evokes emotion and fosters social connection potentially motivating prosocial behavior. Grounded in theories of elevation and social cognition, this research investigated whether viewing art, regardless of its thematic content, would influence compassionate intentions toward individuals across varying relational distances (self, friend, stranger). The studies also examined if the types of imagined compassionate actions, categorized by expressive modalities (Chapman’s Love Languages, Gestures of Kindness, and Hedonic Pleasures), varied with relational closeness. Study 1 found that compassion-themed art influenced compassionate intentions toward strangers, with artistic communication predicting these intentions more strongly than explicit compassion messaging. …

Examining The Role Of The M1 Motif Of Abcr1 Srna In Agrobacterium Tumefaciens, Daniel Arango-Cardona

Theses and Dissertations

Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a gram-negative alphaproteobacterium that is one of the causative agents of crown gall tumors on plants. Its ability to transform plants using its T-DNA has been studied to improve plant-mediated transformation. sRNAs are small regulatory RNAs that play a role in gene expression in a variety of organisms and bind to target proteins or mRNAs. A. tumefaciens contains two sibling sRNAs, called AbcR1 and AbcR2, which are conserved among alphaproteobacteria. A. tumefaciens AbcR1 and AbcR2 are closely related, exhibiting 69% sequence identity, similar secondary and tertiary structure, and a conserved motif, M2, believed to direct target interactions. …

A Pilot Study On Tissue Deformation Using An Integrated Sensor–Actuator Blood Collection Setup In Aquaculture (Salmo Salar), Ishrak Siddiquee, Md Ebne Al Ashad, Ahmed Hasnain Jalal

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

This pilot study presents a sensor–actuator setup designed to evaluate tissue deformation in Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) during needle insertion. The system integrates three types of low-cost, commercially available force sensors to capture force profiles and identify biomechanical events associated with tissue layer transitions. Controlled insertions were performed on a deceased specimen, and the resulting force data were analyzed to quantify insertion dynamics and estimate tissue deformation. A simulation model based on the recorded force values was developed to calculate stress distribution and deformation, which ranged from 0.001 µm to 8.4 µm and from 0.3 N/m2 to 4.9 N/m2, respectively. …

Deep Learning-Driven Proteomics Analysis For Gene Annotation In The Renin-Angiotensin System, Mortaza Eivazi, Kamran Hosseini, Shahin Alipanahi, Huijing Xia, Luke Restivo, Ayushi Patel, Mahdieh Gozali, Tahereh Ebrahimi, Amy Scarborough, Vahideh Tarhriz, Eric Lazartigues

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is central to cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension and cardiomyopathy, yet the functions of many RAS genes remain unclear. This study developed a multi-label deep learning model to systematically annotate RAS gene functions and elucidate their roles in biological pathways. A total of 39,463 RAS-related publications from PubMed and PMC were processed into text format. Feature matrices were generated using TF-IDF and token processing, followed by dimensionality reduction via Principal Component Analysis (PCA). A Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) was applied for multi-label classification, with performance evaluated using Precision, F1-Score, Ranking Loss, and ROC-AUC metrics. The model outperformed …

Lived Experiences Of Transgender And Non-Conforming Individuals Related To Gender Separation Bathroom Policies, Patricia Ojea

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The transgender and gender non-conforming population experiences discrimination when using public restrooms, but scholarly researchers do not know how the varying degrees of acceptance or rejection impact their daily lives. The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand the lived experiences of transgender and non-conforming (TGNC) adults to determine if bathroom legislation helps alleviate adversity experienced by this group. Kingdon's multiple-streams framework and Meyer's minority stress theory were the theoretical frameworks that served as this study's foundation. The research questions for this study focused on how the lack of enabling restroom policies in New Jersey impacts TGNC adults …

Psychopathology: Theory And Assessment, Russell Hall

Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Cardiomyocyte Regeneration Therapy And Its Effect On Lvef And Scar Size- A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Mahnoor Mahnoor, Syed Irtaza Hassan, Muhammad Bakhtiar, Salal Sharjeel, Roha Daneyal, Muhammad Ibrahim, Raheel Iftikhar

Kimmel Cancer Center Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Myocardial infarction (MI) results in loss of cardiomyocytes leading to heart failure. Despite advancements in pharmacotherapy and interventions such as revascularization, ischemic heart failure remains a challenge. Recent advancements in stem cell therapies, genetic engineering and bioengineering have shown to improve cardiac function and quality of life.

METHODOLOGY: Following PRISMA guidelines, randomized controlled trials clinical trials from last 12 years were systematically reviewed. All the patients included in these studies had ischemic heart failure and were subjected to different types of stem cell therapies. Protocol for this meta-analysis is registered on PROSPERO (Registration no: CRD42023399263). Data extraction and Quality …

Usage And Behavioral Data Of Consumers Using Hair Dye Products Containing 2-Methoxymethyl-P-Phenylenediamine, Monika Kock, Carsten Goebel, Lidia Mihailescu, Maike Seib, Agnieszka Malesa, Anthony Gaspari, Brunhilde Blömeke

Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology Faculty Papers

The potent sensitizer PPD is considered a key sensitizer in hair dye contact allergy. Modification of its molecular structure to 2-methoxymethyl-p-phenylenediamine (ME-PPD) reduces its skin sensitizing potency. We investigated the usage, behavior, and tolerance profile of ME-PPD-containing professional hair color products in a specifically tailored proactive market surveillance program in hairdresser salons across 5 countries. Hairdressers completed record cards for their clients, which were evaluated at the end of the program. 497 individuals received in total 2461 hair color treatments with ME-PPD-containing hair color. Feedback on compatibility was provided for 194 individuals: 6 individuals reported intolerance reactions, which were assessed …

Genome-Wide Insights Into The Genes And Pathways Shaping Human Foveal Development: Redefining The Genetic Landscape Of Foveal Hypoplasia, Callum Hunt, Ha-Jun Yoon, Alvin Lirio, Kayesha Coley, Jun Wang, Nick Shrine, Jianming Shao, Gail D E Maconachie, Zhanhan Tu, Jonathan H Zippin, Pirro G Hysi, Christopher J Hammond, Omar A Mahroo, Mariya Moosajee, Michel Michaelides, Andrew R Webster, Ala Moshiri, Rui Chen, Martin D Tobin, Chiara Batini, Mervyn G Thomas, Uk Biobank Eye And Vision Consortium

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Purpose: To define the genetic architecture of foveal morphology and explore its relevance to foveal hypoplasia (FH), a hallmark of developmental macular disorders.

Methods: We applied deep-learning algorithms to quantify foveal pit depth from central optical coherence tomography (OCT) B-scans in 61,269 UK Biobank participants. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted using REGENIE, adjusting for age, sex, height, and ancestry. Rare coding variants (frequency < 1%) were analyzed in an exome-wide rare-variant association study (RVAS). Candidate genes were prioritized using integrative mapping; pathway, cross-ancestry, and genetic-correlation analyses were exploratory.

Results: GWAS identified 126 sentinel variants, including 47 novel associations. Integrative mapping prioritized 129 putative causal genes, with 64 not previously implicated in foveal biology. Enriched pathways included retinoic acid metabolism (e.g., CYP26A1), photoreceptor differentiation …

Magnetic Nanoparticles Tethered With Zn–Dpa For The Removal Of Bacteria From Red Blood Cell Suspension, Tochukwu P. Okonkwo, Rajendra P. Gautam, Jacob B. Limburg, Breckin L. Forstrom, Bowen J. Houser, Aaron Rappleyea, Tyler P. Green, Joseph P. Talley, Alexander D. Daum, Stacey J. Smith, Karine Chesnel, William G. Pitt, Roger G. Harrison

Faculty Publications

Bacterial infections continue to drive the need for more effective and rapid methods for bacterial analysis. To address this, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have emerged as promising tools, especially when their surfaces are modified with bacteria binders. The bis-zinc–dipicolylamine (Zn–DPA) complex is known for its broad affinity to bacteria. We have synthesized MNPs via a thermal decomposition method, encapsulated them in silica, modified their surface with Zn–DPA, and tested their ability to remove bacteria. The MNPs retain their superparamagnetic properties and crystallite structure after being encapsulated. The MNPs coated with silica and Zn–DPA effectively bind and remove both Gram-positive and Gram-negative …

Subtype-Specific Her3 Enrichment In Basal-Like Breast Cancer Is Regulated Via The Gata2/Gata3–Foxa1 Axis, Congcong Tan, Hui Lyu, Sanbao Ruan, Yakun Wu, Margaret E. Larsen, Shou Ching Tang, Bolin Liu

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Basal-like breast cancer (BLBC) is a major subtype of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), characterized by aggressive behavior, limited treatment options, and poor prognosis. While HER3 overexpression is frequently observed in TNBC and associated with poor outcomes, its subtype-specific expression and therapeutic potential remain unclear. Here, we demonstrated that HER3 signaling is selectively hyperactivated in BLBC compared to claudin-low breast cancer (CLBC) using transcriptomic profiling. Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi), Romidepsin and Panobinostat, exerted potent antitumor effects on BLBC by selectively downregulating HER3 expression. HER3 levels were positively correlated with FOXA1, a key transcriptional activator. Mechanistically, we identified GATA2 and GATA3 as …

Gellan Gum Formulations Containing Natural Polyphenolic Compounds To Treat Oral Candidiasis, Narchonai Ganesan, Lewis Oscar Felix, Biswajit Mishra, Liyang Zhang, Charilaos Dellis, Fadi Shehadeh, Danielle Wu, Lissette A Cruz, R M Arce, Eleftherios Mylonakis

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Oral candidiasis (OC) is caused by Candida albicans, targeting immunocompromised individuals and developing drug resistance, highlighting the need for advanced therapeutics. Polyphenols such as caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) and ellagic acid (EA) display antifungal and immune-modulating properties. Incorporating CAPE and EA in gellan gum (GG) formulation enhances their applicability and effectiveness against OC. We developed GG-based formulations loaded with CAPE (1,000 µg/mL), EA (1,000 µg/mL), or CAPE + EA (1,000 µg/mL each) against C. albicans. GG formulations containing gellan (0.6% and 1.0%), genipin (5 mM), polyethylene glycol 400 (0.5%), and sorbitan monooleate 80 (0.5%) demonstrated enhanced release …

Transcutaneous Spinal Stimulation Paired With Visual Feedback Facilitates Retention Of Improved Weight Transfer Toward The Affected Side In People Post-Stroke, Hyunje Park, Beom-Chan Lee, Dimitry Sayenko, Sheng Li, Seoung Hoon Park

The Brown Foundation: Institute of Molecular Medicine

Background: Many individuals with hemiparesis after stroke are reluctant to transfer their body weight toward the affected side and rely more heavily on the unaffected leg while walking. Although visual feedback (VF) has been utilized to improve their weight transfer during walking, the effects of transcutaneous spinal stimulation (TSS) paired with VF during locomotor training in people post-stroke remain largely unexplored. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to determine whether phasic TSS paired with VF regarding weight shifting to the affected leg during treadmill walking would enhance weight transfer toward the affected side.

Methods: Eleven individuals post-stroke participated in …

Scenario Projections Of Covid-19 Burden In The Us, 2024-2025, Sara L Loo, Sung-Mok Jung, Lucie Contamin, Emily Howerton, Samantha J Bents, Harry Hochheiser, Michael C Runge, Claire P Smith, Erica C Carcelén, Katie Yan, Joseph C Lemaitre, Emily Przykucki, Clifton D Mckee, Koji Sato, Allison L Hill, Matteo Chinazzi, Jessica T Davis, Clara Bay, Alessandro Vespignani, Shi Chen, Rajib Paul, Daniel Janies, Jean-Claude Thill, Sean M Moore, T Alex Perkins, Ajitesh Srivastava, Majd Al Aawar, Kaiming Bi, Shraddha Ramdas Bandekar, Anass Bouchnita, Spencer J Fox, Lauren Ancel Meyers, Przemyslaw Porebski, Srinivasan Venkatramanan, Bryan Lewis, Jiangzhuo Chen, Madhav Marathe, Michal Ben-Nun, James Turtle, Pete Riley, Katriona Shea, Cécile Viboud, Justin Lessler, Shaun Truelove

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Importance: COVID-19 remains a disease with high burden in the US, prompting continued debate about optimal targets for annual vaccination.

Objective: To project COVID-19 burden in the US for April 2024 to April 2025 under 6 scenarios of immune escape (20% and 50% per year) and levels of vaccine recommendation (no recommendation, vaccination for individuals at high risk only, vaccination for all eligible groups) and to assess the potential benefit of vaccine recommendations in reducing disease burden.

Design, setting, and participants: For this decision analytical model, the US Scenario Modeling Hub, a collaborative modeling effort, convened 9 teams to provide …

Optimal Medical Care And Coronary Flow Capacity-Guided Myocardial Revascularization Vs Usual Care For Chronic Coronary Artery Disease: The Century Trial, K Lance Gould, Nils P Johnson, Amanda E Roby, Richard Kirkeeide, Mary Haynie, Tung Nguyen, Linh Bui, Monica B Patel, Danai Kitkungvan, Patricia Mendoza, Dejian Lai, Ruosha Li, Stefano Sdringola, David Mcpherson, Jagat Narula

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background and aims: The randomized CENTURY trial tested the hypothesis that a comprehensive strategy integrating intense lifestyle modification and aggressive medical management to goals with revascularization reserved for severely reduced coronary flow capacity (CFC) by positron emission tomography (PET) would reduce risk factors, subsequent revascularization, death and myocardial infarction (MI) compared with standard of care in chronic stable coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods: Participants were randomly assigned to standard or comprehensive care groups. Rest-stress PET quantified CFC for physiological CAD severity at baseline, 2, 5, and up to 11 years. The comprehensive care group reviewed PET results with frequent clinic …

Human Development Across The Lifespan, Russell Hall

Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Psychopathology: Theory And Assessment, Russell Hall

Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Human Resource Management Practices And Employee Commitment In Public Agencies: A Sustainable Workforce Development Perspective From Enugu City, Nigeria, Chukwuebuka Victor Okorie, Leilani I. De Guzman

Journal of Management for Global Sustainability

This study investigates the implementation of sustainable human resource management (HRM) practices and their influence on employee commitment within public agencies in Enugu City, Nigeria. Anchored primarily in Social Exchange Theory (SET), the research explores how specific HRM practices—recruitment, training, rewards, and career management—affect affective, continuance, and normative commitment among customer relations employees. Employing a concurrent mixed-methods design, the study gathered quantitative data via structured questionnaires from 300 employees across five public institutions and qualitative insights through semi-structured interviews with 15 employees. Findings indicate a moderate application of sustainable HRM practices, with training perceived most favorably. Employee commitment levels were …

Chp1 Promotes Lipid Droplet Growth And Regulates The Localization Of Key Enzymes For Triacylglycerol Synthesis, Guang Yang, Ximing Du, Dougall Norris, Armella Zadoorian, Yuyuan Zheng, Mingming Gao, Andrew J Brown, Shane T Grey, Chun Zhou, Hongyuan Yang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The glycerol-3-phosphate (G-3-P) pathway is central to the synthesis of triacylglycerols (TAGs) and glycerophospholipids, essential for membrane biogenesis and lipid storage. The first and rate-limiting step in this pathway is catalyzed by glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferases (GPATs), with microsomal GPAT3 and GPAT4 being evolutionarily conserved and predominant in most tissues. While previous studies have implicated Calcineurin B homologous protein 1 (CHP1) as a cofactor for GPAT4, the broader role of CHP1 in regulating microsomal GPATs and TAG biosynthesis remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that CHP1 is a critical regulator of both GPAT3 and GPAT4, essential for their stability, enzymatic activity, and lipid …

Inhibition Of Mcl-1 And Mek Overcomes Mek Inhibitor Resistance In Triple-Negative And Inflammatory Breast Cancers, Mohd Mughees, Moises Tacam, Alex W Tan, Mary Kathryn Pitner, Lakesla R Iles, Xiaoding Hu, Emilly S Villodre, Bisrat G Debeb, Takahiro Kogawa, Bora Lim, Rachel M Layman, Wendy A Woodward, Naoto T Ueno, Debu Tripathy, Savitri Krishnamurthy, Yuan Qi, Lajos Pusztai, Jian Wang, Varsha Gandhi, Geoffrey Bartholomeusz, Chandra Bartholomeusz

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The MAPK pathway can drive resistance in highly aggressive breast cancers. Our previous work showed that the MEK inhibitor (MEKi) AZD6244 (selumetinib) prevented lung metastasis in a breast cancer xenograft model. In clinical studies, MEKis as single agents have had only modest activity against solid tumors due to the onset of resistance. Using synthetic lethality siRNA screening, we identified myeloid cell leukemia-1 (MCL-1) as a potential contributor to AZD6244 resistance. We hypothesized that MCL-1 promotes MEKi resistance in highly aggressive breast cancers and that MCL-1 inhibition overcomes AZD6244 resistance. We established two AZD6244-resistant cell lines: MDA-MB-231-R (triple-negative breast cancer) and …