Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluating A Biologically-Inspired Multi-Agent System Consensus Algorithm For Robustness To False Negatives, Grace Lynn Gratton

Student Research Symposium (SRS)

Multi-agent systems have several advantages over centralized systems of control and are becoming more heavily relied upon by systems. Consensus algorithms are a fundamental element of multi-agent systems, but current methods of consensus have a low robustness to faulted agents, endangering the integrity of the system. Biologically Inspired Design previously inspired a state-of-the-art consensus algorithm with resilience of up to 20% faulted agents within a population, called the Synchronous Hatching Consensus Algorithm. This article further tests the algorithm by implementing faulted agents reporting false negatives, rather than the original false positives, to see if the model remains robust. To test …

An Effective Secure Multi-Objective Task Scheduling Algorithm In Multi-Cloud Environment, V K S K Sai Vadapalli, Ramesh Babu Gurujukota, Phaneendra Varma Chintalapati, Satyanarayana Murty, G. Sai Chaitanya Kumar, Satish Kumar Kode

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

In cloud environments, task scheduling is essential for improving performance. Nevertheless, the existence of several heterogeneous clouds makes scheduling extremely difficult, requiring increasingly advanced algorithms to manage these environments' diversity and dynamic nature. To solve this, numerous authors have created a variety of task schedulers utilizing heuristic and metaheuristic techniques. Nevertheless, it remains dynamic and challenging because task scheduling is an NP-hard issue. Furthermore, in many complicated situations, it is still problematic to guarantee security throughout the task’s execution. Therefore, this paper introduces a multi-objective security-aware task scheduler using the Crayfish Mud Ring Optimization Algorithm for a multi-cloud environment. This …

Characterization Of The Green Fabrication Of Silver Nanoparticles By Orange Peel Extract And Their Impact On The Degradation Of Halocarbon Chemical Compounds, Hisham Rasheed Rahman, Heman Burhanalden Abdulrahman, Rosure Borhanalden Abdulrahman

Baghdad Science Journal

The role of nanotechnology in remediating organic pollutants is substantial, considering the significant environmental consequences arising from the extensive agricultural use of pesticides. Consequently, nano adsorbents have attracted particular attention due to their exceptional properties and capacity to effectively degrade and eliminate various organic pollutants, including pesticides. Here, an attempt was made to fabricate and characterize silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) using orange peel extract as a reducing agent. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) images confirm the quasi-spherical shape of the Ag NPs, with average sizes of 40 nm, 30 nm, and 20 nm corresponding to different silver nitrate concentrations (0.5, 1, …

Temporal Variation Of Nitrate Concentrations In Karst Spring In The Western Part Of The Gunungsewu Karst Area, Java Island, Indonesia, Ahmad Cahyadi, Indra Agus Riyanto

Baghdad Science Journal

The presence of nitrate in water has become a concern for many environmentalists because it has reduced the quality of water used to meet people's clean water needs. The study of the temporal variation of nitrate in water flow is expected to provide a complete understanding of the influencing factors that need to be managed to control the nitrate concentration in water. This study aims to analyze the temporal variations in the nitrate concentration at the Guntur Spring, one of the springs in the Gunungsewu Karst Area that plays a role in the provision of clean water. The data used …

Effect Of Polyamine And Salicylic Acid On Growth And Yield Of Chili Pepper Capsicum Annuum L. Plant Under Salt Stress, Fatima Haider Subhi, Mushtak F. Karomi Kisko

Baghdad Science Journal

Salt stress has adverse impacts on chili pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) growth, development and production. Plant tolerance must be increased to be able to adapt to salinity stress conditions. A factorial experiment with three factors according to Randomized Complete Blocks Design (RCBD) was conducted with three replicates. Polyamine P0, P1, P2 (0, 2, 3 mg L^-1 Polyamine), salicylic acid A0, A1, A2 (0, 75, 150 mg L^-1), sodium chloride S0, S1, S2 (0, 2000, 4000 ppm) with their interactions were investigated. Salinity had a significant negative effect on the phenotypic characteristics and yield. Polyamine P2, salicylic …

Investigating The Role Of Some Biomarkers In Assessing The Proposed Air Pollution Effects In Selected Areas In Erbil Governorate, Jamal Kamal Mohammedamin, Yahya Ahmed Shekha

Baghdad Science Journal

The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of urinary Hydroxyproline, urinary Malondialdehyde, urinary Creatinine, and urinary Albumin as potential biomarkers for air pollution in two distinct sites: Site 1, an industrial area and Site 2, a non-industrial area, also measuring the urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) to further investigate the effects of air pollution. The study employed a cross-sectional design with 90 participants. Site 1 had 56 participants (42 adults, 14 children, 11.2% of the total population), while Site 2 had 34 participants (23 adults, 11 children, 11.3% of the total population). The findings of the study indicated …

The Correlation Between Micro-Rna 146a And Il-17 In The Serum Of Iraqi Patients With Cystic Echinococcosis, Nisreen Shaker Mahmoud, Ekhlas M. Idan, Muhanned K. Ali

Baghdad Science Journal

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is an endemic disease that causes serious disease and economic loss in the majority of countries around the world. MiRNAs are an epigenetic factor that is essential to the regulation of the immune response by interfering with cytokine expression; one such miRNA is microRNA-146a. The aim of the present study was to assess if we could use microRNA 146a as a biomarker for the detection of CE and to determine the relationship between microRNA 146a gene expression and IL-17 in patients with CE. The study included 50 CE patients who were admitted to the hospital in Baghdad, …

Endothelin-1 Gene Polymorphism With Interleukin-1Β Expression In Infertile Iraqi Women Under In Vitro Fertilization Program, Zainab Jalil Abdulkareem, Asmaa M. Salih Almohaidi

Baghdad Science Journal

Endometrial receptivity is the limiting phase in the success of IVF treatment, Invasion of human trophoblast cells to the endometrial is regulated by many factors such as EDN1 and IL-1β. This study aims to verify the relationship between polymorphism and gene expression of EDN1 and IL-1β genes with embryo implantation in infertile women under the IVF program. The peripheral blood samples were collected on the day of embryo transfer an hour after embryo transfer, after approval from 60 women, and divided according to the outcome of embryo implantation outcomes, the failure implantation group included 35 women, and the success implantation …

Commonwealth Times 2025-01-29

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Shark-Inspired Design Could Make Air Travel Faster, More Efficient, Clara Turnage

University of Mississippi News

OXFORD, Miss. – The same flow dynamics that allow sharks to swim easily through Earth's oceans could also allow humans to fly faster through the air, according to a University of Mississippi professor. His research aims to prove it.

Zodiac Pool Systems Llc V. Us Department Of Energy

2025 Decisions

Agency

Comparison Of Lysis And Amplification Methodologies For Optimal 16s Rrna Gene Profiling For Human And Mouse Microbiome Studies., Farzaneh Rastegari, Mark Driscoll, Jesse D Riordan, Joseph H Nadeau, Jethro Johnson, George M. Weinstock

Faculty Research 2025

When conducting sequence-based analysis of microbiome samples, it is important to accurately represent the bacterial communities present. The aim of this study was to compare two commercially available DNA isolation and PCR amplification approaches to determine their impact on the taxonomic composition of microbiome samples following 16S rRNA gene sequencing. A well-established 16S rRNA gene profiling approach, which was widely used in the Human Microbiome Project (HMP), was compared with a novel alkaline degenerative technique that utilizes alkaline cell lysis in combination with a degenerate pool of primers for nucleic acid extraction and PCR amplification. When comparing these different approaches …

Species- And Strain-Specific Microbial Modulation Of Interferon, Innate Immunity, And Epithelial Barrier In 2d Air-Liquid Interface Respiratory Epithelial Cultures., Mian Horvath, Ruoyun Xiong, Diana Cadena, Megan Callender, Elizabeth Aiken, Anita Y Voigt, Ryan Caldwell, José Fachi, Blanda Di Luccia, Zoe Scholar, Peter Yu, Andrew Salner, Marco Colonna, Karolina Palucka, Julia Oh

Faculty Research 2025

BACKGROUND: The microbiome regulates the respiratory epithelium's immunomodulatory functions. To explore how the microbiome's biodiversity affects microbe-epithelial interactions, we screened 58 phylogenetically diverse microbes for their transcriptomic effect on human primary bronchial air-liquid interface (ALI) cell cultures.

RESULTS: We found distinct species- and strain-level differences in host innate immunity and epithelial barrier response. Strikingly, we found that host interferon, an antiviral response, was one of the most variable host processes. This variability was not driven by microbial phylogenetic diversity, bioburden, nor by the microbe's ability to stimulate other innate immunity pathways.

CONCLUSIONS: Microbial colonization differentially stimulates host gene expression with …

Development And Evaluation Of Butyl Norbornene Based Cross-Linked Anion Exchange Membranes For Enhanced Nonaqueous Redox Flow Battery Efficiency, M. Motiur Mazumder, Hazel Gerber, Paul A. Kohl, Shelley D. Minteer

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Nonaqueous redox flow batteries (NARFBs) have been plagued by the lack of appropriate separators to prevent crossover. In this article, the synthesis and characterization of poly(norbornene) (PNB) anion-exchange membranes (AEMs) were studied. PNB is a copolymer of butyl norbornene (BuNB) and bromobutyl norbornene (BrBuNB) with varying amounts of tetramethyl hexadiamine cross-linker. The performance of the AEMs was investigated in nonaqueous redox flow batteries under ideal conditions. Performance evaluation encompassed several key factors, including durability in a nonaqueous solvent, charge-carrying ions permeability, electric cell resistance, crossover of redox-active molecules, and mechanical properties. The BuNB-based AEMs outperformed the commercial Fumasep membrane in …

The Kitchen As A Social-Spatial Barometer: Deconstructing The Domestic Realm From A Gender Perspective, Serafina Amoroso, Atxu Amann Alcocer

Interiority

Emergent domesticities have generated new forms of urban life that have dissolved the historical duality between the home and the city. Last century's gender revolution in Western societies, together with contemporary technologies, has affected how people organise their daily lives. Everyday time has replaced typological space, blurring the lines between reproductive and productive activities and consequently affecting private and public spaces and how we live together. Pre- modern dwellings consisted of spatial spaces in which a few pieces of furniture were used to carry out everyday activities and were replaced in 18th-century bourgeois culture by spatial devices organised into 'room.' …

Population Variability Across Geographical Ranges: Perspectives And Challenges, Cleber Ten Caten, Tad Dallas

Faculty Publications

Populations fluctuate over time and across geographical space, and understanding how different factors contribute to population variability is a central goal in population ecology. There is a particular interest in identifying trends of population variability within geographical ranges as population densities of species can fluctuate substantially across geographical space. A common assumption is that populations vary more near species geographical range edges because of unsuitable environments and higher vulnerability to environmental variability in these areas. However, empirical data rarely support this expectation, suggesting that population variability is not related to its position within species geographical ranges. We propose that performance …

Why Can’T I Be Forgiven? Review Of Literature On Scrupulosity Among Latter-Day Saints, Camron Angell

Student Works

Scrupulosity is a debilitating mental illness that has become more well known the Latter-day Saint community recently. Scrupulosity is a subset of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) that focuses on spiritual issues (McClendon, 2023). Scrupulosity is multifaceted and has cognitive, genetic, and biological causes (Abramowitz & Jacoby, 2014; McClendon, 2023; Siev et al., 2020). Scrupulosity is defined by intense anxiety that is soothed with rituals such as excessive prayer, confession, and other religious actions to calm anxiety and fear of God (Abramowitz & Jacoby, 2014; Allen et al., 2015; Weir et al., 2014). Scrupulosity is mainly treated using cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) …

Spatiotemporal Variability And Functional Redundancy Obscure Effects Of Urbanization On Strawberry Pollinators, Kyla D. Schulte, Caleb J. Wilson, Anna Tawril, Mary A. Jamieson

Entomology Faculty Publications

Pollination services across rural–urban gradients may vary as land cover and other environmental attributes differentially influence pollinators. Most studies examining crop pollination, however, have been conducted in rural environments, while research in urban areas has lagged behind despite growing interest in urban agriculture. In this study, we hypothesized that increased urbanization would alter pollinator community composition due to a reduction in natural areas within the surrounding landscape, potentially decreasing pollinator abundance. To evaluate this hypothesis, we conducted a three-year study using strawberries as a focal study crop. We characterized the abundance, diversity, and community composition of bees across 10 farms …

Understanding Vaccines: A 3d Animation And Print Materials For Clinical Trial Patients, Shannon Gregory

Theses

This project covers the importance of patient education, and the decisions that go into making patient facing materials. The topic of this piece is “Understanding Vaccines” and will explore several key aspects: what vaccines are, how they work, their important role in public health, and how to best communicate with patient audiences. Given the growing challenges in vaccine education, this piece will address common misconceptions and emphasize the importance of clear, accessible communication. The goal of this piece is to educate, but also to encourage individuals to make well-informed decisions regarding vaccination. The artwork created for this thesis was developed …

Optimizing Ethanol-Water Cosolvent Systems For Green Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extraction Of Muscadine Grape Pomace Polyphenols, Arda Tuhanioglu, Sumanjot Kaur, Gabriel Laquete De Barros, Safoura Ahmadzadeh, Renee Threlfall, Ali Ubeyitogullari

Food Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study evaluated the ethanol-water modified (50%, v/v) supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) for the extraction of polyphenols from muscadine grape (Vitis rotundifolia Michgx.) pomace and compared with conventional solvent extractions (ethanol-water and HCl-methanol). The process was optimized with a central composite response surface design consisting of three levels of three independent variables: pressure (20-40 MPa), temperature (40-60 degrees C), and cosolvent concentration (5-15%) to maximize three responses: total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and resveratrol yields. The optimal conditions were determined as 20 MPa, 60 degrees C, and 15% cosolvent concentration with TPC, TFC, and resveratrol yields of …

Evaluation Of Fetal Growth And Birth Weight In Pregnancies With Placenta Previa With And Without Placenta Accreta Spectrum, Neha Agarwal, Ramesha Papanna, Baha M Sibai, Alexandra Garcia, Dejian Lai, Eleazar E Soto Torres, Farah H Amro, Sean C Blackwell, Edgar Hernandez-Andrade

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objectives: We evaluated fetal growth and birthweight in pregnancies with placenta previa with and without placenta accreta spectrum (PAS).

Methods: We retrospectively studied pregnant patients with placenta previa with or without PAS diagnosed at 20-37 weeks' gestation. Estimated fetal weight (EFW) percentile and fetal growth rate were calculated based on ultrasound at two timepoints: 20-24 and 30-34-weeks' gestation. Fetuses were small (SGA) or large for gestational age (LGA) when EFW or abdominal circumference was < 10th or >90th percentile for gestational age, respectively. Fetal growth rate was estimated by subtracting EFW percentiles from the two ultrasounds. Birthweight in grams and percentiles were estimated …

Nebraska Crop Budgets Updated For 2025, Glennis Mcclure

Cornhusker Economics

For the 2025 production season, 83 crop budgets were developed for Nebraska. These budgets show slightly lower per-unit costs compared to 2023 and 2024. The primary factor behind the reduction in input costs is the lower estimated costs of fuel and fertilizer. In most cases, machinery depreciation and opportunity costs remained relatively stable, while land values and rental rates increased slightly. Additionally, seed and interest costs also rose in the 2025 budgets. Budget scenarios for individual producers may vary depending on the timing of their input purchases and fluctuations in prices.

The Nebraska crop budgets are updated annually to serve …

Ligand Distances As Key Predictors Of Pathogenicity And Function In Nmda Receptors, Ludovica Montanucci, Tobias Brünger, Nisha Bhattarai, Christian M Boßelmann, Sukhan Kim, James P Allen, Jing Zhang, Chiara Klöckner, Ilona Krey, Piero Fariselli, Patrick May, Johannes R Lemke, Scott J Myers, Hongjie Yuan, Stephen F Traynelis, Dennis Lal

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Genetic variants in the genes GRIN1, GRIN2A, GRIN2B, and GRIN2D, which encode subunits of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR), have been associated with severe and heterogeneous neurologic and neurodevelopmental disorders, including early onset epilepsy, developmental and epileptic encephalopathy, intellectual disability, and autism spectrum disorders. Missense variants in these genes can result in gain or loss of the NMDAR function, requiring opposite therapeutic treatments. Computational methods that predict pathogenicity and molecular functional effects of missense variants are therefore crucial for therapeutic applications. We assembled 223 missense variants from patients, 631 control variants from the general population, and 160 missense variants characterized by …

Diverse Roles Of Antibodies In Antibody-Drug Conjugates, Aiko Yamaguchi, H Charles Manning

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The emergence of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) has transformed the treatment landscape of a variety of cancers. ADCs typically consist of three main components: monoclonal antibody, chemical linker, and cytotoxic payload. These integrated therapeutic modalities harness the benefits of each component to provide a therapeutic response that cannot be achieved by conventional chemotherapy. Antibodies play roles in determining tumor specificity through target-mediated uptake, prolonging the circulation half-life of cytotoxic payloads, and providing additional mechanisms of action inherent to the original antibody, thus significantly contributing to the overall performance of ADCs. However, ADCs have unique safety concerns, such as drug-induced adverse events …

Clinical Characteristics Of Patients With Copd And Comorbid Depression And Anxiety: Data From A National Multicenter Cohort Study, Jing Gennie Wang, Sonali Bose, Janet T Holbrook, Lin Nan, Michelle N Eakin, Abebaw M Yohannes, Robert A Wise, Nicola A Hanania

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Most studies on mental health among individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) utilize screening questionnaires, which detect psychiatric symptoms, but cannot be used to diagnose depression/anxiety disorders. We utilized the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) to identify depression/anxiety disorders meeting the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition diagnostic criteria and described associated disease burden in people with COPD.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional, secondary analysis of a multicenter study designed to evaluate anxiety questionnaires in COPD patients. Research coordinators administered both the MINI and screening questionnaires to determine participants who met diagnostic criteria for depression/anxiety …

Species- And Strain-Specific Microbial Modulation Of Interferon, Innate Immunity, And Epithelial Barrier In 2d Air-Liquid Interface Respiratory Epithelial Cultures, Mian Horvath, Ruoyu Yang, Diana Cadena Castaneda, Megan Callender, Elizabeth S Aiken, Anita Y Voigt, Ryan Caldwell, José Fachi, Blanda Di Luccia, Zoe Scholar, Peter Yu, Andrew Salner, Marco Colonna, Karolina Palucka, Julia Oh

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: The microbiome regulates the respiratory epithelium's immunomodulatory functions. To explore how the microbiome's biodiversity affects microbe-epithelial interactions, we screened 58 phylogenetically diverse microbes for their transcriptomic effect on human primary bronchial air-liquid interface (ALI) cell cultures.

RESULTS: We found distinct species- and strain-level differences in host innate immunity and epithelial barrier response. Strikingly, we found that host interferon, an antiviral response, was one of the most variable host processes. This variability was not driven by microbial phylogenetic diversity, bioburden, nor by the microbe's ability to stimulate other innate immunity pathways.

CONCLUSIONS: Microbial colonization differentially stimulates host gene expression with …

Evaluation Of Age-Related Spermatozoa Morphological Section Lengths In Gloster Canary Spermatozoa Using Computer Aided Sperm Analysis (Casa) System, Arda Onur Özkök, Burcu Esi̇n, Cumali̇ Kaya

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

The canary is a small passerine bird of the finch family. Canary spermatozoa are also morphologically similar to many other songbird species. In this study, the morphological characteristics of Gloster canary spermatozoa of different age ranges were examined, and the length values of the parts forming the spermatozoa were compared. The study used ten active Gloster canaries between the ages of 3 (Trial-1) and four years (Trial-2). Semen samples from 3-year-old canaries in the study were evaluated, and morphological segment lengths were recorded. In the study, to avoid individual differences and make homogeneous measurements, semen samples were retaken from the …

Antimicrobial Peptides: Could It Be An Alternative To Antibiotics In Boar Semen Extender?, Krittika Keeratikunakorn, Panida Chanapiwat, Kampon Kaeoket

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

Since antimicrobial resistance is a major global issue, “One Health” approaches such as the use of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) was developed as an alternative antimicrobial agent which might be used in pig farms to reduce or replace non-rationale antibiotics usage. Although AMPs showed several effects on antimicrobial agents, including against bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses, as well as effects on host immunity, their most notable property is their ability to kill bacteria without causing damage to the host cell. Two major mechanisms of action of AMPs include membrane-active and intracellular-active. During the past decade, many AMPs have been tested for …

The Rider (2025-01-27), Rebeca Salinas

The Rider Archives

Vol.10 No.16

Uncovering Acoustic Biomarkers To Classify Parkinson Disease Through Machine Learning, Felix Yeboah

Data Science and Data Mining

The early detection of diseases profoundly influences treatment efficacy, and accurate classification methodologies are essential for effective disease identification. In this project, we examined fve different classifers—Logistic Regression, Gaussian Naive Bayes, K Nearest Neighbor (KNN), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), and Support Vector Machines—and evaluated their performance in detecting Parkinson’s disease (PD) based on voice features. The study aims to identify the best classifier for detecting PD. XGBoost performed the best, with an accuracy of 91% on the full dataset. After variable selection, KNN had the best performance with an accuracy of 91%. These findings suggest that Machine learning algorithms(classifiers) can …