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The Poetics Of War Between Protest And Patriotism: A Comparative Study Of Siegfried Sassoon And Abdul Razzaq Abdul Wahid’S Selected War Poems, Rana Jaber Obaid

Uruk Journal of Human Sciences

War Poetry is a literary genre that proceeded during the ages as a way of transmitting human feelings and estimations about war. The nonstop wars all over history makes it part of human existence. Though it is the same severe war everywhere and every time, the pen of the poets and the etymology that is used to designate this serious subject is what makes it diverse. Each poet characterizes war according to his peculiar experiences, attitudes, or interpretations. This study is built on comparison between two contradicted poets who wrote about war; The English poet Siegfried Sassoon

Is Increased Mutation Driving Genetic Diversity In Dogs Within The Chornobyl Exclusion Zone?, Megan N. Dillon, Allison N. Dickey, Reade B. Roberts, Jennifer A. Betz, Timothy Mousseau, Norman J. Kleiman, Matthew Breen

Faculty Publications

Environmental contamination can have lasting impacts on surrounding communities, though the long-term impacts can be difficult to ascertain. The disaster at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant in 1986 and subsequent remediation efforts resulted in contamination of the local environment with radioactive material, heavy metals, and additional environmental toxicants. Many of these are mutagenic in nature, and the full effect of these exposures on local flora and fauna has yet to be understood. Several hundred free-roaming dogs occupy the contaminated area surrounding the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, and previous studies have highlighted a striking level of genetic differentiation between two geographically …

Is Increased Mutation Driving Genetic Diversity In Dogs Within The Chornobyl Exclusion Zone?, Megan N. Dillon, Allison N. Dickey, Reade B. Roberts, Jennifer A. Betz, Timothy Mousseau, Norman J. Kleiman, Matthew Breen

Faculty Publications

Environmental contamination can have lasting impacts on surrounding communities, though the long-term impacts can be difficult to ascertain. The disaster at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant in 1986 and subsequent remediation efforts resulted in contamination of the local environment with radioactive material, heavy metals, and additional environmental toxicants. Many of these are mutagenic in nature, and the full effect of these exposures on local flora and fauna has yet to be understood. Several hundred free-roaming dogs occupy the contaminated area surrounding the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, and previous studies have highlighted a striking level of genetic differentiation between two geographically …

Literature In The Evolutionary Framework: Darwin's Theory Of Evolution In English Literary Analysis, Rawitawan Sophonpanich

Journal of Letters

This article aims to examine the role of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution in literature, considering its influence on Victorian writers—particularly in the realist novels of Charles Dickens and George Eliot—and extending to the emergence of evolutionary literary theory in the 20th century. The author applies this theory to analyze John Milton's Sonnet 7. The analysis results demonstrate that Darwinian evolutionary literary theory has strengths in explaining character behavior through the lens of adaptation for survival but is limited by its neglect of historical and cultural contexts. The experimental reading of Milton's Sonnet 7 clearly reflects this limitation, as the …

Explainable Artifacts For Synthetic Western Blot Source Attribution, João Phillipe Cardenuto, Sara Mandelli, Daniel Moreira, Paolo Bestagini, Edward J. Delp, Anderson Rocha

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Recent advancements in artificial intelligence have enabled generative models to produce synthetic scientific images that are indistinguishable from pristine ones, posing a challenge even for expert scientists habituated to working with such content. When exploited by organizations known as paper mills, which systematically generate fraudulent articles, these technologies can significantly contribute to the spread of misinformation about ungrounded science, potentially undermining trust in scientific research. While previous studies have explored black-box solutions, such as Convolutional Neural Networks, for identifying synthetic content, only some have addressed the challenge of generalizing across different models and providing insight into the artifacts in synthetic …

Localization Of Synthetic Manipulations In Western Blot Images, Anmol Manjunath, Viola Negroni, Sara Mandelli, Daniel Moreira, Paolo Bestagini

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Recent breakthroughs in deep learning and generative systems have significantly fostered the creation of synthetic media, as well as the local alteration of real content via the insertion of highly realistic synthetic manipulations. Local image manipulation, in particular, poses serious challenges to the integrity of digital content and societal trust. This problem is not only confined to multimedia data, but also extends to biological images included in scientific publications, like images depicting Western blots. In this work, we address the task of localizing synthetic manipulations in Western blot images. To discriminate between pristine and synthetic pixels of an analyzed image, …

U.S. Patented Medication Prices Too High To Warrant Affordable Costs By Patients, Kisa Mwenelupembe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Optimal pricing of patent medicines is needed to ensure profitability of pharmaceutical companies while managing ease of access to these medicines for patients. The general problem that necessitated this study was that the prices of most patent medications in the United States are too high to warrant affordable costs by patients while simultaneously fostering drug innovation. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the best practices for ensuring equal access to patent medicines while maintaining profitability of pharmaceutical companies to pursue needed innovation and development of new drugs. This study was underpinned by Bandura’s social cognitive …

Optimizing Ewing Sarcoma And Osteosarcoma Biopsy Acquisition: A Children's Oncology Group Bone Tumor Committee Consensus Statement, Matthew S Dietz, Alyaa Al-Ibraheemi, Jessica L Davis, C Matthew Hawkins, Brian T Craig, Roshni Dasgupta, David S Geller, David S Shulman, Sarah Cohen-Gogo, Ajay Gupta, Susan L Whiteway, Emily K Slotkin, Christine M Heske, Safia K Ahmed, Daniel J Indelicato, Catherine M Albert, Nicole Montgomery, Jesse K Sandberg, Holcombe E Grier, Mark Krailo, Michael S Isakoff, Elyssa Rubin, Elizabeth R Lawlor, Steven G Dubois, Leo Mascarenhas, Patrick J Grohar, Odion Binitie, Damon Reed, Katherine Janeway, Ryan D Roberts, Kelly M Bailey

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Trends in diagnostic biopsy sample collection approaches for primary bone sarcomas have shifted in the past 2 decades. Although open/incisional biopsies used to be the predominant approach to obtain diagnostic material for Ewing sarcoma and osteosarcoma, image-guided core needle biopsies have increased in frequency and are safe for patients. These procedures are less invasive and reduce recovery times but have potential limitations. The quantity and quality of tissue obtained through these procedures vary between institutions. Acquired viable tissue volumes can be low, limiting the conduct of downstream expanded clinical workup, molecular analyses, and research. Patients with advanced Ewing sarcoma and …

Evaluating The Potential Of Herbal Extracts As Treatment In Immune Thrombocytopenia: A Review Of Evidence And Limitations, Russel Wiggins, Jihoo Woo, John Nicholas Cauba, Shizue Mito

School of Medicine Publications

Immune thrombocytopenia, formerly idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura (ITP), is an autoimmune disease characterized by the depletion of platelets below 100,000/µL when other causes of thrombocytopenia have been ruled out. It is associated with several infectious pathologies, disease states, and as a known side effect and complication of several drugs and chemotherapies. Standard treatment calls for glucocorticoid-mediated immunosuppression, intravenous immunoglobin transfusion, platelet stimulation, platelet transfusion, and splenectomy in instances of chronic and severe disease. While standard treatments are often effective, some cases prove resistant, and more commonly, some patients are unable to tolerate standard treatment protocols or opt out of surgical intervention. …

Antifungal Effects Of Cinnamon And Clove Essential Oils On Oral Candida Albicans: In Vitro Comparative Study, Ghada Bouslama, Haifa Boudegga, Nour Sayda Ben Messaoud, Lamia Ouala, Souha Ben Youssef

The Thai Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Background: Candida albicans is a common fungal pathogen responsible for oral infections, especially in immunocompromised individuals. Essential oils, derived from plants such as cinnamon and cloves, have been reported to have antifungal properties. This study aimed to compare the antifungal activity of cinnamon and cloves essential oils against oral C. albicans while determining the minimum fungicidal concentration for each extract. Materials and Methods: In this comparative in vitro study, four different volumes (0.25 μL, 0.5 μL, 1 μL, and 2 μL) of cinnamon and cloves essential oils were tested for their antifungal activity against C. albicans isolated …

Molecular Docking, Molecular Dynamics Simulation, And In Vitro Evaluation Of Hydroxythioxanthone Derivatives As Antimalarial Agents, Faris Hermawan, Jumina Jumina, Teni Ernawati, Puji Budi Setia Asih, Ismail Ekoprayitno Rozi, Elisabeth Farah Novita Coutrier, Din Syafruddin

The Thai Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Background: In 2022, there were 247 million malaria cases spread across 84 malaria-endemic countries. One of the biggest obstacles to controlling malaria is the disease due to drug resistance. Objectives: In this study, we evaluated the antimalarial activity of hydroxythioxanthone derivatives based on the molecular docking study, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation outcome with in vitro antimalarial evaluation. Materials and Methods: The molecular docking and MD were performed to assess the inhibition activity of hydroxythioxanthone derivatives toward Plasmodium falciparum dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (PfDHODH). Afterward, those compounds were evaluated the antimalarial activity against P. falciparum 3D7. Results: The docking result showed …

Degradation Of Cyanobacteria And Microalgae Using Ultraviolet Radiation At 222 Nm And Its Application In The Bleaching Of Lampenflora On Cave Rock Surfaces, Keisuke Naito, Shuji Watanabe, Masuo Komukai, Takehiro Kazama, Masayuki Itoh, Masahiro Kawasaki

International Journal of Speleology

Cyanobacterial and microalgae blooms negatively affect ecological environments. One of the emerging problems of these blooms occurs in calcareous caves, where visible lighting systems in tourist caves induce the formation of photosynthetic biofilms known as lampenflora on rock surfaces. In this study, we evaluated the inactivation effect of ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation at 222 nm (rare gas halide lamp) and 254 nm (mercury lamp) on cyanobacteria and microalgae in a laboratory and on lampenflora in Ryusenshindo Cave in Japan. Based on the laboratory experiments, irradiation at 222-nm was more effective than that at 254-nm for degrading plants. The photosensitivity of …

Volume 11, Issue 3, Critical Currents And Pedagogical Shifts In Popular Culture And Pedagogy, Journal Dialogue

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

Volume 11, Issue 3 of Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy: On Confronting Identity and Global Challenges through Popular Culture and Pedagogy.

Bioshock And Bioshock 2: A Case Study Of Tragic Posthumans, Madison Knight

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

Video games offer unique perspectives when analyzing the social structures built into the world of a text; choice becomes a major factor in the central action of video games as players take control of the story’s main protagonists. Two video games that fixate on this idea of choice and its intersection with the posthuman are Ken Levine’s BioShock (2007) and its direct successor, Jordan Thomas’s BioShock 2 (2010). The games each feature posthuman protagonists. Posthumans themselves are often prejudiced and portrayed to be “other,” and while BioShock equally asserts posthumans as “others,” these games show a different side to the …

Read More Comics: Developing Student Analysis Skills And Engagement Through The Use Of Comic Books In General Education Courses, Keri Crist-Wagner

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

Undergraduate student participation in general education classes constitutes a point of struggle for many educators. Using both critical constructivism and counter storytelling as theoretical frameworks, this multi-method phenomenological case study explored the experiences of undergraduate honors students in a semester-long general education literature class. The purpose of this study was to 1) explore how comics can be used as a pedagogical tool in higher education classrooms, 2) assess the ways in which students interacted with comics, and 3) investigate what role comics played in engagement and development of critical thinking and analysis skills. Primary data collection involved document review of …

Building Transferable Skills In An Interdisciplinary Science And Science Fiction Capstone Course, John D. Carrell, Robert G. Weiner, Alexandria Prather

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

College graduates are entering an ever-competitive workforce. Interdisciplinary course experiences are critical for developing analytical abilities and learning and these courses can provide valuable skills that will aid students beyond the classroom. These transferable skills include communication, teamwork, analytical and critical thinking, and creativity. To provide a unique learning experience and, through it, the development of transferable skills, the Honors College at Texas Tech University created an upper-level Capstone course titled “Superheroes, Super Villains, AI, Time Travel, and Film in Science and Popular Culture.” The class is an interdisciplinary look at science and science fiction taught by an engineering faculty …

Seeing The Strange: Science Fiction, Critical Pedagogy, And Future Teachers, Jeremy Delamarter

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

Critical pedagogy, which is the branch of critical theory devoted to uncovering hidden power differentials in educational settings, is too often taught in abstract terms, and future educators fail to understand its relevance to praxis in their future classrooms. As a genre, science fiction is particularly adept at helping students consider the power structures and dynamics occasioned by scientific advances. Even more specifically, science-fiction is a powerful tool for teaching future educators the fundamentals of critical pedagogy. This article provides a philosophical exploration of why science fiction is such a useful tool for teaching critical pedagogy and uses the specific …

Transformative Subjects: Discussions Of Nahualismo In Mylan Nguyễn’S Visual Art And Gloria Anzaldúa’S Writings, Sara Ishii-Bear

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

Mylan Nguyễn is a Dallas-based artist of Mexican and Vietnamese descent, who uses her multimedia practice, inclusive of ceramics, risograph printing, and illustration, to create whimsical worlds that are infused with symbolism and characterized by transformation. Inspired by the concepts of Nahualismo, a Nahuatl cultural practice that involves human to animal shapeshifting, Nguyễn’s works are populated by shape-shifting humans, animals, and nature. Drawing on a Nahualismo perspective that emphasizes healing and interconnectivity, Nguyễn’s understanding of the concept aligns with Gloria Anzaldúa’s discussion of nagualismo. Coupling Nahualismo and creativity, both Nguyễn and Anzaldúa invite audiences to bridge the divide between humans …

Association Of Socio-Demographic Profile And The Underlying Risk Factors Of Hypertension Among The Locals Of Prosperidad, Agusan Del Sur, Philippines, Florence Jhun F. Almadin

Chulalongkorn Medical Journal

Background: Hypertension is a leading risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, including heart disease and stroke, which are significant causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Its prevalence varies across regions and is influenced by genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the socio-demographic profile, the prevalence of hypertension, and the risk factors and associate these with the prevalence of hypertension in Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur.

Methods: Data was gathered via a survey of respondents aged 25-75 from November 2022. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the association between the sociodemographic profile and the risk factors for …

Pathophysiological Features Of Remodeling In Vascular Diseases: Impact Of Inhibitor Of Dna-Binding/Differentiation-3 And Estrogenic Endocrine Disruptors, Muni Rubens, Venkataraghavan Ramamoorthy

All Publications

Vascular diseases, such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, cerebrovascular, and peripheral arterial diseases, present major clinical and public health challenges, largely due to their common underlying process: vascular remodeling. This process involves structural alterations in blood vessels, driven by a variety of molecular mechanisms. The inhibitor of DNA-binding/differentiation-3 (ID3), a crucial member of ID family of transcriptional regulators, has been identified as a key player in vascular biology, significantly impacting the progression of these diseases. This review explores the role of ID3 in vascular remodeling, emphasizing its involvement in processes such as apoptosis, cell proliferation, and extracellular matrix regulation. Furthermore, …

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Associated Cutaneous Adverse Events: Mechanisms Of Occurrence, Abdulaziz M. Eshaq, Thomas W. Flanagan, Abdulqader A. Ba Abbad, Zain Alabden A. Makarem, Mohammed S. Bokir, Ahmed K. Alasheq, Sara A. Al Asheikh, Abdullah M. Almashhor, Faroq Binyamani, Waleed A. Al-Amoudi, Abdulaziz S. Bawzir, Youssef Haikel, Mossad Megahed, Mohamed Hassan

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Immunotherapy, particularly that based on blocking checkpoint proteins in many tumors, including melanoma, Merkel cell carcinoma, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), triple-negative breast (TNB cancer), renal cancer, and gastrointestinal and endometrial neoplasms, is a therapeutic alternative to chemotherapy. Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-based therapies have the potential to target different pathways leading to the destruction of cancer cells. Although ICIs are an effective treatment strategy for patients with highly immune-infiltrated cancers, the development of different adverse effects including cutaneous adverse effects during and after the treatment with ICIs is common. ICI-associated cutaneous adverse effects include mostly inflammatory and bullous dermatoses, as …

Update On Strategies To Reduce Early Brain Injury After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage, Bosco Seong Kyu Yang, Aaron M Gusdon, Xuefang Sophie Ren, Han-Gil Jeong, Chang-Hun Lee, Spiros Blackburn, Huimahn Alex Choi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose of review: Early brain injury (EBI) after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is the most influential clinical determinant of outcomes. Despite significant advances in understanding of the pathophysiology of EBI, currently no treatments to target EBI have been developed. This review summarizes recent advances in EBI research over the past five years with a focus on potential therapeutic targets.

Recent findings: Mechanism-specific translational studies are converging on several pathophysiologic pathways: improved antioxidant delivery and the Sirt1/Nrf2 pathway for reactive oxygen species; NLRP3 inflammasome and microglial polarization for inflammation; and the PI3K/Akt pathway for apoptosis. Recently identified mechanistic components, such as …

Stem Cell Activity-Coupled Suppression Of Endogenous Retrovirus Governs Adult Tissue Regeneration, Ying Lyu, Soo Jin Kim, Ericka S Humphrey, Richa Nayak, Yinglu Guan, Qingnan Liang, Kun Hee Kim, Yukun Tan, Jinzhuang Dou, Huandong Sun, Xingzhi Song, Priyadharsini Nagarajan, Kamryn N Gerner-Mauro, Kevin Jin, Virginia Liu, Rehman H Hassan, Miranda L Johnson, Lisa P Deliu, Yun You, Anurag Sharma, H Amalia Pasolli, Yue Lu, Jianhua Zhang, Vakul Mohanty, Ken Chen, Youn Joo Yang, Taiping Chen, Yejing Ge

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Mammalian retrotransposons constitute 40% of the genome. During tissue regeneration, adult stem cells coordinately repress retrotransposons and activate lineage genes, but how this coordination is controlled is poorly understood. Here, we observed that dynamic expression of histone methyltransferase SETDB1 (a retrotransposon repressor) closely mirrors stem cell activities in murine skin. SETDB1 ablation leads to the reactivation of endogenous retroviruses (ERVs, a type of retrotransposon) and the assembly of viral-like particles, resulting in hair loss and stem cell exhaustion that is reversible by antiviral drugs. Mechanistically, at least two molecularly and spatially distinct pathways are responsible: antiviral defense mediated by hair …

A Mid-20th Century Stratigraphical Anthropocene Is Recognisable In The Birth-Area Of The Industrial Revolution, Hannah Sellers, Neil Roberts

More Faculty of Science and Engineering Research

The formalisation of the Anthropocene as a subdivision of the Geological Time Scale has been under debate. Its stratigraphic boundary has been proposed as a precise Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) in the mid-20th century, but it is part of an episode of human-induced changes to the Earth System that have unfolded over millennia. Here we attempt to identify stratigraphical patterns of the Anthropocene from a previously well studied lake sedimentary archive from the English Midlands, located in one of the most heavily human-modified landscapes in the UK, and the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. Our analysis is …

Can Animal Consciousness Be Resolved Scientifically?, Yoram Gutfreund

Animal Sentience

Carolyn Ristau's biography of Donald Griffin is a comprehensive work that sheds light on a seminal chapter in the history of ethology—the ambitious attempt to establish a research field dedicated to animal consciousness. Although Donald Griffin's endeavor ultimately fell short of its revolutionary goals, it catalyzed significant progress in understanding evolution and mechanisms of animal cognition.

Beyond Human Perception: The Remarkable Science Of Donald R. Griffin, Gareth Jones

Animal Sentience

Carolyn Ristau shows how Donald Griffin’s revolutionary science sometimes progressed from ridicule, to opposition, to being self-evident. Griffin’s work involved phenomena beyond human perception, making it sometimes difficult for others to fathom. His work on ultrasonic echolocation, navigation and animal cognition has shifted established paradigms. His ‘zoomorphic’ approach provides a realistic framework for understanding how other animals perceive the world.

Servant-Leadership As A Pathway To Success For Foreign-Born Leaders, Ashley Davis

International Journal of Servant-Leadership

Immigrants have consistently been recognized as significant contributors to the United States economy, science, and innovation (Vandor & Franke, 2016). However, there remains a noticeable gap in the literature regarding the experiences and leadership development process of foreign-born leaders (FBLs). This article addresses this gap by highlighting the positive contributions of FBLs while noting the relatively small pool of effective FBLs in comparison to the large immigrant population in the United States, suggesting substantial untapped potential. The author explores common challenges faced by FBLs and emphasizes that overcoming these obstacles is integral to FBLs’ leadership development journey. The central argument …

Coal Gasification Through Microbial Degradation In A Low-Pressure Co2 And H2 Environment: An Experimental Study, Jian Kuo, Fu Xuehai, Liu Mingjie, Liu Jian, Li Jin, Ru Zhongliang, Ji Xiaofeng, Wang Qiang

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective and Methods This study aims to investigate the characteristics of CO₂ biomethanation and coal gasification through microbial degradation in a low-pressure environment. With low-rank bituminous coals (R_max = 0.67%) as fermentable substrates, this study conducted a 96-day gas production experiment through microbial fermentation in a low-pressure CO₂ and H₂ environment. Using techniques including gas chromatography, 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and low-temperature liquid nitrogen adsorption, this study delved into the intrinsic variation patterns of biogenic gas production, microbial communities, and coal structures. Results and Conclusions The results indicate that compared to conventional fermentation, the injection …

Biomimetic Technologies For Drill Rods: Advances In Research And Development Trends, Wang Chuanliu, Ju Pei

Coal Geology & Exploration

Significance Drill rods are recognized as core tools in drilling engineering, and their performance exerts a significant influence on drilling efficiency and safety. Over recent years, applying biomimetic technologies to drill rod design has gradually emerged as a hot research topic. By imitating the remarkable structures, morphologies, and material properties of living organisms in nature, biomimetic technologies provide entirely new philosophies and approaches for the innovative design of drill rods. Advances This study summarizes the advances in research on biomimetic technologies for drill rods in terms of the biomimetic design of structures, morphologies, and materials. Regarding the biomimetic design of …

Function Over Form: The Benefits Of Aspen As Surrogate Brood-Rearing Habitat For Greater Sage-Grouse, Michel T. Kohl, Charles P. Sandford, Paul C. Rogers, Renee Chi, Terry A. Messmer, David K. Dahlgren

Aspen Bibliography

Species of conservation concern are often habitat specialists, posing significant risk to those species when specific plant communities are threatened. As a result, practitioners habitually focus conservation efforts on these communities while ignoring ecological mechanisms that explain the wildlife–plant relationships. In doing so, practitioners may overlook alternative vegetation communities that could maintain wildlife populations under alternative conditions (e.g., climate change). Here, we term these areas surrogate habitat, defined as vegetation communities or resource sites that provide similar critical resources as conventional sites, and assess their potential for conservation using a case study of greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) on …