Digital Commons Network^™

Short Peptoid Capping Ligands Stabilize Dispersion Of Gold Nanospheres In Aqueous Solutions, Hanna G. Goldberg, Isabella K. Matusich, Jack M. Petersen, Nikhila Raman, Joseph C. Hong, Gabriela Edler, Daniel K. Tanaka, Jwwad M. Javed, Amelia A. Fuller

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Surface functionalization of colloidal gold nanoparticles with capping ligands is critical for controlling their dispersive stability and for introducing application-specific moieties. Peptoids (N-substituted glycine oligomers) are useful candidates for study as capping ligands owing to their straightforward preparation and their biocompatibility. In this work, we have prepared a library of five-residue peptoids and evaluated them as capping ligands for 10 nm gold nanospheres. Our findings revealed important sequence features of peptoids that stabilize nanosphere colloidal dispersions in a range of aqueous conditions that vary in ionic strength and pH. We have also characterized the sizes and surface charges of peptoid-capped …

The Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase As A Potential Diagnostic Marker For Beta-Thalassemia And Its Correlation With Hemoglobin Profiles, Duaa K. Mohammed, Layla O. Farhan

Baghdad Science Journal

The erythropoietic dysfunction and iron insufficiency associated with β -Thalassemia (β -TH) underscore the importance of augmenting traditional diagnostic techniques with independent biomarkers, beyond standard panels. This single-center case–control study (n = 120 β -TH major, 55; β -TH intermedia, 25; control, 40) examined whether circulating phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) distinguishes patients from controls and correlates with hemoglobin fractions. The serum PI3K was significantly higher in β -TH (p < 0.001), with excellent discrimination tested in serum (AUC = 0.934; optimal cut-off > 1301 pg/mL; sensitivity 100%, specificity 80%). In a multivariable model, HbA₂% and HbF% were both positively and independently associated with PI3K. These results are biologically consistent with the interaction of erythroid …

Researchers Develop Method To Detect Diseases Before Symptoms Appear, Marisa C. Atkinson

University of Mississippi News

OXFORD, Miss. – A University of Mississippi professor and his team have developed a technology that may one day lead to the early diagnosis of juvenile diabetes and CTE caused by traumatic brain injuries.

Rethinking Functional Groupings In Basketball Wings Through Ecological Trait Frameworks, Dhruv Mehrotra

Theses and Dissertations

This paper starts with a review about Plant Functional Types and then goes deeper into the conceptual foundations of Plant Functional Types (PFT's) with detailed discussion of global trait spectra such as the leaf economics spectrum and the fast-slow continuum. Using concepts like response and effect traits, the review then talks about how a trait based ecological framework can provide a more robust guideline to classify plants. The review then talks about how players in basketball have been classified in the past along with some of the newer typologies. The review starts to draw some parallels between the ecological framework …

Acidic Extracellular Ph-Induced Pth Secretion In Male Mouse Parathyroids Is Ogr1-Dependent, Yanmei Yang, Mengcun Chen, Mingshu Cui, Elisabeth Lashbrooks, Bin Wang

Center for Translational Medicine Faculty Papers

The role of extracellular acidity in regulating PTH secretion in cultured mouse parathyroid glands (PTGs) has not been studied to date, largely because of the technical difficulty of isolating mouse PTGs. We hypothesized that acidic extracellular pH directly stimulates PTH secretion through activation of a proton-sensing receptor, specifically ovarian cancer G protein-coupled receptor 1 (OGR1, also known as GPR68). To test this, we developed a method to reliably identify and isolate PTGs from male mice by administering 5-aminolevulinic acid, which induced selective fluorescence in these glands. Using this model, we demonstrate that acidic extracellular pH significantly stimulates PTH secretion in …

Modulate Obesity And Related Metabolic Complications For Yielding Improvements In Ibd Outcomes (Modify-Ibd): Consensus On Obesity And Cardiometabolic Comorbidities In Inflammatory Bowel Disease Using Systematic Reviews And The Rand/Ucla Appropriateness Method, Jalpa Devi, Sami Samaan, Priya Sehgal, Mouhand Mohamed, Matthew Vincent, Shannon Coombs, Michelle Doering, Edward L. Barnes, Amanda M. Johnson, Andres J. Yarur, Parakkal Deepak

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: Obesity and related cardiometabolic comorbidities, including hypertension, dyslipidaemia, diabetes, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, are increasingly prevalent among individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). These conditions influence disease activity, therapeutic response, surgical outcomes and overall quality of life, yet evidence remains fragmented. The Modulate Obesity and relateD metabolic complIcations For Yielding improvements in IBD outcomes (MODIFY-IBD) initiative aims to synthesise evidence and generate consensus recommendations to guide practice and future research in this area. This study describes a protocol for a structured evidence synthesis and Research And Development/University of California, Los …

Sexual Touching While Sleeping: Occurrence, Context, Responses, And Perceptions Of Sexual Assault Among Undergraduates, Michelle Drouin, Tara Cornelius

Health Services and Informatics Research

Sexual consent is central to cases of sexual assault and rape. Logically, sleeping persons cannot consent; yet there has been scant research examining the experience of sexual touching while sleeping. The current research is the first known to specifically examine sexual touching with a sleeping partner, with a goal of understanding the contextual features surrounding, responses to, and perceptions of the legality and acceptability of these behaviors. Undergraduate participants from two universities (N = 724) completed several measures assessing their experience of sexual touching while sleeping, the context, sexual precedence, responses, and their perceptions of such touching. A significant proportion …

Acidic Extracellular Ph-Induced Pth Secretion In Male Mouse Parathyroids Is Ogr1-Dependent, Yanmei Yang, Mengcun Chen, Mingshu Cui, Elisabeth Lashbrooks, Bin Wang

Center for Translational Medicine Faculty Papers

The role of extracellular acidity in regulating PTH secretion in cultured mouse parathyroid glands (PTGs) has not been studied to date, largely because of the technical difficulty of isolating mouse PTGs. We hypothesized that acidic extracellular pH directly stimulates PTH secretion through activation of a proton-sensing receptor, specifically ovarian cancer G protein-coupled receptor 1 (OGR1, also known as GPR68). To test this, we developed a method to reliably identify and isolate PTGs from male mice by administering 5-aminolevulinic acid, which induced selective fluorescence in these glands. Using this model, we demonstrate that acidic extracellular pH significantly stimulates PTH secretion in …

Cross-Scale Feature Learning For Alzheimer's Disease Detection Via Hybrid Deep Networks, Essam Haidar Majeed, Fallah H. Najjar, Safaa M. Kareem, Munaf H. Kareem, Duha Amer Mahdi

Baghdad Science Journal

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder that is the leading causeof dementia. Early diagnosis is essential for interepting the progressionof cognitive decline and favoring the clinical outcome, although conventional diagnostic means may not be able to identify early symptomatic forms. In this manuscript, we propose a residual attention-based hybrid deep learning model withthe EfficientNetB1 backbone for improving the classification of AD based on structural MRI data obtained from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) and ADNI1 datasets. The network structure integrates two-dimensional (2D) convolutional feature extraction, multi-head self-attention for building the global context information, and residual learning. The …

Evaluation Of Serum Eotaxin And Related Biomarkers In Focal And Generalized Epilepsy, Fenik Ahmed Nadir, Firas Shawqi Algburi, Zeyan Abdullah Ali, Shaima Ahmed Nadir

Baghdad Science Journal

Epilepsy is a common brain disorder, characterized by spontaneous recurrent seizures, with associated neuropsychiatric and cognitive comorbidities and increased mortality. Assessment of serum Eotaxin and related biomarkers offers useful information about neuroinflammatory activity and metabolic imbalance in epilepsy, and may have potential value as diagnostic and prognostic tools. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between Eotaxin, Intelectin-1, Kynurenine, and Proprotein Convertase-1 and epilepsy. The study consisted of 90 subjects who were classified into three groups: 30 healthy controls, 31 patients with focal epilepsy, and 30 patients with generalized epilepsy. Serum samples were obtained, and biomarker concentrations …

Enhanced Population Mean Estimation Using An Exponential Estimator With Known Medians Of Dual Auxiliary Variables Within A Neutrosophic Approach: Applications In Agricultural Yield Prediction, Anchal Yadav, Mukesh Kumar

Neutrosophic Systems with Applications

In classical statistical theory, estimation of population parameters is generally carried out under the assumption that all observed data are precise, complete, and free from ambiguity. However, in many practical and real-world situations, data often deviate from these ideal conditions and instead appear in vague, uncertain, or interval-valued forms. Such imperfections reduce the effectiveness of traditional estimation techniques and motivate the development of more flexible and robust methodologies. To address these challenges, several improved estimators, particularly neutrosophic ratio-type estimators and their advanced extensions, have been proposed in recent literature. In this study, a new estimator known as the two auxiliary …

Wake-On-Anomaly Federated Architecture For Privacy-Preserving Poultry Health Early Warning, Mahmoud Aziz Louati

Masters Theses

Highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks, respiratory disease, heat stress, and silent equipment failures share one operational reality: they are detected too late because today’s poultry-health workflow is reactive, manual, and dependent on producers volunteering commercially sensitive data. This thesis presents a wake-on-anomaly federated architecture that addresses both the detection-latency problem and the privacy–adoption deadlock that has so far prevented cross-farm collaboration. The architecture is organized in two tiers. Tier 1 is a lightweight LSTM autoencoder that continuously screens four routine telemetry channels (water, feed, house temperature, activity proxy) and emits a per-window reconstruction-error score. A debounced k-of-m trigger with cooldown …

Isometric Force Characterization Of Braided Pneumatic Actuators, Ben Bolen, Mohammad Elzein, Lawrence Pang, Alexander Hunt

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Artificial muscles such as braided pneumatic actuators (BPAs) offer many advantages for robotic systems, including high durability and strength-to-weight ratios. However, their use in robotic systems is still extremely limited, in part due to their poor force, length, and pressure characterization. In this work, a test setup is created to compare force produced by Festo fluidic BPAs with leading models. Our analysis of the data has resulted in (1) the development of new equations to calculate force as functions of pressure and contraction for Festo BPAs with uninflated diameters of 10 mm and 20 mm, and (2) a novel equation …

Academic Senate - Agenda, 05/26/2026, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

Seed Endophyte Bacillus Atrophaeus Colonizes Root And Shoot Tissues Providing Antifungal Activity During Wheat Seedling Establishment, Anagha Wankhade, Zhiting Xu, Ashlynn Clark, David Britt

Biological Engineering Student Research

Seed-associated endophytes become active during germination, playing important roles as early colonizers of plant tissues and contributing to plant health while residing in a protective niche. In this study, we characterized a wheat-derived bacterial isolate, JunSE1L, to determine its functional traits and ecological role in the plant microbiome. The isolate was identified as Bacillus atrophaeus based on 16S rRNA analysis. JunSE1L exhibited nutrient-dependent plasticity in colony architecture, forming robust hydrophobic biofilms and pellicles under rich nutrient availability while swarming and forming thin, often dendritic colonies under defined nutrition. JunSE1L produced highly surface-active compounds that lowered the surface tension of water …

T2b Gallbladder Adenocarcinoma Diagnosed By Frozen Section With High-Grade Dysplasia At The Cystic Duct Margin: Diagnostic And Prognostic Considerations, Christopher M. Ahmad, Rachana Tadakamalla, Rae-Anne Kastle, Salman Muqeet, Amer Abboud

Student Publications

Gallbladder adenocarcinoma is an uncommon gastrointestinal malignancy that is frequently discovered incidentally during cholecystectomy. Intraoperative frozen section is often used to guide surgical decision-making but has inherent limitations, particularly in assessing depth of invasion. We report the case of a 78-year-old female who underwent an elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy for a gallbladder mass. Intraoperative frozen section demonstrated a tubulovillous adenoma with at least carcinoma in situ. Subsequent permanent histologic evaluation revealed a moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma invading the hepatic-side perimuscular connective tissue, consistent with pT2b disease. Despite the advanced T stage, the tumor exhibited several relatively favorable histologic features, including negative margins …

Diabetes Case Detection Based On Neuroevolutionary Algorithm And Ganet Tool, Ivan V. Stepanyan, Safa A. Hameed, Minhai Hou

Baghdad Science Journal

This paper proposes a method utilizing an evolutionary algorithm (EA) to improve the learning process within the artificial neural network (ANN). The study utilized two models: the neuroevolutionary algorithm and the GANet tool. These algorithms were trained on two clinical diabetes datasets to discern health conditions. Each Feedforward Artificial Neural Network (FANN) layer in a neuroevolutionary algorithm is broken into multiple ANNs according to the number of neurons. The evolutionary technique later utilizes crossover and mutation operations to produce an ideal FANN. Enhanced artificial neural networks were subsequently incorporated to provide an innovative and robust functional artificial neural network for …

Comprehensive Mass Spectrometry Screening-Derived Atlas Of Hdac Inhibitors Reveals Histone-Specific Acetylation Changes, Rashmi Karki, Francisca N De Luna Vitorino, Richard M Searfoss, Joanna K Lempiäinen, Cheryl H Arrowsmith, Benjamin A Garcia

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACis) have emerged as valuable therapeutics for cancer and other diseases; however, their effects on histone post-translational modification remain poorly characterized. Here, we applied quantitative mass spectrometry and high-throughput sequencing to systematically profile site-specific changes in histone modifications in response to a panel of HDACis. This platform enabled mapping of histone modification changes across hundreds of sites, including low-abundance histone marks. Furthermore, an integrative analysis of chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing (ChIP-seq) and RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) data identified genome-wide binding sites for the low-abundance histone modification of H2A.Z acetylation in HeLa and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, highlighting the …

The Metric Field And Its Primitives, Steven Kirkland

Defensive Publications Series

The Metric Field and Its Primitives is the formal-mathematics layer of a research project whose popular-science companion, Inners Guide to the Hyper Loop, ships the story. This volume ships the mathematics: definitions, theorems, proofs, falsifier ladders, and the algebra the framework reads across substrates from atomic spectra to slime moulds to the cosmic substrate.

The framework. A candidate fundamental framing under Metric Field Ontology (MFO) commitments. The conventional readings of physics — general relativity, quantum field theory, the Standard Model, ΛCDM cosmology, M-theory's eleven-dimensional supergravity — are preserved at the mathematical level. What is shifted is the ontological framing: …

Ocular Neuro‑Restoration System (Onrs): A Non‑Invasive Ultrasound‑Driven Drug Delivery & Biomarker Platform, Michael Victor Caldwell Mr.

Defensive Publications Series

The Ocular Neuro‑Restoration System (ONRS) is a non‑invasive, wearable ultrasound platform designed to deliver neuroprotective and vascular‑restorative therapeutics to the retina, optic nerve head, and posterior eye without injections. The system uses low‑intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU), vortex‑phase acoustic fields, microbubble‑enhanced sonoporation, and microfluidic tear‑exchange diagnostics to overcome the anatomical barriers that normally block ocular drug delivery.

A CMUT phased array generates controlled acoustic streaming and reversible tight‑junction modulation, enabling 10–50× enhanced penetration of small molecules and biologics, consistent with published evidence that ultrasound increases ocular permeability and drug transport .

A PDMS microfluidic gel‑refresh system maintains uniform coupling and eliminates …

Advances In Kenaf Fibre Reinforced Biocomposites: Processing Techniques, Performance Optimisation, And Future Research Directions, Thomas Adedayo Ayorinde, Tamba Jamiru, Peet F Le Roux, Basiru Philip Aramide, Oluwafemi Emmanuel Ogundahunsi

Engineering and Technology Journal

Kenaf fibre-reinforced composites have attracted considerable interest lately as eco-friendly materials due to their light weight, renewability, degradability, and favourable specific mechanical properties. Despite the advances already achieved in natural fibre composites, the commercial-scale use of kenaf-based composites has been hindered by variations in raw material quality, moisture sensitivity, interphase degradation, thermal instability, and other processing issues. This review critically assesses the morphology, reinforcement behaviour, fibre extraction methods, surface treatments, manufacturing processes, and characterisation techniques employed for kenaf fibre-reinforced composites within the framework of performance and sustainability. The study shows that no extraction and manufacturing process simultaneously optimises fibre integrity, …

Ambient Pre-Conscious Intelligence (Api), Johny Manuel-Devadoss, Deepthi Prasad, Jayden Jack Johnson

Defensive Publications Series

Current artificial intelligence systems are, in practice, still largely reactive in nature. Even the most advanced assistants typically require explicit user prompts, clearly observable interaction events, or high-confidence inference of user intent before they engage in meaningful computational support. As a result, there is an inherent delay between the moment a cognitive need begins to emerge and the moment a system is able to respond. This delay is not merely a technical limitation; it introduces measurable friction into everyday human–computer interaction. In complex, information-dense environments, this friction accumulates, contributing to increased task-switching costs, reduced continuity of thought, and elevated cognitive …

Continuity Of Care For Alcohol Use Disorder Patients Using Telehealth During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Martine Beaubrun

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Crime-Related Media Consumption And Fear Of Crime Victimization: The Moderating Roles Of Stress And Coping, Katelyn Elizabeth Byers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Confronting Inequality: Three Eras Of Gender And Tax Scholarship, Bridget J. Crawford

Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review

Tax law is not neutral—it encodes social values and reinforces certain longstanding hierarchies. For over fifty years, legal scholarship at the intersection of gender and tax has exposed how seemingly neutral tax laws perpetuate gender inequality. This Article uses the metaphor of quilting to trace the evolution of this scholarly field across three distinct eras.

Part I names and defines the designing era (1971–1986), which began with Grace Blumberg’s writing on the gendered impact of tax laws on marriage, labor, and caregiving; she framed taxation as a tool of social control over women. Blumberg’s work laid the foundation for other …

Epileptic Seizure Prediction From Eeg Using Continual Learning With Cnns, Adnan Amin, Ammar Bathich, Feras Al-Obeidat, Safa Naes, Maria Jose Sousa

All Works

Epilepsy is a persistent neurological disorder that affects over 50 million people worldwide, with nearly one-third of patients remaining unresponsive to conventional therapeutic treatments. This study introduces a progressively adaptive seizure prediction framework designed to enhance early detection and clinical decision-making. The proposed model employs a deep learning strategy grounded in continual learning (CL) principles, using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) in combination with knowledge distillation techniques. This enables the model to assimilate new data while retaining previously learned information. The approach was evaluated on the publicly available Bonn University EEG dataset, following a sequential learning process in which each successive …

Symmetry And Psychosocial Adaptation To Trauma, Illness And Disability Part I: Views From Physics, Medicine And Psychology, Hanoch Livneh

Leadership, Learning and Counseling Faculty Publications and Presentations

The aim of this two-part paper is to discuss the concept of symmetry and its derivatives, symmetry breaking and asymmetry, and the role they assume in elucidating the structure and processes that underlie psychosocial adaptation to traumatic experiences. To achieve this aim, in Part I, first, a cursory review of symmetry is undertaken as it applies to physics, including conservation laws, the forces of nature, and leading theories of nature. Second, the paper addresses how symmetry is perceived in biology and medicine, including symmetry within biochemical and genetic structures, the human body, and the onset of disease processes. Third, the …

Trends In The Management Of Acute Pyogenic Flexor Tenosynovitis Of The Hand: A Comprehensive Analysis., Michael Anderson, Taylor J Manes, Davis Hedbany, Sylvester Okoro, Nithin Gupta, Morgan Turnow, Stephen Berling

Ambulatory and Primary Care Articles

Background Acute pyogenic flexor tenosynovitis (APFT) is typically managed operatively, but there is growing interest in nonoperative treatments using intravenous (IV) antibiotics to reduce surgical complications. Timely intervention is essential, as delayed treatment increases the risk of systemic, life-threatening infections. This study aimed to characterize national trends in the operative management of APFT and to compare mortality and amputation outcomes between operatively and nonoperatively managed patients. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted using data from the TriNetX United States Collaborative Network from 2015 to 2023. Patients were identified using ICD-10 and CPT codes and categorized into operative and nonoperative cohorts, …

Biogeochemical Mechanisms Behind Water Quality Evolution And Valuable Element Reutilization Of Abandoned Mine Drainage: A Review, Wu Pan, Huang Jiangxun, Li Qingguang, Zhang Ruixue, Li Bo

Coal Geology & Exploration

Background Abandoned mine drainage, also known as acidic mine drainage (AMD), represents a major pollution source in mining areas while also serving as an important carrier of strategic critical metals and underground space utilization. In China, water pollution stemming from coal mining is more severe in the south than in the north. This spatial pattern is jointly shaped by climatic conditions, geological settings, and mining history. Advances From the perspective of the environmental geochemical frontier, this study presents a systematic review of AMD formation and evolution mechanisms, as well as technologies for water pollution prevention and control, resource recovery, and …

A Disorder-Aware Computational Framework To Identify Structurally Tractable Targets In Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy, Mak B. Djulbegovic, Nedym Hadzijahic, David J. Taylor Gonzalez, Michael Antonietti, Sidra Zafar, Ajay E. Kuriyan

Wills Eye Hospital Papers

OBJECTIVE: Proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) remains a major cause of failure after rhegmatogenous retinal detachment repair and lacks effective pharmacologic therapies. Although epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is central to PVR pathogenesis, the structural determinants governing the tractability of EMT regulators, particularly those involving intrinsic disorder, remain poorly defined. We developed a disorder-aware, artificial intelligence-enabled computational framework to evaluate EMT-associated proteins in PVR and prioritize structurally tractable regulators for structure-based targeting.

DESIGN: A computational, hypothesis-generating study employing an in silico screening and structural modeling pipeline.

SUBJECTS: No human subjects or biological specimens were included. The dataset comprised 25 EMT-associated proteins implicated in PVR, …