Digital Commons Network^™

Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells And Their Derived Epidermal Progenitor Cells Conditioned Media Ameliorate Skin Aging In Rats, Mohamed M. Kamal, Omar Ibrahim Badr, Tasnim Mahmoud

Pharmacy

BACKGROUND: Skin alterations are among the most prominent signs of aging, and they arise from both intrinsic and extrinsic factors that interact and mutually influence one another. The use of D-galactose as an aging model in animals has been widely employed in anti-aging research. Adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (Ad-MSCs) are particularly promising for skin anti-aging therapy due to their capacity for effective re-epithelization and secretion of various growth factors essential for skin regeneration. Accordingly, we aimed to examine the potential utility of Ad-MSCs as a therapy for skin anti-aging. METHODS: In this study, we isolated and characterized adipose-derived mesenchymal …

Teacher Candidate Learning Of Interdisciplinary Controversial Issues: Linking Social Studies And Science In The Elementary School Curriculum, Brandon M. Butler, Stephen R. Burgin, Mark Diacopoulos, William Mcconnell

Open Educational Resources - Teaching and Learning

Teaching controversial issues poses challenges for teacher candidates, stemming from apprehensions about potential backlash and gaps in content and pedagogical knowledge. The prevailing emphasis on tested subjects such as mathematics and reading/writing in elementary school education often sidelines social studies and science, limiting opportunities for candidates to engage with these disciplines and their associated instructional strategies, including addressing controversial topics. Integrating social studies and science with other subject areas emerges as a viable approach to ensure comprehensive education. Teacher education coursework serves as a vital platform for exposing educators to interdisciplinary curriculum design and implementation. Such exposure prompts teacher candidates …

Deep Learning Framework For Graph-Based Molecular Drug Discovery, Daniel Manu

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

This dissertation proposes the GraphGANFed framework, which combines Graph Convolutional Networks (GCN), Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN), and Federated Learning (FL) to generate novel molecules while preserving data privacy. FL allows learning from distributed clients without sharing local datasets, GCN extracts molecular structural properties, and GAN generates new molecules retaining the learned properties. Extensive simulations on three benchmark datasets show GraphGANFed's effectiveness, producing molecules with high novelty (≈ 100) and diversity (> 0.9). Results indicate a trade-off among evaluation metrics, and the right dropout ratio avoids mode collapse. Additionally, Conditional GraphGANFed (cGraphGANFed) incorporates a critic network from Reinforcement Learning (RL) to …

Clinical And Genomic Profile Of Primary Cranial Neurolymphomatosis, Emily B Wolf, Robin Imperial, Liuyan Jiang, Amit K Agarwal, Han W Tun

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Primary cranial neurolymphomatosis (PCNL) is a rare subtype of primary CNS lymphoma (PCNSL) in which infiltrative lymphomatous involvement is confined to cranial nerves. Here, we report a case of PCNL with successful genomic profiling. A 57-year-old male had a lengthy prediagnostic phase spanning approximately 30 months, characterized by multiple episodes of cranial neuropathies managed by steroids. At the time of diagnosis, the patient had right-sided cranial neuropathies involving cranial nerves (CN) V, VI, and VII. Pathological findings of the right cavernous lesion biopsy were consistent with large B-cell lymphoma-infiltrating nerve fibers. The clinical course was aggressive and refractory, characterized by …

The Making Of Policy On Intellectual Property, Innovation And Technology Within The Caribbean Community ( Caricom), And The International Agenda, Abiola Inniss

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Over the last three decades, the making and implementation of policy on intellectual property rights (IPR), innovation, and technology within Caricom (Caribbean community) has been fraught with issues. These include the lack of clear direction on the development of science, technology, and innovation, as well as the attendant IPR policies and laws that would support their actualization at the level of the Caricom heads of government and the highest levels of administration. International groups and organizations have long attempted to raise the levels of awareness and use of IPRs in the region through investments in workshops, seminars, training sessions, and …

Integration Of Electrospun Scaffolds And Biological Polymers For Enhancing The Delivery And Efficacy Of Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cell Therapies, Allan John R Barcena, Archana Mishra, Dominic Karl M Bolinas, Benjamin M Martin, Marites P Melancon

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) have emerged as a promising therapeutic approach for a variety of diseases due to their immunomodulatory and tissue regeneration capabilities. Despite their potential, the clinical application of MSC therapies is hindered by limited cell retention and engraftment at the target sites. Electrospun scaffolds, with their high surface area-to-volume ratio and tunable physicochemical properties, can be used as platforms for MSC delivery. However, synthetic polymers often lack the bioactive cues necessary for optimal cell-scaffold interactions. Integrating electrospun scaffolds and biological polymers, such as polysaccharides, proteins, and composites, combines the mechanical integrity of synthetic materials with the bioactivity …

The Vaginal Immunoproteome For The Prediction Of Spontaneous Preterm Birth: A Retrospective Longitudinal Study, Zachary Shaffer, Roberto Romero, Adi L Tarca, Jose Galaz, Marcia Arenas-Hernandez, Dereje W Gudicha, Tinnakorn Chaiworapongsa, Eunjung Jung, Manaphat Suksai, Kevin R Theis, Nardhy Gomez-Lopez

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Preterm birth is the leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Most cases of preterm birth occur spontaneously and result from preterm labor with intact (spontaneous preterm labor [sPTL]) or ruptured (preterm prelabor rupture of membranes [PPROM]) membranes. The prediction of spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) remains underpowered due to its syndromic nature and the dearth of independent analyses of the vaginal host immune response. Thus, we conducted the largest longitudinal investigation targeting vaginal immune mediators, referred to herein as the immunoproteome, in a population at high risk for sPTB.

METHODS: Vaginal swabs were collected across gestation from pregnant …

Interpenetrated Lattices Of Quaternary Chalcogenides Displaying Magnetic Frustration, High Na-Ion Conductivity, And Cation Redox In Na-Ion Batteries, Santhoshkumar Sundaramoorthy, Srikanth Balijapelly, Sudip Mohapatra, Sutapa Bhattacharya, Kartik Ghosh, Amitava Choudhury

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

A series of quaternary selenides, NaxMGaSe₄ (M = Mn, Fe, and mixed Zn/Fe), have been synthesized for the first time employing a high-temperature solid-state synthesis route through stochiometric or polychalcogenide flux reactions. Along with the selenides, a previously reported sulfide analogue, NaxFeGaS₄, is also revisited with new findings. These compounds form an interpenetrated structure made up of a supertetrahedral unit. The electrochemical evaluations exhibit a reversible (de)intercalation of ∼0.6 and ∼0.45 Na-ions, respectively, from Na_2.87FeGaS₄ (1a) and Na_2.5FeGaSe₄ (2) involving Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ redox when cycled between 1.5 and 2.5 …

Climate And Shared Evolutionary History Drive Trait Variation Among Species Of Neotropical Understory Monocots, Eleinis Ávila-Lovera, Oscar M. Vargas, Jennifer L. Funk, Kathleen M. Kay, Gregory R. Goldsmith

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Environmental variation commonly drives functional trait diversity within species, among species, and across communities. Climate and shared evolutionary history can both influence trait–environment relationships. We studied variation in plant functional traits among closely related Costus species occurring across environmental gradients, the extent to which this variation occurs within single species, and how that variation may be influenced by shared evolutionary history. We measured leaf, aboveground stem, rhizome, and fine root traits of 17 species of Costus in eight sites in Costa Rica and Panama, which varied in elevation, temperature, and precipitation. We then assessed the relationships among traits and environmental …

Gender Role Depictions In Arabic Children’S Picture Books, Aljawharah A. Almuqbil

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to explore gender role depictions in children's Arabic picture books. The importance of this study emerged from its focus on young children, where the concept of gender begins to be constructed. This study provided insight into the nature of gender roles in children’s picture books, especially under the remarkable changes that Saudi society is witnessing and the lack of Arab studies in this area. Social cognitive theory, gender schema theory, and critical literacy pedagogy guided the study. A sample of 26 picture books was selected from the Child Book Club at King Abdulaziz Public Library and analyzed …

Modeling Pelagic Feeding In The Gulf Of Mexico With Implications For Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management, Rebecca L. Scott

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this dissertation was simulating trophic dynamics in the pelagic Gulf of Mexico (GOM) with an emphasis on ecosystem-based fishery management (EBFM) strategies for large pelagic species. Fisheries management in the United States largely utilizes single-species assessments, although managers are increasingly interested in EBFM approaches to better account for ecosystem effects on stocks such as predator/prey dynamics. Production in the surface layer of the pelagic zone is variable with environmental conditions and prey is often concentrated in patches by hydrodynamic features. Production is also transported vertically via diel vertical migration, during which deep-sea species provide potentially key forage …

What Questions Do Patients Ask About Biologic Therapies For Chronic Sinusitis With Nasal Polyps?, Samuel E Razmi, Lexi Goehring, Aatin K Dhanda, Jason Shenoi, Faizaan Khan, Keyvon Rashidi, Daniel Gorelik, Kenneth R Sims, Meha G Fox, Masayoshi Takashima, Omar G Ahmed

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objective: The objective of this study is to explore the questions commonly asked online about biologic therapies for use in treatment of chronic sinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) and the quality of the available content.

Methods: Most common search terms were identified via Google Trends. People Also Ask (PAA) questions were identified and extracted with their associated website using an online data-scraping program [Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Minion, Keywords Everywhere]. Sources were evaluated using Flesch Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) and Flesch Reading Ease (FRE, higher number = better) score for readability; Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) Benchmark …

Mathematical Modeling Of Tumor Response Dynamics To Predict Progression-Free Survival In Patients With Recurrent High-Grade Glioma, Daniel James Glazar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I aim to develop a mathematical model describing tumor volume response dynamics to perform individual dynamic predictions of progression-free survival (PFS) on patients with recurrent high-grade glioma (rHGG).

Patients with rHGG have a dismal prognosis with median overall survival (OS) of <12 months and median PFS of <7 months. However, there is a wide heterogeneity in treatment responses. Therefore, to aid clinicians with making decisions to alter therapeutic protocol, I would like to predict patient-specific PFS.

To perform individual dynamic predictions, I employ the Claret tumor growth inhibition (TGI) model. I further develop this model by coupling it with two different survival models. Inter-patient heterogeneity is also taken into account through mixed effects, including covariate effects. Model PFS predictions were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis as well as Brier …

Intouch Week Of June 24, 2024, New York Medical College

InTouch

• Teeing Off for Tomorrow’s Scholars at the Golf Outing
• New Medical School Linkage Agreement for GSBMS Students
• Dr. Halperin Offers Thoughts on the American Hearing Aid Market
• Scarring Persists in Patients with COVID-19 Vaccine-Associated Myocarditis
• Study Suggests Diagnostic Surgery Can Be Used Safely on Children with Epilepsy
• Department Spotlight: The Office of Government Affairs Advances the College’s Mission, Education, and Research
• Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Mboge Plants Seeds of Change from The Gambia to New York

Seaweaver: Integrating Cultural Craft And Materials Innovation For Artificial Reef Conservation Strategies, Leonardo Hummel

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Coastal reef environments foster biodiversity through their complex topographies, which offer substrate and diverse habitats across trophic levels. While artificial reefs can mimic these functions and results, implementation barriers have historically limited their ability to address coastal habitat loss at scale. This research presents a novel method for artificial reef construction that combines hand craft weaving practices with artificial reef construction innovations. The design framework, dubbed “SeaWeaver,” meets the ecological criteria for reef topography through complex geometries inherent to woven forms while retaining the cost-efficiency, material simplicity and parametric variability of weaving crafts. The integration of simple electrochemical processes presents …

Proposition Of A User Navigation Program For An Oncology Clinic: Customizing Patients’ Journey Through Experience-Based Design, Patricia R. Bohn, Claudia De Souza Libanio, Flavio Sanson Fogliatto, Leandro Miletto Tonetto

DRS Biennial Conference Series

The experience-based design (EBD) approach captures, measures, and improves user experience across their journey, aiming to establish efficient and friendly healthcare systems. In this study, the goal is to propose improvements for an outpatient oncology service through EBD. Methodologically, it involves a project-based EBD approach, rooted in co-design. Its implementation comprised data collection at two stages: (i) user journey’s mapping, and (ii) a codesign workshop with users. From the data analysis, we created a journey map describing users' interactions with the service, measured their experience and identified the critical points. For these points, a co-created solution was devised with the …

Design For Manufacturing: Learning Processes Of A New Product Development Design Team, Linlin Yang, Linus Tan, Jiang Xu, Fei Fan

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This research examines how a New Product Development (NPD) design team incorporated multidisciplinary knowledge to redesign a modular cab. Design teams that implement digital innovation often use cutting edge techniques, such artificial intelligence and big data, to inform their design decisions. However, these techniques are often managed by other teams with different knowledge backgrounds. Therefore, optimising learning processes between multidisciplinary teams is crucial to design new products effectively. This research reviews existing team learning processes, then conducted a case study to examine how a NPD design team learn from an interaction team to integrate knowledge into their design process. Aside …

Thought Experiments In The Ethics Of Designing For Future People., Peter Buwert, Matt Sinclair

DRS Biennial Conference Series

The Non-Identity Problem (NIP) is a philosophical puzzle which challenges our intuitive assumptions and reasoning around the question of our moral obligations towards ‘future people’. This paper explores the significance of the NIP for design, an activity which is necessarily both future-oriented and ethical in nature. Through examination of two thought experiments proposed by philosopher Derek Parfit, this paper makes two contributions to the field of design ethics. Firstly, it raises the profile of the NIP as a topic of interest and for further study in design ethics research. The second is to propose that philosophical thought experiments can play …

Icu Alarm Management Reimagined: Sound-Driven Design And The Role Of Acoustic Biotope, Idil Bostan, René Van Egmond, Diederik Gommers, Elif Özcan

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Staff well-being and patient safety are undermined by false alarms in the ICU. This study focuses on enhancing the effectiveness of sound-induced actions in the ICU by assessing the distinctness and informativeness of alarm sound events as perceived by nursing staff. We investigated the alarm load in an adult ICU, with an emphasis on alarm durations and their impact on actionability. As a strategy to mitigate false alarms, we simulated the introduction of alarm delays and examined how this affected alarm characteristics across various vital parame-ters. Results demonstrate that the introduction of alarm delays reduce the num-ber of alarms remarkably, …

Co-Design Under The Bauhaus Of The Seas Light-House Project: A New European Bauhaus Case Study In Lisbon And Oeiras, Cristiano Pedroso-Roussado, Nicholas B. Torretta, Frederico Duarte, Luisa Seixas, Mariana Pestana, Yacooba Labs Lda, Redcatpig Lda, Ann Light, Nuno Nunes

DRS Biennial Conference Series

The Bauhaus of the Seas (BoS) is one of the Lighthouse projects of the New European Bauhaus initiative (NEB). The project promotes the application of the NEB values – sustainable, beautiful, together – to develop locally grounded De-monstrator Pilots and focus cities’ attention on the future of the oceans. A co-design approach is being applied in a series of participatory sessions with stake-holders, including nature/ecosystem experts, cultural institutions, local authori-ties and civic organizations, aiming at a consolidated collaborative approach. In this report we present the results from the co-design processes under develop-ment in Oeiras and Lisbon – two coastal territories …

A Llm-Augmented Morphological Analysis Approach For Conceptual Design, Liuqing Chen, Yiyan Tsang, Qianzhi Jing, Lingyun Sun

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Morphological analysis is often used in the conceptual design process because it provides a structured and systematic approach to decompose design problems, improving the completeness and diversity of creative solutions. However, it still relies heavily on designers' professional knowledge and experience when decomposing design problems and proposing solutions, which is a challenge for designers. In this study, we propose an LLMs-augmented morphological analysis approach for conceptual design. We refine the design process as three main stages: decomposition, generation, and combination, offering targeted guidance and support to designers when applying morphological analysis. In addition, we introduced a feedback mechanism to develop …

Precedent Knowledge: Practicing Designers’ Perspectives And Experiences, Elizabeth Boling, Victoria Abramenka-Lachheb, Meize Guo, Merve Basdogan, Zixi Li, Hamid Nadir, Dilnoza Kadirova, Taufik Slamet, Grant Chartrand, Parama Chaudhuri, Yichuan Yan, Raj Sankaranarayanan, Ahmed Lachheb

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This basic qualitative study informed by a hermeneutics approach presents how practicing designers across multiple domains of design define the construct of precedent knowledge, a form of design knowledge, and how they collect and use it in their design work. Interviews were conducted with 18 practicing designers across multiple domains of design, including fashion, product, graphic, game, instructional, and media design. Whether they used the specific term “precedent” or not, the study participants were able to address and discuss their precedent knowledge. They also reported multiple and varied sources of precedent, as well as multiple and varied practices in gathering …

Changing The Negative Narrative Of Aging: A Case Study On Sexual Wellness Services For Women In Later Life, Camilla Borghi, Daniela Selloni

DRS Biennial Conference Series

The global longevity trend requires a paradigm shift in the design of services related to later life. Traditionally centered on the negative narrative of aging, service interventions have targeted sectoral domains such as assistance and healthcare. Instead, a silver society demands services for the mainstream market, addressing the desires of individuals who lead fulfilling lives at all ages. This paper examines a case study investigating sexual wellness in women's later life. Service design elevates this marginalized topic in active aging discussions to a common concern in a cultural service as output. The methodology combines ethnographic research and participatory design: it …

Acoustic Patterns For Urban Attractors, Juan Salamanca

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This study proposes the use of forms of entrainment as an interaction design principle for social computing. Entrainment could be used to design computational artifacts that produce socially beneficial effects, suitable for design projects that promote collaborative action. This study explores acoustic entrainment to gather cyclists into groups to reduce carbon-intensive urban commuting. The system uses visual cues and rhythmic patterns to gather riders with similar routes around mobile GPS signals. Preliminary results from a small empirical study (n=8) show how pattern phasing can encourage riders to accelerate. This method has limitations in communicating negative acceleration and proximity. Adjusting pattern …

Exploring The Role Of Data In Designing Smart Products: A Survey Of Chinese Product Designers, Yuxuan Tan, Xiang Yuan, Yaqin Peng, Ziyue Zhang

DRS Biennial Conference Series

With rapid advancements in information technology, data has emerged as a crucial material that broadens the scope of design. Product designers urgently need to develop a comprehensive understanding of the role of data in design and how data can effectively shape and guide the creative design process. In this study, we identified different types of data in design by using bibliometric analysis and conducted semi-structured interviews using qualitative analysis with 12 experienced smart product designers, aiming to understand how product designers in various fields practically apply data in their design process. We have developed a taxonomy to leverage data in …

Reimagining Trustworthy Robot Fleets With Animal Analogies, Suvi Hyökki, Elizabeth K. Phillips, Lydia Melles, Michael Laakasuo

DRS Biennial Conference Series

In the future, multi-agent robot fleets will be important for domains like agriculture, space exploration, and air combat. Trust of human-machine teams is needed to make the teams resilient to the faults of both human and robot teammates. Trust in multi-agent systems is often fragile: if any agent in the system is less reliable than the others, people will stop interacting with all of them. Studying relationships in human-animal systems can provide useful insights into designing human-robot systems. We present a method for gathering insight into how humans, working with animal systems think about the relationships between the individuals and …

Designing Through Ecological Soundscape To Foster Human-Nature Interaction, Francesca Valsecchi, Herun Chen, Qingyu Zhang

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Sense of hearing provides an effective, immersive and empathetic way to observe, map and explore places with a more-than-human approach. In our contemporary mediascape inundated by visual stimuli, the rediscovery of sound offers a different understanding of the world. By discussing two research-based sound design projects, this study discusses 1) the potential of using soundscape as an empathetic research tool in multispecies ethnography and 2) how soundscape as a communication media could stimulate more-than-human exploration and empathy. Such design outcomes develop an empathic and conscious understanding of human-nature interaction, even in an urban context. Intersecting science, research and creative practices, …

Learning From The Past: How To Apply The Circular Economy Practices Of Japan’S Edo Period To Modern Society, Ying Zhong, Takashi Fujimoto, Shuji Soga, Masakazu Yagi, Masahide Ban, Toshiki Ohori, Shoichi Kanzaki

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Japan's Edo society (1603-1868) is often referred to as the 'ultimate circular society' and even offers valuable lessons for the modern circular economy. However, Edo practices cannot be directly applied to the modern world due to differences in past and present social conditions. This research aimed to apply Edo practices to modern society through the following steps. First, we constructed a hypothetical model of the Edo circular economy to show how social factors fostered Edo people's mentalities and behaviors for recycling and reusing. Second, using this model as an analytical framework, we examined modern circular economy practices to understand the …

Acts Of Interfacing In An Entangled Life, Yuxi Liu, Elisa Giaccardi, Johan Redström, Dave Murray-Rust

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Digital interfaces are becoming increasingly simple and intuitive. However, beneath the surface, the technological infrastructures underlying these interfaces are growing more complex and elusive. This paper draws on theories from human-computer interaction, software studies, and social practice to revisit the notion of the interface as a site of representation and control. By briefly tracing the historical development of digital interfaces, we propose to shift from ideas of representation and control towards a notion of co-performance and negotiation. Through this lens, we reconceptualize the interface as acts of interfacing—a new concept that captures the contested, constructive, and performative character of interaction …

Learning From Circularity Manifestos. Crafting Designerly Circular Approaches For The Upholstered Furniture Sector, Patrizia Bolzan, Massimo Bianchini, Stefano Maffei

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Product innovation progressively embraces a sustainable and systemic approach, known as Design for Sustainability, driven by economic, environmental, socio-cultural, and behavioral insights. Nevertheless, transitioning to circularity within upholstered furniture Product-Service Systems and fostering cultural awareness remains a complex endeavor. The paper focuses on the role of Circularity Manifestos as cultural drivers in creating public awareness and behavioral change. It begins by analyzing existing cases to uncover the manifestos' underlying meaning, logic, and communication strategies for promoting and implementing circular innovation practices. These findings are subsequently compared with established theories and approaches through a comprehensive literature review and case analysis, revealing …