Digital Commons Network^™

Brown Pelican (Pelecanus Occidentalis) Groundings On A Four-Lane Divided Highway In South Texas: A Comparative Study Using Citizen Science, Bradley Evan Beer, Kevin W. Ryer, Md. Saydur Rahman, John H. Young Jr., Richard J. Kline

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

The population of the once-endangered brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) has increased over the past several decades and is now considered fully recovered. However, in south Texas, the combined effects of weather patterns, transportation infrastructure, and brown pelican biology have led to road mortalities on State Highway 48 (SH 48) at the Carl “Joe” Gayman Bridge. To mitigate these mortalities, the Texas Department of Transportation modified traffic barriers on SH 48. We aimed to examine the effect of the barrier change and determine which weather variables influence brown pelican groundings on SH 48. Citizen scientists monitored sections of SH …

A Multilevel Analysis Of Prescriber-Reported Buprenorphine Induction Challenges In Fentanyl-Endemic Settings, Alyssa Vawn Long

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The emergence of illicitly manufactured fentanyl has increased clinical uncertainty during buprenorphine induction in medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder. The purpose of this quantitative, retrospective cohort study, guided by the Transtheoretical Model (TTM), was to examine whether prescriber-level buprenorphine induction practices and experiences with precipitated withdrawal were associated with reported buprenorphine induction challenges, and whether county-level fentanyl prevalence contributed to these challenges after accounting for geographic clustering. Secondary, de-identified archival data were obtained from the National Institute on Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network study CTN-0134 and included 64 prescribers practicing in fentanyl-endemic settings. Buprenorphine induction challenges were operationalized as …

Impact Of Living Shorelines On Coastal Morphology And Sedimentology, Sydney Garber

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Living shorelines, or nature-based solutions, have emerged as a preferred approach to coastal restoration, but have not been well studied or monitored postimplementation. This project evaluated the efficacy of living shorelines in protecting and stabilizing coastal morphology in Palm Beach County’s Lake Worth Lagoon. The study assessed surface and subsurface sedimentology, short-term water-level variability, and morphological change at two living shoreline areas of Jewell Steinhardt Cove and Snook Islands Natural Area. Each shoreline area has different breakwater designs aimed at stabilizing the shoreline with recruitment of oysters and mangroves in the Lake Worth Lagoon. Overall, seasonal morphology and sediment data …

Single-Nucleus Brain Transcriptomics Reveals Microglia Dysfunction In Multiple System Atrophy, Rasmus Rydbirk, Frederik Nørby Friis Sørensen, Jonas Folke, Henriette Haukedal, Andrea Asenjo Martinez, Irene Lisa Vargas, Simone Mcgarry, Oline Chantell Hollmann, Camila Gherardelli, Sofia Sepulveda, Adam T Szafran, Michael A Mancini, Sanne Simone Kaalund, Tomasz Brudek, Lisette Salvesen, Sara Bech, Justyna Okarmus, Peter Kharchenko, Morten Meyer, Claudio Soto, Kristine Freude, Abhisek Mukherjee, Susana Aznar, Konstantin Khodosevich

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a rare, age-related neurodegenerative disease that shares clinical and pathological features with Parkinson's disease (PD) but presents a more devastating disease course. To elucidate the distinct cellular pathophysiology, we performed single-nucleus RNA sequencing on postmortem striatal brain tissue from 7 MSA and 12 PD patients, and 10 non-neurological cases. Here, we show significant compositional differences in astroglia and microglia subtypes, while oligodendroglia and neurons are comparable. PD brains show abundant microglia expressing MHC class II HLA haplotypes, indicative of a proinflammatory state, alongside more homeostatic astrocytes. In contrast, MSA lack activated microglia but has more …

Understanding Contest Skill To Reduce The Welfare Costs Of Aggression, Lucy Oldham, Gareth Arnott, Mark Briffa, Agnieszka Futro, Jo Donbavand, Alena Kadlecova, Ali Alameer, Manzar Malik, Mhairi Jack, Iona Smith, Mark Brims, Claire Anderson, Simon P. Turner

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Skill is the ability to do a challenging behaviour well. We examined how contest skill influences contest success, costs and whether skilful behaviour enhances welfare. We measured skill across three domains: accuracy, appropriateness (selecting suitable agonistic tactics when the optimal choice varies) and efficiency, alongside vigour, sex and body weight. Skill was weakly correlated across domains. Winners were heavier relative to their opponent, displayed greater vigour and were more skilful at blocking, but other skill measures did not predict contest win/loss outcome. Appropriate blocking by winners reduced the number of lesions received by reducing exposure to attacks, suggesting it can …

Decoding Immunotherapy Response Through Computational Modeling, Bingrui Li, Ruihan Luo, Kexin Huang, Jiajia Liu, Weiling Zhao, Xiaobo Zhou

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Immunotherapy has seen success in treating patients with cancer, but variable responses underscore the need for effective patient stratification and therapy planning. Computational tools integrating multi-omics, imaging and machine learning have advanced, yet reliable personalized predictions remain challenging. This review analyzes the field through four converging paradigms: classical machine learning, deep learning, graph and network modeling, and mechanistic systems biology. We examine the evolution from correlational features to representation learning, relational inference, and causal simulation of tumor-immune dynamics, highlighting the shift towards multi-modal fusion and interpretable, clinically deployable models. By providing an integrated review of these computational tools, we hope …

High Germinability Can Facilitate Recovery Of Adelia Vaseyi (Euphorbiaceae), An Imperiled Tamaulipan Thornscrub Shrub, Saroj Dhakal, Bashira Chowdhury, Alejandro Fierro-Cabo

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

While critical to maintaining dryland biodiversity and drought resilience, reforestation has been limited in subtropical dry forests because of knowledge gaps in seed biology that must be filled to upscale seedling production and ensure recovery of imperiled endemic plants. We characterized seed germination, dormancy, and storage needs for Adelia vaseyi, a threatened endemic shrub commonly included in planting mixes to restore Tamaulipan thornscrub, an imperiled subtropical forest spanning South Texas and Northeastern Mexico. We found A. vaseyi seeds have high germinability (82.0%) and a short mean germination time (3.04 ± 0.08 days). A delia vaseyi seed does not appear …

The Role Of Avoidance In The Relationship Between The Impact Of Childhood Trauma And Physiological Responsivity To Fear And Reward In Adulthood, Tristan Alana Benjamin

Dissertations (1934 -)

Childhood trauma is prevalent and has been associated with deleterious physical and psychological outcomes that persist into adulthood. Extensive research on the neurobiological consequences of experiencing trauma has demonstrated an association between experiencing a traumatic event and elevated physiological arousal in response to fearful stimuli compared to healthy controls. By contrast, emerging research has found that adults who experienced a traumatic event during childhood demonstrate blunted physiological arousal responses. The physiological profile associated with childhood trauma may be related to coping strategies utilized; notably, children may be more likely to engage in avoidance to cope with the impact of trauma …

Hidinet-T: A Transformer Modeling For High-Dimensional Survival Analysis, Aashish Dhanani

Computer Science Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Kecenderungan Wanita Menjadi Korban Tindak Pidana Terhadap Kesusilaan, Sumiyanto Sumiyanto

Jurnal Hukum & Pembangunan

Abstract

Effects Of Solvent Type, Storage Time, And Storage Temperature On Free Radical Stability And Concentration In Model Radical Systems And Complex Vegetable Oil Matrices, Rachid Ismail Daboussi

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Free radicals are reactive species with unpaired electrons that occur and form within a range of biological, physical, and chemical systems. These highly reactive entities can interact with each other and/or with other molecules present in a mixture, often leading to significant changes in the system. Control over free radical concentration and free radical reactions is necessary in various fields depending on the aim of the process. For instance, free radical addition reactions play an essential role in the synthesis of polymers, where controlled radical behavior is necessary. However, in the thermal cracking of oil, free radical addition reactions are …

Tenncare's Fiscal Year 23-24 Annual Report, Tennessee. Division Of Tenncare.

TennCare Annual Report

No abstract provided.

Actuarial Review Of The Tenncare And Tenncare Partners Programs (Fy 24), Tennessee. Department Of Human Services.

TennCare Actuarial Report

No abstract provided.

Actuarial Review Of The Tenncare And Tenncare Partners Programs (Fy 25), Tennessee. Department Of Human Services.

TennCare Actuarial Report

No abstract provided.

Dda Annual Report 2024, Tennessee. Commission On Aging & Disability.

Department of Disability & Aging

No abstract provided.

A Computational Assessment Of Halobacterium Salinarum Glutamate Dehydrogenase Enzymes, Maaz Abdalla

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) is a hexameric enzyme. GDH is involved in several pathways and cellular processes such as oxidation-reduction homeostasis, ammonia metabolism, lipid biosynthesis, insulin and lactate production, and acid-base equilibrium. The main objective of this thesis is to understand the structural and biochemical properties of this enzyme and why some organisms, for e.g., Halobacterium salinarum, have more than one GDH with different coenzyme specificities. The catabolism of glutamate is linked to NAD+-specific GDHs, meanwhile, NADP+-specific GDHs play an anabolic role in ammonia assimilation. Molecular docking and binding free energy calculations were employed followed by long-scale (500 nanoseconds) comparative molecular …

College Student Perceptions Of Death, Shelby Brubaker, Melinda Heinz

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

The purpose of this study was to understand college student perceptions of death. Undergraduate students were invited to participate in a focus group about their perceptions of death. Three focus groups were held and a total of nine students participated, all of whom had majors in the social sciences. All participants were women and approximately 55% were non-religious and 55% reported they were spiritual. Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic approach was used to code focus group transcriptions. Three themes were identified: 1) Family and Religious Influences: One participant said, “I think it is less of how religion has shaped …

Evaluating Moisture Content , Organic Matter And Mineral Matter In Mangrove Sediments Of The Wouri Estuary, Cameroon, Fama A. Dia

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Mangroves are important coastal ecosystems that support carbon storage, coastal protection, biodiversity, and sediment dynamics. However, the variability and composition of sediments in the tropical Wouri Estuary (Cameroon) remain poorly understood. This study investigates the relationships between key properties such as moisture content, organic matter, and mineral matter in mangrove sediments of the Wouri Estuary. Three sediment cores were collected from the west (Mungo), central (Koo), and east (Dibamba) flanks of the estuary and analyzed using the Loss on Ignition (LOI) method. Samples were oven-dried at 105°C for 48 hours to determine moisture content and combusted at 550°C for 4 …

Fatal Ochrobactrum Anthropi Bacteremia Following Intravenous Stem Cell Therapy In Immunocompetent Patient, Daler Kudratov, Wendy Martinez, Jonathan Barnett

Central & West Texas and San Antonio GME Research Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Rare Clinical Presentation Of Primary Cutaneous Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (Pcdlbcl), Germinal Center B-Cell Subtype (Gcb), Confined To The Scalp, Anabel Al Abdallah, Angelo Piazza Ortiz, Joshua Rodriguez, Juan Herrada

Central & West Texas and San Antonio GME Research Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Serum Phosphoproteome Alterations Associated With Cardiac Troponin I Levels In Acute Myocardial Infarction ​, Merve Öztuğ, Meltem Aşicioğlu, Konca Altinkaynak, Evren Kilinç

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) triggers systemic biochemical responses, including dynamic changes in the phosphorylation status of circulating proteins. However, the phosphoproteomic profile of serum in the context of AMI remains insufficiently characterized. This study aimed to investigate serum phosphoproteomic alterations associated with AMI and to explore potential correlations with markers of cardiac injury.

Materials and methods: A comparative phosphoproteomic analysis was performed on serum samples obtained from eight patients with AMI and pooled healthy control samples. High-abundance serum proteins were depleted, and phosphopeptides were enriched using TiO2 phosphopeptide enrichment kit. Samples were analyzed by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry using …

Regulatory Role Of Il-1Β And Cxcl8 In Inflammatory Cell Dynamics And Gingival Inflammation In Gingivitis, Dhuha Mahmood Ali

Muthanna Medical Journal

Background: Gingivitis is a common inflammatory disease of the periodontal tissues characterized by immune responses triggered by microbial biofilm. The inflammatory process involves the release of several cytokines and chemokines, including interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β ) and chemokine CXCL8, which play crucial roles in regulating leukocyte recruitment and inflammatory signaling within the gingival tissues. These biomarkers are considered important indicators of periodontal inflammation and may reflect the progression of periodontal diseases.

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the levels of inflammatory biomarkers IL-1β and CXCL8 and investigate their role in gingival inflammation.

Materials and Methods: This case-control study included subjects diagnosed …

B Cells Enable Autoreactive T Cells To Avoid Suppression., Matthew Funsten, Renee De Pooter, Vineeth Varanasi, Michael Burrows, Katharine Block, Andrey Kuznetsov, David V. Serreze, Haochu Huang, Alexander Chervonsky

Faculty Research 2026

Clinical trials and experimental observations have shown that B cells are essential for development of T cell-mediated organ-specific autoimmunity, although their exact contribution is not clear. As antigen presentation by B cells is focused on antigens cognate to their antigen receptors, we reasoned that B cells would facilitate activation of T effector cells (Teff) with the same antigen specificity but would poorly activate regulatory T cells (Treg) due to insufficient presence of antigen-specific Tregs among polyclonal/multispecific Tregs at the early stages of pathogenesis. At the same time, activation of Teff by autoantigens presented by dendritic cells (DC) would be sensitive …

Race Evasion In White Student Affairs Professionals In Minnesota Higher Education: A Phenomenology, Cindy Boe

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Language that includes race-evasive frames is used by White individuals to maintain a status quo wherein White individuals hold greater access to societal power and resources than people of color. Race-evasive frames include abstract liberalism, naturalization, cultural racism, and disconnected power-analysis. In higher education, use of race evasive frames has been primarily documented in White college students and White faculty members. This study addressed in a gap in the literature related to race evasion in White student affairs professionals. Student affairs professionals provide direct support to college students. Scholars have suggested that student affairs professionals carry responsibility for advancing equity …

A Unique Case Of Tumor Thrombus In The Superior Vena Cava (Svc), John Leece, Juan Rodriguez

Central & West Texas and San Antonio GME Research Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Imsaloquium 2026 Event Booklet, Student Inquiry And Research (Sir)

IMSAloquium Event Booklets

Cover designed by Joyce Symoniak.

Welcome to IMSAloquium, our annual, school-wide symposium for research and inquiry! This booklet contains abstracts for over 220 outstanding projects conducted by IMSA students in the 2025-26 academic year. The topics range from biomedical research to artificial intelligence, from history to the social sciences, and from business to entrepreneurship. Many of our students are working with off-campus mentors at world-renowned universities, research laboratories, and businesses. Others are working on-campus with IMSA’s own outstanding Faculty. The SIR and IN2 Teams would like to thank all of our mentors for their efforts. Our experiential programs would not …

Clinical Applications Of Topical Platelet-Rich Plasma In Cardiac Surgery: A Scoping Review, Jaron M. Davis

Student Works

Background: Postoperative wound complications persist as a significant challenge within adult cardiac surgery. Deep and superficial sternal wound infections, along with complications at saphenous vein harvest sites, are linked to increased morbidity, extended hospital stays, and substantial healthcare expenses. Topical platelet-rich plasma (PRP), commonly known as platelet gel, has been suggested as a biologically active adjunct that may facilitate tissue repair and mitigate postoperative complications. While PRP has garnered attention in surgical practice, the overall scope and consistency of the supporting evidence in cardiac surgery remain ambiguous.

Objective: The purpose of this scoping review is to map and describe the …

Safety And Efficacy Of Ciltacabtagene Autoleucel For Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma: A Cibmtr Study., Doris K Hansen, Danai Dima, Hira Mian, Jakob Devos, Ruta Brazauskas, Temitope Oloyede, Aimaz Afrough, Nausheen Ahmed, Larry Anderson, Rahul Banerjee, Jesus G Berdeja, Aram Bidikian, Binod Dhakal, Ajoy Dias, Yvonne Efebera, Muhammad Salman Faisal, Lohith Gowda, Hamza Hashmi, Abu-Sayeef Mirza, Meera Mohan, Ravi Narra, Ashley E Rosko, Mark Schroeder, Taiga Nishihori, Heather Landau, Saad Usmani, Marcelo C Pasquini, Othman S Akhtar, Surbhi Sidana, Krina K Patel

Oncology Articles

Ciltacabtagene autoleucel (cilta-cel), an anti-B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy, was approved in 2022 for heavily pretreated relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). This study evaluates the safety and efficacy of cilta-cel in RRMM patients reported to the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research registry between March 2022 and December 2023 who met commercial release specifications. Among 595 patients, median age was 64 years, 57% were male, and 70% had ≥1 comorbidity. Extramedullary disease and marrow plasma cell burden ≥ 50% were present in 13% and 14% of patients, respectively. The median number of prior lines …

2026 Academic & Creative Excellence Reception Program, Lynn University

Academic and Creative Excellence (ACE) Reception Programs

The program for the 2026 Academic and Creative Excellence (ACE) Reception - the 18th annual - organized by the Lynn Library, working in conjunction with the Office of Academic Affairs. The reception was held Tuesday, April 14 in the Salon at the Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center.

The Faculty Scholarship and Creative Activities Award is presented to Dr. Roberta Rust.

Electroenzymatic Cascades For Nitrogen Upgrading: Beyond Ammonia Towards Value-Added Nitrogen Chemicals, Rohit G. Jadhav, Vamshi Krishna Kamaja, Wassim El Housseini, Monica Brachi, Shelley D. Minteer

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

The global transition toward sustainable chemical manufacturing demands technologies that leverage natural carbon and nitrogen cycles while minimizing reliance on sacrificial reagents and fossil resources. These biogeochemical cycles are fundamental to life, and enzymes catalyze many of their key transformations. Bio electrochemical, specifically electroenzymatic, systems offer a promising route to sustainable synthesis by enabling selective redox transformations powered by electricity. However, whereas carbon-cycle enzymes are now well established in bio electrochemical synthesis, enzymes from the nitrogen cycle remain comparatively underexplored. Moreover, the nitrogen cycle alone does not access many value-added nitrogen-containing products, which require additional C-N bond formation and organic …