Digital Commons Network^™

Distinct Basal Forebrain-Originated Neural Circuits Promote Homoeostatic Feeding And Suppress Hedonic Feeding In Male Mice, Meng Yu, Olivia Z Ginnard, Kristine M Conde, Mengjie Wang, Xing Fang, Hesong Liu, Longlong Tu, Na Yin, Junying Han, Yongjie Yang, Qingchun Tong, Benjamin R Arenkiel, Chunmei Wang, Yang He, Yong Xu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Feeding behaviour is influenced by two primary factors: homoeostatic needs driven by hunger and hedonic desires for pleasure even in the absence of hunger. While efficient homoeostatic feeding is vital for survival, excessive hedonic feeding can lead to adverse consequences such as obesity and metabolic dysregulations. However, the neurobiological mechanisms that orchestrate homoeostatic versus hedonic food consumption remain largely unknown. Here we show that GABAergic proenkephalin (Penk) neurons in the diagonal band of Broca (DBB) of male mice respond to food presentation. We further demonstrate that a subset of DBBPenk neurons that project to the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus …

Leveraging Preclinical Models Of Metastatic Breast Cancer, Jeffrey M Rosen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Women that present to the clinic with established breast cancer metastases have limited treatment options. Yet, the majority of preclinical studies are actually not directed at developing treatment regimens for established metastatic disease. In this review we will discuss the current state of preclinical macro-metastatic breast cancer models, including, but not limited to syngeneic GEMM, PDX and xenografts. Challenges within these models which are often overlooked include fluorophore-immunogenic neoantigens, differences in experimental vs spontaneous metastasis and tumor heterogeneity. Furthermore, due to cell plasticity in the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) of the metastatic landscape, the treatment efficacy of newly approved immune …

Women’S Health And Kidney Protective Medications

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Purpose of review: We discuss the sex-based differences in the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of kidney protective medications and their implications on women's health.

Recent findings: A critical examination of adverse drug reactions highlights the underrepresentation of women in clinical trials for kidney and cardiovascular protective drugs, such as SGLT2 inhibitors, ACE inhibitors, and endothelin receptor antagonists. This underscores the need for sex-specific analyses in clinical studies to accurately assess medication efficacy and safety.

Summary: The research demonstrates that women are more likely to experience adverse events and less likely to benefit from certain treatments, emphasizing the urgent need for healthcare …

Disruption Of Fuz In Mouse Embryos Generates Hypoplastic Hindbrain Development And Reduced Cranial Nerve Ganglia, Ying Linda Lin, Bogdan Wlodarczyk, Salavat R Aglyamov, Giuliano Scarcelli, Kirill V Larin, Richard H Finnell

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: The brain and spinal cord formation is initiated in the earliest stages of mammalian pregnancy in a highly organized process known as neurulation. Environmental or genetic interferences can impair neurulation, resulting in clinically significant birth defects known collectively as neural tube defects. The Fuz gene encodes a subunit of the CPLANE complex, a macromolecular planar polarity effector required for ciliogenesis. Ablation of Fuz in mouse embryos results in exencephaly and spina bifida, including dysmorphic craniofacial structures due to defective cilia formation and impaired Sonic Hedgehog signaling.

Results: We demonstrate that knocking Fuz out during embryonic mouse development results in …

Effect Of Maternal Prebiotic Supplementation On Human Milk Immunological Composition: Insights From The Symba Study, Nivedithaa Divakara, Zac Dempsey, Chitra Saraswati, Johan Garssen, Desiree Silva, Jeffrey A. Keelan, Claus T. Christophersen, Matthew N. Cooper, Susan L. Prescott, Debra J. Palmer, Valerie Verhasselt, Patricia Macchiaverni

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Immunomodulatory proteins in human milk (HM) can shape infant immune development. However, strategies to modulate their levels are currently unknown. This study investigated whether maternal prebiotic supplementation alters the levels of immunomodulatory proteins in HM.

Methods: The study was nested within the SYMBA double-blind randomized controlled trial (ACTRN12615001075572), which investigated the effects of maternal prebiotic (short-chain galacto-oligosaccharides/long-chain fructo-oligosaccharides) supplementation from <21 weeks gestation during pregnancy until 6 months postnatal during lactation on child allergic disease risk. Mother–child dyads receiving prebiotics (n = 46) or placebo (n = 54) were included in this study. We measured the levels of 24 immunomodulatory proteins in HM collected at 2, 4, and 6 months.

Results: Cluster analysis showed that the overall immunomodulatory protein composition of milk samples from both groups was similar. At 2 months, HM of prebiotic-supplemented women had decreased levels of TGF-β1 and TSLP (95% CI: −17.4 [−29.68, −2.28] and −57.32 …

Anti-Inflammatory And Anti-(Lymph)Angiogenic Properties Of An Abcb5+ Limbal Mesenchymal Stem Cell Population, Berbang Meshko, Thomas L. A. Volatier, Johanna Mann, Mark A. Kluth, Christoph Ganss, Markus H. Frank, Natasha Y. Frank, Bruce R. Ksander, Claus Cursiefen, Maria Notara

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Corneal transparency and avascularity are essential for vision. The avascular cornea transitions into the vascularized conjunctiva at the limbus. Here, we explore a limbal stromal cell sub-population that expresses ABCB5 and has mesenchymal stem cell characteristics. Human primary corneal stromal cells were enriched for ABCB5 by using FACS sorting. ABCB5+ cells expressed the MSC markers CD90, CD73, and CD105. ABCB5+ but not ABCB5− cells from the same donor displayed evidence of pluripotency with a significantly higher colony-forming efficiency and the ability of trilineage differentiation (osteogenic, adipogenic, and chondrogenic). The ABCB5+ cell secretome demonstrated lower levels of the pro-inflammatory protein MIF …

The Surprising Survival – So Far – Of The Corporate Contribution Ban, Richard Briffault

Faculty Scholarship

In Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the Supreme Court invalidated the longstanding ban on the expenditure of corporate funds in federal election campaigns. In so doing, the Court dismissed outright an argument that had long been the foundation for the restriction of corporate money in election campaigns — that, due to the “substantial aggregations of wealth amassed by the special advantages which go with the corporate form[,]” corporate money poses a distinct threat to the integrity of democracy. Instead, viewing corporations as essentially “associations of citizens,” Citizens United determined that “the First Amendment does not permit Congress to …

Portraits Of Hispanic/Latino Principals’ Leadership Development In Elementary Schools In Texas: A Narrative Study, Lily Dominguez-Carrero

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to understand the factors influencing the leadership development of Hispanic/Latino principals in elementary public schools in Texas. As the Hispanic/Latino population of students rises, understanding the underrepresented Hispanic/Latino principals’ experiences from adolescence to middle adulthood is critical to unveiling factors that influence their leadership identity development. Using a life story narrative approach to examine leadership development across the lifespan, the study provided themes regarding the pivotal environmental, contextual, personal, and intrapersonal factors influencing the principals’ leadership development. The thematic analysis of the life stories uncovered three prominent themes associated with the most influential factors in leadership development: …

The End Of Administrative Supremacy In Canada, Mark Mancini, Léonid Sirota

UBC Law Review

No abstract provided.

Mirroring Mens Rea: The “Two Pathways To Conviction” Argument In Canadian Sexual Assault Law, Saambavi Mano

UBC Law Review

No abstract provided.

Deus Ex Machina, Or Gargantua? Interim Financing Under The Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act, Alfonso Nocilla

UBC Law Review

No abstract provided.

Section 9 Of The Canadian Charter & Arbitrary Laws: A Taxonomy, An Organizational Ideal, And A Path Forward, François Tanguay-Renaud

UBC Law Review

No abstract provided.

Survey Of Ohio Likely Voters 18+, September 2024 Toplines, Robert Alexander, Melissa K. Miller, David J. Jackson, Nicole Kalaf-Hughes, Joshua Boston

Democracy and Public Policy Network Polls

No abstract provided.

Persecution Of Christian Confessions In Ukrainian Podilia During The 1930s, Anatoliy Voynarovskiy, Natalka Zhmud, Valentyna Hrebenova

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

In this article, attention is focused on the characteristics of Bolshevik rule in the Podilia region, particularly its efforts to eradicate Protestantism. In the legal framework of contemporary Ukraine, the separation of religion from the state is declared, and the right to freedom of conscience and religion is guaranteed. This is a crucial and fundamental position for building a rule-of-law state and civil society. Harmonious relations between society, religion, and the state are an extremely complex process that requires a thorough understanding of historical context. The role of religion has gained particular relevance at the current stage, as Ukraine defends …

2024 Directory Of Bargaining Agents And Contracts In Institutions Of Higher Education, William A. Herbert, Jacob Apkarian, Joseph Van Der Naald

Publications and Research

The 2024 Directory of Bargaining Agents and Contracts in Institutions of Higher Education includes data and analysis regarding 902 collective bargaining relationships in higher education through January 1, 2024 involving tenured and tenure eligible faculty, non-tenure track faculty, department chairs, administrators, postdoctoral scholars, and academic researchers and graduate and undergraduate student employees at public and private non-profit institutions.

Ai-Powered Cyber Threats: A Systematic Review, Mafaz Alanezi, Ruah Mouad Alyas Al-Azzawi

Mesopotamian Journal of CyberSecurity

The joining of artificial intelligence (AI) across different areas has fundamentally improved productivity and development. Nevertheless, this progression has increased cybersecurity threats, especially those determined by AI itself. These AI-powered threats exploit the advancements intended to obtain computerized frameworks, in this manner subverting their honesty. This systematic review focuses on the intricacies of AI-driven cyber threats, which use complex AI abilities to lead to intricate and tricky cyberattacks. Our review integrates existing examinations to determine the extension, location procedures, effects, and relief systems connected with AI-initiated threats. We feature the powerful exchange between AI improvement and cybersecurity, underlining the requirement …

Dental Segmentation Via Enhanced Yolov8 And Image Processing Techniques, Dhiaa Mohammed Abed, Shuzlina Abdul-Rahman, Sofianita Mutalib

Mesopotamian Journal of CyberSecurity

By blending computer-aided medical systems with cutting-edge privacy technologies, healthcare providers can deliver more personalized, effective care while maintaining the highest data security standards and patient trust. The challenge of dental segmentation in computer vision, a task focused on accurately outlining dental structures in images, traditional methods, particularly convolution neural networks (CNNs), didn't reach high accuracy in this area due to suboptimal performance and computational inefficiency. The goal of image segmentation is to group pixels on the basis of their visual properties, such as color, texture, intensity, or spatial proximity, to identify and delineate the boundaries of distinct objects or …

Anies Baswedan-Muhaimin Iskandar Campaign Communication Strategy In The 2024 Presidential Election: Case Study Of The “Ubah Bareng” Movement, Natasha Adhyswasti Padma Buana, Aditya Perdana

Jurnal Politik

This study examines the Ubah Bareng volunteer movement, a youth-driven initiative supporting Anies Baswedan-Muhaimin Iskandar (AMIN) in the 2024 Indonesia Presidential Election. While existing research on volunteer movements in electoral campigns often focuses on their role as secondary forces under political party control, this study offers new ground by exploring Ubah Bareng’s position as a primary driver in AMIN’s national campaign. By applying Pippa Norris’s (2000) campaign communication strategy theory, this research investigates how Ubah Bareng collaborates with the official campaign team (Timnas) and political parties to effectively mobilize young voters. Through a qualitative methodology, including in-depth interviews and literature …

Co-Production Process Of Kampung Warna-Warni: Societal Active Participatory In The Urban Slum Management, Faqih Alfian, Alvinda Putri Ruriana, Galuh Anissa Sekar Ayu, Bayu Galen Adiputra, Nethaneel Yobel Marpaung, Ken Arya Fauzan Alwan

Jurnal Politik

This research analyses the Co-production process in developing Kampung Warna-Warni Jodipan, Malang City, and its implications for city government regulations regarding urban slum areas. The author uses descriptive qualitative data to explore the co-production process based on primary data obtained through semi-structured interviews with residents of Kampung Warna-Warni and the local Malang city government. Research findings show that the active participation of the community, students, private sponsors, and government agents can create a balance between community autonomy and the need for supervision and assistance from the government, as well as strengthening the bargaining position of the residents of Kampung Warna-Warni. …

Investment Treaty Arbitration Caught In The Public-Private Law Divide, Catharine Titi

Michigan Journal of International Law

The ongoing reform of investor-state dispute settlement (“ISDS”) underlines the pertinence of an old question that has received various and conflicting answers: Is investment arbitration a public or private method of dispute settlement? A key criticism leveled at investment treaty arbitration is that public interest disputes are decided by a system of private justice. This article critically reviews the dominant interpretations of investment treaty arbitration as public, private, or hybrid. It argues that the subjective nature of each interpretation means that none of them can be definitively adopted. Rather, the real arguments in favor of or against arbitration lie beyond …

Child-Taking, Diane Marie Amann

Michigan Journal of International Law

A ruling group at times takes certain children out of their community and then tries to remake them in its image. It tries to rid the child of undesired differences, in ethnicity or nationality, religion or politics, race or ancestry, culture or class. There are too many examples: the colonialist residential schools that forced settler cultures on Indigenous children; the military juntas that kidnapped dissidents’ children; and today’s reports of abductions amid crises like that in Syria. Too often nothing is done, and the children are lost. But that may be changing, as the International Criminal Court (“ICC”) is seeking …

Sovereign Debt Speculation: A Necessary Limitation Justified By A Concern For Debt Sustainability, Justin Vanderschuren

Journal of International Business and Law

The actions of funds speculating in sovereign debt, frequently nicknamed “vulture funds”, are often roundly criticized. These funds purchase distressed debts on the secondary market at reduced prices and then seek payment in court at face value plus interest and fees. Although their actions are legally justified, so-called “vulture funds” are vilified due to the negative impact of their activities on sovereign debtors and their population. While there is a strong demand for regulating sovereign debt speculation, various solutions already exist but are, in many ways, insufficient. This article argues for the adoption of a tailored regulation of the speculative …

‘Constellations’ And ‘Entanglement’ In The Study Of Legal Pluralism: Reflections On The Scholarship Of Keebet Von Benda-Beckmann, Petra K. Mahy Dr

The Indonesian Journal of Socio-Legal Studies

Two key terms permeate the work of Keebet von Benda-Beckmann (and of her co-authors, especially Franz von Benda-Beckmann) in her discussions of legal pluralism: ‘constellations’ and ‘entanglement’. These terms are both concerned with describing the existence of, and interrelationships between, plural legal orders. This article critically analyses these two terms, their usage and implied meanings, and compares them with other alternative concepts employed elsewhere in legal pluralism and cognate literature. With reference to empirical evidence on plural work regulation in Indonesia, I argue that the terms have some descriptive benefits for understanding the realities of plural legal orders, but still …

Voices Of Freedom: Dialogue, Plurality, And The Shape Of Democracy, Muhamad Pelengkahu

Jurnal Politik

Creating Democracy: Arendt and Bakhtin in Dialogue is an important contribution to political theory and social philosophy. By connecting Hannah Arendt's and Mikhail Bakhtin's thoughts, Hersch offers an innovative perspective on understanding democracy as a dynamic and participatory process. Although coming from different disciplinary backgrounds, Arendt and Bakhtin share fundamental ideas about the importance of freedom, social interaction, and meaning-making in political life.

Using Simulation To Train Service Providers In Responding To Intimate Partner Violence (Ipv) And Trauma, Sarah Tarshis, Jennifer H. Mcquaid, Mariama Diallo, Stephanie L. Baird, Kenta Asakura

School for Social Work: Faculty Publications

This study used simulation-based research (SBR) to gain a better understanding of how intimate partner violence (IPV) service providers engage in trauma-informed practice in a simulated session with a standardized patient. Our qualitative study recruited 18 IPV service providers from Canada and the United States. Each participant engaged in a virtual 30-minute case-based simulated session with an actor portraying a survivor of IPV experiencing vulnerabilities related to violence and immigration status. Following each simulation, IPV service providers participated in a 30- to 45-minute reflective dialogue. The data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Identified themes included: (a) simulation builds trauma-informed …

Millennials’ Perception Towards Adaption And Intention Of M-Banking: Experience From A Developing Country, Noman Hasan, Md. Shahed Mahmud, Abdul Gaffar Khan, Reshma Pervin Lima, Shiblu Miah

Journal of Global Business Insights

In recent years, m-banking has been developed rapidly around the world. The research aims to measure millennials’ perception towards adaption and intention of m-banking from a developing country’s perspective. A PLS-SEM modeling approach was performed to test the hypothetical model. The empirical results reveal that perceived ease of use, perceived security and privacy, and perceived cost significantly affect the millennials’ attitude to adopt m-banking. In contrast, perceived usefulness and perceived self-efficacy have an insignificant effect. Furthermore, attitude towards adopting m-banking significantly impacts adoption and intention among millennials. Practical and theoretical implications have been identified based on the study results.

“As Blind Men Learn The Sun”: Towards A Poetics Of Queer Mysticism In American Literature, 1860-1960, Bradley M. Nelson

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation seeks to play with the similarity between the queer and the mystical, and in the process, defines something I call “queer mysticism.” I include four cardinal figures of nineteenth- and twentieth-century American poetry: Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Gertrude Stein, and Robert Duncan. Beginning with Walt Whitman, I show how each of these poets bear witness to an experience of the divine that is both immanent and immanently queer. Through historical and biographical research, I uncover their poetic inspiration in popular modes of expression and in the esoteric and arcane. By establishing a connection with a few Catholic mystics …

Féminas Speaking Up: Three Papers On Feminine Transgender Identities, Gender Identity Activism, And Language Reform In Lima, Peru, Ernesto Cuba

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In this three-paper dissertation, I explore the linguistic and discursive practices of Féminas, a leading transgender rights activist organization based in Lima, Peru. Building on scholarship on language ideologies (Irvine & Gal, 2000), queer linguistics (Motschenbacher, 2011), and socio-onomastics (Ainiala & Östman, 2017), I analyze the role that language beliefs and language-in-use plays in performing local (trans)gender identities and shaping grassroots politics within this specific community of practice (Eckert & McConnell-Ginet, 1992). Based on an extensive corpus of semi-structured interviews and ethnographic material gathered during my long-term investigation with Féminas, I present three studies exploring distinct –though related– ideologically-driven sociolinguistic …

Imaging Markers Of Future Neurodegeneration Following Moderate-Severe Traumatic Brain Injury, Daniel Brennan

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The overall goal of this dissertation was to identify patterns of cerebral atrophy following traumatic brain injury and relate relevant imaging measures to that atrophy. In Chapter 2, we outline a spatiotemporal profile of atrophy in the first year following moderate-severe TBI: prior to 3-months post injury, the frontal and temporal cortices were observed to be thinner than controls, and thalamic volumes were reduced. From 3-12 months post-injury, significant atrophy was observed in white matter, subcortical gray matter structures (including thalamus), and cortical thinning was observed in the parietal and occipital cortices.

In Chapter 3, we identified widespread white matter …

Unpacking Normative Change: The United Nations At Its 60th Anniversary, Giovanna Marques Kuele

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation explores the UN at its 60th anniversary at a critical juncture, with seven nested observations, to answer why normative change happens at the UN, when it is triggered, and which proposed changes are ultimately adopted. It argues that normative change at the UN is a result of multilevel political consensus at critical junctures. At the macro level, these junctures are triggered by global crises and international summits that provide a moment of normative reflection among the three UNs—member states, secretariat, and non-state actors—thereby increasing the likelihood of achieving multilevel political consensus. At the micro level, the formation of …