Digital Commons Network^™

Defining Rna Oligonucleotides That Reverse Deleterious Phase Transitions Of Rna-Binding Proteins With Prion-Like Domains., Lin Guo, Jacob Mann, Jocelyn Mauna, Katie Copley, Hejia Wang, Jack Rubien, Cristian Bergmann, Jenny Carey, Jessica Merjane, Marilyn Ngo, Jiazhen Xu, Hana Odeh, Jiabei Lin, Bo Lim Lee, Laura Ganser, Emma Robinson, Kevin Kim, Anastasia Murthy, Tapas Paul, Bede Portz, Amanda Gleixner, Zamia Diaz, Ashleigh Smirnov, George Padilla, Ellen Lavorando, Carolann Espy, Yulei Shang, Eric Huang, Alessandra Chesi, Nicolas Fawzi, Sua Myong, Christopher Donnelly, James Shorter

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) with prion-like domains (PrLDs), such as FUS and TDP-43, condense into functional liquids, which can transform into pathological fibrils that underpin fatal neurodegenerative disorders, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)/frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Here, we define short RNAs that prevent FUS fibrillization by promoting liquid phases and distinct short RNAs that prevent and reverse FUS condensation and fibrillization. These activities require interactions with multiple RNA-binding domains of FUS and are encoded by RNA sequence, length, and structure. We define a short RNA that dissolves cytoplasmic FUS aggregates, restores nuclear FUS, and mitigates FUS toxicity in optogenetic models and ALS …

Temperature Dependent High Frequency Performance Of A 62% Algan Channel Hemt, Jiahao Chen, Abdullah Al Mamun Mazumder, Parthasarathy Seshadri, Dheekshinn Nandakumar, Ruixin Bai, Rafael Andrew Choudhury, M. Asif Khan, Chirag Gupta

Faculty Publications

This article reports on the temperature dependent performance of a HEMT with an Al_0.62Ga_0.38N channel layer and an Al_0.84Ga_0.16N barrier layer grown by metal–organic chemical vapor deposition. The device in this report was measured at room temperature and elevated temperatures of 100–150 °C. The sheet resistance increased from 3.5 kΩ/sq (25 °C) to 5.4 kΩ/sq (150 °C), while the contact resistance remained nominally similar. For a device with 160 nm gate length and 2 µm source-to-drain length, excellent electrical characteristics have been achieved when the device was operated at 150 °C with …

Novel Repurposing Of Empagliflozin-Loaded Buccal Composite (Chitosan/Silk Fibroin/Poly(Lactic Acid)) Nanofibers For Alzheimer’S Disease Management Via Modulation Of Aβ–Ager–P-Tau Pathway, Samar A. Salim

Nanotechnology Research Centre

Background/Objectives: Empagliflozin (EMPA) was repurposed for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) treatment via buccal delivery, exploiting novel nanofibers (NFs) integrating chitosan (Cs), silk fibroin (Fb), and poly(lactic acid) (PLA). Methods: EMPA-loaded Cs/Fb/PLA NFs were electrospun in different formulations to optimize the formulation parameters. The optimized formulation was then investigated for its enhanced in vivo effect. Results: Optimized nanofiber diameters ranged from 459 ± 173 to 668 ± 148 nm, possessing bead-free morphology confirmed by SEM and satisfactory mechanical properties. EMPA was successfully well-dispersed in the polymer matrix as evidenced by FTIR, XRD, and drug content. The optimized NFs displayed a hydrophilic surface …

General Education Subcommittee Agenda, January 8, 2026, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes - December 4, 2025
• Course Approvals/Removals/Syllabi Approvals
• New Business
• Depth Courses and Engineering Discussion
• Additional Items
• Adjourn: 9:30 am

Combinatorial Synthesis Of Protein-Polymer Conjugates By Post-Polymerization Modification Of Poly(Pentafluorophenyl Acrylate)S, Emily W. Kish, Thatcher M. Lee, Alexis M. Ziemba, Ama Boamah, Bianca Figueroa, Margherita Piccardi, Carey E. Dougan, Sarah J. Moore, Maren E. Buck

Chemistry: Faculty Publications

Combinatorial methods for preparing polymeric biomaterials enable the rapid identification of materials useful for many applications in science, medicine, and engineering. In the work described here, we demonstrate that side-chain reactive polymers can be used as templates for the rapid preparation of a small library of diversely functionalized protein–polymer conjugates. The activated ester polymer poly(pentafluorophenyl acrylate) (PPFPA) was modified postpolymerization with substoichiometric equivalents of three hydrophilic primary amines to yield a library of amphiphilic, side-chain reactive copolymers. These copolymers were then conjugated to two receptor-targeting proteins, holotransferrin (hTF) and an engineered fibronectin-based protein (Fn3), through amine-activated ester coupling. We investigated …

Automated Database Selection Via Empirical Validation And Cost-Adjusted Scoring, Nazar Ahamed, Navakanth Talluri

Defensive Publications Series

Selecting a database service can be challenging when decisions rely on static information or generalized benchmarks, which may not align with an application's specific runtime performance needs, potentially leading to implementation risks. A system can provide automated, performance-validated database recommendations. The system can translate a user's non-functional requirements into a profile used to programmatically provision temporary test environments for candidate databases. A workload generator can then simulate a user's specific application load within these environments, which may allow the system to harvest real-time performance and cost metrics. The collected empirical data can be processed by a scoring algorithm to calculate …

Generative Synthesis Of Historical Precedents For Automated Procedural Guidance, Pooja Agrawal, Tanmay Kayande, Akash Dambhare, Deep Raithatha, Mohith P

Defensive Publications Series

Knowledge workers in enterprise environments can face challenges when resolving complex inquiries, as they may need to manually parse and synthesize information from multiple historical precedents. Existing retrieval systems may identify relevant cases but can leave the cognitive burden of synthesis to the user. Systems are described that can automate the synthesis of insights. For example, a system may use a semantic similarity model to retrieve a set of procedurally analogous historical cases from a data repository. A generative synthesis module could then compile data from these retrieved cases into a structured prompt for a large language model. The model …

Agentic Framework Integrating Rag For Policy Queries And Autonomous Trend Analysis, Tanmay Kayande, Deep Raithatha, Akash Dambhare, Mohith P, Pooja Agrawal

Defensive Publications Series

Tools that just pull up whole, complicated company policy documents often don't help people find the specific answers they need. This new technology is a system for understanding and analyzing policies that works in two ways.

A "Reactive" Mode acts like a Q&A tool. It uses advanced technology (retrieval-augmented generation) to break down policies into small, searchable pieces. This allows the system to give direct answers with citations and even run simulations to show what happens in different situations based on the rules.

A "Proactive" Mode is an automated agent that constantly checks support data to spot trends and see …

System For Determining Impact Orientation In A Drop Test Using An Acoustic Trigger, Eddy Liu, Max Chen, Kigo Chen, David Huang

Defensive Publications Series

Determining a device's impact orientation during randomized drop tests can present challenges, as methods relying on internal accelerometers can be less reliable in some scenarios involving rotation and intermediate collisions. A system can utilize an external acoustic trigger to initiate data capture. For example, an optical sensor, such as an infrared gate, may be positioned in a drop apparatus to detect a falling device under test (DUT) and prompt an acoustic emitter to produce a specific audio tone. A software application on the DUT can use the device's microphone to detect this tone, which can serve as a temporal marker …

On-Chip Thermal Monitoring And Mitigation For Semiconductor Design-For-Test, Veerabhadra Rao Vasa, Maheedhar Jalasutram, Aditya Kota, Swathi G

Defensive Publications Series

During semiconductor design-for-test operations, the application of high-activity test patterns can generate localized heat as functional-mode thermal management systems may be inactive. A hardware-based architecture can integrate localized monitoring modules near potential thermal hotspots. A module can operate synchronously with test patterns to capture peak temperature values and their corresponding test pattern counts. The system may also include a mitigation circuit that compares real-time temperature against a configurable threshold and can throttle system clocks if the threshold is exceeded to reduce heat generation. This approach can provide thermal observability and control in a test environment, enabling the creation of thermal …

Ratcheting Hinge With User-Actuated Lock For Temple Arm Declination, Yaaseen Mahomed, Jon Hurwitz

Defensive Publications Series

Wearable electronic devices (e.g., smart glasses, augmented reality headsets, etc.) rigid frames may not accommodate diverse head geometries, as a fixed temple arm declination angle can lead to discomfort, instability, and optical misalignment. This disclosure describes a user-actuated hinge assembly for adjusting the declination angle of a temple arm. The assembly may comprise a pair of intermeshing geared components, one coupled to the device's main frame and the other to the temple arm. A user-operable, spring-biased clamping element can engage one of the geared components to lock the angular position. Actuating a control can disengage the clamp, permitting rotational adjustment …

Simulation Results Of Spaceborne Ssa Using A Comprehensive Passive Radar Model, Chinmay Gaikwad, Filipe Senra, Thomas Alan Lovell, Hao Peng, Berker Pekoz, Tianyu Yang

Publications

In this paper, a high-fidelity simulation framework is developed to assess the feasibility of tracking space debris using a large low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation equipped with onboard passive radar sensors. By exploiting illumination from a distributed network of ground-based transmitters, the constellation provides consistent line-of-sight access to debris objects at higher altitudes, enabling angles-only detection and tracking. This approach yields a scalable, automated, and cost-effective architecture for next-generation space surveillance and contributes to more resilient space traffic management. A complete angles-only passive-radar orbit-determination pipeline is introduced and demonstrated. Initial orbital states are generated using a rate-aware constrained admissible-region multiple-hypothesis …

The History Of Teaching Indonesian In The United States And Its Pedagogical Shift In The Late 20th Century, Eko Widianto, G.G. Weix, Michael Cullinane

Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement

The history of teaching Indonesian in the United States has received limited scholarly attention, despite the field's existence for over eighty years. This study traces its development and identifies three main phases. The first phase began during World War II, when Indonesian was taught primarily to meet military needs through a structural and drill-based approach. In the 1960s and 1970s, instruction was restructured to support academic research, with teaching materials and classroom practices aimed at developing reading skills and preparing students for fieldwork. From the late twentieth century onward, Indonesian programs increasingly adopted communicative approaches influenced by broader trends in …

Book Review: Lessons From History: The Courage To Lead: The Leadership Legacy Of Theodore Roosevelt And Why It Matters Today, Elizabeth Gingerich

The Journal of Values-Based Leadership

No abstract provided.

Business And Baseball Go Hand-In-Glove, Ritch Eich

The Journal of Values-Based Leadership

There are many parallels between baseball and the business world. From experience, we know that both institutions are particularly competitive and require highly skilled personnel, inspiring leaders, cohesive teamwork, and the ability to sustain success over time. But that is only part of their similarities.

The Power Of Choice: Transformative Moments In The Lives Of Biblical Heroes, Hershey H. Friedman, Linda Weiser Friedman

The Journal of Values-Based Leadership

This paper examines pivotal moments in the lives of key biblical figures and explores how these choices shaped both personal destinies and spiritual legacies. Biblical narratives depicting the lives of Adam, Noah, Joseph, Judah, Moses, Ruth, Boaz, David, Solomon, Zerubbabel, Esther, Mordechai, and Samson illustrate that these transcendent moments involve significant moral choices. We see that even revered figures can experience moral failings, and that some individuals can achieve greatness through singular acts of moral courage. These momentous decisions – whether acts of bravery, failures of judgment, vengeance versus reconciliation, worldly power versus spiritual calling, or moments of redemption—reveal profound …

The Receptive And Resilient Leader: Thriving In An Era Of Ai And Digital Disruption, Hershey H. Friedman, Nakato Hirakubo, Barbara Jo Lewis

The Journal of Values-Based Leadership

In an Age of Chaos, a term often used to describe the digital AI age, with its explosive growth of information and disruptive technology, businesses face unprecedented turbulence. This paper examines the essential leadership qualities required for success in this environment, arguing that traditional leadership, as seen in the decline of Kodak, Sears, and Blockbuster, struggles to adapt to rapid technological and market shifts. We identify several key competencies for leaders in the digital age: fostering agility, championing an ethical culture, pursuing purpose-driven goals, maintaining technological competency, and genuinely understanding diversity. Perhaps most crucial is receptive leadership, which embodies humility, …

Curiosity, Courage, And Complexity: Leadership Lessons From My Dad, Elizabeth A. Luckman

The Journal of Values-Based Leadership

Some of the most important leadership lessons don’t come from classrooms or boardrooms—they come from the people who coach us through life’s turning points. For me, that coach was my Dad. An engineer turned leadership coach, he taught me that curiosity, courage, and the ability to navigate complexity are the foundation of ethical leadership. In this editorial, I share three of his favorite phrases and the values they carry: get curious before reacting, be courageous by starting to experiment, and check your assumptions because sometimes the problem is your lens, not your limits. Along the way, I connect these lessons …

Winter/Spring 2026

The Journal of Values-Based Leadership

No abstract provided.

生成式语言模型在自动写作评估中的早期综述：自动作文评分与反馈 生成领域的进展、挑战及方向, Yue Huang, Corey Palermo, Ruitao Liu, Yong He

Chinese/English Journal of Educational Measurement and Evaluation | 教育测量与评估双语期刊

自动写作评估（AWE）长期以来在写作测评与教学中发挥着重要作用，但现有系统在捕捉学生写作中更深层次的修辞结构与教学相关特征方面仍存在不足。近年来，生成式语言模型（GLM）如 GPT 和 Llama 的快速发展为 AWE带来新机遇，但其效能尚未得到充分验证。本综述综合了 29 项关于自动作文评分的研究和 14 项关于自动写作反馈生成的研究，系统探讨了 GLM 在提示工程、微调与适应性策略中的应用。研究表明，GLM 在模拟人类评分与生成符合评分标准的反馈方面展现出潜力，但公平性、效度与伦理等关键问题仍亟待解决。GLM 有望显著提升 AWE 系统的表现，但前提是未来研究需建构稳健的评估框架与保障机制，以确保其在教育实践中负责任、公平地应用。

A Treasure Hunt: The Interdisciplinary Challenge Of A Digital Humanities Hackathon, Marie Barras, Adélaïde Quenson, Adrien Jeanrenaud, Angela Allemand, Marina Berazategui, Levyn Bürki, Michel Capot, Simon Gabay, Vestin Hategekimana, Pauline Jacsont, Bokar Lamine N'Diaye, Elina Leblanc, Clara May, Anne-Laure Oberson, Margherita Parigini, Lara Pitteloud, Fassaleh Taal, Cédric Viaccoz

Artl@s Bulletin

Abstract: This article tells the story of an interdisciplinary hackathon emphasizing exploration, collaboration, and creative engagement with globalization-related cultural datasets. Participants worked in teams to produce research posters, which were then presented at the opening of the international conference Image Deluge & Globalization in Geneva. The article discusses three projects: one on 19th-century Spanish chapbooks using topic modeling and network analysis; another on leopard motifs in print imagery; and a third on olfactory heritage. The hackathon highlighted both the potential and the limitations of working with digital cultural data, offering insights into interdisciplinary methods.

Résumé: Cet article raconte un hackathon …

Mapping The Multifarious Image In Time Of Globalization, Anne-Laure Oberson

Artl@s Bulletin

Abstract: In this paper, I examine the evolving concept of the image, exploring the philosophical implications of its complex, multifaceted nature. I question the value of terms such as icon, simulacrum, and image in reference to Gilles Deleuze’s text Difference and Repetition. I argue for a pluralistic approach to understanding images as they embody more than a duality of visible-invisible dimensions. I seek to capture the multifariousness of the image to understand its transformative power. In conclusion, the paper suggests reevaluating image discourse to better engage with the evolution of its implications in a global context.

Résumé: Dans cet …

A Deluge Of Sea Images: Maritime Art And Temporal Crisis, Jonathan Stafford

Artl@s Bulletin

Abstract: We are today inundated with images of the sea, with maritime representations of global trade, the refugee crisis, and climate collapse featuring prominently in both journalistic and artistic image worlds alike. These seascapes seem to be possessed of a certain timeliness, speaking to the idiosyncratically temporal nature of our contemporary crisis. This article seeks to historicise the contemporary deluge of maritime imagery, drawing out its connections with the proliferation of the sea image in earlier representational regimes.

Résumé: Nous sommes aujourd’hui inondés d’images de la mer, les représentations maritimes du commerce mondial, de la crise des réfugiés et du …

Brute Force Branding: Variations & Repetitions Of The Almighty Dollar Banknote, Rui-Long Monico

Artl@s Bulletin

Abstract: This paper examines the U.S. dollar as a global brand and mythic icon, revealing how its stable aesthetic asserts dominance and infiltrates daily life. Through visual analysis and global comparison, it shows how banknotes are battlegrounds where art, identity, and geopolitics collide—currency as a weapon of soft power and cultural hegemony. The dollar’s visual inertia—ritualized, repeated, reappropriated—cements its supremacy as a symbolic force, where repetition enforces authority and variation sparks both resistance and conformity. Banknotes emerge as tools of statecraft and vessels of collective memory, as reflected in the author’s bespoke creation accompanying this study.

Résumé: Cet article analyse …

Image Circulations And Economic Imagination: Framing The Peruvian And Chilean Peripheries At The End Of The 19th Century, Alexandre Puche

Artl@s Bulletin

Abstract: This study explores two cases of photographic circulation between Peru, Chile and France in the late nineteenth century to show how images contributed to the requalification of the region within global commercial geography. It also proposes a historical methodology that considers visual repetition as a traceable product of transnational circulation. This approach sheds light on both certain mechanisms behind Atlantic propaganda regarding South America’s economic potential and the structuring role such circulations played in shaping regional representations.

Résumé: Cette étude examine deux cas de circulations photographiques entre le Pérou, le Chili et la France à la fin du XIXe …

What Does "Registers" Mean? The Wrong Interpretation Could Allow Cybersquatters To Escape Liability, Kiley Carey

Akron Law Review

No abstract provided.

Legendary Houses: Trademarks, Transformation, And Ballroom Culture, Elizabeth L. Rosenblatt

Akron Law Review

No abstract provided.

Ai Pirated My Art And Birthed Infringing Works, And Other Metaphors That Confound Copyright Law, Michael D. Murray

Akron Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Unscripting Of Broadcasting In Postwar Ireland, Eileen Morgan-Zayachek

Irish Communication Review

This article builds on existing histories of Irish broadcasting by examining the contexts and implementation of postwar reforms initiated by Fianna Fáil politician, Erskine Hamilton Childers. The lifting of script submission requirements and promotion of open debate extended Childers’ efforts to modernize Ireland’s infrastructure and promote civic engagement. Childers viewed Irish radio as a platform for cultivating critical thinking, public debate, and understanding of state institutions—assets he believed Irish citizens needed to compete in the global economy. The article reviews the repressive practices of the early broadcasting service that sought to avoid all controversial content. It also traces a throughline …

Crystal Sets And Listening-In: Radio In Ireland Before 2rn, Stephanie Rains

Irish Communication Review

When 2RN began broadcasting from its studios on Henry Street in Dublin on 1 January 1926, it became the first radio station in the Free State. However, it was very far from being the start of radio on the island of Ireland, as there was already a community of amateur operators and engineers conducting technical experiments. This article explores the radio landscape in Ireland which 2RN joined and transformed. The early enthusiasts often not very concerned with programming or with most of radio’s possibilities as a form of entertainment, but did have a very international perspective on the medium’s possibilities. …