Digital Commons Network^™

Investigating The Mechanisms By Which Gut Microbiome Dysbiosis Contributes To The Autoimmune Response In Multiple Sclerosis, Abigail Houtrouw

Honors Theses

This literature review explores the multifaceted relationship between gut microbiome (GM) dysbiosis and multiple sclerosis (MS), highlighting key themes that advance understanding of disease pathogenesis and therapeutic potential for treatments targeting the gut. The review underscores the immune system dysregulation in MS, emphasizing the roles of T cells, B cells, and microglia in neuroinflammation and demyelination. Historically, MS pathogenesis was thought to be driven mainly by T-cell dysregulation, but current research highlights the additional roles of B-cells and microglia, the resident immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS). Additionally, this literature review identifies GM alterations and dysbiosis as critical …

Excessive Data Collection In An Ecosystem As An Exploitative And Exclusionary Abuse: A Critical Analysis Of The Cci’S Order Against Whatsapp’S Privacy Policy And Its Impact On The Digital Advertising Market, Reuben Philip Abraham Mr.

Yearbook of Antitrust and Regulatory Studies

The interface between privacy and competition law has been a complicated topic in the past decade. The Facebook case by the German competition authority, the Bundeskartellamt (BK) was the first landmark case to investigate an exploitative abuse in this interface. The WhatsApp’s 2021 privacy policy update prompted the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to initiate a suo moto investigation against WhatsApp/Meta regarding the anti-competitive effects of imposing a ‘take-it or leave-it’ agreement on consumers.

In the WhatsApp case, the CCI has pushed the boundaries further in this interface by investigating exclusionary abuses regarding excessive data collection in an ecosystem. This …

Undergraduate Stem Student Reflections On The Academic Support Ecosystem At A Rural Minority Serving Institution: The Importance Of Relationship, Stephany Runninghawk Johnson, Jessica L. Black, Karolynn Tom

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

This paper presents a research project with a group of STEM majoring undergraduates attending a Hispanic Serving Institution participating in the CRESCENT program intended to support undergraduates through their basic math and science courses. The research questions addressed in this paper include: What part of CRESCENT were students utilizing the most and how were they helpful? How did CRESCENT support students through COVID? What can we learn from this data to make future programs more responsive and relevant to STEM majoring students? We found that during COVID students were missing in person contact, had heightened responsibilities and distractions at home, …

Spartan Daily, December 2, 2025, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2025

Volume 165, Issue 40

Addressing The Ethnic Achievement Gap Through Culturally Relevant Teaching, Arienne Bowman

Masters Projects

Schools are meant to provide all students with equal opportunities to achieve academic success in the classroom yet as the student bodies of American schools becomes increasingly diverse, students of color are achieving academic success at lower rates than their peers. This in part may be due to the growing cultural disparity between teachers and students as the majority of teachers are white. By implementing culturally relevant teaching (CRT) teachers will be more prepared to address this cultural disparity and better equipped to create classroom spaces and lessons that better meet the needs of a diverse body of learners. CRT …

Involvement Of A Tick-Borne Orthomyxovirus Matrix Protein In Vrnp Nuclear Export, Vaille A. Swenson, Jack Hemsath, Iris Yousaf, Carla Weisend, Michael A. Barry, Hideki Ebihara, Satoko Yamaoka

Student Publications

Thogotoviruses are arthropod-borne viruses belonging to the genus Thogotovirus within the family Orthomyxoviridae. Like other orthomyxoviruses, such as the influenza A viruses (IAV), thogotoviruses replicate in the nucleus. As a result, progeny viral ribonucleoprotein complexes (vRNPs) must be exported to the cytoplasm prior to virion assembly and budding at the plasma membrane. In IAV, this export depends on binding of the viral nuclear export protein (NEP) to the cellular exportin chromosomal maintenance 1 (CRM1). In contrast, the mechanism of vRNP nuclear export, including identification of a protein with NEP functionality, has not been characterized for any thogotoviruses. Here, we …

Public Priorities For The Post-War Reconstruction Of Ukraine’S Energy Sector., Olena Savchenko, Vasyl Zhelykh, Khrystyna Kozak, Omar Al-Hafith, Joao Alencastro, Olugbenga Oladinrin, Ademola Adebayo Akinbami

School of Art, Design and Architecture

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has resulted in the large-scale destruction of many cities across the country. Although the war has not yet ended, there will come a time when the conflict concludes, and reconstruction efforts will begin. Global experiences show that the first step in preparing for post-war reconstruction is to assess the level of destruction. Additionally, it is essential to understand people’s needs and priorities. Otherwise, reconstruction activities may fail to address the existing challenges and actual needs of local communities. This study aims to explore post-war reconstruction priorities of Ukrainians, with special focus on the energy sector …

Contests With Ambiguous Prizes, Cary Deck, Aidan Hathaway, Emma Kate Henry, Tigran Melkonyan, Samuel Redinger

ESI Working Papers

This paper examines behavior in contests where the prize value is ambiguous. We develop a theoretical model of bidding in a Tullock contest with an ambiguous prize where contestants account for the ambiguity attitude of their rival. Ambiguity affects optimal behavior via two countervailing channels - a direct effect arising from contestants’ ambiguity about the value of the prize and an indirect effect corresponding to the effect of ambiguity on the opponent’s behavior. Using a controlled laboratory experiment, we elicit individual risk and ambiguity attitudes and compare predicted and observed behavior in contests with an ambiguous prize, a risky prize …

Single Compost Application Benefits For Organic Dryland Wheat Production, Shikha Sharma, Matt Yost, Earl Creech, Jennifer R. Reeve, Astrid R. Jacobson, Idowu Ademola Atoloye

All Current Publications

This research highlights the long-term value of compost in dryland wheat systems, where water scarcity and declining soil fertility limit productivity. A single, high-rate compost application (22 tons per acre) can improve soil moisture content, organic carbon content, aggregate stability, and microbial activity. All these benefits contributed to higher and more stable wheat yields, even more than two decades after application. These changes help to make the compost-treated wheat more resilient during dry years. While composting incurs a high upfront cost, its long-term benefits can significantly reduce the need for repeated fertilizer or soil amendments, offering cost and labor savings …

The Impact Of Infrastructure Construction And Remodeling Of Cities On Its People' Quality Of Life Miraj District-(Madi-Cairo) As A Geological Heritage Area, Ahmed M.E. Hammad

Mansoura Engineering Journal

Rapid urbanization is increasing globally, the urbanization rate expected to rise to more than 66% by 2050. (According to UN estimates) the increasing rates of urbanization in the world means adding 2.5 billion people to the urban population within a short period. Which necessitates increasing the traffic axes and the rest of the networks in terms of lengths and widths within the existing cities, and with the presence of the population during these works - despite their inevitability - the quality of their urban life is affected socially, naturally and economically. the research monitors these effects and the extent of …

Examining The Relationship Between School Location, Neighborhood Resources And Advancement Courses Offerings, Eudarius Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

This study addresses a critical gap in educational equity research by examining how neighborhood-level factors intersect to shape access to rigorous academic programming, a key gateway to postsecondary success. Integrating geospatial visualization and hierarchical linear modeling within a critical geography framework, the study investigates how structural inequalities—rooted in race, poverty, and place—influence advanced course-taking opportunities across the Memphis metropolitan region. Data sources included the U.S. Department of Education’s Common Core of Data (CCD) for district-level enrollment and school type, the U.S. Census and American Community Survey (ACS) for demographic and socioeconomic indicators, and the National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS) …

Longitudinal Pharmacokinetic And Safety Studies Of An Antibody-Erythropoietin Fusion Protein For Alzheimer's Disease, Rudy Chang, Devaraj Venkatapura Chandrashekar, G. Chuli Roules, Nataraj Jagadeesan, Emi Iwasaki, Adenike Oyegbesan, Hayk Davtyan, Rachita K. Sumbria

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Erythropoietin (EPO) shows promise for Alzheimer's disease (AD) but has poor brain penetration, necessitating high doses that cause hematopoietic side effects. To improve brain delivery, EPO was fused to a transferrin receptor monoclonal antibody (TfRMAb), and this study evaluated the pharmacokinetics (PK), safety, and efficacy of repeated TfRMAb-EPO dosing in mice to further its preclinical development. C57BL/6J male mice (10 weeks old, n = 4–5/dose) received subcutaneous (SQ) low (1 mg/kg), mid (3 and 6 mg/kg), or high (20 mg/kg) TfRMAb-EPO doses for 4 weeks. The 1 mg/kg dose showed no adverse effects and resulted in sustained brain and plasma …

Patient And Procedural Factors Associated With Same-Day Discharge Following Pulsed Field Ablation For Atrial Fibrillation: Insights From The Disrupt-Af Registry., Amin Al-Ahmad, Jose Osorio, John Day, Jeremiah Wasserlauf, Devi Nair, Robert Eckart, Dwayne Campbell, Jonathan Dukes, Frank Cuoco, John Costello, Jason Zagrodzky, David Kessler, Gustavo Morales, Anil Rajendra, Saumil Oza, Amr Barakat, Anthony Magnano, Anish Amin, Joshua Silverstein, Amit Thosani, Susan M Bezenek, Paul Zei, Chang Dai, Andrea Natale, Rodney Horton

OhioHealth Research Institute Articles

BACKGROUND: Same-day discharge (SDD) after catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) may improve patient satisfaction and optimize healthcare resources. Pulsed field ablation (PFA) offers a favorable safety profile, potentially enabling broader adoption of SDD strategies.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate site-level practice patterns and participant- and procedure-related factors associated with SDD after de novo PFA for AF.

METHODS: We analyzed data from participants in the DISRUPT-AF registry, a prospective, multicenter study evaluating ablation acute outcomes with a pentaspline PFA catheter. We examined participant and procedure characteristics associated with both SDD planning and success.

RESULTS: SDD was preplanned for 81% (1203) of all …

Extensions Of Weighted Integral Inequalities For Ga-Convex Functions In Connection With Fejér’S Result, Muhammad Amer Latif

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Inhibition Of Clostridioides Difficile-Specific Dna Adenine Methyltransferase Cama By Analogs Of S‑Adenosyl‑L‑Methionine, Jujun Zhou, Youchao Deng, Dan Yu, Taraneh Hajian, Masoud Vedadi, Robert M Blumenthal, Xiaodong Cheng

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Epigenetically targeted therapies, especially those inhibiting S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM)-dependent methylations of DNA, mRNA, and histones, have advanced rapidly in cancer treatment. However, these therapies remain underexplored for antibiotic development, despite the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance. Here, we screened a focused library of SAM analogs against the DNA adenine methyltransferase CamA specific to the enteric pathogen Clostridioides difficile. At the same time, we examined six other adenine methyltransferases, including two bacterial DNA methyltransferases and four human RNA methyltransferases having distinct RNA substrates. Compound 113 selectively inhibited CamA (IC50 = 0.15 μM). In addition, compound 67 inhibited Caulobacter crescentus CcrM …

Individualized Perioperative Blood Pressure Management In Patients Undergoing Major Abdominal Surgery: The Improve-Multi Randomized Clinical Trial, Joseph Esser, Alina Bergholz, Moritz Flick, Alina Kröker, Dominik X Müller, Kristen K Thomsen, Christina Vokuhl, Mirja Wegge, Sebastian Bratke, Martin Graeßner, Bettina Jungwirth, Sebastian Schmid, Carla D Grundmann, Jan M Wischermann, Patrick Kellner, Moritz Steinhaus, Linda Grüßer, Sina M Coldewey, Kai Zacharowski, Patrick Meybohm, Marit Habicher, Alexander Zarbock, Amelie Zitzmann, Svenja Letz, Claudia Neumann, Jan Larmann, Thomas Renné, Linda Krause, Eik Vettorazzi, Antonia Zapf, Annemarie Carlstedt, Daniel I Sessler, Karim Kouz

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Importance: Intraoperative hypotension is associated with organ injury. However, it remains unknown if targeted blood pressure management during surgery can improve clinical outcomes.

Objective: To evaluate whether individualized vs routine perioperative blood pressure management during major abdominal surgery improves clinical outcomes in patients considered at high risk of postoperative complications.

Design, setting, and participants: This randomized single-blind clinical trial enrolled patients 45 years or older undergoing elective major abdominal surgery with general anesthesia expected to last 90 minutes or longer who had at least 1 additional high-risk criterion between February 26, 2023, and April 25, 2024, at 15 German university …

Early Life And Post-Traumatic Growth Among Urban African Americans, J. Howard Streeter Iii

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Post-traumatic growth (PTG) has received increasing attention in psychological research, yet the PTG experiences of African Americans remain underexplored. Trauma researchers have established the common prevalence of trauma within this population, but there have been very few studies on how African Americans traverse trauma according to PTG. Understanding PTG in this population is essential for clergy, coaches, parents, counselors, and others who work in these communities. The purpose of this quantitative survey study was to determine whether there was a statistically significant relationship between rumination, religious orientation, religious commitment, and stressful life events (SLEs) and PTG among urban African American …

Internal Control Strategies To Reduce Occupational Fraud In Small Business, Karen Walauskas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small businesses can be at a heightened risk of occupational fraud if their internal control strategies are not effective. This risk is a major concern for small business owners, who might face financial and operational challenges as a result. Grounded in Cressey’s fraud triangle framework, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore effective internal control strategies to reduce the risk of occupational fraud from occurring. Participants were six small business owners in New England who had developed effective internal controls. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and employee handbooks. Through thematic analysis, four themes emerged, including …

Access To Care Barriers To Sacral Neuromodulation Implantation In Adults With Overactive Bladder From Georgia, Tamara Lynn Wojciechowski

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sacral neuromodulation (SNM) is a safe and physically well-tolerated third-line treatment using an implantable device for the management of overactive bladder syndrome (OAB). Other first- and second-line treatments for OAB are frequently ineffective and often poorly tolerated. SNM implantation appears to be underutilized compared to other third-line treatments even though SNM has been rated more effective in OAB symptom mitigation with fewer side effects. Thus, the purpose of this quantitative correlational cross-sectional study was to explore whether health services factors are barriers to utilizing SNM implantation as the third-line treatment for OAB in adults. Andersen’s behavioral model of health services …

Second- Generation Korean American Adults’ Parenting Styles: The Role Of Acculturation And Enculturation, Teri Lynn Ku'ulei Kim

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This quantitative survey study explored whether acculturation and enculturation predicted parenting styles among second-generation Korean American adults. The study was guided by Berry’s acculturation theory, Kim’s enculturation theory, and Baumrind’s parenting typology. Two research questions were addressed: (a) whether acculturation level predicted parenting style when controlling for parent age, gender, and number of children, and (b) whether enculturation level predicted parenting style when controlling for the same demographic variables. Emails and flyers were used to recruit participants from various Korean American groups on social media. A total of 146 Korean American parents completed anonymous online questionnaires about acculturation, enculturation, and …

Strategies Property Management Leaders Use To Strengthen Employee Engagement In The Workplace, Angela Hartleigh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Lack of employee engagement presents a significant risk and cost across the property management industry. Property management business leaders are concerned with this challenge because employee engagement directly affects performance efficiency and employee turnover costs. Grounded in the self-determination theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to explore strategies property management leaders use to strengthen employee engagement in the workplace. The participants were six purposefully selected property management business leaders in the United States. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and a review of public industry documents. Through thematic analysis, six themes were identified: (a) communication, (b) mentorship, …

Digital Health Literacy And Health Information-Seeking Behavior Among Black Mothers With Hypertensive Disorders During The Perinatal Period, Robyn Ford Kebede

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore how Black mothers navigated digital health platforms during the perinatal period while managing hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDPs). Guided by the social ecological model and the transactional model of eHealth literacy, the study examined how individual, interpersonal, and structural factors influenced digital health engagement and decision-making. Guiding questions focused on how mothers perceived the credibility and trustworthiness of online health information, how healthcare providers shaped and influenced digital health literacy and information-seeking behaviors, and how community and family support affected digital engagement. Data were collected through semi structured interviews …

The Triangular Interaction Between Dietary Polyphenols, Gut Microbiota, And Metabolic Syndrome, Emily Bayliss

Senior Honors Theses

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a growing global health concern characterized by peripheral insulin resistance as well as impaired insulin secretion from pancreatic β-cells. Emerging evidence suggests that the gut microbiome, specifically gut dysbiosis, an imbalance in the gut microbiome, is a critical modulator of the pathophysiology of T2DM. Dietary polyphenols, a diverse group of bioactive compounds that are abundant in plant-based foods, have recently gained attention for their potential to attenuate metabolic disorders through their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties as well as through modulating the composition and activity of gut microbes, thereby attenuating dysbiosis. However, the diabetic state …

Patient-Reported Experience Measures For Person-Centred Care: A Survey For The Development And Psychometric Testing Of A Targeted Measure, The Epcc-14, Ryan Statton, Lena Rosenlund, James Close, Anna Dencker, Helen Lloyd

School of Psychology

Objectives This study aims to develop a robust, targeted measure of patient experiences of person-centred care (PCC), informed by the lived experiences of patients with chronic illness using the psychometric theory of Rasch measurement. Design The Rasch measurement model was used to analyse the psychometric functioning of 57 candidate items and select appropriate items for a targeted measure. Setting Participants were recruited from Prolific.com, having experience of both chronic or long-term illness and first-hand experience of primary or secondary care in the UK healthcare setting and completed a survey containing PCC items and descriptors of healthcare experience. Participants Data from …

Global, Regional, And National Burden Of Cardiovascular Diseases And Risk Factors In 204 Countries And Territories, 1990-2023, Global Burden Of Cardiovascular Diseases And Risks 2023 Collaborators, Benjamin A. Stark, Nicole K. Decleene, Emily C. Desai, Johnathan M. Hsu, Catherine O. Johnson, Laura Lara-Castor, Kate E. Legrand, Prof Bhoomadevi A, Mohammad Amin Aalipour, Hasan Aalruz, Bedru J. Abafita, Ukachukwu O. Abaraogu, Mohammad Abavisani, Nasir Abbas, Madineh Abbasi, Mohammadreza Abbasian, Hedayat Abbastabar, Abdallah H.A. Abd Al Magied, Samar Abd Elhafeez, Prof Ahmed Abdelalim, Omar M. Abdelfattah, Prof Reda Abdel-Hameed, Mahmoud Abdelnabi, Prof Wael M Abdel-Rahman, Parsa Abdi, Wakgari Mosisa Abdisa, Daba Abdissa, Arman Abdous, Mujahid Abdullah

Peninsula Medical School

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of mortality and are among the foremost causes of disability globally. CVD burden has continued to increase in most countries since 1990, with trends driven by changing exposures to harmful risk factors, population growth, and population aging. Objectives: We report estimates of global, national, and subnational CVD burden, including 18 subdiseases and 12 associated modifiable risk factors. We analyzed change in CVD burden from 1990 to 2023 and identified drivers of change including population growth, population aging, and risk factor exposure. Methods: The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 study, a multinational …

Talking Sudep: Gaps, Confidence And Training Needs Among Spanish Epilepsy Professionals, Rohit Shankar

Peninsula Medical School

Objective: Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) is a major cause of epilepsy-related mortality, yetdiscussions about SUDEP in clinical settings remain inconsistent. This study aimed to assess the perspectives,practices, and barriers related to SUDEP counselling for epilepsy professionals in Spain.Methods: A cross-sectional online survey of 17 Likert style questions was disseminated via the Spanish EpilepsySociety between September 2023 and February 2024 to epilepsy professionals in Spain using a nondiscriminatory exponential snowballing technique leading to non-probability sampling. The survey was a validated instrument previously employed in similar international studies. Questions revolved around SUDEPcommunication and counselling. Descriptive and comparative analyses were conducted.Results: …

Readability Analysis Of Aaos And Assh Shoulder And Elbow Patient Education Online Content: A 9-Year Follow-Up Study, Connor Parry, Teresa Veselack, Matthew Doscher, Bryan G. Beutel

Student Publications

Given the progressive spread of medical misinformation, access to understandable educational content from trusted sources has become increasingly more crucial for patients. Online patient education materials, particularly from specialty organizations, have been criticized for being too complex for the average reader. It is advised that this information be at or below the 6^th-grade reading level. This study is a 9-year follow-up to an analysis conducted in 2013 which evaluated the overall readability of educational articles from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) and American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) websites related to shoulder and elbow …

Justice After War: Jus Post Bellum And The Ethics Of Peace: A Review, Lubomir Martin Ondrasek

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

A review of David Chiwon Kwon Justice after War: Jus Post Bellum and the Ethics of Peace. Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 2023. xviii+294 pages. $29.95 (paperback). ISBN 978-0-8

The Role Of Religion In Ensuring National Security In Kazakhstan, Nurzhan Arystanbekuly Tursin Nur, Mukhan Issakhan, Shamshadin Kerim, Kovalev Dmitriy, Kalimash Begalinova

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This article explores the foundations of state policy aimed at ensuring religious stability in Kazakhstan. It analyzes the scientific basis of religious studies, principles of tolerance toward the country’s traditional religions, and the role of religion in maintaining national security. The methodology, goals, and objectives of the study are shaped by the interdisciplinary nature of the subject. The research examines state and interfaith relations, the development of freedom of religion, its integration into domestic and international law, and ways of resolving legal contradictions, traditions, and stereotypes. The theoretical framework relies on the works of domestic and foreign scholars devoted to …

Adventism In The Ukrainian Ssr During The Post-War Period (1946–1952): Structure, Activities, And Relations With The Authorities (A Case Study Of Vinnytsia Region)., Anatoliy A. Voynarovskiy Skiy

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article contributes to the study of Adventism as a Protestant movement and examines its structure, activities, and interactions with Soviet authorities in the Ukrainian SSR during the post-war period (1946–1952). Particular attention is paid to the organizational characteristics and functioning of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (hereinafter SDA), which, among Ukrainian SSR regions, had the largest number of adherents in Vinnytsia region. In the present-day context of Ukraine’s fight for sovereignty, formation of the national church, and protection of religious freedoms for all citizens, particular attention should be paid to understanding the role of religious institutions in the development of …