Digital Commons Network^™

Legal Issues Arising From The Military Use Of Ai-Supported Biometrics, Marten Zwanenburg

International Law Studies

Biometrics is increasingly used by armed forces for a variety of purposes, such as access control, the registration of detainees, and increasingly also targeting. The capabilities of biometric systems are considerably strengthened when they are enabled by artificial intelligence (AI). This article analyzes legal questions that are raised by the military use of such AI-supported biometrics. It argues that relevant legal frameworks are International Humanitarian Law, international human rights law, and the right to privacy in particular, as well as data protection law. The article finds that arguably, IHL may require the use of (AI-supported) biometrics in certain situations if …

Acl Injuries In Major League Soccer: A 10-Year Analysis Of Injury Rate And Return To Play, And Performance Metrics By Player Position, Brian Forsythe, Catherine Hand, Camden Bohn, Francis Hand, Vahram Gamsarian, Daanish Khazi-Syed, Joshua Chang, Vikranth Mirle, Eric Giza, Robert Brophy, Danyal Nawabi, Bert Mandelbaum

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are among the most debilitating injuries in professional soccer, often leading to extended recovery times and performance impacts. While much is known about ACL injury outcomes in European leagues, data specific to the Major League Soccer (MLS) remains limited.

PURPOSE/HYPOTHESIS: This study aimed to assess the return to play (RTP) times, RTP rates, and performance outcomes after ACL reconstruction in MLS athletes. It was hypothesized that RTP times would improve over the study period and that player performance would stabilize by the third post-injury season, consistent with findings from other professional soccer leagues.

STUDY …

Implementation Of Single-Pill Combination Medication For Hypertension Treatment By Nonphysician Health Care Workers At Primary Healthcare Facilities In Nigeria: An Explanatory Mixed Methods Study, Emmanuel I Okpetu, Chisom Obiezu-Umeh, Boni M Ale, Abigail S Baldridge, Rosemary C B Okoli, Grace J Shedul, Gabriel L Shedul, Nanna R Ripiye, Ikechukwu A Orji, Lisa R Hirschhorn, Dike B Ojji, Mark D Huffman, Hypertension Treatment In Nigeria Program Investigators

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Single-pill combination (SPC) therapy improves hypertension control; however, its implementation in primary care settings remains limited. In Nigeria, there is insufficient evidence on factors influencing SPC uptake, particularly from the perspective of healthcare workers (HCWs). This study examined the implementation of SPC medications for hypertension treatment by nonphysician HCWs at primary healthcare facilities (PHCs) in Nigeria.

METHODS: An explanatory sequential mixed methods study was conducted, building on a cluster randomized controlled trial embedded within the Hypertension Treatment in Nigeria Program. The trial compared SPC medications with free-equivalent combination therapies across 60 PHCs (January-June 2021). A subsequent qualitative component (September-December …

Current Controversies On Adequate Circulating Vitamin D Levels In Ckd, Adriana S Dusso, Daniela J Porta, Carlos Bernal-Mizrachi

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Management of secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) in chronic kidney disease (CKD) has evolved dramatically over the past five decades, driven by discoveries that have fundamentally reshaped our understanding of the vitamin D endocrine system and its role in disease progression. This review synthesizes the key pathophysiological insights and clinical evidence underlying three critical paradigm shifts. The first shift moved beyond simple calcitriol replacement with the development of selective vitamin D receptor activators (VDRAs) designed to minimize hypercalcemia while maximizing PTH suppression. Crucially, these analogs revealed unexpected survival benefits, suggesting protective VDR actions extending beyond mineral metabolism. The second shift recognized the …

Enteric Nervous System Degeneration In Human And Murine Cln3 Disease, Is Ameliorated By Gene Therapy In Mice, Ewa A Ziółkowska, Letitia L Williams, Matthew J Jansen, Sophie H Wang, Elizabeth M Eultgen, Jaiprakash Sharma, Marco Sardiello, Rebecca P Bradley, Ineka T Whiteman, Mark S Sands, Robert O Heuckeroth, Jonathan D Cooper

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Severe gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms occur in people with CLN3 disease, a neurodegenerative disorder. If left untreated these GI symptoms compromise life quality and may contribute to death. We hypothesized GI symptoms in CLN3 disease are at least partially due to neurodegeneration in the enteric nervous system (ENS), the master regulator of bowel function. We examined the integrity of the ENS in human CLN3 autopsy small bowel and colon, and in CLN3 deficient (Cln3Δex7/8) mice. We performed detailed immunohistological analyses of enteric neurons and glia and assessed bowel transit times at multiple disease stages. We then tested the therapeutic potential of …

Discovery Of Small Molecules And A Druggable Groove That Regulate Dna Binding And Release Of The Ap-1 Transcription Factor Δfosb, Sean Mcneme, Yun Young Yim, Ashwani Kumar, Yi Li, Brandon Hughes, Corey Peyton St Romain, Galina Aglyamova, Jianping Chen, Nghi D Nguyen, Shanghua Fan, Gabriel S Stephens, Wen-Ning Zhao, Samantha Kruzshak, Molly Estill, Corrine Brener, Solange Tofani, Anil Kumar, Earnest P Chen, Nadeen Takatka, Alfred J Robison, Haiying Chen, Reid T Powell, Stephen J Haggarty, Clifford Stephan, Eric J Nestler, Jeannie Chin, Mischa Machius, Jia Zhou, Gabby Rudenko

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

ΔFOSB, a member of the AP-1 family of transcription factors, mediates long-term neuroadaptations underlying drug addiction, seizure-related cognitive decline, dyskinesias, and several other chronic conditions. AP-1 transcription factors are notoriously difficult to modulate pharmacologically due to the absence of well-defined binding pockets. Here, we identify a novel site on ΔFOSB, located outside the DNA-binding cleft, that accommodates small molecules. We show that sulfonic acid-containing compounds bind to this site via an induced-fit mechanism, reorienting side chains critical for DNA binding, and that they may hinder the ΔFOSB bZIP α-helix from binding to the major groove of DNA. In vivo, direct …

Multiple Sclerosis: An Ethnically Diverse Disease With Worldwide Equity Challenges Accessing Care, Victor M Rivera

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects approximately 2.9 million people in the world, exerting a significant economic and societal burden. The disease is increasingly identified among populations considered as uncommonly affected. MS is reported in all regions of the World Health Organization (WHO) member states in Africa, the Americas, South-East Asia, Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Western Pacific, affecting all ethnicities while exhibiting substantially variable prevalences. Countries with high MS prevalence and some with moderate frequencies generally have economically better structured healthcare systems. Nevertheless, health disparities in these countries are accentuated by suboptimal accessibility of care for their minorities, immigrants and …

Clair3-Rna: A Deep Learning-Based Small Variant Caller For Long-Read Rna Sequencing Data, Zhenxian Zheng, Xian Yu, Lei Chen, Yan-Lam Lee, Cheng Xin, Angel On Ki Wong, Miten Jain, Rupesh K Kesharwani, Fritz J Sedlazeck, Ruibang Luo

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Variant calling with long-read RNA sequencing (lrRNA-seq) helps to analyze full-length isoforms and gene expression but is complicated by high error rates, transcript diversity, RNA editing events, etc. Here, we propose Clair3-RNA, the first deep learning-based variant caller tailored for lrRNA-seq data. Building upon Clair series' pipelines, Clair3-RNA enhances lrRNA-seq variant calling using optimized techniques, such as uneven coverage normalization, refined training data, editing site discovery, and haplotype phasing to enhance performance. Clair3-RNA supports various platforms, including PacBio, ONT complementary DNA sequencing (cDNA), and ONT direct RNA sequencing (dRNA). Clair3-RNA achieved a ~ 91% SNP F1-score on the ONT platform …

Enhancing Wind Turbine Aerodynamics With Flow Controller: A Review, Oluwaseyi O. Alabi, Adewale R. Inaolaji, Monsuru O. Mufutau

Al-Bahir

Wind turbines are vital to global renewable energy strategies, yet their aerodynamic performance often falls short of optimal levels, limiting overall efficiency and increasing operational loads. Flow controllers, devices designed to manipulate airflow around turbine blades, have emerged as a promising means of enhancing power capture while mitigating fatigue and structural stresses. This review presents a comprehensive synthesis of current research on aerodynamic optimization using flow controllers, covering both conventional and emerging technologies such as vortex generators, Gurney flaps, microtabs, and plasma actuators. The review evaluates the aerodynamic principles behind these devices, their reported performance improvements in laboratory and field …

Salicylic Acid Heterocyclic Derivatives: Chemical Synthesis And Biological Activity, Rawaa Hefdi Zaooli, Marwa Abdulameer Mseer, Amneen Mohammed Alsayegh

Al-Bahir

Before a drug can be widely used, it must go through a long development process, starting from the discovery of the active ingredient and continuing with tests to confirm its safety and effectiveness. In this study, new olsalazine derivatives were synthesized, containing a fused morpholine-3-one ring and two five-membered heterocyclic rings (thiadiazole and oxadiazole). Common and readily available materials, such as salicylic acid (to prepare 2-hydroxy-5-nitrobenzoic acid) and inexpensive catalysts, were used to synthesize compounds from the first, 5,5'-(diazene-1,2-diyl)bis(2-hydroxy-3-nitrobenzoic acid) (A1), to the seventh, 6,6'-(diazene-1,2-diyl)bis(N-(4-(5-amino-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)phenyl)-3-oxo-3,4-dihydro-2H-benzo[b][1,4]oxazine-8-carboxamide) (A7).

Each compound was characterized by FT-IR and ¹H-NMR spectroscopy, along with physical properties such …

Gated Multi-Source Forcing For Auto-Regressive Sequence Generation, Victor Carbune, Florian Hartmann

Defensive Publications Series

In decentralized machine learning environments, a local model's auto-regressive sequence generation may have performance limitations compared to a larger, centralized model, as it could lack a mechanism to leverage external knowledge during inference. A gated, multi-source forcing mechanism can dynamically evaluate a local model's uncertainty during the generation process, for example, by calculating prediction entropy. If uncertainty exceeds a configurable threshold, a token may be retrieved from an external teacher source, such as a remote centralized model or an on-device data corpus. This retrieved token can then be injected into the local model's decoding stream to guide its subsequent generation. …

Parallel Speculative Reasoning With Variable Budgets In Generative Models, Victor Carbune, Florian Hartmann

Defensive Publications Series

Generative models employing a sequential internal reasoning process with a fixed computational budget may experience latency or produce lower-quality outputs. A system for parallel speculative decoding with variable budgets can analyze an input prompt to predict a distribution of potential computational budgets and subsequently initiate multiple decoding streams in parallel, where each stream may be conditioned on a different budget from the distribution. An early termination mechanism can monitor the parallel streams and select a response from a stream that finishes its generation process, without waiting for more computationally intensive streams to complete. This technique can manage the trade-off between …

Automatic Refinement Of Audio-Coupled Haptic Waveforms, Jian-Zhi Tseng, Leonard Ian, Jianxun Wang

Defensive Publications Series

Audio-coupled haptics (ACH) is realized via temporal synchronization of haptic feedback with an audio cadence to deliver an immersive, multi-channel tactile experience. ACH waveforms are tailored to the characteristics of a particular actuator and are usually not optimized when applied to subsequent generations or devices with different actuators. This disclosure describes techniques that ensure that legacy audio-coupled waveforms deliver a boosted and optimized user experience across diverse devices. A measure is defined that can reliably compare frequency response curves for different actuators, enabling refinement of ACH parameters. Given a certain ACH waveform, a scalable procedure identifies its piecewise linear envelope …

Structure-Based Repurposing Of Clinically Approved Compounds For Pde-5 Inhibition: Integrative Computational And Pharmacokinetic Evaluation, Albashir Tahir, Yasir Idris Saleh, Ibrahim Khaleel Muazu

Al-Mustaqbal Journal of Pharmaceutical and Medical Sciences

Background: Phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5) regulates intracellular cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) levels, modulating vascular smooth muscle tone. Sildenafil, a well-established PDE-5 inhibitor, is effective for erectile dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension but causes dose-dependent adverse effects. Identifying alternative scaffolds with comparable efficacy and improved safety remains a pharmacological priority.

Methods: A ligand-based virtual screening of the DrugBank database was performed using sildenafil as a reference. Compounds exhibiting ≥60% structural and electrostatic similarity were docked into the PDE-5 catalytic domain (PDB ID: 2h42) using Glide XP in the Schrödinger Suite. Top-scoring ligands were assessed for physicochemical, pharmacokinetic (ADMET), and toxicity parameters using SwissADME and …

Design And Mechanistic Investigation Of Novel Metallodrugs: From Structure-Activity Relationships To Selective Cancer Cell Targeting, Samad Khaksar, Nosrat Behzadi, Hasan Zakeri Zakeri, Peyman Salahshour, Sara Abdolmaleki

Al-Mustaqbal Journal of Pharmaceutical and Medical Sciences

The relentless pursuit of alternatives to conventional platinum-based chemotherapeutics, hampered by severe side effects and drug resistance, defines a critical frontier in oncology drug discovery. This review consolidates and highlights the significance of our recent advances in designing novel metallodrugs based on pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylate derivatives coordinated with various metal ions (Ga(III), Ce(IV), Zn(II), Cu(II), Ni(II), Sr(II)). Through systematic synthesis and evaluation, we establish how strategic structural modifications dictate cytotoxicity, cellular uptake, and mechanistic pathways. Our comprehensive in vitro profiling across a panel of human cancer cell lines (including A431, SW480, BEL-7404) revealed potent anticancer activity, with IC50 values as low as …

Sphenocentrum Jollyanum: Pharmacological Insights Into A Neglected African Medicinal Plant, Albashir Tahir

Al-Mustaqbal Journal of Pharmaceutical and Medical Sciences

Sphenocentrum jollyanum Pierre (Menispermaceae) is a West African medicinal plant used traditionally for various ailments, including malaria, diabetes, and reproductive disorders. Despite its ethnobotanical significance, comprehensive scientific validation of its pharmacological properties remains limited. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the plant’s ethnobotany, phytochemistry, and pharmacological activities, integrating traditional knowledge with modern scientific insights to guide future research. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science, covering publications up to April 2025. Search terms included "Sphenocentrum jollyanum", "ethnobotanical use", "pharmacological effects", and related keywords. Relevant articles were screened, and …

Green Pharmaceutical Systems: Alpha-Tocopherol Encapsulation In Nanostructured Lipid Carriers Via Microwaves-Based Technique As Advanced Topical Drug Delivery Systems, Hayder Kadhim Drais, Mohammed A Albarki, Hayder Ridha-Salman, Ahmed Abbas Hussein, Ashraf Abbas Drais

Al-Mustaqbal Journal of Pharmaceutical and Medical Sciences

Alpha tocopherol (Vitamin E) is practically insoluble in water. It is important for skin health due to its many therapeutic actions, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and photoprotection. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to develop, prepare, and evaluate nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs)-based hydrogels as a topical dosage form to improve stability and therapeutic activity of vitamin E. The microwave-based method prepared five lavender oil-based NLCs (LN1–LN5) formulations that were assessed thermodynamically and entered into characterization processes. Hydrogels formulations based on NLCs (LNG1–LNG5) were prepared and evaluated. All of the lavender oil-based NLC formulations (LN1–LN5) had suitable surface charge, a …

History And Prevention Of Foot-And-Mouth Disease Virus In Iraq: A Review, Ashwaq M. S. Al-Jbouri, Baraa Hamid Hadi, Saad Mardi Muhammad, Raoof J. A. Maaroof, Nada Khazal K. Hindi, Karrar Kamoona, Zainab Ayad, Rusul Ahmed Mohammed

Al-Mustaqbal Journal of Pharmaceutical and Medical Sciences

Foot-and-mouth disease Virus (FMDV) is an extremely transmittable viral illness that affects cloven-hoofed faunae, such as cattle, goats, sheep, and pigs. This study aimed to demonstrate the history and prevention of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in Iraq. This virus poses a significant threat to the economy, necessitating strict measures to control and prevent its spread, particularly due to its high morbidity and mortality rates, especially in young faunae. It is one of the most contagious diseases as it is transmitted directly or indirectly from a diseased fauna to a healthy one through contact with resources contaminated with the virus, such as …

Full Issue, Kritika Kultura

Kritika Kultura

No abstract provided.

From Dreamberries Swirling In My Tongue, Michael Balili

Kritika Kultura

No abstract provided.

Siláng, Joel M. Toledo

Kritika Kultura

No abstract provided.

Three Poems, Allan Justo Pastrana

Kritika Kultura

No abstract provided.

The Burning, Liane Carlo R. Suelan

Kritika Kultura

No abstract provided.

On An Island, Somewhere, Neal Amandus Gellaco

Kritika Kultura

No abstract provided.

New Arrival, Efmer E. Agustin

Kritika Kultura

No abstract provided.

Bagong Dating, Efmer E. Agustin

Kritika Kultura

No abstract provided.

Mommy Natalie, Martina Herras

Kritika Kultura

No abstract provided.

Mommy Natalie, Mark Benedict F. Lim

Kritika Kultura

No abstract provided.

Bella Ciao, Máno Dela Cruz

Kritika Kultura

No abstract provided.

Bella Ciao, Lance Romulus S. Dayrit

Kritika Kultura

No abstract provided.