Digital Commons Network^™

Idiopathic Atraumatic Renal Hemorrhage: A Case Report, Tabitha Ranson, Gregory Ruddy, Zachary Ostapowicz, Leah Joyner

Student Publications

Introduction: Wunderlich syndrome (WS) is a rare condition characterized by spontaneous, atraumatic renal hemorrhage. It often presents with non-specific symptoms and is typically diagnosed through computed tomography (CT). The most common presentation of WS includes the Lenk triad, which consists of flank pain, a palpable flank mass, and hypovolemic shock. If diagnosis and treatment are delayed, WS can rapidly progress and lead to unfavorable patient outcomes.

Case Report: A 65-year-old male presented to the emergency department with severe sudden-onset left flank pain with subsequent CT angiogram demonstrating an actively bleeding left renal hematoma. The patient was managed conservatively with …

Projections Of Lightning‐Ignited Wildfire Risk In The Western United States, Dmitri A. Kalashnikov, John T. Abatzoglou, Frances V. Davenport, Zachary M. Labe, Paul C. Loikith, Danielle Touma, Deepti Singh

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

Cloud‐to‐ground (CG) lightning is a major source of summer wildfire ignition in the western United States (WUS). However, future projections of lightning are uncertain since lightning is not directly simulated by most global climate models. To address this issue, we use convolutional neural network (CNN)‐based parameterizations of daily June‐September CG lightning. CNN parameterizations of daily CG lightning occurrence at each grid cell use fields of three thermodynamic variables—ratio of surface Moist Static Energy (MSE) to 500 hPa saturation MSE, 700–500 hPa lapse rate, and 500 hPa relative humidity. Applying these parameterizations to the Community Earth System Model version 2 Large …

Artificial Intelligence In Ocular Transcriptomics: Applications Of Unsupervised And Supervised Learning, Catherine Lalman, Yimin Yang, Janice L. Walker

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Transcriptomic profiling is a powerful tool for dissecting the cellular and molecular complexity of ocular tissues, providing insights into retinal development, corneal disease, macular degeneration, and glaucoma. With the expansion of microarray, bulk RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), and single-cell RNA-seq technologies, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a key strategy for analyzing high-dimensional gene expression data. This review synthesizes AI-enabled transcriptomic studies in ophthalmology from 2019 to 2025, highlighting how supervised and unsupervised machine learning (ML) methods have advanced biomarker discovery, cell type classification, and eye development and ocular disease modeling. Here, we discuss unsupervised techniques, such as principal component analysis …

Danicamtiv Reduces Myosin's Working Stroke But Activates The Thin Filament By Accelerating Actomyosin Attachment, Brent Scott, Lina Greenberg, Caterina Squarci, Kenneth S Campbell, Michael J Greenberg

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Heart failure is a leading cause of death worldwide, and even with current treatments, the 5-y transplant-free survival rate is only ~50 to 70%. As such, there is a need to develop new treatments for patients that improve survival and quality of life. Recently, there have been efforts to develop small molecules for heart failure that directly target components of the sarcomere, including cardiac myosin. Danicamtiv is one of these molecules; however, its direct effects on myosin's single molecule mechanics and kinetics are not well understood. Using optical trapping techniques, stopped flow transient kinetics, and in vitro reconstitution assays, we …

Phosphorylation Toggles The Sars-Cov-2 Nucleocapsid Protein Between Two Membrane-Associated Condensate States, Bruna Favetta, Huan Wang, Jasmine Cubuk, Arjun Singh, Mayur Barai, Cesar Ramirez, Haiyan Zheng, Adam J Gormley, N Sanjeeva Murthy, Gregory Dignon, Andrea Soranno, Zheng Shi, Benjamin S Schuster

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The Nucleocapsid protein (N) of SARS-CoV-2 plays a critical role in the viral lifecycle by regulating RNA replication and by packaging the viral genome. N and RNA phase separate to form condensates that may be important for these functions. Both functions occur at membrane surfaces, but how N toggles between these two membrane-associated functional states is unclear. Here, we reveal that phosphorylation switches how N condensates interact with membranes, in part by modulating condensate material properties. Our studies also show that phosphorylation alters N's interaction with viral membrane proteins. We gain mechanistic insight through structural analysis and molecular simulations, which …

Defrnd: Detergent-Free Reconstitution Into Native Nanodiscs With Designer Membrane Scaffold Peptides, Qian Ren, Vinay Idikuda, Baron Chanda, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Membrane scaffold protein-based nanodiscs have facilitated unprecedented structural and biophysical analysis of membrane proteins in a near-native lipid environment. However, successful reconstitution of membrane proteins in nanodiscs requires prior solubilization and purification in detergents, which may impact their physiological structure and function. Furthermore, the detergent-mediated reconstitution of nanodiscs is unlikely to recapitulate the precise composition or asymmetry of native membranes. To circumvent this fundamental limitation of traditional nanodisc technology, we herein describe the development of membrane-solubilizing peptides to directly extract membrane proteins from native cell membranes into nanoscale discoids. By systematically protein engineering and screening, we create a class of …

Investigation Of Co-Current And Counter-Current Multiphase Flow In Upstream Drilling And Production Applications, Hazem Fleifel

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In the domain of upstream Petroleum Engineering, the dynamics of co-current and counter-current multiphase flows present huge challenges, significantly impacting the efficiency of associated processes. This study investigates two specific applications concerning these flow behaviors, involving both laboratory experiments and transient computer simulations. This work investigates two distinct well control and production enhancement processes, involving multiphase flow dynamics: the bullheading kill procedure and liquid-assisted gas lift (LAGL).

The first topic (Topic 1) explores the bullheading process, a type of well control methods, by challenging the traditional understanding that gas removal efficiency increases monotonically with injection pump flow rate. Through 1D …

A New Exit: The Impact Of Historical Play Adaptations On Modern Audiences, Karli Jean Lonnquist

SURF Posters and Papers

Contemporary theatrical adaptation involves deconstructing, reimagining, and rewriting historical plays for modern audiences. Adaptation appropriates theatrical conventions, changes the lens through which the audience may view the play, and offers new entry points into thinking and practice. Adaptation asks, “why this source as theatre now?” and proposes that history provides tools for engagement with contemporary issues. By employing a Practice as Research (PaR) methodology, I will investigate the art of historical adaptation and adapt No Exit, a 1945 existentialist play by Jean-Paul Sartre, through the lenses of constructivism and performance studies. I will develop my script through collaborative workshops, stage …

Lindenwood Athletics Enters A New Era Of Play, Truman Griessel

Lindenlink (2012- )

No abstract provided.

Reproducibility Of Statistically Significant Phase Iii Oncology Trials: An In Silico Meta-Epidemiological Analysis, Alexander D Sherry, Pavlos Msaouel, Avital M Miller, Timothy A Lin, Joseph Abi Jaoude, Adina H Passy, Nikolaos Ignatiadis, Zachary R Mccaw, Erik Van Zwet, Ethan B Ludmir

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: The conventional assumption that P values ≤ 0.05 imply reproducible effects has come under recent criticism. This concern is particularly relevant in oncology, as phase III oncology trials, which directly inform practice, are usually not repeated. Using advanced modeling techniques, we investigated the relationship between P values and reproducibility in oncology.

Methods: We obtained the signal-to-noise ratio distribution in phase III oncology using outcomes from 632 two-arm superiority trials enrolling 496,219 patients. With this distribution, we estimated successful replication probability as the probability that a replicate trial, having the same design, effect size, and standard error, would have a …

Suppression Of Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy By A Macrophage Efferocytosis Receptor, Sahil Shah, Aparnaa Ananthakrishnan, Matthew Deberge, Kristofor Glinton, Rebecca T L Jones, Ivana Shen, Connor W Lantz, Edward B Thorp

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Cardiac allograft vasculopathy remains a major cause of late morbidity following heart transplantation. While accumulating evidence implicates innate macrophages in the inflammatory progression of CAV, the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood. In murine models of CAV, we identified proteolytic cleavage of MERTK, a key anti-inflammatory receptor on macrophages, as a contributing factor to CAV progression. In a model of CAV, MERTK deficiency accelerated allograft rejection and increased intimal leukocyte infiltration. In contrast, mice expressing a genetically cleavage-resistant form of MERTK (MertkCR/CR) exhibited prolonged graft survival, reduced intimal thickening, diminished immune cell infiltration, and decreased circulating effector T cells. …

The Role Of Recruited Adipose Stromal Cells And Their Fibroblastic Differentiation In Cancer, Lingyi Cai, Mikhail G Kolonin, Dimitris Anastassiou

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Adipose stromal cells (ASCs) are perivascular mesenchymal progenitors of adipose tissue. In cancer patients, ASCs can mobilize and migrate to the tumor, where they subsequently play an important role in cancer progression. This biological process involves the conversion of recruited ASCs into cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). ASC-derived CAFs influence the tumor microenvironment through extracellular matrix remodeling, vascularization, and immunomodulation. These and other processes mediated by secreted paracrine factors also affect gene expression in carcinoma cells to promote the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), metabolic adaptation, survival, and invasiveness of cancer cells. ASC-derived CAFs can enhance tumor aggressiveness, accounting in part for the link …

Evaluating The Efficacy And Safety Of Milrinone For Prevention Of Post-Patent Ductus Arteriosus Closure Syndrome (The Midas Trial) In Extremely Preterm Infants: A Multicentre, Double-Masked, Randomised, Placebo-Controlled Trial, Patrick J Mcnamara, Valerie Y Chock, Adrianne Rahde-Bischoff, Jenna Gabrio, Karen J Johnson, Heidi M Harmon, Diana Montoya-Williams, Tarah T Colaizy, Anup C Katheria, Felix Ines, Keira Sorrells, Cheryl Battersby, Philip T Levy, Matthew A Rysavy, Shazia Bhombal, Matthew M Laughon, Ben Carper, Susan R Hintz, Abhik Das, Edward F Bell

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Post-ligation cardiac syndrome (PLCS) represents a state of severe post-intervention cardiopulmonary instability, seen in up to 50% of extremely premature infants after surgical closure of the patent ductus arteriosus (PDA); yet an evidence-based approach to treatment of this condition does not exist. The objective of this study is to determine the efficacy and safety of prophylactic milrinone in reducing incidence of PLCS and/or mortality within the first 7 days following PDA closure. The central hypothesis is that administration of intravenous milrinone will reduce the incidence of PLCS or death within 7 days of PDA closure either by percutaneous device …

Dissection Of Surface Area-Dependent Lipolysis At A Single Organelle Level, Jin Wu, Feng-Jung Chen, Peng Li

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Lipid droplets are dynamic organelles whose size and number signify their role in energy. However, owing to cellular heterogeneity and technological limitations, the relationship between the lipolytic ability and lipid droplet morphology is unclear. Here, we developed a live-cell imaging assay using geometric analysis to quantify cellular lipolysis at a single organelle level, designated imaging lipolysis. Using imaging lipolysis and super-resolution imaging, we found that lipolysis is controlled by both lipase-accessible lipid droplet surface area and lipase activity. Moreover, lipid droplet fusion regulatory proteins CLSTN3β/CIDEs promote lipolysis by increasing the total lipid droplet surface area-to-volume ratio in biophysical regulation. We …

Exploring The Causal Links Between Esg, R&D, And Firm Performance: Evidence From The Us Technology And Food Companies, Semra Boga, Gozde Bozkurt, Hasan Sadik Tatli, Tom Gillpatrick

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study examines the causal relationships between ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) compliance, R&D expenditures, and financial performance in the technology and food sectors in the US. A panel dataset from 2012 – 2021 from the Thomson Reuters database was analysed for 12 food and 18 technology companies. The findings show that there are different causal relationships between sectors. While R&D investments in the technology sector positively affect firm performance by increasing ESG compliance, firm performance in the food sector directs ESG compliance, encouraging R&D investments. The study emphasizes that sectoral differences should be considered in sustainability and R&D strategies …

Multiplex Imaging Mass Cytometry Reveals Prognostic Immunosuppressive Subpopulations And Macrophage-Driven Metastasis In Osteosarcoma, Brooks Scull, Angela M Major, Weidong Jin, Justin M M Cates, John Hicks, Tsz-Kwong Man

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Osteosarcoma is a type of bone cancer that mostly affects kids and teens. The biggest danger is when the cancer spreads to the lungs, and current treatments do not work well for those cases. Immunotherapy, which helps the body’s immune system fight cancer, has worked for other cancers but is limited for osteosarcoma because we do not fully understand the environment around the tumor. Our research looked at various cells around the tumor to study why patients have worse outcomes. We found that certain cells, called M2 macrophages (M2) and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC), which weaken the immune system, are …

Murmurations Of Modular Forms And P-Power Coefficients, Debanjana Kundu, Katharina Müller

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

We extend the work of N. Zubrilina on murmuration of modular forms to the case when prime-indexed coefficients are replaced by squares of primes. Our key observation is that the shape of the murmuration density is the same.

First Permanent Molar Root Canal Configurations In A South African Sample: A Descriptive Micro-Computed Tomographic Report, Casper Jonker, Guy Lambourn, Peet Van Der Vyver, Theye Charlotte, Federico Foschi, Ericka Noelle L’Abbé, Anna Catherina Oettlé

Peninsula Dental School

The aim of this paper was to describe root canal configurations using micro-CT in South African first molars. A segmentation process was followed on micro-focus X-ray computed tomography (micro-CT) scans of 101 maxillary and 86 mandibular first molars. Main and accessory root canal anatomy were considered to describe root canal configurations of South African first molars. Intra- and inter-observer reliability was determined using the unweighted Cohen’s Kappa test. Intra- and inter-rater agreement was 93% for maxillary configurations; 92.9% and 86.2% respectively for mandibular configurations. The most common main canal configurations were: 3MXFM MB1DB1P1 (n = 33/93, 35.5%) and 2MDFM M1-2D1 …

Effective Employee Retention Strategies To Maintain Generation Y Employees, Patricia Joanna Straughn

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee retention for Generation Y workers is still an ongoing challenge for human resource managers. To foster a stable and productive workforce, it is crucial for HR managers to understand and apply effective retention strategies. Grounded in Herzberg’s two-factor motivation theory, this qualitative pragmatic inquiry study aims to identify effective employee retention strategies that human resources managers employ to retain their Generation Y employees. The targeted participants consisted of six human resource managers in the United States who had effectively utilized retention strategies to retain their Generation Y employees. Data were collected using semi structured interviews. Using thematic analysis, five …

Enhancing Registered Nurse Retention And Job Satisfaction Through Comprehensive Career Development Initiatives In Non-Profit Urban Hospitals, Iwalola Iluyomade

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This integrative review was conducted to examine how comprehensive career development initiatives influence registered nurse retention and job satisfaction in non-profit urban hospitals, which are affected by limited advancement opportunities, inadequate mentorship, and unsupportive work environments. Guided by the Johns Hopkins Evidence-Based Practice model and the Authentic Nurse Leadership framework, this review synthesizes peer-reviewed literature from 2019 to 2024 to identify evidence-based, leadership-driven strategies for improving nurse retention. Four key themes emerged: (a) career development and advancement through structured learning pathways, mentorship, and leadership training; (b) empowerment and decision-making via participative management and clinical autonomy; (c) supportive work environments that …

Impact Of Mental Illness On Colon Cancer Screening Participation, Stephanie Tejada

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study analyzed the impact of mental illness on colon cancer screening participation. The research problem centers on the under-screening of colorectal cancer (CRC) in psychiatric patients, leading to delayed diagnoses and poorer treatment outcomes. This quantitative retrospective cohort study examined how demographic factors (age, gender, ethnicity), healthcare access, and support group participation influenced CRC screening among individuals with mental illness. The research used data from 571 adults aged 50 and older from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). The Social Ecological Model served as the guiding theoretical framework for this study. Statistical analyses included t-tests, chi-square, logistic regression, and …

Exploring The Service-Learning Volunteer Experience Of African American Male Educators In Urban Schools, Gia N. Paige

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Educators who self-identify as African American male educators are underrepresented in educational leadership and scholarship on service learning, despite the significant roles they play in shaping urban educational spaces. In this qualitative phenomenological study, the lived service experiences of five African American male educators who engaged in service-learning and volunteerism in urban schools were explored. The purpose was to examine how these educators narrated their service experiences and how those experiences intersected with their identity as African American males. African American male theory was used to frame the study, emphasizing cultural heritage, resistance to deficit perspectives, and the affirmation of …

Criminal Adult Perceptions Of Transition Services Following Histories Of Physical Abuse As Children, Kimberlyn Sherie Crook

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

It is possible that childhood abuse and neglect could be linked to adult crime and delinquency. Intervention services' apparent ineffectiveness worries social workers, law enforcement, and policymakers. The literature found that abused children are more likely to commit crimes as adults without intervention and prevention, which harms society and abused children. Research suggests child abuse and adult crime may have early roots. The purpose of this qualitative study was to address adult victims firsthand accounts to identify intervention service gaps and suggest improvements. The qualitative design was used to address adult criminals who were abused as children and their unique …

Implementing Clinical Guidelines To Improve The Number Of Inpatient Visits At A Mental Health Clinic, Kimberly Rochelle Miles

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This DNP quality improvement project focused on addressing a critical gap in psychiatric care: the high rate of missed inpatient mental health visits. Missed follow-up appointments after hospital discharge are associated with medication nonadherence, relapse, hospital readmissions, psychiatric decompensation, and increased emergency department use. In severe cases, they may increase suicide risk. Contributing factors include patient-level barriers such as cognitive impairment, socioeconomic instability, stigma, low motivation, and transportation difficulties, as well as systemic issues like inadequate discharge planning and lack of standardized follow-up protocols. The evidence-based practice question guiding this project was: Will a clinical practice guideline (CPG) improve number …

Staff Education To Enhance Nursing Knowledge And Confidence In Withdrawal Management Using The Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment And Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale, Margaret Sarana Hector

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This quality improvement staff education project addressed the inconsistent use of the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment (CIWA) and Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale (COWS) assessment tools among nursing staff in an adult psychiatric and addictions unit located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Inconsistent use of the CIWA and COWS tools may lead to unfavorable patient outcomes. The goal of this project was to enhance nursing familiarity, confidence, and sense of importance in using CIWA and COWS tools for assessing and managing withdrawal symptoms in patients with co-occurring depression and substance use disorders. A pre- and posteducation survey design …

Strategies To Implement Employee Cybersecurity Awareness Programs, Felix Ngwese

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Lack of cybersecurity awareness among employees and end-users poses significant risks to organizations. This issue is critical because inadequate cybersecurity awareness increases organizational vulnerabilities, leading to financial losses and compromised data security. Grounded in the routine activity theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies that IT security managers had implemented to enhance employee cybersecurity awareness. The participants were six IT security managers in Cameroon, West Africa, with strategies to implement employee cybersecurity awareness. Data were collected using semistructure interviews and a review of documents. Through thematic analysis, three themes were identified: (a) cybersecurity awareness …

An Education Project For Training Nurses On Self-Care Strategies To Prevent Work-Related Burnout, Nsemboowo Effiong Enyong

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is no in this project

Decision Making In Child Protection Services: Aftermath Of A Child Fatality, Kevin Marino

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Child fatalities resulting from abuse and neglect have a residual effect on families, communities, and child protective services (CPS) professionals tasked with ensuring child safety. The purpose of the mixed-methods study was to examine how CPS professionals made decisions in high-risk and fatality cases by evaluating decision-making processes, identifying contextual and interpersonal influences, and addressing practice questions related to administrative data, case records, caseworker and supervisor perspectives, cost implications, and organizational supports. The theoretical framework of Simon’s theory of bounded rationality and near decomposability along with Fluke et al.’s ecology of decision-making model formed the study’s analysis. The study included …

Employees’ Perceptions Of Their Performance Based On Continuous Training In Hospitals, Mohamad El Fakih

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Training perceived as irrelevant or insufficient may lead to disengagement, lower performance, and even burnout, particularly in high-stress healthcare environments. The specific research problem is that Lebanese hospitals fail to adopt tailored training strategies that effectively enhance healthcare workers’ perceptions of their performance. The purpose of this qualitative interpretive phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of hospital employees in Lebanon, focusing on how ongoing training influenced their perceived job performance. Social learning theory, organizational learning theory, and institutional theory grounded this study. The participants comprised nine hospital administrators in Beirut. Data were collected using in-depth, semistructured interviews. Ten …

Opioid Overdose Bystander Assistance And Harm Reduction In Pennsylvania, Walkirya Peralta

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Bystanders play a vital role in reducing opioid overdose deaths by administering naloxone, a medication that can reverse the effects of opioids when used promptly. With opioid-related fatalities considered a public health emergency in the United States, increasing public access to naloxone and education on overdose prevention has become a key strategy in harm reduction. Research shows that these efforts effectively lower overdose deaths in affected communities. As part of this public health approach, many states allow individuals to obtain naloxone without a prescription through standing orders at pharmacies and community programs. Additionally, legal protections such as Good Samaritan laws …