Digital Commons Network^™

Spelling Bee (2025) | Program, Jacksonville State University

Department of Theatre & Film Performance Archive

Performed 11-14 April 2025; The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee was a musical comedy with music and lyrics by William Finn, with a book written by Rachel Sheinkin, conceived by Rebecca Feldman and additional material by Jay Reiss. The play was directed by Michael Long, assistant director was Megan Brightwell, stage manager was Skylee Vaughn, assistant stage managers were Sabrina Dombrowski, Sa'Mitra Hill, and Tea Wilson. This item is contained within the Theatre & Film Production Archive.

Characterization Of Long-Noncoding Rnas In Prostate And Pancreatic Cancer Through Single Cell Transcriptomics, Debanjan Saha

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) is a subtype of prostate cancer that develops after metastasis and resistance to hormone therapy, thereby carrying a poor prognosis. Likewise, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal malignancies due to its propensity to present at advanced, unresectable stages in patients. Recent genomic studies have identified molecular features of mCRPC and PDAC, such as the existence of mutations in key driver genes, the extensive transcriptomic intra-tumoral heterogeneity, the role of regulatory elements in dictating driver gene expression, mechanisms of treatment resistance, and the interactions with the immunosuppressive and stromal tumor- microenvironment …

Mrs. Yolonda Denmark

African American Funeral Programs

Mrs_Yolonda_Denmark.pdf - Funeral program for Yolanda Denmark

Local Nutrient Addition Drives Plant Diversity Losses But Not Biotic Homogenization In Global Grasslands, Qingqing Chen, Shane A. Blowes, W. Stanley Harpole, Emma Ladouceur, Elizabeth T. Borer, Andrew Macdougall, Erika Hersch-Green, Et Al.

Michigan Tech Publications

Nutrient enrichment typically causes local plant diversity declines. A common but untested expectation is that nutrient enrichment also reduces variation in nutrient conditions among localities and selects for a smaller pool of species, causing greater diversity declines at larger than local scales and thus biotic homogenization. Here we apply a framework that links changes in species richness across scales to changes in the numbers of spatially restricted and widespread species for a standardized nutrient addition experiment across 72 grasslands on six continents. Overall, we find proportionally similar species loss at local and larger scales, suggesting similar declines of spatially restricted …

Interactions Among Nutrients Govern The Global Grassland Biomass–Precipitation Relationship, Philip A. Fay, Laureano A. Gherardi, Laura Yahdjian, Peter B. Adler, Jonathan D. Bakker, Siddharth Bharath, Elizabeth T. Borer, W. Stanley Harpole, Erika Hersch-Green, George R. Wheeler

Michigan Tech Publications

Ecosystems are experiencing changing global patterns of mean annual precipitation (MAP) and enrichment with multiple nutrients that potentially colimit plant biomass production. In grasslands, mean aboveground plant biomass is closely related to MAP, but how this relationship changes after enrichment with multiple nutrients remains unclear. We hypothesized the global biomass–MAP relationship becomes steeper with an increasing number of added nutrients, with increases in steepness corresponding to the form of interaction among added nutrients and with increased mediation by changes in plant community diversity. We measured aboveground plant biomass production and species diversity in 71 grasslands on six continents representing the …

26th Annual Isu Jazz Festival: April 11, 2025, Andy Martin

School of Music Programs

Center for the Performing Arts

April 11 and 12, 2025

Natural Killer Cells’ Functional Impairment Drives The Immune Escape Of Pre-Malignant Clones In Early-Stage Myelodysplastic Syndromes, Juan Jose Rodriguez-Sevilla, Irene Ganan-Gomez, Bijender Kumar, Natthakan Thongon, Feiyang Ma, Kelly S Chien, Yi J Kim, Hui Yang, Sanam Loghavi, Roselyn Tan, Vera Adema, Zongrui Li, Tomoyuki Tanaka, Hidetaka Uryu, Rashmi Kanagal-Shamanna, Gheath Al-Atrash, Rafael Bejar, Pinaki Prosad Banerjee, Sophia Lynn Cha, Guillermo Montalban-Bravo, Max Dougherty, Maria Claudina Fernandez Laurita, Noelle Wheeler, Baosen Jia, Eirini P Papapetrou, Franco Izzo, Daniela E Dueñas, Salome Mcallen, Yiqian Gu, Gabriele Todisco, Francesca Ficara, Matteo Giovanni Della Porta, Abhinav Jain, Koichi Takahashi, Karen Clise-Dwyer, Stephanie Halene, Maria Teresa Sabrina Bertilaccio, Guillermo Garcia-Manero, May Daher, Simona Colla

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Dissecting the preneoplastic disease states' biological mechanisms that precede tumorigenesis can lead to interventions that can slow down disease progression and/or mitigate disease-related comorbidities. Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) cannot be cured by currently available pharmacological therapies, which fail to eradicate aberrant hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), most of which are mutated by the time of diagnosis. Here, we sought to elucidate how MDS HSCs evade immune surveillance and expand in patients with clonal cytopenias of undetermined significance (CCUS), the pre-malignant stage of MDS. We used multi-omic single-cell approaches and functional in vitro studies to show that immune escape at disease initiation is …

Between The Land And The Sea: Belizean Voices In Environmental Governance, Kris-An K. Hinds

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Coastal communities around the world are at the epicenter of dynamic socio-environmental transformations driven by the impacts of climate change, shifting human–more-than-human environmental relationships, and the decisions made in response to these challenges. As environmental concerns intensify, the governance decisions made to address these impacts will determine the severity of the impacts and the future of affected coastal areas. In regions such as the Caribbean, Central America, and Latin America, environmental governance is complicated by uneven power dynamics, historical legacies of racialized environmental spaces, and the ongoing challenge of balancing national economic growth with environmental preservation. These transformations are not …

Adapting To Uncertainty: Strategic Decision Making In The Fresh Produce Supply Chain Under Fluctuating Market Conditions, Jacqueline Kelly

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The global fresh produce supply chain faces increasing uncertainty due to economic volatility, shifting trade policies, logistical constraints, and evolving consumer demand. In this dissertation, I examine industrial purchasing decision-making grounded in the Industrial Buyer Behavior (IBB) framework. The study explores how supply chain experts navigate uncertainty, mitigate risks, and implement adaptive strategies to maintain efficiency and profitability.

Using a qualitative approach, this research draws on in-depth interviews with industry professionals to identify key factors influencing purchasing decisions, including supply chain resilience, technological advancements, sustainability, and geopolitical risks. Findings indicate flexible sourcing strategies, real-time logistical adjustments, and predictive analytics are …

A Rare Case Of Pott's Puffy Tumor In An Adult With Paranasal Osteoma And Pachymeningitis, Brian G. Nudelman, Jeffrey Valencia Uribe, Nicole Nudelman, Ann-Katrin Valencia, Kenneth Poon

Student Publications

Pott's puffy tumor (PPT) is a rare but potentially life-threatening complication of frontal sinusitis, most commonly seen in children and adolescents. We report an unusual case of PPT in a 63-year-old man with a history of intranasal cocaine use, complicated by pachymeningitis. The patient presented with severe right eye pain, periorbital swelling, erythema, and purulent discharge. Initial imaging revealed right orbital cellulitis and erosive paranasal sinus disease, with a suspected frontal subgaleal abscess. Brain MRI confirmed the diagnosis of PPT, demonstrating acute-on-chronic pansinusitis, frontal bone osteomyelitis, subperiosteal phlegmon, and associated pachymeningitis.

The patient was managed with broad-spectrum intravenous antibiotics, with …

Large-Scale Multi-Omics Analyses In Hispanic/Latino Populations Identify Genes For Cardiometabolic Traits, Lauren E. Petty, Hung-Hsin Chen, Elizabeth G. Frankel, Wanying Zhu, Carolina G. Downie, Mariaelisa Graff, Phillip Lin, Priya Sharma, Ravi Duggirala, John Blangero

Human Genetics Publications

Here, we present a multi-omics study of type 2 diabetes and quantitative blood lipid and lipoprotein traits conducted to date in Hispanic/Latino populations (nmax = 63,184). We conduct a meta-analysis of 16 type 2 diabetes and 19 lipid trait GWAS, identifying 20 genome-wide significant loci for type 2 diabetes, including one novel locus and novel signals at two known loci, based on fine-mapping. We also identify sixty-one genome-wide significant loci across the lipid/lipoprotein traits, including nine novel loci, and novel signals at 19 known loci through fine-mapping. Next, we analyze genetically regulated expression, perform Mendelian randomization, and analyze association with …

Reinforcement Learning-Based Time-Slotted Protocol: A Reinforcement Learning Approach For Optimizing Long-Range Network Scalability, Nuha Alhattab, Fatma Bouabdallah, Enas F. Khairullah, Aishah Aseeri

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

The Internet of Things (IoT) is revolutionizing communication by connecting everyday objects to the Internet, enabling data exchange and automation. Low-Power Wide-Area networks (LPWANs) provide a wireless communication solution optimized for long-range, low-power IoT devices. LoRa is a prominent LPWAN technology; its ability to provide long-range, low-power wireless connectivity makes it ideal for IoT applications that cover large areas or where battery life is critical. Despite its advantages, LoRa uses a random access mode, which makes it susceptible to increased collisions as the network expands. In addition, the scalability of LoRa is affected by the distribution of its transmission parameters. …

25-70 Realty Llc V. Bajana

All Decisions

In this licensee holdover proceeding, the landlord sought possession of a rent-stabilized apartment. The tenant asserted succession rights to his late father's tenancy, claiming co-residency during the relevant window period. After a trial, the court found the tenant failed to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the apartment was his primary residence for the two years prior to his father's death. The court weighed testimony from disinterested witnesses and the tenant's mother. As succession rights were not established, the landlord was awarded a final judgment of possession and a money judgment for use and occupancy.

A Survey Of Sampling Methods For Hyperspectral Remote Sensing: Addressing Bias Induced By Random Sampling, Kevin T. Decker, Brett J. Borghetti

Faculty Publications

Identified as early as 2000, the challenges involved in developing and assessing remote sensing models with small datasets remain, with one key issue persisting: the misuse of random sampling to generate training and testing data. This practice often introduces a high degree of correlation between the sets, leading to an overestimation of model generalizability. Despite the early recognition of this problem, few researchers have investigated its nuances or developed effective sampling techniques to address it. Our survey highlights that mitigation strategies to reduce this bias remain underutilized in practice, distorting the interpretation and comparison of results across the field. In …

Growth In The California Manufacturing Sector Dips To Its Lowest Level Since 2023, Anderson Center For Economic Research

Anderson Center Press Releases

No abstract provided.

Exploring Rural Vs. Urban Variations In Emt Scope Of Practice: Advanced Airway And Iv Access Policies, Michaela Geffert

Theses

This thesis investigates how states across the United States (US) modify the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Scope of Practice (SoP) to permit advanced skills, with a focus on advanced airway management via supraglottic airways (SGAs) and intravenous (IV) access procedures, and whether rurality plays a role in these decisions. While the National EMS SoP Model establishes minimum competencies for each emergency medical services (EMS) provider level, individual states often alter their standards in response to local demographic, geographic, and resource-based needs. This study reviewed SoP policies from all 50 states, and 44 states were included. Logistic regression analysis was utilized …

The Impacts Of Water Lily Invasion And Removal On Wetland Ecosystem Function, Vanessa R. Baker

Theses

Colonization by native and non-native invasive plants is considered a primary reason for the failure of wetland restoration and creation projects. We investigated the impact of invasion and subsequent removal of Nymphaea odorata (white water lily) in two permanently flooded wetlands in Western New York State. Long-term grazer exclusion experiments at these sites demonstrated that selective grazing by herbivores, such as waterfowl, reduced emergent vegetation and overall plant diversity, simultaneously facilitating N. odorata expansion. This interaction ultimately promoted a negative feedback to waterfowl use of the wetlands because of the lack of open water space. To evaluate potential remediation options, …

Investigating The Impact Trichoderma Virens On Maize Phytohormones During Drought, Salt, And Cold Stress, Kathryn Spencer

Theses

Abiotic stresses are becoming increasingly frequent and severe due to climate change, leading to significant reductions in crop yields. Though sessile, plants are not defenseless. They can invite plant-growth promoting microbes to colonize their rhizosphere and help reprogram their chemical defense systems. Through these partnerships, plants can more rapidly and robustly recover from environmental stressors compared to those grown in isolation. In this study, the role of the beneficial microbe Trichoderma virens in phytohormone production was explored in maize, a globally important staple crop, under drought, salt, and cold stress, with or without microbial inoculation. Using a liquid chromatography mass …

Fort Hays State University Tiger Weekly, April 11, 2025, University Relations

Tiger Weekly Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Behavioral And Psychological Symptoms Of Dementia And Alzheimer's Disease Progression In Down Syndrome, Melissa R Jenkins, Beau M Ances, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Adults with Down syndrome (DS) have a 90% lifetime risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD), with neurobiological pathology present decades prior to dementia onset. The profile and timing of cognitive decline in DS is well-documented. However, there is a small body of research on whether Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) occur early on in the progression of AD in DS and are associated with early AD pathology (i.e., amyloid-beta [Aβ] and neurofibrillary tau tangles [NFT]).

METHODS: Data were analyzed from 337 adults with DS (M = 45.13 years, SD = 9.53 years) enrolled in a large cohort study. …

Histone H3 Cysteine 110 Enhances Iron Metabolism And Modulates Replicative Life Span In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Chen Cheng, Brenna S Mccauley, Nedas Matulionis, Maria Vogelauer, Dimitrios Camacho, Heather R Christofk, Weiwei Dang, Nicholas A T Irwin, Siavash K Kurdistani

Center on Aging Staff Publications

The discovery of histone H3 copper reductase activity provides a novel metabolic framework for understanding the functions of core histone residues, which, unlike N-terminal residues, have remained largely unexplored. We previously demonstrated that histone H3 cysteine 110 (H3C110) contributes to cupric (Cu2+) ion binding and its reduction to the cuprous (Cu1+) form. However, this residue is absent in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, raising questions about its evolutionary and functional significance. Here, we report that H3C110 has been lost in many fungal lineages despite near-universal conservation across eukaryotes. Introduction of H3C110 into S. cerevisiae increased intracellular Cu1+ levels and ameliorated the iron …

A Cluster Randomized Trial Of Xylitol Chewing Gum For Prevention Of Preterm Birth: The Ppax Trial, Gregory C Valentine, Kathleen M Antony, Haleh Sangi-Haghpeykar, Alexis C Wood, Rose Chirwa, Saukani Petro, Mary Dumba, Deborah Nanthuru, Cynthia Shope, Jesse Mlotha-Namarika, Jeffrey Wilkinson, Joshua Aagaard, Ellen J Aagaard, Maxim D Seferovic, Judy Levison, Peter Kazembe, Kjersti M Aagaard

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Background: Maternal periodontal disease is associated with preterm and low-birthweight deliveries, but randomized trials of likely efficacious treatments (e.g., dental scaling and root planing) during pregnancy have not reduced these adverse outcomes. As an alternative, we hypothesized that periconception initiation of xylitol chewing gum would reduce the occurrence of preterm or low-birthweight deliveries among a historical high-prevalence population in Malawi.

Methods: We conducted an open-label, parallel-enrollment, matched-pair, cluster-randomized, controlled clinical trial across eight health centers (sites) in and around Lilongwe, Malawi. Sites were paired by anticipated delivery volume and randomized to prenatal and oral health education alone (active control) or …

Lipoprotein(A) And Risk Of Incident Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease: Impact Of High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein And Risk Variability Among Human Clinical Subgroups, Ron C Hoogeveen, Margaret R Diffenderfer, Elise Lim, Ching-Ti Liu, Hiroaki Ikezaki, Weihua Guan, Michael Y Tsai, Christie M Ballantyne

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Strong Support Systems Foster Positive Self-Image In Patients With Scoliosis, Megan Glahn Castille, Susan Resendiz Ortega

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Purpose: Friend support and social support have been suggested to be beneficial for adolescents facing medical challenges; however, there is little research to identify who is providing emotional support for children and adolescents with scoliosis. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the sources of emotional support and to analyze a program designed to encourage social support, the Scolios-us Mentor Program (Mentor Program).

Methods: This study consisted of a cross-sectional survey. The survey included the SRS-22r, BSSQ-Brace, and questions about demographics, mental health, the Scolios-us Mentor Program, and general scoliosis experience. The survey was distributed via email to …

Whole Genome Sequencing Analysis Of Body Mass Index Identifies Novel African Ancestry-Specific Risk Allele, Xinruo Zhang, D C Rao, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Obesity is a major public health crisis associated with high mortality rates. Previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) investigating body mass index (BMI) have largely relied on imputed data from European individuals. This study leveraged whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data from 88,873 participants from the Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) Program, of which 51% were of non-European population groups. We discovered 18 BMI-associated signals (P <  5 × 10

2024-2025 Performance Forum - April 11, 2025, Patrick Hengstler, Juan Fernandez Villegas, Sheng Yuan Kuan, Maria Savelyeva, Dina Bikzhanova, Manuela Wanumen Jiménez, Nia Morgan, Nathaniel Jones, Meixi Zhou, Virgilio Vazquez, Rosa Ortega Ianelli, Anttuan Rios Pelaez, Aj Meyer, Olivia Oakland, Chase Hogan, Derek Lund

Performance Forum

No abstract provided.

Plasmonic Sensor Nata De Coco Film Inserted With Copper Nanoparticles For Detection Of Mercury By Uv-Vis Spectrophotometry, Abdul Haris Haris Watoni, Rijal Rijal, La Ode Ahmad Nur Ramadhan, La Ode Abdul Kadir

Chimica et Natura Acta

The rapid development of the mining industry has resulted in an increasing amount of toxic waste materials in the environment, including mercury (Hg). A reliable chemical sensor is needed to detect the presence of mercury. One of the chemical sensors that is starting to be widely developed is plasmonic film. This research aims to determine the characteristics and validity of plasmonic nata de coco-copper nanoparticle (CuNPs) films for cuvette type sensor chips in the rapid detection of Hg metal using UV-Vis spectrophotometry. This research began with the preparation of a bioreductor from red dragon fruit peel extract, green synthesis of …

Applications Of Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats In Food Security And Nutraceuticals, Rukayat Abiodun Oyegoke, Jahswill Toluwanimi Osifade, Adenike Temidayo Oladiji

Al-Bahir

The CRISPR/Cas9 system is a revolutionary genome-editing tool that enables precise and inheritable modifications, transforming plant genetic engineering. Previous literature has indicated that, in agriculture, CRISPR has improved crop yield, biofortification, and resistance to environmental stressors, fostering resilient and high-yielding crops essential for sustaining a growing global population. In nutraceuticals, CRISPR has enhanced the biosynthesis of bioactive compounds such as anthocyanins, flavonoids, and omega-3 fatty acids, improving the nutritional and therapeutic value of crops.

Despite its immense potential, CRISPR technology faces technical, ethical, and regulatory challenges, including off-target effects, accessibility concerns, and public acceptance. Addressing these issues is crucial for …

Measuring The Paris Agreement’S Impact On Wind Energy Usage In Member Countries, Jadyn Lucey

Global Tides

This review examines the impact of the Paris Agreement's implementation on the development of wind energy across three regions, the European Union (EU), Brazil, and Saudi Arabia. These selected regions respectively represent developed, developing, and OPEC member countries. The Paris Agreement aimed to limit the global warming temperature 1.5 C by 2030, encouraging actors to transition their energy into cleaner, renewable sources. Wind energy thus emerged as a tool in the decarbonization efforts of the agreement. This review compares wind energy growth before and after the Paris Agreement's establishment, through analyzing each region's strategies in response to their differing economic …

Talking Trash: The Development Of International Legal Governance Over Marine Plastic Pollution, Olivia B. Berryman

Global Tides

Increasing amounts of marine plastic pollution entering into the ocean endangers the lives of sea animals, harms the health of human seafood consumers, degrades the marine ecosystem, and contributes to climate change. Despite these consequences, there remains no international legally binding treaty that is solely devoted towards mitigating marine plastic pollution. While there are current treaties in place that have created some regulations to control the entrance of marine plastics into the ocean, none have achieved significant reduction and prevention of the issue due to flaws such as weak enforcement mechanisms and lenient restrictions on ocean dumping. Thus, this research …