Digital Commons Network^™

Enhancing Diagnostic Accuracy Of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis On Chest X-Rays Using Data-Efficient Image Transformers, Joan Mnyambo, Amir Aly, Shang-Ming Zhou, Yinghui Wei, Stephen Mullin, Emmanuel Ifeachor

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease with increasing fatalities around the world. The diagnosis of the diseaseis a major challenge to its control and management due to the lack of adequate diagnostic tools, contributingsignificantly to the prevalence of drug-resistant tuberculosis. Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) modelshave recently been developed to detect drug-resistant tuberculosis by analyzing chest radiograph images fromthe TB portal, but the classification results are low. This is because CNNs struggle to capture complex globaland overlapping features in medical imaging, such as chest radiographs of drug-resistant tuberculosis. Incontrast, transformers excel in these areas by utilizing self-attention mechanisms that detect inherent subtle …

The Important Role Of Pollinators In Sustainability Education, Bronwen Cowie, Paula Mildenhall

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

In this chapter we illustrate some of the ways the education sector can play a key role, not just in educating and activating students as advocates for and agents of sustainability but also in motivating and mobilising communities towards a sustainability agenda. Initially in this chapter it was important to look back and identify how important bees have been through the ages, noting that humans identified very early on that bees could enhance their lives. We then outline some of the contributions a focus on bees can make to sustainability education. One important contribution includes fostering a balanced perspective on …

Kenyon Collegian - February 20, 2025

The Kenyon Collegian

No abstract provided.

Wild Licorice (Glycyrrhiza Lepidota) Identification And Management In Pastures, Jacob Hadfield, Taun Beddes, Michael Caron, Corey Ransom

All Current Publications

Wild licorice, also known as American licorice, is a perennial legume native to North America, commonly found in the western United States. Wild licorice reproduces rapidly through seeds and rhizomes, leading to large infestations, particularly in pastures. The low preference of livestock for wild licorice results in overgrazing of other plant species, leaving them at a competitive disadvantage, further promoting the spread of wild licorice and contributing to pasture infestations. This fact sheet reviews the identification and management of wild licorice in pastures.

What Do Utahns Think About Global Warming And Climate Change?, Scott Hotaling, Kendall Becker, Lendel K. Narine, Jessica Ulrich-Schad, Roslynn Mccann, Peter D. Howe

All Current Publications

In Utah, there is widespread consensus that global warming is happening, and the strength of this consensus has been steadily rising since 2010. Over the last 14 years, some public opinion metrics have risen dramatically while others have been largely stable. The degree of climate impacts in Utah will depend on residents’ perceptions of climate change and support for implementing policies to help the state adapt to warmer temperatures, more extreme weather events, and other associated changes. In this fact sheet, we integrate multiple data sources to summarize the status and trends of Utahns’ opinions on climate change.

11th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest Opening Reception Poster, Special Collections, Fleet Library

11th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest 2025

Poster for the 11th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest. Opening reception and award ceremony Wednesday, February 19, 2025 at 6:30pm, Fleet Library, Main Reading Room. Juror: Roger S. Williams.

Swift-Bat Guano Follow-Up Of Gravitational-Wave Triggers In The Third Ligo–Virgo–Kagra Observing Run, Gayathri Raman, Samuele Ronchini, James Delaunay, Aaron Tohuvavohu, Teviet Creighton, Mario C. Diaz, Francisco Llamas, Soma Mukherjee, Gaukhar Nurbek, Volker Quetschke, Wenhui Wang

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

We present results from a search for X-ray/gamma-ray counterparts of gravitational-wave (GW) candidates from the third observing run (O3) of the LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA network using the Swift Burst Alert Telescope (Swift-BAT). The search includes 636 GW candidates received with low latency, 86 of which have been confirmed by the offline analysis and included in the third cumulative Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalogs (GWTC-3). Targeted searches were carried out on the entire GW sample using the maximum-likelihood Non-imaging Transient Reconstruction and Temporal Search pipeline on the BAT data made available via the GUANO infrastructure. We do not detect any significant electromagnetic emission that is …

Approaches To Engaging Faith Communities In Public Health Efforts Regarding Vaccination, Genetics, And Colorectal Cancer: A Systematic Review, Ana S Iltis, Lauren L Baker, Kari Baldwin, Lucas Cruz, Lauren H Yaeger, James M Dubois

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Public health professionals regularly engage faith communities to improve public health. This systematic review characterizes approaches that public health professionals have used to engage faith communities and evaluates them using the Theory of Planned Behavior. It examines engagement regarding vaccination and genetic and genomic healthcare, which have generated significant controversy within religious groups and, for comparison, colorectal cancer screening, which has not.

METHODS: This systematic review followed PRISMA reporting guidelines. We searched 8 online databases (e.g., Medline, Embase, Scopus). Publications in English that reported engaging a faith community on genetics, vaccination, or colorectal cancer screening were included. We screened …

February 20, 2025, The Daily Mississippian

Daily Mississippian (all digitized issues)

No abstract provided.

Oral Inflammation And Microbiome Dysbiosis Exacerbate Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease, Kazuyoshi Gotoh, Shuma Tsuji, Mari Kunihiro, Tadashi Oyama, Toshiki Terao, Ayame Sato, Takehiro Tanaka, Daniel Peltier, Keisuke Seike, Hisakazu Nishimori, Noboru Asada, Daisuke Ennishi, Keiko Fujii, Nobuharu Fujii, Ken-Ichi Matsuoka, Yoshihiko Soga, Pavan Reddy, Yoshinobu Maeda

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The oral microbiota, second in abundance to the gut, is implicated in chronic systemic diseases, but its specific role in graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) pathogenesis has been unclear. Our study finds that mucositis-induced oral dysbiosis in patients after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) associated with increased chronic GVHD (cGVHD), even in patients receiving posttransplant cyclophosphamide. In murine HCT models, oral dysbiosis caused by bilateral molar ligatures exacerbated cGVHD and increased bacterial load in the oral cavity and gut, with Enterococcaceae significantly increasing in both organs. In this model, the migration of Enterococcaceae to cervical lymph nodes both before and after transplantation activated …

Does Adiponectin Inform Cardiovascular Risk In Older Adults?: The Aric Study, Chiadi E Ndumele, Kunihiro Matsushita, Bing Yu, Vijay Nambi, Biykem Bozkurt, Jane E B Reusch, Casey M Rebholz, Elizabeth Selvin, Christie M Ballantyne, Ron C Hoogeveen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Adiponectin, an atheroprotective adipokine, is associated with adverse outcomes in older age. It is unclear whether this is due to overlapping pathophysiological pathways with N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP).

OBJECTIVES: The authors investigated adiponectin's associations with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in older adults.

METHODS: Among Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities prospective cohort study participants without baseline CVD at visit 5 (n = 4,729, mean age 75), adiponectin and adiponectin/NT-proBNP category associations with incident CVD events (heart failure [HF], atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and death during median follow-up of 5.5 years) and echocardiographic parameters were assessed. Metabolomic signatures of adiponectin/NT-proBNP categories were …

Zika Virus Ns1 Drives Tunneling Nanotube Formation For Mitochondrial Transfer And Stealth Transmission In Trophoblasts, Deepak Kumar, Shay A Toner, Joyce Jose, Indira U Mysorekar, Anoop Narayanan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Zika virus (ZIKV) is unique among orthoflaviviruses in its vertical transmission capacity in humans, yet the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Here, we show that ZIKV induces tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) in placental trophoblasts which facilitate transfer of viral particles, proteins, mitochondria, and RNA to neighboring uninfected cells. TNT formation is driven exclusively via ZIKV non-structural protein 1 (NS1). Specifically, the N-terminal 1-50 amino acids of membrane-bound ZIKV NS1 are necessary for triggering TNT formation in host cells. Trophoblasts infected with TNT-deficient ZIKV

Solar Simulator, David S. Smith, Scott Dunsmoor

Defensive Publications Series

The Solar Simulator is a unique device designed to facilitate effective and realistic indoor solar panel training within a controlled, non-production environment. The device comprises 12 metal halide light fixtures arranged in a circular pattern with stainless steel formed reflector panels above the light fixtures. This configuration is mounted on a mobile structure enabling it to be moved over the panels seamlessly to mimic natural sunlight.

Tokenizing Electricity: A Blockchain-Based Framework For Electricity-Backed Currency And Market Stabilisation, Boyko Draganov

Defensive Publications Series

This publication explores the concept of Energy Coin (Volta φ), a permissionless, composable digital currency directly backed by electricity and electricity trading instruments, such as futures and options.

By establishing a blockchain-based currency tied to a tangible and universally required commodity, this system addresses inefficiencies in both the electricity market and traditional payment systems while leveraging distributed ledger primitives like smart contracts and decentralized oracles.

The Energy Coin (Volta φ) system employs algorithmic price stabilisation mechanisms, including hedging strategies and dynamic supply adjustments, to ensure consistent value while mitigating volatility in energy markets. These mechanisms align with the principles of …

Super-Elastic Nitinol Pin For Winter Tire Stud, Nikolas Ojala

Defensive Publications Series

This article proposes the use of super-elastic Nitinol as a potential material for manufacturing studs in winter tires, aiming to reduce road surface wear while maintaining stud longevity and performance.

Polarizing Illuminator And Image Projector Including Same, Ted Cym

Defensive Publications Series

An illuminator is provided. The illuminator includes a lens assembly. The illuminator also includes a source and a reflector disposed at a first side of the lens assembly. The source is associated with a source illumination plane, the reflector is disposed adjacent to the source illumination plane, and the source illumination plane and the reflector are disposed at a focal plane of the lens assembly. The illumination also includes a reflective polarizer and an integration bar disposed at a second, opposing side of the lens assembly. The reflective polarizer is disposed at an exit plane of the lens assembly, and …

A Retrieval-Augmented Generation (Rag) And Large Language Model (Llm)-Based Artificial Intelligence (Ai) Coder Agent For Software Development Kits (Sdks) And Frameworks, Hem Dutt

Defensive Publications Series

Software development kits (SDKs) and frameworks are critical to software development as they provide a collection of pre-written code, libraries, and tools that allow developers to create applications more efficiently. Although Large Language Models (LLMs), when combined with Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) techniques, have shown remarkable potential in code generation, applying LLMs and RAG to generate code for SDKs and frameworks remains challenging. For example, computer code is inherently structured and often relies on precise relationships between various elements. Misinterpretation or loss of these relationships can lead to incomplete or incorrect code generation. SDKs and frameworks compound this challenge by introducing …

Media Through The Lens Of Scientific Reductionism: The Gene-Ius Of Genetic Determinism In Gattaca, Asmita Lehther

Kentucky Undergraduate Journal for the Health Humanities

This essay examines the construct of scientific reductionism within the framework established by Andrew Niccol’s film Gattaca, illustrating how genetic determinism shapes social hierarchies and opportunities. By analyzing Vincent's struggle as an "in-valid" in a society that equates genetic superiority with worth, the essay critiques the reduction of individual potential to biological labels, revealing the oppressive nature of such systems.

Sodium Bicarbonate Implications During Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting, Madeline L. Debuys, David Fort

Group: Samford University Moffett & Sanders School of Nursing

Acidemia is common in cardiac patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Acute metabolic acidosis (MA) during CABG surgery is typically an indication of tissue hypoperfusion.1,2,3,4 This pH imbalance is thought to contribute to cardiac instability, reduced responsiveness to vasopressors, and increased mortality.1,2,5 As a result, anesthesia providers commonly administer sodium bicarbonate (SB) in efforts to correct the pH imbalance and restore cardiac function.1 Despite its prevalence, little evidence supports treating hypoperfusion-related MA with SB. This leads to the question, in patients undergoing CABG who develop MA intraoperatively, does correcting the pH with SB reduce postoperative mortality?

Radiation: Risk, Exposure And Efficacy Of Protective Measures, Jamie M. Holmes

Group: Samford University Moffett & Sanders School of Nursing

Since x-ray radiography was discovered in 1895, radiology has evolved into a critical component of modern medicine. The rise of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) has increased the need for radiologic imaging to ensure proper instrument placement and anatomical accuracy during procedures. This study evaluates radiation exposure, associated risks, monitoring devices, and the effectiveness of personal protective equipment (PPE) to enhance radiation safety and protective practices in the surgical environment...

Postoperative Pain Management And Breast Surgery, Jessica Compton Chisenhall, Maria Ledbetter

Group: Samford University Moffett & Sanders School of Nursing

The most common form of cancer in the female population is a malignant breast neoplasm. On average, one in every eight women will be diagnosed with this form of cancer in their lifetime. Furthermore, breast augmentation procedures are the most common surgical procedure for the female population. Therefore, each year, thousands of women undergo breast surgery for numerous reasons, whether it be necessary or voluntary. Postoperative pain is common, leading to secondary sequela and the potential for a decreased quality of life. The persistent pain patients experience following breast surgery is a primary complaint; it can lead to secondary sequela …

Alleviation Of Tourniquet Pain In Orthopedic Surgery, Ian Perkins, Nancy Westbrook

Group: Samford University Moffett & Sanders School of Nursing

Tourniquets (TNQ) are used in many orthopedic procedures. When used correctly, they safely reduce blood loss in the surgical field and facilitate the cementation of the hardware placed in the various locations that need repair. One of the main negatives associated with TNQ use is pain. The research indicates that TNQ pain can begin as early as 30 minutes from the onset of application. TNQ pain does not resolve until deflation, and in many cases, pain persists for days. TNQ pain is associated with increased sympathetic stimulation, leading to hypertension and tachycardia that is unresponsive to analgesics. Modern medications like …

Identifying Hot Papers And Research Gaps Using Science Mapping Tools, Ibis Anette Moreno-Lozano

Day Family Research Lab Workshop Series

In this workshop, participants will learn how to identify trending research, "hot papers," and uncover gaps in existing literature using advanced bibliometric and science mapping tools. We will explore how these tools visualize research networks, citation patterns, and keyword co-occurrence to pinpoint emerging areas of study and opportunities for future research.

Raas Inhibitor-Induced Refractory Hypotension In Anesthetized Patients, Cristina Basulescu Pfister, Amy Snow

Group: Samford University Moffett & Sanders School of Nursing

Refractory hypotension is an increasing perioperative concern most prominently seen in patients on chronic renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibitors. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors), angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), or a combination of the two therapies are common first-line medications used to treat primary hypertension. Despite the benefit of managing hypertension, such therapies do not come without complications. The principal mechanism of RAAS inhibitors is by inducing vasodilation by decreasing angiotensin II. However, this poses limitations during surgical events managed under general anesthesia...

Tales Of A Contemplative Academic: Lessons Learned From Integrating Meditation In The College Classroom, Steve Haberlin

Journal of Contemplative and Holistic Education

In this autoethnographical reflective essay, the author recounts his struggles and micro-victories with integrating brief meditation with undergraduates at a private college. The reflection offers three major insights for other faculty considering sharing meditation in higher education.

Decreasing The Incidence Of Residual Neuromuscular Blockade, Jada Parish, Amy Snow

Group: Samford University Moffett & Sanders School of Nursing

The presence of muscle weakness after the administration of a neuromuscular reversal agent is described as a residual neuromuscular blockade (RNMB) due to an incomplete antagonism of a neuromuscular blocker. To decrease the incidence of RNMB, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) strongly recommends quantitatively monitoring the degree of neuromuscular blockade perioperatively and extubating the patient when the train-of-four (TOF) ratio is greater than or equal to 0.9 at the adductor pollicis. There are acceleromyography (AMG) based and electromyography (EMG) based quantitative monitors; the limitations of AMG have been addressed by EMG.

The Federal Estate And Gift Taxes (Richard B. Stephens & Thomas L. Marr, 1959), William T. Stockton Jr.

Florida Law Review

No abstract provided.

Arbitration And The Law (Twelfth Annual Meeting Of The National Academy Of Arbitrators, 1959), Warren E. Hall Jr.

Florida Law Review

No abstract provided.

Effects Of A Sprint Post-Activation Performance Enhancement Stimulus On Discus Throw Performance In Collegiate Division I Throwers: A Pilot Study, Reagan Hulet, Mark Debeliso Phd, Marcus M. Lawrence

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 18(3): 251-262, 2025. No study has determined the impact a sprinting potentiating stimulus has on discus throwing performance in collegiate throwers. To test the hypothesis, that compared to a dynamic warm-up alone (DyWU), a dynamic warm-up with a multi-set sprinting potentiating stimulus (DyWU+SPR) would enhance discus throw performance. 12 NCAA Division I thrower athletes (18-25 year) randomly completed two sessions separated by at least 48 hours. One session involved a standardized dynamic warm-up (DyWU) and the other session involved a DyWU with multiple sets of a sprinting post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) stimulus (DyWU+SPR), with both …

Preface, José Luis Da Silva, Un Cig Ji, Aurel Stan

Journal of Stochastic Analysis

No abstract provided.