Digital Commons Network^™

Prolonged Cytopenias After Immune Effector Cell Therapy And Lymphodepletion In Patients With Leukemia, Lymphoma And Solid Tumors, Anne Miller, Rachel Daum, Tao Wang, Mengfen Wu, Candise Tat, Thomas Pfeiffer, Shoba Navai, Andras Heczey, Meenakshi Hegde, Nabil Ahmed, Sarah B Whittle, Laquisa Hill, Caridad Martinez, Robert Krance, Carlos A Ramos, Rayne H Rouce, Premal Lulla, Helen E Heslop, Bilal Omer, Meghan Shekar

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background aims: The success of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy in treating B-cell malignancies has led to the evaluation of CAR T-cells targeting a variety of other malignancies. Although the efficacy of CAR T-cells is enhanced when administered post-lymphodepleting chemotherapy, this can trigger bone marrow suppression and sustained cytopenia after CD19.CAR T-cell therapy. Additionally, systemic inflammation associated with CAR T-cell activity may contribute to myelosuppression. Cytopenias, such as neutropenia and thrombocytopenia, elevate the risk of severe infections and bleeding, respectively. However, data on the incidence of prolonged cytopenias after immune effector therapy in the solid tumor context remain limited. …

A Prospective Cohort Study Of Pregnancy Outcomes Following Antepartum Infection With Sars-Cov-2, James D Doss, Emily Diveley, Fan Zhang, Amy Scheffer, Ruizhi Huang, Daniel Jackson, Nandini Raghuraman, Ebony B Carter, Indira U Mysorekar, Jeannie C Kelly

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objectives: Our study aimed to explore the impact of COVID-19 infection on pregnancy outcomes, accounting for the progression of variants, vaccines, and treatment modalities.

Study design: We performed a prospective longitudinal cohort study at two urban tertiary centers enrolling patients with a confirmed intrauterine singleton pregnancy from December 23, 2020 to July 18, 2022. Patients were evaluated for SARS-CoV-2 infection at enrollment and every trimester using serum antibody testing. The primary outcome was preterm birth. Symptom and treatment data were collected from pregnant patients with COVID-19 infections. Variant strain infection status was determined from local wastewater analysis.

Results: 448 patients …

Characterization Of High-Risk-Other Human Papillomavirus Genotypes In Papanicolaou Tests, High-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions, And Cervical Cancer, Caitlin E. Witt, Elizabeth F. Sutton, Ashley M. Stansbury, Ashley N. Winters, Luke C. Konur, Meng Luo, Jennifer E. Cameron, Beverly Ogden

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Background: The objective of this study was to determine the human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes of high-risk-other HPV Papanicolaou (Pap) tests and of biopsy tissues from patients with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HGSIL) or cervical cancer. High-risk-other HPV status was determined with the cobas HPV Test (Roche Diagnostics, North America) that identifies 12 high-risk, non-16/18 HPV genotypes. We hypothesized that we would find genotypes of HPV in our population that are not covered by the 9-valent HPV vaccine. Methods: For this retrospective cohort study, we randomly selected 50 high-risk-other HPV Pap test samples from 2018 from our pathology department registries for …

A Genome-Wide Association Meta-Analysis Of All-Cause And Vascular Dementia, Mega Vascular Cognitive Impairment And Dementia (Megavcid) Consortium

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

INTRODUCTION: Dementia is a multifactorial disease with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD) pathologies making the largest contributions. Yet, most genome-wide association studies (GWAS) focus on AD.

METHODS: We conducted a GWAS of all-cause dementia (ACD) and examined the genetic overlap with VaD. Our dataset includes 800,597 individuals, with 46,902 and 8702 cases of ACD and VaD, respectively. Known AD loci for ACD and VaD were replicated. Bioinformatic analyses prioritized genes that are likely functionally relevant and shared with closely related traits and risk factors.

RESULTS: For ACD, novel loci identified were associated with energy transport (SEMA4D), neuronal excitability …

Update On The Diagnosis Of Tuberculosis, Irina Kontsevaya, Andrea Maurizio Cabibbe, Daniela Maria Cirillo, Andrew R Dinardo, Nicole Frahm, Stephen H Gillespie, David Holtzman, Lennard Meiwes, Elisa Petruccioli, Maja Reimann, Morten Ruhwald, Wilber Sabiiti, Francesca Saluzzo, Elisa Tagliani, Delia Goletti

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a global public health threat, and the development of rapid and precise diagnostic tools is the key to enabling the early start of treatment, monitoring response to treatment, and preventing the spread of the disease.

Objectives: An overview of recent progress in host- and pathogen-based TB diagnostics.

Sources: We conducted a PubMed search of recent relevant articles and guidelines on TB screening and diagnosis.

Content: An overview of currently used methods and perspectives in the following areas of TB diagnostics is provided: immune-based diagnostics, X-ray, clinical symptoms and scores, cough detection, culture of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and …

Age Modifies The Association Between Severe Sleep Apnea And All-Cause Mortality, Amin Ramezani, Mehrnaz Azarian, Amir Sharafkhaneh, Arash Maghsoudi, Melissa B Jones, Thomas Penzel, Javad Razjouyan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Purpose: While sleep apnea (SA) gets more prevalent with advancing age, the impact of age on the association between SA and health outcomes is not well known. We assessed the association between the severity of SA and all-cause mortality in different age groups using large longitudinal data.

Method: We applied a Natural Language Processing pipeline to extract the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) from the physicians' interpretation of sleep studies performed at the Veteran Health Administration (FY 1999-2022). We categorized the participants as no SA (n-SA, AHI< 5) and severe SA (s-SA, AHI≥30). We grouped the cohort based on age: Young≤40; Middle-aged:40-65; and Older adults≥65; and calculated the odds ratio (aOR) of mortality adjusted for age, sex, race, ethnicity, BMI, and Charlson-Comorbidity Index (CCI) using n-SA as the reference.

Results: We identified 146,148 participants (age 52.23 ± 15.02; BMI 32.11 ± 6.05; male 86.7 …

Phase Ii Study Of Samotolisib In Children And Young Adults With Tumors Harboring Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase/Mammalian Target Of Rapamycin Pathway Alterations: Pediatric Match Apec1621d, Theodore W Laetsch, Kathleen Ludwig, P Mickey Williams, Sinchita Roy-Chowdhuri, David R Patton, Brent Coffey, Joel M Reid, Jin Piao, Lauren Saguilig, Todd A Alonzo, Stacey L Berg, Joyce Mhlanga, Elizabeth Fox, Brenda J Weigel, Douglas S Hawkins, Margaret M Mooney, Naoko Takebe, James V Tricoli, Katherine A Janeway, Nita L Seibel, Donald Williams Parsons

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Purpose: Patients age 1-21 years with relapsed or refractory solid and CNS tumors were assigned to phase II studies of molecularly targeted therapies on the National Cancer Institute-Children's Oncology Group (NCI-COG) Pediatric Molecular Analysis for Therapy Choice (MATCH) trial. Patients whose tumors harbored predefined genetic alterations in the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway and lacked mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway activating alterations were treated with the PI3K/mTOR inhibitor samotolisib.

Methods: Patients received samotolisib twice daily in 28-day cycles until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. A rolling 6 limited dose escalation was performed as, to our knowledge, this was …

Phylogenetically Diverse Bacterial Species Produce Histamine, Kristen A Engevik, Amber Hazzard, Brenton Puckett, Kathleen M Hoch, Sigmund J Haidacher, Anthony M Haag, Jennifer K Spinler, James Versalovic, Melinda A Engevik, Thomas D Horvath

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Histamine is an important biogenic amine known to impact a variety of patho-physiological processes ranging from allergic reactions, gut-mediated anti-inflammatory responses, and neurotransmitter activity. Histamine is found both endogenously within specialized host cells and exogenously in microbes. Exogenous histamine is produced through the decarboxylation of the amino acid L-histidine by bacterial-derived histidine decarboxylase enzymes. To investigate how widespread histamine production is across bacterial species, we examined 102,018 annotated genomes in the Integrated Microbial Genomes Database and identified 3,679 bacterial genomes (3.6 %) which possess the enzymatic machinery to generate histamine. These bacteria belonged to 10 phyla: Bacillota, Bacteroidota, Actinomycetota, Pseudomonadota, …

Targeting Calpain-2-Mediated Junctophilin-2 Cleavage Delays Heart Failure Progression Following Myocardial Infarction, Satadru K Lahiri, Jiao Lu, Yuriana Aguilar-Sanchez, Hui Li, Lucia M Moreira, Mohit M Hulsurkar, Arielys Mendoza, Mara R Turkieltaub Paredes, Jose Alberto Navarro-Garcia, Elda Munivez, Brooke Horist, Oliver M Moore, Gunnar Weninger, Sören Brandenburg, Christof Lenz, Stephan E Lehnart, Rana Sayeed, George Krasopoulos, Vivek Srivastava, Lilei Zhang, Jason M Karch, Svetlana Reilly, Xander H T Wehrens

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a prevalent cardiac disease that causes over 370,000 deaths annually in the USA. In CHD, occlusion of a coronary artery causes ischemia of the cardiac muscle, which results in myocardial infarction (MI). Junctophilin-2 (JPH2) is a membrane protein that ensures efficient calcium handling and proper excitation-contraction coupling. Studies have identified loss of JPH2 due to calpain-mediated proteolysis as a key pathogenic event in ischemia-induced heart failure (HF). Our findings show that calpain-2-mediated JPH2 cleavage yields increased levels of a C-terminal cleaved peptide (JPH2-CTP) in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy and mice with experimental MI. We created …

Bempedoic Acid In Secondary Prevention, Idine Mousavi, Vijay Nambi, Layla A Abushamat, Sadeer G Al-Kindi, Michael D Shapiro, Laurence Sperling, Salim S Virani, Abdul Mannan Khan Minhas

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

•Bempedoic acid has been shown to reduce major adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients unable to take statins due to statin-associated side effects.•Analysis of CLEAR Outcomes trial data reveals possible differences in baseline characteristics between the primary and secondary prevention subgroups.•Further research is needed to optimize use of bempedoic acid and clarify its impact on cardiovascular outcomes in diverse patient populations.

High-Sensitivity Troponin T, Nt-Probnp, And Cognitive Outcomes In Sprint, Devin Haney, Yuan Ma, Djhenne Dalmacy, Nicholas M Pajewski, Ihab Hajjar, James A De Lemos, Wenxin Zhang, Elsayed Z Soliman, Christie M Ballantyne, Vijay Nambi, Naveed Sattar, Anthony A Killeen, Joachim H Ix, Michael G Shlipak, Jarett D Berry, Simon B Ascher

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Hs-cTnT (cardiac troponin T measured with a highly sensitive assay) and NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide) may identify adults with hypertension who derive greater cognitive benefits from lower systolic blood pressure targets.

Methods: In the SPRINT (Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial) MIND study, participants were categorized as having both hs-cTnT and NT-proBNP in the lower 2 tertiles (n=4226), one in the highest tertile (n=2379), and both in the highest tertile (n=1506). We assessed the effect of intensive versus standard treatment on the composite of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or probable dementia (PD) across biomarker categories.

Results: Over a median …

Clinical Outcomes Of Patients With Newly Diagnosed Large B-Cell Lymphoma In A Safety-Net Hospital System, Jun Y Jiang, Chijioke Nze, Danielle Guffey, Rockbum Kim, Abiodun O Oluyomi, Omar Rosales, Raka Bandyo, Courtney N Miller-Chism, Mark M Udden, Martha P Mims, Hilary Ma, Gustavo A Rivero, Akiva Diamond, Purnima S Teegavarapu, Ang Li, Christopher R Flowers

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Real-world outcome data for patients with large B-cell lymphomas (LBCLs) who are uninsured or have socioeconomic barriers to care are limited. We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients with newly diagnosed LBCL treated in a large safety-net hospital system. Between January 2011 and June 2022, 496 patients aged >18 years were diagnosed with LBCL at Harris Health System, Houston, Texas. The median age was 53 years, 75% were uninsured, and 81% were in the most disadvantaged Area Deprivation Index national quartiles. Most (69%) had stage III/IV disease, 44% had poor-risk disease by the Revised International Prognostic Index (R-IPI), and …

X-Linked Genetic Associations In Sporadic Thoracic Aortic Dissection, Fadi I Musfee, Goo Jun, Laura E Mitchell, Han Chen, Dongchuan Guo, Siddharth K Prakash, Shaunak Sanjay Adkar, Megan L Grove, Ryan Bohyun Choi, Derek Klarin, Million Veteran Program, Eric Boerwinkle, Dianna M Milewicz

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The male predominance in sporadic thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection (TAD) suggests that the X chromosome contributes to TAD, but this has not been tested. We investigated whether X-linked variation-common (minor allele frequency [MAF] ≥0.01) and rare (MAF < 0.01)-was associated with sporadic TAD in three cohorts of European descent (Discovery: 364 cases, 874 controls; Replication: 516 cases, 440,131 controls, and ARIC [Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study]: 753 cases, 2247 controls). For analysis of common variants, we applied a sex-stratified logistic regression model followed by a meta-analysis of sex-specific odds ratios. Furthermore, we conducted a meta-analysis of overlapping common variants between the Discovery and Replication cohorts. For analysis of rare variants, we used a sex-stratified optimized sequence kernel association test model. Common variants results showed no statistically significant findings in the Discovery cohort. An intergenic common variant near SPANXN1 was statistically significant in the Replication cohort (p = 1.81 × 10-8). The highest signal from the meta-analysis of the Discovery and Replication cohorts was a ZNF182 intronic common variant (p = 3.5 × 10-6). In rare variants results, RTL9 reached statistical significance (p = 5.15 × 10-5). Although most of our results were statistically insignificant, our analysis is the most comprehensive X-chromosome association analysis of sporadic TAD to date.

Relationship Between Epicardial Adipose Tissue And Coronary Atherosclerosis By Ccta In Young Adults (18–45), Annalisa Filtz, Daniel Lorenzatti, Andrea Scotti, Pamela Piña, Carol Fernandez-Hazim, Dou Huang, Paul Ippolito, John P Skendelas, Toshiki Kuno, Carlos J Rodriguez, Aldo L Schenone, Azeem Latib, Carl J Lavie, Leslee J Shaw, Ron Blankstein, Michael D Shapiro, Mario J Garcia, Daniel S Berman, Damini Dey, Salim S Virani, Leandro Slipczuk

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objective: Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is implicated in the pathogenesis and progression of coronary artery disease (CAD). Limited data exists on the interplay between EAT and atherosclerosis in young individuals. Our study aims to explore the relationship between EAT and CAD in a young cohort.

Methods: All young (18-45 years) patients without prior CAD, referred for coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) from 2016 to 2022 were included. EAT volume and coronary artery calcium (CAC) were calculated from dedicated non-contrast scans. Coronary plaque presence, extent, and volume were quantified from CCTA. Multivariable logistic regression models for the presence of CAD, defined …

Tuberculosis Prevention: Current Strategies And Future Directions, Anca Vasiliu, Leonardo Martinez, Rishi K Gupta, Yohhei Hamada, Tara Ness, Alexander Kay, Maryline Bonnet, Martina Sester, Stefan H E Kaufmann, Christoph Lange, Anna M Mandalakas

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: An estimated one fourth of the world's population is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and 5-10% of those infected develop tuberculosis in their lifetime. Preventing tuberculosis is one of the most underutilized but essential components of curtailing the tuberculosis epidemic. Moreover, current evidence illustrates that tuberculosis manifestations occur along a dynamic spectrum from infection to disease rather than a binary state as historically conceptualized. Elucidating determinants of transition between these states is crucial to decreasing the tuberculosis burden and reaching the END-TB Strategy goals as defined by the WHO. Vaccination, detection of infection, and provision of preventive treatment are key …

A Systematic Review And Expert Delphi Consensus Recommendation On The Use Of Vaccines In Patients Receiving Dupilumab: A Position Paper Of The American College Of Allergy, Asthma And Immunology, Jay A Lieberman, Derek K Chu, Tasnuva Ahmed, Timothy E Dribin, Elissa M Abrams, Aikaterini Anagnostou, Kimberly G Blumenthal, Mark Boguniewicz, Nicole M Chase, David B K Golden, Nicholas L Hartog, Jennifer R Heimall, Tina Ho, Monica G Lawrence, David A Khan, Timothy Dean Minniear, S Shahzad Mustafa, John J Oppenheimer, Elizabeth J Phillips, Allison Ramsey, Nicholas L Rider, Lynda Schneider, Marcus S Shaker, Jonathan M Spergel, Cosby A Stone, David R Stukus, Julie Wang, Matthew J Greenhawt

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Dupilumab is a monoclonal antibody that targets the interleukin (IL)-4 receptor alpha subunit, thus blocking the effects of IL-4 and IL-13, and has shown efficacy in treating various conditions including asthma, atopic dermatitis, eosinophilic esophagitis, and others. Because of its immune modulatory effects, clinical trials that studied dupilumab did not allow patients to receive live vaccines during the clinical trials because of an abundance of caution, and thus package inserts recommend that patients who are being treated with dupilumab should avoid live vaccines. Because dupilumab is now approved for use in patients from 6 months of age for the …

Distinct Basal Forebrain-Originated Neural Circuits Promote Homoeostatic Feeding And Suppress Hedonic Feeding In Male Mice, Hailan Liu, Jonathan C Bean, Yongxiang Li, Meng Yu, Olivia Z Ginnard, Kristine M Conde, Mengjie Wang, Xing Fang, Hesong Liu, Longlong Tu, Na Yin, Junying Han, Yongjie Yang, Qingchun Tong, Benjamin R Arenkiel, Chunmei Wang, Yang He, Yong Xu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Feeding behaviour is influenced by two primary factors: homoeostatic needs driven by hunger and hedonic desires for pleasure even in the absence of hunger. While efficient homoeostatic feeding is vital for survival, excessive hedonic feeding can lead to adverse consequences such as obesity and metabolic dysregulations. However, the neurobiological mechanisms that orchestrate homoeostatic versus hedonic food consumption remain largely unknown. Here we show that GABAergic proenkephalin (Penk) neurons in the diagonal band of Broca (DBB) of male mice respond to food presentation. We further demonstrate that a subset of DBBPenk neurons that project to the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus …

“Education Would Be Step Number One”: Community Mental Health Clinicians’ Training And Support Needs To Treat Anxiety In Autistic Youth, Shannon C Lapoint, Grace Lee Simmons, Julia Heinly, Daylin Delgado, Whitney S Shepherd, Lauren Brookman-Frazee, Eric A Storch, Brenna B Maddox

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Autistic youth experience high rates of anxiety, which has been treated with modified cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), often integrating exposure therapy. Such anxiety treatments are effective for this population; however, there remains a gap between these evidence-based mental health interventions and their implementation in community mental health (CMH) services where autistic youth receive care.

Method: This qualitative study conducted semi-structured interviews with four types of community members in the United States: 15 autistic youth with anxiety, 15 caregivers of autistic youth with anxiety, 11 CMH clinicians, and 8 CMH clinic leaders. Participants identified the training needs of CMH clinicians to …

Quality Analysis Of Online Resources For Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting, Natalia Roa-Vidal, John A Treffalls, Zachary Brennan, Omar M Sharaf, Brittany Rhoades, Lauren K Barron

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Online resources are becoming the primary educational resource for patients. Quality and reliability of websites about coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) procedures are unknown.

METHODS: We queried 4 search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo!, and Dogpile) for the terms coronary artery bypass, coronary artery bypass graft, coronary artery bypass graft surgery, and CABG. The top 30 websites from each were aggregated. After exclusions, 85 websites were graded with the DISCERN instrument, patient-focused criteria, and readability calculators by a 2-reviewer system.

RESULTS:Accessibility was low; 34.1% of websites disclosed authorship, and 23.5% were available in Spanish. Median total …

Local Anesthetic Systemic Toxicity In Pregnancy: A Retrospective Cohort Analysis, Micah K De Valle, Michael Adkison, Ruhi Maredia, Cooper Stevenson, Shobana Murugan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Introduction: Local anesthetic systemic toxicity (LAST) is a rare complication of regional anesthesia. Pregnancy is a risk factor due to gestational physiologic changes. Labor and disorders of pregnancy can mask or delay symptoms of LAST, slowing appropriate intervention. This study examines LAST within a larger cohort and identifies features that help distinguish LAST in pregnant women from LAST in nonpregnant patients.

Methods: The TriNetX database was used to compare pregnant and nonpregnant patients with LAST from 2013 to 2023. Cohorts were matched on age, race, obesity status, diabetes, metabolic disorders, local anesthetic type, and cardiovascular, liver, kidney, and respiratory disease. …

Death-Associated Protein Kinase 3 Modulates Migration And Invasion Of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells, Junkai Wang, Anh M Tran-Huynh, Beom-Jun Kim, Doug W Chan, Matthew V Holt, Diana Fandino, Xin Yu, Xiaoli Qi, Jin Wang, Weijie Zhang, Yi-Hsuan Wu, Meenakshi Anurag, Xiang H F Zhang, Bing Zhang, Chonghui Cheng, Charles E Foulds, Matthew J Ellis

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Sixteen patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) were analyzed using a mass spectrometry (MS)-based kinase inhibitor pull-down assay (KIPA), leading to the observation that death-associated protein kinase 3 (DAPK3) is significantly and specifically overexpressed in the triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) models. Validation studies confirmed enrichment of DAPK3 protein, in both TNBC cell lines and tumors, independent of mRNA levels. Genomic knockout of DAPK3 in TNBC cell lines inhibited in vitro migration and invasion, along with down-regulation of an epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) signature, which was confirmed in vivo. The kinase and leucine-zipper domains within DAPK3 were shown by a mutational analysis to be essential …

Consequences Of Local Conspecific Density Effects For Plant Diversity And Community Dynamics, Joseph A. Lamanna, Stefan A. Schnitzer

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Conspecific density dependence (CDD) in plant populations is widespread, most likely caused by local-scale biotic interactions, and has potentially important implications for biodiversity, community composition, and ecosystem processes. However, progress in this important area of ecology has been hindered by differing viewpoints on CDD across subfields in ecology, lack of synthesis across CDD-related frameworks, and misunderstandings about how empirical measurements of local CDD fit within the context of broader ecological theories on community assembly and diversity maintenance. Here, we propose a conceptual synthesis of local-scale CDD and its causes, including species-specific antagonistic and mutualistic interactions. First, we compare and clarify …

Study Of The Structure Of Zn And Na Borophosphate Glasses Using X-Ray And Neutron Scattering Techniques, Uwe Hoppe, Parker T. Freudenberger, Richard K. Brow, Jozef Bednarčik, Alex C. Hannon

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The atomic structures of Zn and Na borophosphate glasses were studied using X-ray and neutron scattering techniques. Peaks assigned to the B−O, P−O, and O−O distances confirm that only BO₄ units co-exist with the PO₄ tetrahedra. The Zn−O and Na−O coordination numbers are found to be a little larger than four. The narrowest peaks of the Zn−O first-neighbor distances exist for the glasses along a line connecting the Zn (PO₃)₂ and BPO₄ compositions (50 mol% P₂O₅), which is explained by networks of ZnO₄, BO₄, and PO …

Surrogate-Based Multidisciplinary Optimization For The Takeoff Trajectory Design Of Electric Drones, Samuel Sisk, Xiaosong Du

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft attract attention due to their unique characteristics of reduced noise, moderate pollutant emission, and lowered operating cost. However, the benefits of electric vehicles, including eVTOL aircraft, are critically challenged by the energy density of batteries, which prohibit long-distance tasks and broader applications. Since the takeoff process of eVTOL aircraft demands excessive energy and couples multiple subsystems (such as aerodynamics and propulsion), multidisciplinary analysis and optimization (MDAO) become essential. Conventional MDAO, however, iteratively evaluates high-fidelity simulation models, making the whole process computationally intensive. Surrogates, in lieu of simulation models, empower efficient MDAO with the …

Ground Vacuum Facility To Simulate Low Earth Orbit Plasma Environment, Emmanuel Kofi Asuako Wie-Addo, Jacob Ortega, Daoru Han

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents a large vacuum facility (6-ft-diameter, 10-ft-long chamber) equipped with a magnetic filter-type low Earth orbit plasma source. A recommended operating envelope for the plasma source was established through single-point measurements by varying the discharge currents of the plasma source and the gas flow rates. A three-axis translation stage was fabricated and tested with 2D and 3D scans of the simulated plasma environment. The measured plasma density during this study was between 1:63 x 1012 − 3:1 x 1012 m−3 for the electrons and 7:54 x 1012 − 1:82 x 1013 m−3 for the ions, whereas the electron …

Exploit The Potential Clinical Benefit Of Using Proton Arc Therapy For Esophageal Cancer, Peilin Liu, Xiaoda Cong, Raymond Dalfsen, Martin Soukup, James E. Dolan, Shupeng Chen, Craig Stevens, Rohan Deroniyagala, Xiaoqiang Li, Xuanfeng Ding

Conference Presentation Abstracts

No abstract provided.

Quantitative Evaluation Of Gantry Rotation Perturbation Effects On Spot-Scanning Arc Therapy (Sparc), Peilin Liu, Lewei Zhao, Gang Liu, Xiaoda Cong, Xiaoqiang Li, Xuanfeng Ding

Conference Presentation Abstracts

Purpose: To quantitatively assess the impact of random gantry rotation perturbations on spot-scanning arc (SPArc) therapy.

Methods:

To simulate random gantry rotation perturbations, the initial gantry angle of SPArc treatment plans was modified using an in-house script. Four cases from different disease sites include brain, lung, liver and prostate were selected to evaluate. Original SPArc plans (SPArc_org) were developed through iterative processes, including control point re-sampling, redistribution of control points & energy layers, energy layer filtration, and re-sampling. Considering potential limitations, rotation perturbations of 1mm and 2mm were applied to al SPArc_org plans to generate perturbed SPArc …

Strengthening Person-Centered Management Through Mentorship: Building Library Community, Angela Yon, Grace Allbaugh, Susan Franzen

Faculty and Staff Publications – Milner Library

Mentorship offers practical applications for cultivating person-centered management strategies for librarians, including a framework, assessments, and programming ideas. Evolving responsibilities due to staffing changes and technological updates have forced librarians to be agile for years. Librarians need to adapt to an environment where priorities shift quickly, coupled with challenging political and cultural polarization, mentorship offers a welcoming extra layer of support. Research indicates that effective mentorship programs allow employees the space to develop new skills and experience growth, thereby creating a more prepared pool of internal candidates to take on leadership roles. Facilitating professional fulfillment through mentoring contributes to success …

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, And Access Annual Report, Fiscal Year 2024, April K. Anderson-Zorn, Karmine Beecroft, Mallory Jallas, Laura Killingsworth, Maddi Loiselle, Rachel Scott, Lindsey Skaggs, Maria Tudela, Eric Willey

Milner Library Publications

Report of Milner Library's activities and initiatives related to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access in Fiscal Year 2024.

Financing Pathways For The Energy Transition: A Regional Approach, Ana M. Camelo Vega

Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment

The success of the global energy transition critically requires a shift from a solely national focus to a regional perspective. Regional cooperation is not just a beneficial opportunity; it is an imperative for the future of sustainable energy. Clean energy solutions are inherently regional, necessitating interconnected systems and collaborative frameworks. This regional focus is essential for addressing the complex challenges of the energy transition, requiring comprehensive engineering, institutional, and financial solutions.

This comprehensive report highlights the crucial financing pathways needed to achieve a successful clean energy transition, focusing on four key regions: Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and …