Digital Commons Network^™

Diffusion-Informed Joint Segmentation Enhances Detection Of Thalamic Atrophy In Parkinson’S Disease, Gozde Kizilates-Evin, Ani Kicik, Emel Erdogdu, Dilek Betul Saridede, Sevim Cengiz, Basar Bilgic, Hasmet A. Hanagasi, Esin Ozturk-Isik, Tamer Demiralp, Ali Bayram

All Works

The thalamus is a critical subcortical hub that relays sensorimotor information and regulates higher-order cognitive processes. Accurate delineation of thalamic nuclei is essential for elucidating disease mechanisms and tracking clinical progression. In this study, we compared two segmentation approaches implemented in FreeSurfer: the conventional structural method and a joint framework that integrates diffusion tensor imaging. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from 24 healthy controls (HC), 27 patients with cognitively normal Parkinson’s disease (PD-CN), and 33 Parkinson's disease patients with mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) were analyzed. Segmentation methods were compared in HC to assess their effect on volume estimates. Group comparisons …

Dustmambanet: A Hybrid Inceptionv3–State-Space Network For Robust Solar Panel Dust Detection, Kadhim Hayawi, Sakib Shahriar

All Works

To develop a robust, scalable vision-based model for automatic detection and quantification of dust accumulation on solar photovoltaic panels, overcoming limitations of existing convolutional and attention-based methods and supporting proactive maintenance. We propose DustMambaNet, a hybrid model that consists of a pretrained InceptionV3 convolutional neural network as a feature extractor and two selective state space sequence modules. The state space modules use gated depthwise convolutions to represent long-range spatial dependencies that are of linear complexity, after rearranging spatial features to form sequences. The network provides a binary classification of dust with a severity index (DSI) and a continuous one. All …

Castor Canadensis Summer/Fall 2026, Smith

Castor Canadensis - Jedediah Smith Society

Newsletter of the Jedediah Smith Society

Schizophrenia Spectrum Biomarkers Consortium: Establishment Of A Biorepository For The Discovery Of Quantitative Fluid Biomarkers, Mohini Ranganathan, Susanne Jakob, Felecia Cerrato, Lia Urban Spillane, Tarlan S. Daryoush, Sophie Shuster, Katherine Dokholyan, Shaynna Herrera, Brian Koo, Clyde Markowitz, Pojen Deng, Sage Rush, Monica E. Calkins, Scott Troyan, Kosha Ruparel, Ruben C. Gur, Holly Reynolds, Claire Wegel, Matthew B. Johnson, Lauren Hom, Sam Bryant, Ross W. Mair, Randy L. Buckner, Rebecca Birnbaum, Christian G. Kohler, Cheryl M. Corcoran, Raquel E. Gur, Steven E. Hyman

Student Publications [Scholarly]

Background and Hypothesis: Schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs) produce severe symptoms, disability, and premature mortality, but only partially effective symptomatic treatments exist. Treatment development is impeded by lack of insight into disease mechanisms or objective biomarkers for clinical trials. Advances in genetics and neurobiology have converged on strong pathogenic hypotheses for SSDs centered on synapse dysfunction and excessive pruning, pathogenic processes that may produce measurable proteomic evidence in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Leveraging design precedents from successful fluid biomarkers discovery for Alzheimer’s disease, we undertook a pilot study to test the feasibility of repeated CSF and blood samples collection from individuals with …

Senate Resolution 2026-01, Blake Hochstein

Approved Senate Bills, Resolutions, and Documents

Student Senate resolution regarding Flock Safety cameras.

Beyond Regulatory Compliance: Reorienting Indonesia's Post-Mining Governance Through Ecological Justice, Suryaningsi Suryaningsi, Rosmini Rosmini, Andi Luthfi, Muhammad Sayyidus Cakrawala

Hasanuddin Law Review

Post-mining governance in coal-producing regions is often unable to translate regulatory compliance into actual ecological recovery, as evidenced by East Kalimantan's environmental challenges. Therefore, this study aimed to examine implementation gaps in Indonesia's legal framework for reclamation and propose legal reforms grounded in ecological justice. A socio-legal method was used to integrate normative analysis, semi-structured interviews with 12 multi-level stakeholders, and comparative assessments of Australia, South Africa, and India. The results identified four critical gaps, namely discrepancies between administrative compliance and ecological outcomes, inadequate financial assurance, uncertain land transfer, and fragmented institutional oversight. This study showed that regulatory compliance without …

Inflation-Differential Rule Versus (De Facto Soft-Peg) Discretion: Exchange-Rate Management Approach In Developing Economies, Behnam Ebrahimi, Mohammad Vaez Barzani Dr.

Bulletin of Monetary Economics and Banking

Many developing and emerging economies officially report a managed floating exchange-rate regime tailored with a fundamental exchange rate management approach, while in practice operating a de facto soft peg, characterized by discretionary, near-constant exchange-rate depreciation aimed at dampening inflation expectations. This discretionary approach—often justified as a pragmatic response to inflationary pressure—produces a hybrid regime that lacks the transparency and credibility emphasized in IMF policy guidance. This study evaluates whether substituting Discretionary Soft-Peg Exchange Rate Management approach with an Inflation-Differential Rule of Exchange Rate Management approach, which links exchange-rate adjustments to the inflation differential between domestic and rest of the world, …

(Wp 2026-04) The Concept Of Position And Its Ontological Meaning In The History Of Economics, John B. Davis

Economics Working Papers

This paper examines the concept of relative position in the history of economics understood as ‘being in a position’ in a structure of positions. This is first discussed in macro-distributional terms in connection with Ricardo and Marx and in micro-behavioral terms in connection with Du Bois and Veblen. The paper then discusses two recent approaches in economics that employ the concept of relative position in a combined macro-micro analysis: the capability approach and stratification economics. For explicitly ontological analysis of the concept, the paper compares three different interpretative strategies from outside economics: Cambridge social positioning theory, embodied and distributed cognition …

Neonatal Assessment And Vr: Designing 3d Simulation Training For Prehospital Clinicians, Michella G. Hill, Luke Hopper, Belinda Flanagan, Sara Hansen, Alecka Miles, Jess Watson, Sean Cashman, Kirstie Balding, Peggy Dysktra, Joshua Johnson, Brennen Mills

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Prehospital emergency care requires clinicians to manage a vast array of medical and trauma incidents, including rare events such as obstetrics (i.e., childbirth) emergencies. Emergency births can have life-threatening complications such as neonatal respiratory distress potentially leading to cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Management of low-frequency high-risk (LFHR) events such as birthing and immediate neonatal care occurring outside the planned place of birth require expert clinical management. Underutilised skill and knowledge of LFHR events decay within 12-months of being taught. LFHR events are often overlooked for refresher training due to the low occurrence of such cases, putting LFHR patients at even greater risk …

Characterization Of Mettl3/14-Mediated M6a Modification In Human Transcriptome Using Nanopore Direct Rna Sequencing, Emily Kurtyan, Andrew J. Stein, Kelly J. Abdalla, Zhangerjiao Yuan, Miten Jain, Fadia Ibrahim

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

Post-transcriptional RNA modifications modulate diverse aspects of RNA metabolism. N6-methyladenosine (m6A), one of the most abundant internal RNA modifications, is deposited by the core methyltransferase complex, METTL3 and METTL14. Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) platform permits direct, single RNA molecule sequencing while preserving native modifications. However, without rigorous benchmarking, the accuracy and reproducibility of modification detection remain uncertain. Here, we leveraged ONT to comprehensively profile bona fide m6A modifications in cellular RNAs at single-nucleotide resolution by integrating two direct RNA sequencing chemistries (RNA002 and RNA004) with the m6Anet and Dorado modification-detection models. We independently depleted METTL3 and METTL14 in human cells …

Inosine-Triphosphate-Pyrophosphatase Activity As A Potential Predictor Of Methotrexate Remission In Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis., Sofia Sindici Forgiarini, Marianna Lucafò, Debora Curci, Davide Selvestrel, Valentina Moressa, Sofia Pagarin, Barbara Bellich, Martina Franzin, Alberto Tommasini, Mara L. Becker, Laura Ramsey, Susan D. Thompson, Carl D. Langefeld, Federica Corba, Edoardo Marrani, Gabriele Simonini, Gabriele Stocco, Giuliana Decorti, Andrea Taddio, Serena Pastore

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

OBJECTIVE: Methotrexate (MTX) is the first-line therapy for juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), but up to 40% of patients do not respond to it. Low inosine triphosphate pyrophosphatase (ITPA) activity has been associated with reduced clinical remission. We investigated the role and underlying mechanisms of ITPA in vitro.

METHODS: ITPA enzymatic activity was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection in erythrocyte lysates from patients with JIA (enrolled in Trieste, Italy; Florence, Italy; and Kansas City, Missouri) receiving weekly MTX (10-15 mg/m²) for at least 12 months. Remission was evaluated by Wallace et al criteria. ITPA rs1127354, which …

Association Between Estimated Time With Low Glomerular Filtration Rate And Access To Transplant Among Youth With Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease., Elaine Ku, Timothy Copeland, Charles E. Mcculloch, Jonathan D. Savant, Bradley A. Warady, Susan L. Furth, Sarah Kizilbash, Daniel I. Feig, Roshan P. George, Joseph T. Flynn, Judith Jerry-Fluker, Matthew B. Matheson, Sandra Amaral, Ckid Investigators

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Slower chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression allows more time for transplant preparation. Whether differences in CKD progression by race/ethnicity associate with preemptive or living donor transplantation in youth has not been well studied.

METHODS: We examined the association between time spent with low eGFR (between 10-30 mL/min/1.73 m²) and odds of preemptive or living donor transplantation among youth with CKD. eGFR was estimated using the bedside Schwartz (if < 18 years) and CKD-EPI 2021 equations (if ≥ 18 years) and the CKiD U25 equation in sensitivity analysis. Time spent with low eGFR was compared by race/ethnicity.

RESULTS: Among 333 youth with CKD (median age 11 years [IQR 7,14]), median time spent with low eGFR was 28.8 months. 77% were preemptively waitlisted, and 45% received preemptive …

The Rise And Fall Of Lateral Electrical Surface Stimulation (Less) Through The Lens Of Srs Archives., Ali Rezazadeh Shirazi, Jay I. Kumar, Katie Dold, George H. Thompson, Andrew G. King, Richard M. Schwend, John P. Lubicky, Jay Shapiro, Behrooz A. Akbarnia, History Committee Of The Scoliosis Research Society

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

PURPOSE: Lateral electrical surface stimulation (LESS), commercially known as the ScoliTron™, emerged in the late 1970s as a noninvasive alternative to bracing for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Early clinical reports generated considerable enthusiasm and adoption, but the technique was ultimately abandoned. This study examined the rise and fall of LESS through a combined analysis of the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) archives and published literature, with the goal of understanding factors that influence the adoption, evaluation, and abandonment of innovation in scoliosis care.

METHODS: A structured historical review was conducted using archival materials from the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS), including meeting abstracts, …

“I Really Like Being On The Floor, Because I Spend All The Time In My Chair”: Children With Disabilities’ Experiences Of Physical Activity In School, Katherine Gulliver, Rachel Knight Lozano, Kathrin Paal

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

Children with multiple disabilities often encounter significant barriers to participating in physical activity, impacting not only their physical health but also their overall experience in school. This study places the voices of four children at the centre of their own research, exploring their lived experiences of participating in physical activity in school. Using Clark’s (2017) Mosaic approach, this child-centred participatory study shows how children take part and engage with physical activity as part of their school day. Using videos and photography, child-led tours and ethically sensitive conversations with researchers, children shared a range of opportunities for enjoyment, exploration and interactions …

Student Affairs Minutes 09/01/2026, Student Affairs Committee

Student Affairs Committee

No abstract provided.

Facpaac Minutes 09/01/2026, Faculty And P&A Affairs Committee

Faculty and P&A Affairs Committee

No abstract provided.

Steering Minutes 09/01/2026, Steering Committee

Steering Committee

No abstract provided.

Distinguishing Between Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder And Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: The Role Of Childhood Maltreatment, Catherine Harris

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The current study examined whether court-substantiated childhood maltreatment may be associated with increased risk for Complex PTSD (CPTSD) and whether individuals with CPTSD and individuals with PTSD could be distinguished in terms of complex trauma exposure. Children with documented cases of abuse and neglect prior to age 11 were matched on age, race, sex, and approximate family socioeconomic status with children without documented histories of maltreatment (controls) and both groups were followed prospectively into adulthood. Participants (N = 1,196) were assessed using a DSM-III-R based structured interview of PTSD symptoms and other self-report measures of psychiatric symptoms at mean age …

Social And Structural Factors In The Development Of Baltimore's Low Back Vowels, Aidan J. Malanoski

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation is concerned with the low back vowels of Baltimore English: what low back systems occur, and how these systems have changed among Black and white Baltimoreans. I draw on two sources of data: 48 interviews that I conducted with natives of Baltimore and its inner suburbs, and 18 oral history interviews that were conducted from 1978 to 1981. In Chapter 3, I argue for the inclusion of the pre-rhotic sets START and NORTH in typologies of English low back vowels. With these sets included, several previously unattested low back systems are found in Baltimore. These are united by …

Modeling And Generating Trustworthy Speech, Yuwen Yu

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

As virtual agents become increasingly integrated into everyday communication, trust has become essential for effective human-AI interaction. Although recent advances in natural language generation and speech synthesis have significantly improved fluency and intelligibility, most systems are not designed to control how trustworthy they are perceived. As a result, a mismatch can emerge between perceived trustworthiness and actual system capability, leading to over-trust or under-trust. While trust is critical for meaningful interaction, current text-to-speech (TTS) systems are primarily optimized for naturalness and intelligibility rather than calibrated trustworthiness.

This dissertation investigates the perceptual foundations of trust in both human and synthesized speech …

Unreliable Witness Warnings For Police Testimony, Florence Ashley

UBC Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Damage Done: How The Disease Model Of Addiction Harms Marginalized People In Canada, Sara Gordon

UBC Law Review

No abstract provided.

Revisiting Law Society Disciplinary Powers Over The Attorney General: Professional Discipline For Policy Decisions?, Andrew F. Martin

UBC Law Review

No abstract provided.

Playing Pretend: Why Indigenous Identity Fraud Demands A Crime, Olivia Meier

UBC Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Blackout Period In Aboriginal Law: Colonial Control Via Section 141 Of The Indian Act, Amy Swiffen, Kris Millett, Keith Cherry, Hannah Wyile

UBC Law Review

No abstract provided.

Re: Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Final Bpsou Unreclaimed Sites Anderson Shaft Remedial Action Work Plan (Rawp) Request For Change Ur-2026-Ra-01, Mike Mcanulty

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Was The Us Invasion Of Iraq A Mistake, Or Are We Missing The Emergence Of A Promising Democracy?, Robert Burrell, Arman Mahmoudian, John Pennell

Journal of Strategic Security

This study evaluates the long-term impact of the 2003 US invasion of Iraq on its democratic development, social stability, and regional geopolitics. Utilizing a comprehensive data-driven approach, including metrics on governance resilience, national morale, political dynamics, economic indicators, and security sector reforms, the research assesses progress over two decades. Findings indicate gradual improvements in Iraq’s democratic institutions, public confidence, and economic resilience, despite persistent challenges such as corruption, sectarian divisions, and regional influence from Iran and neighboring states. The analysis suggests that Iraq’s resilience and evolving political landscape could foster a nascent democracy capable of regional influence if key reforms …

Algorithms In Battle: Ai, International Relations, And Future Warfare, Nikos Koutsoupias, Kyriakos Mikelis, Marios Nosios

Journal of Strategic Security

This study examines the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in transforming contemporary warfare, with a particular emphasis on its applications in unmanned aerial platforms, sensor networks, and decision-support architectures. The analysis examines current operational uses, the algorithmic processes that enable them, and empirical insights drawn from the Russian-Ukrainian War. Findings indicate that machine learning enhances key military functions, including surveillance, navigation, targeting, fire coordination, and maintaining communication networks under conditions of electronic disruption. The emergence of loitering munitions and autonomous navigation systems reflects a pattern of incremental innovation, wherein automation augments operational efficiency without displacing human authority in decisions involving …

Transitional Terrorism In South Asia: Understanding The Kuki-Chin National Front Using The Crime-Terror Nexus, Masrur Mahmud Khan

Journal of Strategic Security

The emergence of the Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF) within the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) has engendered considerable concern within the domains of domestic and national security. Although the group’s political objectives have evolved from secessionist ambitions towards demands for regional autonomy, KNF has simultaneously engaged in profit-driven criminal activities. Thus, KNF exemplifies a hybrid organization, embodying both political and economic imperatives and operating at the intersection of insurgency, terrorism, and organized crime. In this context, the present qualitative study adopts the ‘crime-terror nexus’ as its analytical framework, positing that KNF represents a hybrid entity defined by its dual political aspirations …

Counterintelligence At Its Core – Assessing And Preventing Foreign Espionage. By Kevin Riehle. Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2025., Mike W. Parrott

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.