Digital Commons Network^™

Diy; Strategic Sustainable Homes Rethinking Ghana's Housing Crisis, Michelle Leal

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

The irony is that a profession that is responsible for cratering to one of the most basic human needs, is so economically out of reach for those in developing countries such as Ghana. Africa's housing already insufficient and continues to be expensive and not meeting the soaring demand, leads to the continent to face a housing crisis. This problem either leads people to become homeless or are forced to move into neglected unsanitary areas. The intent of my thesis is to provide a DIY; sustainable strategy home in which the locals learn and benefit from building a permit eco-friendly home. …

Tensegrity - Is It A Bridge? Buiding? Skin?, Freddy Portugal

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Tensegrity is an amazing concept in which it can look asthetically pleasing as well of having the structural strength to create long and short spans. It is a concept that hasnt been around too many years and its something not many people know about. Im hoping to educate you on this thesis and show how great it is to explore a new structure.

Floating Edge: Modular Living, Jonathan Cruz

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

This thesis aims to develop an alternate solution for rising sea levels. By adopting flotation technology which is successfully implemented in building on water. This thesis primary objective is to examine and discuss the relationships between floating architecture, and the possibility of a new modular way of living in these coastal areas. This thesis will also explore the technologies and processes incorporated in the foundations of floating constructions and the accessibility of the structures through well-planned grids. To develop an alternate solution for land reclamation and rising sea levels.

Pattern Differentiation And Tuning Shift In Human Sensory Cortex Underlie Long-Term Threat Memory, Yuqi You, Lucas R Novak, Kevin J Clancy, Wen Li

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The amygdala-prefrontal-cortex circuit has long occupied the center of the threat system 1, but new evidence has rapidly amassed to implicate threat processing outside this canonical circuit 2-4. Through non-human research, the sensory cortex has emerged as a critical substrate for long-term threat memory 5-9, underpinned by sensory cortical pattern separation/completion 10,11 and tuning shift 12,13. In humans, research has begun to associate the human sensory cortex with long-term threat memory 14,15, but the lack of mechanistic insights obscures a direct linkage. Towards that end, …

A Needs Assessment Survey Of Southern California Pest Management Professionals, Siavash Taravati

Journal of Extension

Pest Management Professionals were surveyed in training workshops/meetings in Southern California between 2015 and 2017 to understand their needs, challenges, and view of integrated pest management. The most encountered pests by pest control technicians were ants, cockroaches, rodents, spiders, termites, and bed bugs. The most challenging pest groups to control were bed bugs, cockroaches, ants, and rodents. The main challenges that professionals faced in doing their work were regulations, followed by managing pests, and customer-related problems. Most participants had a favorable view of IPM. However, they faced several challenges in implementing IPM, among which customer-related issues were the most common.

Transformative Partnerships: Expanding Extension’S Capacity To Support Texans With Developmental Disabilities, Andrew B. Crocker, Morgan D. Bradley, Shelby D. Vaughn, Beth Stalvey

Journal of Extension

New partnerships to reach new audiences are key to Extension’s future (Harder, 2019). But partnership is enhanced through shared decision-making, co-creation of content, and leveraging non-overlapping expertise and experience (Bertsch et al., 2020; Israilov & Cho, 2017; Ostrom, 1996). Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service partnering with the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities provides a novel approach to using statewide presence to the benefit of a partner seeking to expand its footprint (Alford, 2014; Ostrom, 1996) and is, itself, an outcome (Voorberg et al., 2015). Additionally, Texans with disabilities benefit through greater access to the education and resources the partnership produces.

Extension And Tourism: Previous Efforts, Current Trends, And The Future, Doug Arbogast, Daniel Eades, Stephan Goetz, Yuxuan Pan

Journal of Extension

This study highlights the results of a national survey of Extension land-grant and sea grant professionals designed to better understand their involvement in state/regional tourism programming and their perceptions of tourism related opportunities and challenges. This study demonstrates the breadth and importance of Extension’s tourism programing and continued challenges including limited investment and commitment by state institutions and the larger CES for core tourism program offerings. Investments in tourism programing are recommended as a way for Extension to maintain its relevancy, and better engage and address the community and economic development needs of traditional and emerging audiences.

Characterization Of Retinal Function And Structure In The Mptp Murine Model Of Parkinson's Diseasecharacterization Of Retinal Function And Structure In The Mptp Murine Model Of Parkinson’S Disease, Katie K N Tran, Vickie H Y Wong, Jeremiah K H Lim, Ali Shahandeh, Anh Hoang, David I Finkelstein, Bang V Bui, Christine T O Nguyen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

In addition to well characterized motor symptoms, visual disturbances are increasingly recognized as an early manifestation in Parkinson's disease (PD). A better understanding of the mechanisms underlying these changes would facilitate the development of vision tests which can be used as preclinical biomarkers to support the development of novel therapeutics for PD. This study aims to characterize the retinal phenotype of a mouse model of dopaminergic dysfunction and to examine whether these changes are reversible with levodopa treatment. We use a 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) mouse model of PD to characterize the neurotoxic effects of MPTP on in vivo retinal function (electroretinography, …

Designing A Digital Electronics Lab, Ben Buckwalter

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Hardware electronics tools can be more expensive than a new learner is willing to invest resulting in a barrier to entry. Furthermore, it can be difficult for a new learner to know where to start when learning electronics. To resolve this issue, we first explore current mobile app solutions that provide free electronics tooling. Then, we propose a design for a new mobile app that contains basic function generator and oscilloscope functionality as well as the learning resources necessary in order to guide new learners in the basics of digital electronics.

A Strategic Audit Of Seaworld, Jaden Capaldi, Rachel Jendro, Jacob Mir, Sophie Newman, Tommy Wolfe

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

No abstract provided.

Bi-Order Multimodal Integration Of Single-Cell Data, Jinzhuang Dou, Shaoheng Liang, Vakul Mohanty, Qi Miao, Yuefan Huang, Qingnan Liang, Xuesen Cheng, Sangbae Kim, Jongsu Choi, Yumei Li, Li Li, May Daher, Rafet Basar, Katayoun Rezvani, Rui Chen, Ken Chen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Integration of single-cell multiomics profiles generated by different single-cell technologies from the same biological sample is still challenging. Previous approaches based on shared features have only provided approximate solutions. Here, we present a novel mathematical solution named bi-order canonical correlation analysis (bi-CCA), which extends the widely used CCA approach to iteratively align the rows and the columns between data matrices. Bi-CCA is generally applicable to combinations of any two single-cell modalities. Validations using co-assayed ground truth data and application to a CAR-NK study and a fetal muscle atlas demonstrate its capability in generating accurate multimodal co-embeddings and discovering cellular identity.

Ndls Communicator: Week Of 05.09.22, Notre Dame Law School

NDLS Communicator

The Latest News

• Media coverage: Supreme Court breach and the pending Supreme Court abortion case decision
• Julian Velasco promoted to full professor
• Avishalom Tor joins IBPPA advisory board
• Keith Cooper — a man whose wrongful conviction inspired the creation of the Exoneration Justice Clinic reached a $7.5 million settlement with the city of Elkhart, Indiana. Adjunct Professor Elliot Slosar is Cooper’s attorney.
• The Law School and the Law School of the Ukrainian Catholic University will host a webinar today with several panel discussions on the legal challenges posed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Commencements Law School Specific Events:

Friday, May …

Central Nervous System Immune Interactome Is A Function Of Cancer Lineage, Tumor Microenvironment, And Stat3 Expression, Hinda Najem, Martina Ott, Cynthia Kassab, Arvind Rao, Ganesh Rao, Anantha Marisetty, Adam M Sonabend, Craig Horbinski, Roel Verhaak, Anand Shankar, Santhoshi N Krishnan, Frederick S Varn, Víctor A Arrieta, Pravesh Gupta, Sherise D Ferguson, Jason T Huse, Gregory N Fuller, James P Long, Daniel E Winkowski, Ben A Freiberg, Charles David James, Leonidas C Platanias, Maciej S Lesniak, Jared K Burks, Amy B Heimberger

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND

Immune cell profiling of primary and metastatic CNS tumors has been focused on the tumor, not the tumor microenvironment (TME), or has been analyzed via biopsies.

METHODS

En bloc resections of gliomas (n = 10) and lung metastases (n = 10) were analyzed via tissue segmentation and high-dimension Opal 7-color multiplex imaging. Single-cell RNA analyses were used to infer immune cell functionality.

RESULTS

Within gliomas, T cells were localized in the infiltrating edge and perivascular space of tumors, while residing mostly in the stroma of metastatic tumors. CD163⁺ macrophages were evident throughout the TME of metastatic …

Intersections Of Identity, Culture, And Curriculum On The Threshold Of A Latinx Transforming Edd Program At A Hispanic Serving Institution, Caroline A. Hesse, Laura M. Jewett

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

A constellation of emergent research is devoted to critiquing the institutional identities of Hispanic Serving institutions (HSIs) as primarily Hispanic-enrolling institutions and then exploring frameworks and practices aimed at transforming them into what García (2019) terms Latinx-serving institutions. The purpose of this essay is to explore the intersections of culturally relevant, responsive, and sustaining approaches and as potentially decolonizing curricular spaces of EdD program (re)design at HSIs. This essay draws from two qualitative studies exploring critical approaches to curriculum and pedagogy and program redesign in order to re-align questions about serving Latinx students toward practices of critical consciousness situated at …

Benefits Of Newborn Screening And Hematopoietic Cell Transplant In Infantile Krabbe Disease, Kristin M Page, Margie A Ream, Hemalatha G Rangarajan, Rafael Galindo, Ali Y Mian, Mai-Lan Ho, James Provenzale, Kathryn E Gustafson, Jennifer Rubin, Shalini Shenoy, Joanne Kurtzberg

Open Access Publications

Infantile Krabbe disease (IKD) can be treated with hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) if done during the first weeks of life before symptoms develop. To facilitate this, newborn screening (NBS) has been instituted in 8 US states. An application to add IKD to the recommended NBS panel is currently under review. In this report, the outcomes of newborns with IKD diagnosed through NBS and treated with HCT are presented. The unique challenges associated with NBS for this disease are discussed, including opportunities for earlier diagnosis and streamlining treatment referrals. This is a retrospective review of six infants with IKD detected by …

Fluoxetine Exposure Throughout Neurodevelopment Differentially Influences Basilar Dendritic Morphology In The Motor And Prefrontal Cortices, Susan E Maloney, Dora R Tabachnick, Christine Jakes, Selma Avdagic, Amy L Bauernfeind, Joseph D Dougherty

Open Access Publications

The significance of serotonin (5HT) in mental health is underscored by the serotonergic action of many classes of psychiatric medication. 5HT is known to have a significant role in neurodevelopment, thus 5HT disruption during development may have a long term impact on brain structure and circuits. We previously generated a model of 5HT alteration throughout neurodevelopment by maternal administration of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine. We found resulting social behavior alterations in the offspring during both postnatal and adult ages. Previous work by others has indicated that early 5HT disruption influences neuronal morphology. Therefore, in the current study we …

Caveolin-1 Temporal Modulation Enhances Antibody Drug Efficacy In Heterogeneous Gastric Cancer, Patrícia M R Pereira, Komal Mandleywala, Sébastien Monette, Melissa Lumish, Kathryn M Tully, Sandeep Surendra Panikar, Mike Cornejo, Audrey Mauguen, Ashwin Ragupathi, Nai C Keltee, Marissa Mattar, Yelena Y Janjigian, Jason S Lewis

Open Access Publications

Resistance mechanisms and heterogeneity in HER2-positive gastric cancers (GC) limit Trastuzumab benefit in 32% of patients, and other targeted therapies have failed in clinical trials. Using patient samples, patient-derived xenografts (PDXs), partially humanized biological models, and HER2-targeted imaging technologies we demonstrate the role of caveolin-1 (CAV1) as a complementary biomarker in GC selection for Trastuzumab therapy. In retrospective analyses of samples from patients enrolled on Trastuzumab trials, the CAV1-high profile associates with low membrane HER2 density and low patient survival. We show a negative correlation between CAV1 tumoral protein levels - a major protein of cholesterol-rich membrane domains - and …

Cutting-Edge Imaging Of Cardiac Metastases From Neuroendocrine Tumors: Lesson From A Case Series, Soraya El Ghannudi, Eric Ouvrard, Nidaa Mikail, Benjamin Leroy Freschini, Thomas H Schindler, Alessio Imperiale

Open Access Publications

With the increasing availability of high-performance medical imaging for the management of patients with neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), a progressive growth of asymptomatic and incidentally detected cardiac metastases (CMs) has been observed in the recent years. In clinical practice, CMs of NENs are often incidentally detected by whole-body

Racial And Ethnic Differences In Genomic Profiling Of Early Onset Colorectal Cancer, David M Hein, Weiye Deng, Marylena Bleile, Syed Ali Kazmi, Brooke Rhead, Francisco M De La Vega, Amy L Jones, Radhika Kainthla, Wen Jiang, Brandi Cantarel, Nina N Sanford

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The incidence and mortality of early onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) is rising; outcomes appear to differ by race and ethnicity. We aimed to assess differences in mutational landscape and gene expression of EOCRC by racial and ethnic groups (non-Hispanic Asian, non-Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic White, White Hispanic) using data from the American Association for Cancer Research Project GENIE (10.2) and University of Texas Southwestern, the latter enriched in Hispanic patients. All statistical tests were 2-sided. Of 1752 EOCRC patients, non-Hispanic Black patients had higher rates of KRAS mutations (60.9%; P = .001, q = 0.015), and non-Hispanic White and non-Hispanic Black …

2021 Bpsou Subdrain Electronic Database, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc., Atlantic Richfield Company, Environmental Protection Agency

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Economic Implications Of The Mexican Fruit Fly Infestation In Texas, Samuel D. Zapata

Journal of Extension

The Texas citrus industry is threatened by the presence of Mexican fruit fly. The objective of this study was to estimate the economic losses caused by this invasive pest. Economic impact is estimated in terms of loss in revenue and increase in operating costs. Under current quarantined areas and pest management strategies, the Texas citrus industry could experience an annual economic loss of $5.79 million. The analysis was extended to evaluate the economic impact associated with different quarantined area scenarios. This article can be used to increase awareness and adapted to estimate the economic impact of emerging invasive pest outbreaks.

Fad Diets: Professional Development Needs Among Nutrition Agents In Select Southern States, Abigail P. Mcalister, Vicky L. Green, Simone Camel, Mary C. Fontenot, Janet F. Pope

Journal of Extension

Because FCS agents teach communities about dietary guidelines, it is important that they are aware of the latest nutrition research. This study assessed FCS agents’ knowledge of popular fad diets (low-carbohydrate, intermittent fasting, detoxes and cleanses) and their potential adverse effects, and its relationship among location, certifications, years of experience, professional association memberships, and education. Agents in Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, and Mississippi were emailed a survey. RDN, DTR, and CHES certifications had significant associations (p = 0.03) with knowledge of adverse effects of fad diets. Agents who hold these credentials may have more knowledge about adverse effects of fad diets.

Experimental Investigation Of The Moment-Rotation Behaviour Of Beam-Column Connections Produced Using Compressed Wood Connectors, Sameer Mehra, Conan O'Ceallaigh, Adeayo Sotayo, Zhongwei Guan, Annette M. Harte

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

The use of timber in construction in medium–high rise construction has increased in recent years largely due to the significant innovation in engineered wood products and connection technology coupled with a desire to utilise more environmentally sustainable construction materials. While engineered wood products offer a low-carbon solution to the construction industry, the widespread use of adhesive and metallic fasteners often limits the recyclability of the structural components at the end of life of the structure and it may be beneficial to reduce this where possible. To establish the possibility of an all-wood connection solution, this preliminary study examines a series …

No “Pobrecito Student”: Translanguaging High-School Science For Academic Language Development, Agustina Borre

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research questions addressed in this study were: what are the impacts of translanguaging on academic language development? And what are the challenges and successes in implementing translanguaging in highly culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms? Thus, the topics explored in the literature review range from research on academic language development and the teaching and learning of science in high school and the struggles and challenges English Language Learners (ELLs) face when learning then different content areas. The literature review also reveals some of the findings emerging from the implementation of translanguaging in bi/multilingual classrooms. This study involved a cohort of …

All-Sky Search For Gravitational Wave Emission From Scalar Boson Clouds Around Spinning Black Holes In Ligo O3 Data, Ligo Scientific Collaboration, Virgo Collaboration, Kagra Collaboration, Tiffany Z. Summerscales

Faculty Publications

This paper describes the first all-sky search for long-duration, quasimonochromatic gravitational-wave signals emitted by ultralight scalar boson clouds around spinning black holes using data from the third observing run of Advanced LIGO. We analyze the frequency range from 20 to 610 Hz, over a small frequency derivative range around zero, and use multiple frequency resolutions to be robust towards possible signal frequency wanderings. Outliers from this search are followed up using two different methods, one more suitable for nearly monochromatic signals, and the other more robust towards frequency fluctuations. We do not find any evidence for such signals and set …

Development Of 'Core Outcome Sets' For Meningioma In Clinical Studies (The Cosmic Project): Protocol For Two Systematic Literature Reviews, Edelphi Surveys And Online Consensus Meetings, Eortc Btg, Icom, Eano, Sno, Rano-Pro, Bnos, Sbns, Bims, Tbtc, International Brain Tumour Alliance, Brainstrust, And Brain Tumour Foundation Of Canada, Christopher P. Millward, Terri S. Armstrong, Heather Barrington, Sabrina Bell, Andrew R. Brodbelt, Helen Bulbeck, Anna Crofton, Linda Dirven, Theo Georgious, Paul L. Grundy, Abdurrahman I. Islim, Mohsen Javadpour, Sumirat M. Keshwara, Shelli D. Koszdin, Anthony G. Marson, Michael W. Mcdermott, Torstein R. Meling, Kathy Oliver, Puneet Plaha, Matthias Preusser, Thomas Santarius, Nisaharan Srikandarajah, Martin J.B. Taphoorn, Carole Turner, Colin Watts, Michael Weller, Paula R. Williamson, Gelareh Zadeh, Oliver Hanemann

Peninsula Medical School

INTRODUCTION: Meningioma is the most common primary intracranial tumour in adults. The majority are non-malignant, but a proportion behave more aggressively. Incidental/minimally symptomatic meningioma are often managed by serial imaging. Symptomatic meningioma, those that threaten neurovascular structures, or demonstrate radiological growth, are usually resected as first-line management strategy. For patients in poor clinical condition, or with inoperable, residual or recurrent disease, radiotherapy is often used as primary or adjuvant treatment. Effective pharmacotherapy treatments do not currently exist. There is heterogeneity in the outcomes measured and reported in meningioma clinical studies. Two 'Core Outcome Sets' (COS) will be developed: (COSMIC: Intervention) …

The Relationship Between Processing Speed And Verbal And Non-Verbal New Learning And Memory In Progressive Multiple Sclerosis, Nancy D. Chiaravalloti, John Deluca, Amber Salter, Maria Pia Amato, Giampaolo Brichetto, Jeremy Chataway, Ulrik Dalgas, Rachel Farrell, Peter Feys, Massimo Filippi, Jennifer Freeman, Matilde Inglese, Cecilia Meza, Nancy B. Moore, Robert W. Motl, Maria Assunta Rocca, Brian M. Sandroff, Gary Cutter, Anthony Feinstein

School of Health Professions

Objective: Processing speed (PS) deficits are the most common cognitive deficits in multiple sclerosis (MS), followed by learning and memory deficits, and are often an early cognitive problem. It has been argued that impaired PS is a primary consequence of MS, which in turn decreases learning. The current analysis examined the association between PS and learning in a large cohort of individuals with progressive MS. Methods: Baseline data from a randomized clinical trial on rehabilitation taking place at 11 centers across North America and Europe were analyzed. Participants included 275 individuals with clinically definite progressive MS (primary, secondary) consented into …

Biodegradable Active Bio-Nanocomposite Film For The Enhanced Shelf Life Of Tomatoes, Kalpani Y. Perera, Shubham Sharma, Brendan Duffy, Amit K. Jaiswal, Swarna Jaiswal

Articles

The increased environmental pollution has led to finding sustainable solutions for non-renewable plastic-based food packaging materials. Thus, the use of biomaterial-based packaging material has become an immense trend. This work aims at developing an antimicrobial biodegradable chitosan-alginate bio-nano composite film with TiO2 nanoparticle (NPs) for food packaging applications. The film was developed by a solution casting method. The chemical, mechanical, thermal, barrier, antimicrobial, and biodegradable properties of the packaging films were evaluated. Packaging studies were performed for 15 days for cherry tomatoes. The designed packaging material had enhanced the mechanical properties with a significantly (p < 0.05) higher tensile strength of 15.76 folds and 2 fold higher elongation at break. The UV barrier properties increased by 88.6%, while the film transparency decreased by 87.23%. Molecular interaction of N-H covalent bonds was observed between alginate and chitosan together with TiO2 NPs. The developed bio-nano composite film showed antimicrobial activity against foodborne pathogens E. coli, S. aureus, S. typhi, and L. monocytogene with a log reduction of 7.08, 7.28, 6.04 & 6.02 log CFU/ml respectively at 24 hours incubation period. The film was completely biodegraded and a weight loss of 89.06% was observed in bio-nanocomposite film during the 3 months. Shelf-life estimation of cherry tomato using developed packaging films showed an increase in the shelf-life up to 8 days with stable pH, total soluble solids, and weight with no bacterial growth when packaged with prepared film. Owing to their improved mechanical, UV barrier, antibacterial, and biodegradability, the prepared active bio-nano composite packaging films could be considered a potential candidate for fruit packaging.

Influence Of Heuristic Techniques And Biases In Investment Decision-Making: A Conceptual Analysis And Directions For Future Research, Mensah Morris Ayaa, Williams Kwasi Peprah, Maxwell Okpoti Mensah, Adu Bismark Owusu-Sekyere, Bamfo Daniel

Faculty Publications

Purpose: The primary purpose of the study was to examine the roles of heuristic techniques and cognitive biases in Investment decision making and suggest directions for future research. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study adopted the literature review method to solicit an understanding of the heuristics and biases central to behavioural finance and influence investment decision-making. Findings: The paper provides conceptual insights into the influence of heuristic techniques and cognitive biases in investment decision-making. Results from the conceptual analysis show that in recent times, investors in their bid to minimise losses and maximize gains employ a range of heuristics which often lead to …

Comment Letter: Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Draft Final Unreclaimed Sites Quality Assurance Project Plan (Dated April 5, 2022), Nikia Greene

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.