Life Sciences Commons^™

Wbd-Yolo-Am: Yolov8 With Attention Module And Iot-Based Wild Boar Detection And Deterrence System For Safeguarding Small Millets, Aditya Joshi, Neha Pandey, Manoj Diwakar, Prabhishek Singh, Achyut Shankar, Fayez Alqahtani

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Small millets are traditional and climate-resilient food crops that can grow in adverse weather conditions. Animal intrusion, specifically from wild boars, is a main threat to the production of small millets, which reduces interest in the cultivation of small millets and affects farmers’ incomes. To address the problem of wild boar attack on agriculture land, an improved YOLOv8 is proposed, with an attention module based on WBD-YOLO-AM and that works from the collection of data, its preprocessing, attention mechanism to improve the feature maps, training then building the model, after that the models hyperparameter are tuned to boost the performance …

Assessment Of Bat Species (Mammalia: Chiroptera) In Canubas Cave, Kibawe, Bukidnon, Philippines, Jurriel Mari D. Alce, Jasmine Rouida M. Abenes, Leo Gabriel Cervantes, Matthew Eli K. Llacer, Von Zhyrus P. Oche, Ian Jay P. Saldo, Jhovel Roy D. Calo

Sinaya: A Philippine Journal for Senior High School Teachers and Students

Bats, flying mammals, are essential to ecosystems, playing vital roles in pollination, seed dispersal, and insect control. Despite their ecological importance, no prior bat research exists for Canubas Cave, Kibawe, Bukidnon. This study aimed to assess the bat species at the site, documenting their morphometric data, diversity and richness indices, and conservation statuses. A purposive sampling design was implemented by setting up mist nets inside and outside the cave. A total of 13 individuals were identified, comprising three species from two families: Rousettus amplexicaudatus and Eonycteris spelaea (family Pteropodidae, fruit bats), and Miniopterus schreibersii (family Miniopteridae, bent-winged bats). Based on …

Biophysical Effects Of Altered Myosin Binding Protein Stoichiometry In Atrial Myofilaments, Kelly N. Araujo

Dissertations

Cardiomyopathies, such as hypertrophic and dilated subtypes, are leading causes of heart failure and are often driven by genetic mutations that disrupt the structure and function of the cardiac sarcomere. While much of the research has focused on ventricular involvement, the role of atrial sarcomere dysfunction remains unexplored. The regulation of contractile function by sarcomeric proteins in the atria remains poorly understood, especially the impact of protein stoichiometry among myosin binding proteins. Cardiac myosin binding protein-C (cMyBP-C) and its atrial paralog, myosin binding protein H-like (MyBP-HL), have been shown to have a stoichiometric relationship within the atrial sarcomere. These two …

Development, Validation, And Applicability Of A Race-Specific Insulin Sensitivity Estimator (Rise) In Youth And Young Adults, Wonhee Cho

Dissertations - ALL

Parallel to the escalating rate of overweight and obesity in the youth and young adult population, the incidence and prevalence of type 2 diabetes are also mounting, presenting significant public health problems. Among the various pathophysiological factors, insulin sensitivity has emerged as a critical risk factor for impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and type 2 diabetes in youth. Despite the pivotal role of insulin sensitivity in the development and progression of these conditions, current methodologies for its assessment, such as the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp and intravenous glucose tolerance test, are limited by their invasive methods, high cost, and unsuitability for use in …

Caf-Macrophage Crosstalk Fuels Immunotherapy Resistance, Yang Liu, Linghua Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Safety Of Contemporary Radiation Therapy In Patients With Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices: Implications For Clinical Practice, Kaveh Karimzad, Shalin Shah, Stephen F Kry, Christopher Peeler, Julianne Pollard-Larkin, Amit Koduri, Martin Chacon Portillo, Siddharth Chauhan, Atia Amatullah, Chase Miller, Amanda Strang, Juhee Song, Khatera Mir Zaman Shah, Donelo Lopez, Darla Wagner, January Tsai, Shital Vachhani, Dilip Thakar, Cezar Iliescu, Jean-Bernard Durand, Anne H Dougherty, Bharat Kantharia, Anita Deswal

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Radiation therapy (RT) can cause cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) malfunction, primarily reset. Given changes in RT and CIED technologies, large observational studies examining malfunction of contemporary CIEDs during modern-day RT are needed to guide clinical practice.

Methods: Electronic medical records of all consecutive patients with CIEDs who underwent RT at a large tertiary cancer center between January 2015 and January 2022 were reviewed. All patients had CIED interrogation before and after completion of RT. Device-related data and RT-specific variables were collected. Statistical analyses were performed at the RT course level.

Results: Over a period of 7 years, 677 …

Green Synthesis Of Silver Nanoparticles From Melanoleuca Grammopodia: Changes In Bioactive Components, Antidiabetic Properties And Bioaccessibility, İsmai̇l Acar, Emi̇ne Okumuş, Arzu Karataş

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using plant materials allows the production of low-cost and biocompatible nanoparticles without the use of toxic compounds or solvents. In this study, biogenic AgNP/Mg nanoparticles were synthesized using the Melanoleuca grammopodia mushroom. Vitamin C and E contents of the mushroom were 42.6 mg/g and 26.82 mg/g, respectively. FTIR analysis revealed the reducing and stabilizing effects of bioactive components present in M. grammopodia mushroom extract. SEM micrographs showed that the nanoparticles were spherical in form and the EDX spectrum confirmed the presence of the characteristic metallic silver peak at 3.0 keV. A significant reduction in …

A Multimodal Approach To Assess A Liposomal Carrier’S Biodistribution, Stability, And Clearance, Cayla A Wood, Claire E Jones, Ananthakrishnan Soundaram Jeevarathinam, Riley Watson, Sangheon Han, Jennifer Meyer, Konstantin V Sokolov, Richard R Bouchard

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Liposomal carriers, used for site-specific drug delivery, are being investigated for diagnostic approaches by replacing the therapeutic with an imaging contrast agent, exploring potential for selective treatment planning. There remains a critical need to improve in vivo assessment of biodistribution, stability, and clearance kinetics of liposomal carriers. This pilot study presents a multimodal approach in which liposome-encapsulated J-aggregated indocyanine green (ICG) dye (Lipo-JICG) is imaged with high spatial resolution using both in vivo photoacoustic (PA) imaging, to assess the absorbance characteristics of JICG and monomeric ICG, and ex vivo cryofluorescence tomography (CFT), to measure ICG fluorescence. An in vitro assay …

In Silico Investigation Of The Anticancer Activity Of Natural Isoquinoline Alkaloids Targeting The Monoamine Oxidase A Enzyme, Reham A. Al-Anssari, Anwar H. Ali, Ola Adel Al-Saad, Shaker A.N. Al-Jadaan

AUIQ Complementary Biological System

Monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) has recently been identified as a candidate for cancer therapy due to its roles in tumor development and growth. Conventional approaches for the discovery of MAO-A inhibitors are both costly and time-consuming. The objective of this work was to apply in silico methods to predict natural isoquinoline alkaloids capable of acting as potent MAO-A inhibitors, and to establish this class of compounds as potential sources of a cost-effective anticancer therapy. Twenty-one natural isoquinoline alkaloids were subjected to a multistep computer-aided drug discovery protocol. The compounds were initially screened for pharmacokinetic (ADME), toxicity, and drug-likeliness properties by …

Humanizing Cities As An Approach For Solving Cities' Problems To Be More Livable, Kareem Mahrous Ali

Mansoura Engineering Journal

Most people around the world want to move from the countryside to the cities or from one city to another that provides them with all their human needs for a better life. The dream may come true for them or turn into a nightmare for reasons related to general problems facing most cities in the world, such as the high cost of living and the absence of social justice, these problems cause an increase in poor families, or the issue of refugees and the inability of some cities to welcome them, the energy crisis, and the challenges of climate change …

Reducing Residential Landscape Water Use In Utah: Technologies And Strategies, Maya Cottam, Kendall Becker, Katlyn Stemmler, Shital Poudyal, Wesley Crump, Lewis Kogan, Scott Hotaling

All Current Publications

Water conservation is a critical issue in Utah, and several actions are already underway to help lower residential landscape water use. Strategies include smart irrigation controllers, efficient sprinkler bodies and nozzles, drip irrigation systems, soil amendments that increase water-holding capacity, and drought-tolerant grass cultivars for lawns. While additional conservation efforts will be necessary to reach sustainable water management, statewide adoption of current programs can help reduce water use and loss.

Statistical Analysis Of Multi-Endpoint Phenotypic Screening Increases Sensitivity Of Planarian Neurotoxicity Testing, Danielle Ireland, L. J. Word, Eva-Maria S. Collins

Biology Faculty Works

There is an urgent need for high-throughput screening (HTS) models to replace, refine, and/or reduce (“3Rs”) vertebrate toxicity testing. Replacing in vivo animal studies is challenging for neurotoxicity and developmental neurotoxicity (DNT), where the functional relevancy of adverse outcomes needs to be assessed on the whole organism. We previously screened the NTP 87-compound library (NTP87), consisting of known and suspected developmental neurotoxicants, and showed that planarian HTS can identify known (developmental) neurotoxicants. Because analysis methods can impact screening results, and our original analysis used the lowest-observed-effect-level (LOEL) only, we hypothesized that the use of state-of-the-art statistical analysis would increase the …

Tracing Priming Effects In Palsa Peat Carbon Dynamics Using A Stable Isotope-Assisted Metabolomics Approach, Christian Ayala-Ortiz, Moira Hough, Elizabeth K. Eder, David W. Hoyt, Rosalie K. Chu, Jason Toyoda, Steven J. Blazewicz, Patrick M. Crill, Ruth Varner, Scott R. Saleska, Virginia I. Rich, Malak M. Tfaily

Michigan Tech Publications

Introduction: Peatlands store up to a third of global soil carbon, and in high latitudes their litter inputs are increasing and changing in composition under climate change. Although litter significantly influences peatland carbon and nutrient dynamics by changing the overall lability of peatland organic matter, the physicochemical mechanisms of this impact—and thus its full scope—remain poorly understood. Methods: We applied multimodal metabolomics (UPLC-HRMS, ¹H NMR) paired with ¹³C Stable Isotope-Assisted Metabolomics (SIAM) to track litter carbon and its potential priming effects on both existing soil organic matter and carbon gas emissions. Through this approach, we achieved molecule-specific tracking …

Native Ticks As A Model For The Effectiveness Of Fire As A Tool For The Management Of Cattle Fever Ticks In South Texas, Lauren P. Maestas, Sarah E. Mays Maestas, Kathleen M. Yeater, Manuel Zavala, Reyes Garcia, John A. Goolsby

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

The species of cattle fever ticks (CFT) present in North America, Rhipicephalus (=Boophilus) annulatus, and R. microplus, remain an important agricultural and economic burden. The use of acaricides to control CFT has been a common practice over the past half century. However, alternative strategies for control are needed to improve the options for sustainable pest control. Fire is a tool to manage vegetation, and some evidence supports its potential for use to control ticks. We evaluated the effectiveness of fire as a management tool for ticks in South Texas. Our site was a 28.2-ha property in Cameron …

Human Interpretable Grammar Encodes Multicellular Systems Biology Models To Democratize Virtual Cell Laboratories, Jeanette A I Johnson, Daniel R Bergman, Heber L Rocha, David L Zhou, Eric Cramer, Ian C Mclean, Yoseph W Dance, Max Booth, Zachary Nicholas, Tamara Lopez-Vidal, Atul Deshpande, Randy Heiland, Elmar Bucher, Fatemeh Shojaeian, Matthew Dunworth, André Forjaz, Michael Getz, Inês Godet, Furkan Kurtoglu, Melissa Lyman, John Metzcar, Jacob T Mitchell, Andrew Raddatz, Jacobo Solorzano, Aneequa Sundus, Yafei Wang, David G Denardo, Andrew J Ewald, Daniele M Gilkes, Luciane T Kagohara, Ashley L Kiemen, Elizabeth D Thompson, Denis Wirtz, Laura D Wood, Pei-Hsun Wu, Neeha Zaidi, Lei Zheng, Jacquelyn W Zimmerman, Jude M Phillip, Elizabeth M Jaffee, Joe W Gray, Lisa M Coussens, Young Hwan Chang, Laura M Heiser, Genevieve L Stein-O'Brien, Elana J Fertig, Paul Macklin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Cells interact as dynamically evolving ecosystems. While recent single-cell and spatial multi-omics technologies quantify individual cell characteristics, predicting their evolution requires mathematical modeling. We propose a conceptual framework-a cell behavior hypothesis grammar-that uses natural language statements (cell rules) to create mathematical models. This enables systematic integration of biological knowledge and multi-omics data to generate in silico models, enabling virtual "thought experiments" that test and expand our understanding of multicellular systems and generate new testable hypotheses. This paper motivates and describes the grammar, offers a reference implementation, and demonstrates its use in developing both de novo mechanistic models and those informed …

Circzfr/Ythdf3 Axis Drives Lymph Node Metastasis In Cervical Cancer Via Fasn Translation, Mingyi Zhou, Yan Gao, Yong Zhang, Lian He, Bo Gao, Yue Zhang, Francois X Claret, George A Calin, Danbo Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Lymph node metastasis is a key driver of poor outcomes in cervical cancer. However, the molecular mechanisms of circular RNAs (circRNAs) driving cervical cancer lymph node metastasis remain unclear.

Methods: We identified circZFR, fatty acid synthase (FASN) and YTH N6-methyladenosine RNA binding protein F3 (YTHDF3) protein expression in the cervical cancer patients with long and short disease-free survival (DFS). Functional experiments were performed to investigate the function of circZFR, FASN and YTHDF3 on cell migration and invasion. MeRIP-qPCR, RNA pulldown, RNA Immunoprecipitation (RIP), and Co-Immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) assays were executed to investigate the mechanism of circZFR regulating FASN protein expression. …

Phase 1/2 Trial Of Encorafenib, Cetuximab, And Nivolumab In Microsatellite Stable Brafv600e Metastatic Colorectal Cancer, Van K Morris, Christine M Parseghian, Vahid Bahrambeigi, Nourhan Abdelfattah, Lianchun Xiao, Anjali Agrawal, Kangyu Lin, Kanwal P S Raghav, Robert A Wolff, Arvind Dasari, Ryan W Huey, Bryan K Kee, Michael J Overman, Jason A Willis, Phat H Le, Michelle Escano, Yunyu C Baig, Kelsey Pan, David Menter, Alda L Tam, Wai C Foo, Li Shen, Hey Min Lee, Thomas D Gallup, Cori Margain, Dave Gallup, Kimal I Rajapakshe, Paola A Guerrero, Jing Wang, Ryan B Corcoran, Anirban Maitra, Kyuson Yun, Scott Kopetz

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The BRAF inhibitor encorafenib and anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antibody cetuximab modestly improve survival for patients with microsatellite stable (MSS) BRAFV600E metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), characterized by higher immune activation than MSS BRAFwild-type colorectal cancer (CRC). In this phase 1/2 study (NCT04017650) of 26 participants with MSS BRAFV600E mCRC who received encorafenib, cetuximab, and anti-PD-1 antibody nivolumab, we report an overall response rate of 50% (95% confidence interval [CI] 29–71) and median progression-free survival of 7.4 months (95% CI, 5.6–9.6). Transcriptomic profiling of pretreatment biopsies and extracellular vesicle RNA (evRNA) isolated from plasma show …

Prefrontal Cortex Astrocytes Modulate Distinct Neuronal Populations To Control Anxiety-Like Behavior, Eunyoung Kim, Hairuo Du, Yanqi Tan, Brandon L Brown, Yaowen Chang, Blanca Díaz-Castro, Jonathan V Sweedler, Xinzhu Yu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Accumulating evidence has supported diverse regulatory functions of astrocytes in different neural circuits as well as various aspects of complex behaviors. However, little is known about how astrocytes regulate different neuronal subpopulations that are linked to specific behavioral aspects within a single brain region. Here, we show that astrocytes in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) encode anxiogenic environmental cues in freely behaving mice. Silencing mPFC astrocyte Ca

Scorpions Of The Horn Of Africa (Arachnida: Scorpiones). Part Xliii. Lanzatus Fuscipalpis Sp. N. From Ethiopia (Buthidae), František Kovařík, Graeme Lowe

Euscorpius

The rare Horn of Africa buthid genus Lanzatus Kovařík, 2001, known only from Somalia and Somaliland, is recorded for the first time from Ethiopia. We describe a new species Lanzatus fuscipalpis sp. n. fully illustrated with color photographs showing its morphology, habitus, hemispermatophore, and collection sites.

Synergistic Cefiderocol-Containing Antibiotic Combinations Active Against Highly Drug-Resistant Acinetobacter Baumannii Patient Isolates With Diverse Resistance Mechanisms, Justin Halim, Andrew P. Keane, Jeannete Bouzo, Tope Aderibigbe, Jessica A. Chicola, Katie T. Nolan, Keertana Jonnalagadda, Jason X. Tran, Valerie J. Carabetta

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

BACKGROUND: Acinetobacter baumannii is a nosocomial pathogen known for rapidly developing resistance to nearly all antibiotics, including last-line agents. Cefiderocol, a novel siderophore cephalosporin, has shown in vitro activity against A. baumannii and is now used clinically, but resistance is emerging. Data on cefiderocol-based antibiotic combinations are limited.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the in vitro activity of cefiderocol alone and in combination with other antibiotics against XDR and PDR A. baumannii clinical isolates, and to explore resistance mechanisms underlying cefiderocol synergy.

METHODS: We tested 21 XDR/PDR clinical isolates and one NDM-1-producing strain using broth microdilution and checkerboard assays with cefiderocol and …

Hunting Lease Comparisons For Wild Game Across Nebraska In 2025, Jim Jansen

Cornhusker Economics

The Nebraska Farm Real Estate Market Survey and Report 2024-2025 provides insight into recent trends in the market value of land and cash rental across the state. Each year, the special feature section covers topics on new or emerging issues related to the agricultural land industry in Nebraska. These topics reflect the interest expressed by panel members and readership of the Nebraska Farm Real Estate Market Highlights Reports. The special feature section in 2025 focuses on hunting rental arrangements in Nebraska, including the types of wild game commonly hunted and the value associated with leasing these rights.

Landowners seeking to …

Menopause-Related Changes In Sleep And The Associations With Cardiometabolic Health: A Narrative Review, Joshua R. Sparks, Xuewen Wang Ph.D., Faha

Faculty Publications

This narrative review examines the complex relationship between sleep changes during the menopausal transition and cardiometabolic risks. The most common complaint about sleep is increased awakenings during sleep. Other complaints include having trouble falling asleep, waking up too early, insufficient and non-restorative sleep, and overall poor quality. Sleep determined using objective methods also indicates that greater awakenings after sleep onset are associated with the period of menopausal transition. Polysomnography recordings suggest physiological hyperarousal during sleep. Changes in other sleep metrics, such as sleep latency and sleep duration, are less consistent, and some studies suggest they may not worsen during the …

Why Are Food System Workers Excluded From Local Food Policy Councils?, Frank Sarfo, Laura-Anne Minkoff-Zern, Jonnell A. Robinson

The Lender Center for Social Justice

This brief summarizes findings from our study that used national survey data of FPCs as well as focus groups and interviews with over 25 FPC representatives and leaders to examine the challenges and barriers that have limited FPCs’ engagement with labor issues. We also identify key obstacles to labor advocacy and offer practical recommendations for integrating labor equity into local food policy efforts.

Targeted Proteomic Analysis Identifies Acvrl1 As A Marker Of Cerebral Edema In Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage, Bosco Seong Kyu Yang, Lena O'Keefe, Sarah Hinds, Hua Chen, Athziry Paz, Jude Savarraj, Han-Gil Jeong, Moon-Ku Han, Aaron Gusdon, Xuefang Sophie Ren, Spiros Blackburn, Huimahn Alex Choi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Cerebral edema (CE) is a major component of early brain injury from aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Despite the utility of blood-based protein markers, biomarkers targeting cerebral edema have yet to be developed. We performed a targeted proteomic search analyzing 141 proteins in plasma samples taken from 80 adult patients within 48 hours after aneurysmal rupture to identify plasma biomarkers of cerebral edema. The protein expression profiles were analyzed for associations with a higher level of the subarachnoid hemorrhage early brain edema score measured in admission computed tomography scans. Five differentially expressed proteins-brorin, ectodysplasin A2 receptor, layilin, scavenger receptor class A …

Unrecognized And Unreported Concussions Among Community Rugby Players, Rachael Wittmer, Thomas A. Buckley, Charles Buz Swanik, Katelyn M. Costantini, Lisa Ryan, Ed Daly, Regan E. King, Arryana J. Daniels, Katherine J. Hunzinger

Department of Exercise Science Faculty Papers

This study examined the prevalence of intentionally unreported and potentially unrecognized concussions in community rugby players and whether nondisclosure reasons vary by sex, position, or playing history. An online survey was completed by 1037 players (41.0% female; mean age 31.6 ± 11.3 years; 10.1 ± 8.1 years playing) who reported diagnosed, unreported, and unrecognized concussions. Poisson regression models estimated prevalence ratios (PRs), and Fisher's exact tests compared reasons for nondisclosure. The diagnosed, unreported, and unrecognized concussion rates were 66.5%, 32.4%, and 42.2%, respectively. Players with diagnosed concussions had a 7.2-fold higher prevalence of nondisclosure and a 2.3-fold higher prevalence of …

Deep Phenotyping Of Obesity: Electronic Health Record-Based Temporal Modeling Study, Xiaoyang Ruan, Shuyu Lu, Liwei Wang, Andrew Wen, Sameer Murali, Hongfang Liu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Obesity affects approximately 40% of adults and 15%-20% of children and adolescents in the United States, and poses significant economic and psychosocial burdens. Currently, patient responses to any single antiobesity medication (AOM) vary significantly, making obesity deep phenotyping and associated precision medicine important targets of investigation.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the potential of electronic health records (EHR) as a primary data source for obesity deep phenotyping. We conducted an in-depth analysis of the data elements and quality available from obesity patients prior to pharmacotherapy and applied a multimodal longitudinal deep autoencoder to investigate the feasibility, data requirements, …

First-Line Pd-1 +/- Ctla-4 Blockade In Patients With Deficient Mismatch Repair And/Or Microsatellite Instability-High Metastatic Colorectal Cancer, Vincenzo Nasca, Gabriele Tinè, Julien Taieb, Sara Lonardi, Ben Boursi, Ofer Margalit, Lisa Salvatore, Romain Cohen, Javier Ros, Margherita Ambrosini, Koen Zwart, Jeanine Roodhart, Priya Jayachandran, Michael J Overman, Maria Elena Elez, Chiara Cremolini, David Tougeron, Miriam Koopman, Thierry André, Rosalba Miceli, Filippo Pietrantonio

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Patients with deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) and/or microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) show marked sensitivity to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Dual PD-1/CTLA-4 blockade with nivolumab and ipilimumab showed superior progression-free survival (PFS) over chemotherapy and anti-PD-1 monotherapy, but data on treatment-naïve patients is not available yet.

Methods: This international multicenter study included patients with dMMR/MSI-H mCRC receiving either chemotherapy with or without biologics, or anti-PD-1 monotherapy, or dual PD-1/CTLA-4 blockade as a first-line treatment. Data were adjusted using inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) to account for baseline imbalances. IPTW-adjusted survival and subgroup analyses were conducted.

Results: …

Clinical Validity Of Foundationone Liquid Cdx For Detection Of Braf V600e In Colorectal Cancer, Rona Yaeger, Jean-François Martini, Lincoln Pasquina, Brian Tunquist, Xiaosong Zhang, Fatima Khaiser, Norberto Panoja Galicia, Shibing Deng, Siliang Gong, Cui Guo, Jimmy Kiely, Ta-Chou Vincent Ng, Graham Ferrier, Josep Tabernero, Scott Kopetz

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: The BRAF inhibitor encorafenib plus the anti-EGFR antibody cetuximab improved overall survival, objective response rate, and progression-free survival in previously treated BRAF V600E-mutant metastatic colorectal cancer in BEACON, a phase 3 randomized trial, leading to regulatory approval for this indication. To support rapid, plasma-based testing for BRAF V600E identification, clinical validity of a circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA)-based assay, FoundationOne®Liquid CDx (F1LCDx) was assessed, versus the reference tumor-based clinical trial assay (CTA) in liquid biopsy-evaluable samples from BEACON and commercially-obtained tissue-matched plasma samples.

Methods: Pre-treatment tissue samples were collected in BEACON to confirm BRAF mutational status using the central single …

Comprehensive Fitness Assessment In A Professional Military Education Cohort: A Cross-Sectional Study, Daniel J. Lawson, Russell K. Lowell, C. Brooks Mobley, Katherine Frick, Nicholas C. Bordonie, Kaitlyn G. Clouse, Cameron D. Ott, Harrison C. Dimick, Nicholas R. Mauldin, Joellen M. Sefton

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 18(8): 811-835, 2025. Military personnel face rigorous physical and cognitive demands critical for operational readiness and long-term health. This study evaluated body composition, cognitive performance, and physical fitness metrics in non-entry-level service members to inform tailored fitness interventions. This cross-sectional study analyzed data from Air Command Staff College personnel (N = 307; 89 females, 218 males; age: 37 ± 5 years) at Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base. Participants completed assessments for body composition (body mass index [BMI], body fat percentage [%BF], fat mass index [FMI], fat-free mass index [FFMI]), flexibility (sit-and-reach test, functional reach …

The Future Of The Arab Media Industry In Utilizing Artificial Intelligence Technologies: A Foresight Study (2024 To 2034), Mohammedwesam Amer, Abdullah Mohammed Atbiqa

Middle East Journal of Communication Studies

This study explores the future of the Arab media industry from 2024 to 2034 in light of the increasing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. It identifies key media sectors likely to be affected by AI—such as content creation, news production, editing, and audience engagement—and proposes strategies for effective implementation. The study employs a descriptive survey methodology grounded in the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). Data were collected via an electronic questionnaire from a purposive sample of 264 respondents across 18 Arab countries, including academic elites and media professionals working with Arab media institutions. Findings reveal …