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Efficacy of Prediabetes Management Options for Lowering Cardiovascular Risk
Get PDFAround 86 million people in the United States are diagnosed with prediabetes, a metabolic syndrome characterized by insulin resistance and inflammation. The inflammatory nature of the disease increases a patient\u27s cardiovascular risk. Common treatment options include metformin and lifestyle intervention – primarily exercise and diet plans. However, there is no standard medical recommendation for lowering cardiovascular risk. The purpose of this literature review is to determine which treatment options, including the combination of lifestyle and intervention, best lower cardiovascular risk and better detail the effect of prediabetes on cardiovascular risk. Electronic databases PubMed and Embase were utilized and 12 studies were included in this review. Studies were randomized controlled trials, observational studies, or comparative studies published after 2018. Current research provides data showing that prediabetes increases the risk of hypertension and mortality from a cardiovascular event. One study showed that reversal from prediabetes to normoglycemia lowered risk of cardiovascular event by almost 50%. Research also showed that the best method for lowering cardiovascular risk was lifestyle intervention, while metformin was found to lower the effects of lifestyle intervention when studying the combination of the two. Future research could determine the best course of treatment for patients who are not able to complete lifestyle intervention goals, such as patients who are bedridden or frail. Gaining a better understanding of the interaction between metformin and lifestyle intervention will serve invaluable for the future of prediabetes treatment. This research should aid in provider treatment recommendations for patients with prediabetes and better detail a “standard” of care
The Role Of Student Loan Debt On Delayed Homeownership Among Black American College Graduates
Get PDFThe growing burden of student loan debt in the United States has raised significant concerns about its broader social and economic impacts, particularly on young adults’ ability to achieve financial milestones such as homeownership. Black American college graduates are especially affected, often carrying higher loan balances and facing greater financial barriers due to historical and structural inequalities. This quantitative study examined the role of student loan debt and other factors influencing delayed homeownership among Black American college graduates, using the public-use Baccalaureate and Beyond (B&B: 2008/2018) dataset from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Findings indicated student loan debt, age, non-STEM occupation, and part-time employment are significant predictors of delayed homeownership. Although, the amount of student loan debt does not alter the odds of delayed homeownership, a strong and statistically significant relationship was found (p \u3c 0.001), supporting the Life Cycle Theory, which explains how debt delays financial milestones. Older graduates were less likely to face delays, while those in non-STEM jobs or part-time roles were 65.5% and 83.5% more likely, respectively, to delay homeownership. This study contributes to the literature by highlighting the role of student loan debt in delaying homeownership for Black American college graduates. It also provides insights to help policymakers and financial institutions develop more equitable financial products and housing policies
Development Of A Climbing Collaborative Mobile Manipulator (C2M2) For Supporting In-Space Assembled Truss Structures
Get PDFThe Climbing Collaborative Mobile Manipulator (C2M2) is being developed as a robotic system to support truss outfitting operations. The goal of the project is to build a truss climbing robot and demonstrate gaits that allow the robot to reach any point on the structure. The demonstrated motions are compared to simulated joint data. Design and construction of the robot was completed to allow for the robot to traverse the structure and operate as a stationary manipulator while grappled to the truss. A worm gear actuator system was developed for use in three 2-DOF modules composed into the 6-DOF robot. The robot operates with onboard power and a data tether to a control computer where the gaits are generated and joint positions sent to the microcontroller on the robot. The onboard microcontroller has a finite state machine handling the iterative motions to complete the gait. Testing was performed demonstrating the completion of the gaits with comparisons between the measured joint positions and commanded joint positions. Utilizing the set of gaits generated here motion to any point on a cubic truss structure can be composed. The gaits and demonstrations here show the viability of a 6-DOF robot with three 2-DOF modules for operations on a truss structure
Cannabidiol: Anxiety Relief or Fool’s Gold?
Get PDFThis literature review evaluates the efficacy of cannabidiol (CBD) as a treatment for anxiety in adults and adolescents. A systematic search of three databases (PubMed, PsychInfo, EMBASE) yielded 775 articles, with 11 randomized controlled trials meeting inclusion criteria. These studies utilized diverse methodologies, including public speaking tests, neuroimaging, and physiological measures, to assess CBD\u27s effects compared to placebo. • Findings indicate mixed results: moderate doses (300 mg) show promise in social anxiety, while other trials report inconsistent outcomes due to dosing and bioavailability challenges. Limitations such as small sample sizes and variable methodologies hinder definitive conclusions. Further research is needed to optimize dosing, explore long-term effects, and establish CBD\u27s role as a therapeutic option for anxiety disorders.https://commons.und.edu/pas-grad-posters/1324/thumbnail.jp
In Vitro Analysis of Abemaciclib Treatment on Epithelial Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation and Sequencing of cfDNA Released
Get PDFCyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) inhibitors, such as abemaciclib, are approved for hormone receptor–positive (HR+) breast cancer, where they inhibit tumor cell cycle progression. While their antiproliferative effects are established, less is known about how they may reflect molecular changes and using cfDNA as a biomarker of treatment response. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of abemaciclib on breast cancer cell proliferation in vitro and characterize cfDNA released during treatment using next-generation sequencing. Abemaciclib treatment significantly reduced cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. cfDNA release correlated with treatment intensity, and sequencing revealed upregulation of a gene in p21 pathway, which aides in cell cycle arrest. These findings suggest that abemaciclib arrests cells during cell cycle between G1 and S phase but also can be characterized through biomarkers in cfDNA released. This study supports the potential of cfDNA as a dynamic biomarker of treatment response in HR+ breast cancer. Ongoing analysis will further determine whether cfDNA features can reliably reflect therapeutic efficacy and resistance during CDK4/6 inhibitor therapy.https://commons.und.edu/as-showcase/1020/thumbnail.jp
Chinese Mary
No full textWoman known as Chinese Mary is smiling at the camera posing against a palm tree. Title taken from photographer\u27s original album.https://commons.und.edu/infantry-photos/1142/thumbnail.jp
Wild Ricing
No full textTwo birch bark canoes floating in water, implying they are being used to harvest wild rice.
From the artist:
This piece depicts the harvesting of wild rice using birch bark canoes. This is the traditional way of harvesting rice used by a number of tribes including the Chippewa, Cree, and Ojibwa.
What captured my curiosity doing this piece was not only the skill it took to construct birch bark canoes, but also to know when and where to harvest the wild rice. I was really awed contemplating the knowledge that was learned and passed down from generation to generation. Wild Rice is considered a gift by the tribes that harvested it.
I had pictured in my mind a whole host of birch bark canoes gliding through calm waters and knocking the wild rice into the canoes. The canoes were all filled to capacity slowly making their way to shore. A simple as that sounds, that really inspired the piece.
Knocking the rice into the canoe was just the beginning of a long process of harvesting. The beginning part of harvesting is what this piece represents. It also represents a much simpler way of life.
Featured in the exhibition, Plain of Stars: An exhibition to uplift, acknowledge, and celebrate Indigenous students.https://commons.und.edu/native-art/1117/thumbnail.jp
Beaded Medicine Bag
No full textMedicine bags are traditionally used to hold medicinal dried herbs. This bag is beautifully crafted with blue and red beads in a traditional pattern.
Featured in the exhibition, Plain of Stars: An exhibition to uplift, acknowledge, and celebrate Indigenous students.https://commons.und.edu/native-art/1115/thumbnail.jp
Integrating Autonomous Vehicles At Rural Interchanges: Operational Readiness And Safety Insights In North Dakota
No full textRural highways present distinct operational and safety challenges, often exhibiting higher crash risks than urban networks. In North Dakota, where over 96% of lane miles are rural, the introduction of autonomous vehicles (AVs) is expected to reshape traffic performance. This study evaluates the effects of AV integration on traffic operations and safety at the I-94/I-29 interchange and four adjacent interchanges in Fargo. A calibrated microsimulation model was developed in Vissim using CoEXist AV behavioral profiles across penetration rates from 20% to 100%. Operational performance was evaluated using two-way ANOVA with Tukey’s HSD test, while safety was assessed using the Surrogate Safety Assessment Model (SSAM) and Extreme Value Analysis (EVA). Results showed that aggressive and normal AVs reduced total travel time by up to 44% and average delay by up to 83%. These findings link infrastructure readiness, operational efficiency, and safety benefits, demonstrating the potential of AVs to improve rural freeway performance
Experimental And Computational Insights Into Reservoir Rock Mechanics And Petrophysical Properties
No full textThis dissertation investigates the influence of stress, mineralogy, and microstructure on the elastic and transport properties of reservoir rocks. A multi-scale framework integrating laboratory measurements, petrophysical inversion, and discrete-element simulations is developed to quantify the stress-dependent behavior of heterogeneous sedimentary formations relevant to hydrocarbon production and CO2 sequestration.
Core-scale experiments quantify velocity–effective stress and permeability–effective stress relationships in tight siliciclastic and mixed lithologies. Results demonstrate that pore-throat collapse and microcrack closure under confining stress cause systematic reductions in permeability and acoustic velocities. The derived empirical functions provide predictive capability for estimating in-situ stress effects on reservoir performance and time-lapse seismic response.
Integrated petrophysical and rock-physics modeling delineates the diagenetic and mineralogical controls on elastic behavior and reservoir quality. Multimineral inversion calibrated with X-ray diffraction and petrographic data reveals that quartz overgrowth, dolomitization, and anhydrite cementation significantly modify pore topology, porosity, and stiffness. The quantitative estimation of pore-filling and contact-cement fractions links diagenetic evolution to mechanical and flow properties, providing diagnostic parameters for injectivity and seal integrity assessment in CO2 storage intervals.
Grain- and fracture-scale simulations extend these analyses to resolve micromechanical processes controlling stress-dependent permeability and elastic response. Particulate discrete-element models quantify the influence of grain-size distribution on permeability reduction and deformation modulus. Three-dimensional distinct-element modeling of columnar-jointed rocks characterizes tensorial permeability evolution under poly-axial loading and demonstrates that variations in the intermediate principal stress control permeability anisotropy and flow orientation. Numerical results underscore the necessity of tensor-based formulations for fractured and jointed media.
Discrete-element models of composite granular rocks further elucidate the effects of inclusion geometry, orientation, and stiffness contrast on effective elastic moduli and damage localization. The evolution of stress–strain fields and crack propagation within binary mixtures establishes mechanistic links between microstructural heterogeneity and macroscopic anisotropy.
Collectively, these experimental and computational results establish a coherent, scale-bridging framework for characterizing stress-sensitive permeability and stiffness in geologically complex reservoirs. The integration of laboratory data, petrographic constraints, and discrete-element modeling provides a quantitative basis for incorporating stress, fabric, and diagenetic effects into predictive rock-physics models and reservoir simulators. The findings enhance understanding of permeability evolution and mechanical stability under varying stress regimes, contributing to improved reservoir characterization, CO2 injection optimization, and long-term containment evaluation