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Gen Z’s perception of artificial intelligence and the church: Exploring religiosity, AI trust, and attitudes toward church
Get PDFThis pilot study examines how Generation Z students, affiliated with Christianity, perceive the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in church contexts. Specifically, it explores the relationship between religiosity, trust in AI, attitudes toward church, and support of AI usage in a church context. The study tested three hypothesis using a convenience sample (N = 227): 1) religiosity is positively associated to trust in AI, 2) trust in AI is positively associated to support for AI usage in a church context, and 3) religiosity is positively associated with attitudes toward the church. Additionally, the study explored whether there is an association between attitude toward church, and support of AI in a church context. The results indicate significant positive relationships between trust in AI and support for its use in religious settings, as well as between religiosity and attitudes toward the church.
As an exploratory study, these findings provide insights into the intersection of AI and religion while offering practical implications for religious organizations seeking to engage this demographic. However, further research is needed to validate and expand these preliminary findings. While the study’s small sample size and convenience sampling limits generalizability, it establishes a foundation for future inquiries into the role of AI in religious contexts
Design of Protein-Derived Carbon Dots for Targeted Biomarker Labeling for Diagnostic Bio-Imaging and Targeted Therapeutics
Get PDFCarbon dots (CDs) are a type of carbon-based nanoparticle possessing remarkable qualities such as unique optical properties, small size, high biocompatibility, and tunable surface chemistry. An important advantage of these nanoparticles is their ability to inherit the properties of the original carbon precursor. The retention of precursor chemistry enables directed design of the CDs final functionality, with no post synthesis modifications. This dissertation presents advancements in the largely unexplored research area of designing and implementing protein-derived CDs as a powerful analytical platform for bioimaging, biosensing, and targeted therapeutics. CD parameter optimization synthesis techniques were designed using bovine serum albumin as a model protein to enable rational design of protein-derived CDs with desired properties. This enables control of CDs photoluminescence emission, size, surface charge, and protein-ligand binding affinity. Fibronectin protein-derived CDs were developed as a histological stain for tumor lumpectomies modeled on HER2+ and triple negative breast cancer. The biocompatible NPs were brightly luminescent under UV light and selectively targeted fibronectin receptor, α5β1 integrin, which is often overexpressed in metastatic cancer cells. Due to CDs high quantum yield, tunable color emission, low cytotoxicity, incredibly small size, and intrinsic pre-designed affinity, protein-derived CDs are a powerful tool for super-resolution microscopy techniques (SRM) to elucidate altered biological mechanisms in malignant cells in vitro at the nanoscale. These particles can further be implemented to selectively interact with “undruggable” targets and induce changes in biological mechanisms. Transferrin-derived CDs were utilized to selectively bind cancer biomarker CD71 in promyelocytic leukemia cells. Super resolution radial fluctuation microscopy enabled nanoscale imaging of transferrin-derived CDs triggering CD71-mediated endocytosis. Particle tracking and mean square displacement calculations confirmed SRM images indicating that the CDs altered the cells recycling biomechanics resulting in an increased degradation pathway, retaining the NPs in the malignant cell’s lysosome. A CD71-affinity, drug delivering nanocarrier was designed with non-selective, apoptosis inducing drug, staurosporine, and transferrin-derived CDs. The resulting conjugate resulted in over 2X malignant cell apoptotic cell death. Protein-derived CDs are largely unexplored, however these advances in CD design have produced nanoparticles with advantages over current techniques including low cost, facile synthesis, and near limitless customizability via simple precursor selection. The most notable advantage is being able to attack previously considered “undruggable” intracellular targets for targeted therapeutics and theranostics
Carbon Dioxide Removal System (CDRS) Design for Gateway International Habitation Module
Get PDFMasaru Saijo, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), JapanAkinobu Hayakawa, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), JapanChiaki Yamazaki, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), JapanMitsuhide Sasaoka, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), JapanSatoshi Matsumoto, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), JapanDaisuke Sugawara, Space Systems Development, JapanTaisuke Tsukamoto, Mitsubishi Heavy Industry, JapanYuta Nakatsuchi, Mitsubishi Heavy Industry, JapanAkane Nagasaki, Mitsubishi Heavy Industry, JapanMasaki Morinaka, Mitsubishi Heavy Industry, JapanTomohiro Kinoshita, Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth, JapanNaomi Yoshino, Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth, JapanKatsunori Yogo, Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth, JapanICES302: Physico-Chemical Life Support- Air Revitalization
Systems -Technology and Process DevelopmentThe 54th International Conference on Environmental Systems was held in Prague, Czechia, on 13 July 2025 through 17 July 2025.JAXA is developing a Carbon Dioxide Removal System (CDRS)
for the Gateway International Habitation Module (I-HAB).
CDRS is an amine-based regenerative system that absorbs the
CO2 exhaled by the crew and desorbs it through heating and
venting to space. This study focuses on dew point
optimization and heater design improvements to reduce power
consumption and extend system life. Experiments showed that
increasing the dew point up to -15 °C maintained CO₂
removal performance while reducing desiccant heater power,
leading to a 25 % desiccant heater power reduction.
Optimizing the heater thermal coupling improved temperature
uniformity, reducing maximum temperature variation by 15
°C. These findings will be incorporated into the
Engineering Model (EM) to further validate the CDRS
feasibility as an I-Hab system
Box 4, Folder 7, "Meditaciones Serias" 3 of 3
Get PDFThe Boyd Carter Papers represent a significant archival collection housed in the Hispanic Studies Collection in Texas Tech University's CMLL building. Dr. Boyd Carter was a distinguished scholar of Latin American literature who was active from the 1940s to his death in 1980. He held professorships at the University of Nebraska, Southern Illinois University, and the University of Missouri before concluding his career at Texas Tech University (1978-1980). Upon joining TTU, Carter donated his extensive archive to the university, including rare books, microfilm collections, bibliographical notes, and periodicals focusing on Latin American literature from 1850-1950, with particular emphasis on the famed Mexican writer Manuel Gutiérrez Nájera
Box 4, Folder 4, Misc. MGN Transcriptions
Get PDFThe Boyd Carter Papers represent a significant archival collection housed in the Hispanic Studies Collection in Texas Tech University's CMLL building. Dr. Boyd Carter was a distinguished scholar of Latin American literature who was active from the 1940s to his death in 1980. He held professorships at the University of Nebraska, Southern Illinois University, and the University of Missouri before concluding his career at Texas Tech University (1978-1980). Upon joining TTU, Carter donated his extensive archive to the university, including rare books, microfilm collections, bibliographical notes, and periodicals focusing on Latin American literature from 1850-1950, with particular emphasis on the famed Mexican writer Manuel Gutiérrez Nájera
Enhancing Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices and Family Engagement: A Professional Development Intervention for Campus Leaders
Get PDFAs student populations grow increasingly diverse, campus leaders play a crucial role in fostering and sustaining culturally responsive teaching (CRT) practices. This study examined the impact of targeted professional development and coaching on leaders' capacity to implement CRT strategies and sustain a cultural shift in instructional environments. Using a qualitative research design, data were collected through surveys, interviews, and coaching reflections. Findings revealed that leaders developed greater intentionality in CRT implementation, heightened cultural awareness, and stronger engagement with families and staff. Collaborative coaching and job-embedded professional development emerged as key drivers of sustainable change. The study’s implications highlight the need for ongoing reflective learning, peer collaboration, and systemic family engagement to embed CRT into school culture. These findings reinforce the role of campus leaders as facilitators of equity and inclusion, offering a pathway for lasting educational transformation
Pervaporation for Recovering Clean Water from Real Urine in Partial Gravity Habitats
Get PDFIngrid Pinel, Lenntech, NetherlandsJohanna Hinrichs, Lenntech, NetherlandsNiels van Linden, Lenntech, NetherlandsWilfredo Yave, DeltaMem AG, SwitzerlandICES303: Physico-Chemical Life Support- Water Recovery &
Management Systems- Technology and Process DevelopmentThe 54th International Conference on Environmental Systems was held in Prague, Czechia, on 13 July 2025 through 17 July 2025.Over the last decades, substantial progress has been made
in developing water treatment processes for partial gravity
habitats on the Moon and Mars. In this context, Lenntech
Water Treatment Solutions and DeltaMem AG have explored the
use of pervaporation to recover clean water from real urine
for application in planetary habitats. Pervaporation offers
several advantages over other evaporation technologies,
primarily due to membrane properties, yielding a higher
purity of treated water by preventing the permeation of
volatile contaminants. This study evaluated the performance
of polymeric pervaporation membranes in removing ionic
salts and organic compounds from real urine at up to 92%
water recovery. The quality of the condensate was monitored
over time throughout the experiments and the replicability
of the results was assessed over multiple batches with the
same membrane. A total exposure time of 28 days of the
membrane to real urine allowed to assess the durability of
the membrane over an expected mission duration. The
pervaporation membrane showed a salt TDS removal of 99.7%
and an organic contaminant removal exceeding 99.9%,
resulting in a condensate conductivity of 25 ± 6 µS/cm and
a total organic carbon concentration of 3.5 ± 1.2 mg/L,
respectively. Triplicate experiments confirmed
replicability of the results and durability of the membrane
over the experimental period. In summary, this works
highlights the performance of pervaporation in recovering
clean water from real urine. This research lays the
groundwork for future endeavors, focusing on pervaporation
system optimization, membrane module prototyping and
extended testing phases, to fully meet the criteria of a
urine processor for partial gravity habitat
Evaluation of the effects of root decontamination of Salmonella spp. using lactic acid bacteria and quality attributes of living cilantro grown (Coriandrum sativum) using the nutrient film technique (NFT)
No full textBetween 2000 and 2020, the CDC's National Outbreak Reporting System recorded 43 cilantro-related outbreaks, leading to 970 illnesses and 75 hospitalizations, with no fatalities. Contaminated cilantro has been linked to pathogens like Salmonella and Cyclospora. The Nutrient Film Technique (NFT), which uses water recirculation and exposes only plant roots to nutrient solutions, is ideal for small-rooted plants like herbs but creates conditions favorable for foodborne pathogens like Salmonella. Additionally, contamination can occur in potted plants due to their roots being in constant contact with contaminated growing media or water. This poses a risk as the roots are a direct pathway for pathogens to enter the plant, potentially affecting its edible parts and increasing the risk of foodborne illness. A comprehensive study was conducted to assess the efficacy of cilantro root decontamination of Salmonella using lactic acid bacteria treatments and evaluate its impact on the quality properties of the cilantro plants. Living Cilantro plants (roots attached) were grown following the market standards in NFT units for 21 days of cultivation before evaluation. On day 22, living cilantro plants (roots attached) were inoculated by immersion in a 500 mL Salmonella inoculum containing 4 Log CFU/mL and subsequently placed for 2 hours in a biosafety cabinet to facilitate bacterial adhesion. Three treatments were evaluated in this study: LAB treatments, Lactiguard™, Enterococcus faecium L-20B, and Probicon L28, which were reactivated following the manufacturers' guidelines. Probiotic treatments were prepared at a concentration of 9 Log CFU/mL based on prior in vitro results. A dip wash process treated cilantro roots with LAB solutions for 5 minutes after contamination. Each plant was packaged in compostable polylactic acid (PLA) containers with moisture-absorbing pads and stored at 10º C for 14 days. Samples were collected on days 0, 3, 7, and 14 for bacterial analysis using MRS and XLD agar with TSA overlay containing nalidixic acid (50 µg/mL). Quality assessments included leaf chlorophyll content and plant weight. Statistical analyses indicated that time and treatment affected LAB and Salmonella counts (P > 0.05). Salmonella levels significantly decreased with LAB treatments; by day 3, Lactiguard™ eradicated Salmonella, while Enterococcus faecium showed none after day 7. Probicon L28 reduced Salmonella but required enrichment for verification. Salmonella persisted longer on absorbent pads, while Lactiguard™ completely suppressed it by day 7. Conversely, Enterococcus faecium allowed for Salmonella regrowth by day 7, and Probicon L28 required enrichment for detection throughout the study. By day 14, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) count on cilantro roots and absorbent pads decreased by about 2 log units across treatments. Lactiguard™ consistently maintained the highest LAB counts, despite Probicon L28 showing better initial stability on absorbent pads. Probiotic treatments did not negatively impact post-harvest quality, as indicated by stable chlorophyll levels and minimal weight loss, supporting the use of these bacteria as effective post-harvest interventions
Testing of Vortex Phase Separator-Based Spacecraft Cabin Air Dehumidifier/Rehumidifier Unit for CO2 Removal Using Regenerable Ionic Liquid Desiccant
Get PDFHuseyin Bostanci, University of North Texas, United StatesCable Kurwitz, Texas A&M University, United StatesMarian Alcid, NASA Ames Research Center (ARC), United StatesGrace Belancik, NASA Ames Research Center (ARC), United StatesICES302: Physico-Chemical Life Support- Air Revitalization
Systems -Technology and Process DevelopmentThe 54th International Conference on Environmental Systems was held in Prague, Czechia, on 13 July 2025 through 17 July 2025.NASA’s challenging deep-space, long-duration exploration
missions demand innovative, reliable, and cost-effective
technologies for life support systems. A promising CO2
removal technology, CO2 Deposition System, utilizes
cryogenic coolers to attain cold surfaces for CO2 capture
and offers effective cabin air revitalization.
Nevertheless, to maintain product purity for downstream
Sabatier processing and ensure highly efficient CO2
capture, humidity from cabin air must be removed prior to
CO2 deposition on cold surfaces. Currently, the primary CO2
removal system aboard the ISS employs solid desiccants
(silica gels) for air dehumidification, which present
challenges related to maintenance and energy consumption. A
liquid desiccant can instead be utilized to build a
humidity control subsystem as part of a CO2 deposition
system and enhance its performance. This study investigates
a novel Vortex Phase Separator (VPS)-based air-desiccant
contactor design that can achieve a direct-contact,
high-efficiency heat and mass exchange between air and
desiccant, and offer reliable, high-throughput operation
for dehumidification/rehumidification. When a subsystem is
configured with two VPSs—a cold VPS and a hot
VPS—functioning as the absorber and desorber within the
process system, it can continuously dehumidify/rehumidify
cabin air. This experimental effort focused on testing
VPS-based spacecraft cabin air dehumidifier/rehumidifier
unit for a CO2 removal system. The setup included one VPS,
used ionic liquid (IL) 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethyl
sulfate [EMIM][ESO4] as a regenerable liquid desiccant, and
operated either as a dehumidifier using cold IL, or as a
rehumidifier using hot IL. The tests aimed to evaluate the
effects of air flow rate (9.4- 28.3 l/min), IL flow rate
(1.0-2.0 l/min), and IL temperature (15.4-57.8oC), on
dehumidification/rehumidification performance. Overall,
despite the use of highly saturated IL, the system achieved
dehumidification and rehumidification ratios of up to 51.7%
and 84.6%, respectively, demonstrating the viability of the
VPS-based humidity control subsystem for integration into a
next-generation spacecraft CO₂ removal system.Revised version uploaded 2025-08-0
Dynamic conformations of the P. furiosus MR-DNA complex link Mre11 nuclease activity to DNA-stimulated Rad50 ATP hydrolysis
Get PDFThe MRE11-RAD50-NBS1/Xrs2 (MRN/X) protein complex has essential roles in the repair of damaged DNA. The current understanding of the conformational landscape of the core MR complex comes from various structural studies. However, given the heterogeneous nature of these structures, we suspect that several conformational states may still be unaccounted for. Here, we use methyl-based NMR experiments on P. furiosus MR to determine an ensemble of distinct conformations of MR bound to DNA, consistent with the highly dynamic nature of the MR-DNA complex. Interrogation of these structures via in vitro activity assays on MR mutants reveal an unexpected, striking correlation between the nuclease activity of Mre11 and the magnitude of DNA-stimulated ATP hydrolysis by Rad50. Together, the structures and activity data support a model for MR activity where DNA-stimulated ATP hydrolysis unlocks Rad50 to provide access to the Mre11 active sites and further demonstrate how a heterogeneous ensemble of conformations can be used to coordinate various functions to direct biological outcomes. By elucidating the dynamic conformations of the DNA-bound MR complex, this work lays the foundation for future studies aimed at further characterizing this landscape and dissecting its role in the molecular mechanism of DNA repair and genome stability