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MATRIX MECHANICS AND STROMAL NICHE EFFECTS ON TISSUE VASCULARIZATION
No full textThe full text of this item is not available at this time because the author has placed this item under an embargo until May 15, 2028.Traumatic injuries or diseases often cause volumetric tissue defects that fail to heal due to inadequate vascularization. Rapid tissue regeneration requires effective vascular coupling, but current methods are limited by insufficient vascularization. This dissertation explores the role of both biophysical and biochemical cues in tissue-specific vascularization. It examines how vessel density correlates with tissue stiffness across different tissues, particularly in pathological conditions like cancer and fibrosis. From that standpoint, the present research focuses on the premise that the stromal matrix is a crucial mediator for tissue and concurrent vessel regeneration.
The research investigates the role of the stromal matrix in both tissue and vessel regeneration, particularly focusing on engineered bone tissue systems. First, it evaluates the effects of stiff hydroxyapatite based porous scaffolds on angiogenesis and osteogenesis within fibrin hydrogels, showing that matrix-induced strain fields influence vessel network formation. Second, it looks at varying collagen and fibrin concentrations in interpenetrating hydrogel networks, demonstrating their role in supporting vessel network formation and promoting osteogenesis. Finally, the study explores the impact of soft polyurethane scaffolds cast with collagen-fibrin blends on angiogenesis and osteogenesis, comparing the effects of different scaffold stiffness levels and calcium availability.
Overall, we conclude that the extracellular matrix is a crucial mediator in bone stroma-vessel network development. The strain field generated in the matrix influences vessel morphology, and the choice of matrix plays a key role in coupling osteogenesis and angiogenesis. Additionally, we show the dynamics of natural polymeric hydrogel networks compared to synthetic polymer hydrogels are quite different.Biomedical Engineerin
Assessing the Impact of Seasonality on Wolbachia Controls for Mosquito-Borne Diseases
No full textWolbachia infection in Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes can render mosquitoes less capable of spreading mosquito-borne diseases, such as dengue and Zika. We developed and analyzed a mechanistic compartmental ordinary differential equation model to evaluate the effectiveness of Wolbachia-based vector control strategies among these wild mosquitoes in Australia, where on-going field trials are implemented for dengue control. The model tracks the mosquito life stages, including egg, larva/pupa, and adult (male and female), and we aim to understand how seasonality affects the spread and the establishment of stable Wolbachia infection among Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes. We incorporated time-varying parameters to account for the impact of seasonal climate (i.e., temperature and humidity) on mosquito life traits. These include mosquito death rates at different life stages, female reproduction rates, development rates, and carrying capacity for the larval stage. Taking this into account, we identified a threshold release number of infected mosquitoes needed to establish a stable Wolbachia prevalence in the field. We further studied how this threshold may vary given seasonal variation and explored the optimal time window for Wolbachia releases. We found the optimal time window and noted our threshold values’ variation for a given seasonal profile. Following this, we incorporated further complexity by extending our study to a partial differential equation model to account for mosquito dispersion that occurs during flight. We found that mosquito dispersion greatly affects the threshold release number and exacerbates the seasonal effect on this number regarding the day of release. However, the natural abundance and our threshold release numbers maintain their dynamics the same as when there is no assumed dispersion.Mathematic
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Consensual, Unwanted Sex: The Role of Frequency, Gender, and Reasons for Consenting
Get PDFConsensual unwanted sex (CUS), which occurs when an individual agrees to sexual activity they do not want, remains a common but understudied experience across different ages, genders, and sexual orientations (Nickull et al., 2025; Rubinsky, 2020). Most existing research on CUS focuses on younger women in college (Peterson, 2024), often in dating or casual sexual relationships (Courtice et al., 2021), leaving a significant gap in understanding CUS among adults of varying ages, genders, and relationship lengths. Some studies link CUS to both positive and negative outcomes in relationship quality and sexual satisfaction (Froemming, 2020; Himanen & Gunst, 2024). Participants have also reported posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), including self-blame, hypervigilance, avoidance, and negative changes in mood and thinking (Kern & Peterson, 2021). However, existing studies rarely assess posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in relation to CUS. This dissertation uses the PTSD Checklist (PCL-5; Weathers et al., 2013) according to the criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR, American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2022) to assess PTSD diagnoses (dx), the severity of each PTSS, and experiences of unrecognized coercion among adults aged 21 and older who report CUS in romantic relationships lasting at least two months. The study compares these outcomes by gender, CUS frequency, and reasons for consent.Counselin
From Play to Pedagogy: Discovering the Ecosystem of AI Educational Tools and Curricula
Get PDFThis paper explores the evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) educational tools and curricula for children, describing a spectrum from playful exploration to structured pedagogy. We address three research questions: (RQ1) What themes are revealed in the literature on AI/ML for children? (RQ2) In what ways do the development of AI/ML tools and curricula co-evolve? (RQ3) How does the historical context of the field frame current work on AI/ML for children? We observe a co-evolution of tools and curricula, where researchers build new tools and curriculum developers adopt tools created by others. As tools prove successful, they become widely available and are adopted by a broad range of users. Additionally, we note instances where tool creators take on the role of curriculum developer. Recognizing the need for a clear overview of AI/ML educational resources, we introduce major themes of tools, tool-forward, and curriculum-forward works. These themes are designed to help educators, researchers, and curriculum designers in discerning the fundamental nature and potential applications of resources. By distinguishing tools that are standalone from those integrated into curricula, our framework supports strategic decisions in resource adoption and development. Drawing on the field's history, we outline a continuum of tools and platforms, from constructionist elements to interactive play environments.Computer Scienc
‘That was crazy’: Confronting monolingual ideologies and courting translanguaging in international telecollaboration
Get PDFIn a telecollaboration (or ‘virtual exchange’) between teacher candidates (TCs) from Türkiye and the United States (U.S.), U.S. TCs experience various elements of translingual practice as potential challenge to their monolingual backgrounds. The challenges occur as TCs from the U.S. context work to fulfill, with Turkish assistance, collaborative final projects: a K-6 learning resource in the form of ‘kamishibai’, digital story, or translanguaging children’s book. Analysis in the article draws on various data sources, including the final projects, recorded video interactions between U.S. and Turkish TCs, and written reflections by U.S. TCs. The analysis aims to answer the following research questions: (1) How have the U.S. TCs’ monoglossic orientations been challenged during their translingual collaborations with TCs from Türkiye? (2) How do the U.S. TCs interpret and define translanguaging through their experience in this telecollaborative contact zone? In the absence of clear modeling or detailed theoretical exegesis of translanguaging as pedagogy and social-justice orientation, the U.S. TCs vary in their explications of translanguaging, describing the phenomenon as the existence of multiple languages in one discourse or the use, or non-use, of translation to aid understanding. In video-recorded interactions with TCs from Türkiye, the U.S. TCs engage in a ‘contact zone’ of translingualism. They participate in and negotiate their way through language mixing and translation, interculturality, diverse linguistic and literacy practices, and misunderstandings. There is little evidence, however, of U.S. TCs adopting a translanguaging stance: for instance, there are no ‘breakthrough’ or ‘aha’ moments in the U.S. cohort that helped them connect the multilingual negotiations with Turkish students with what they might one day face in their language classrooms. But walls between monoglossic ideations and real-world languaging were fractured, helping U.S. TCs to access gesture, and become parties to bilingualism, collaboration, mediation, and vernacular expression.Modern Languages and Literature
CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS IN HUMAN HEALTH: ENGINEERING IPSC-DERIVED MODELS OF THE MASTER CLOCK
No full textThe full text of this item is not available at this time because the author has placed this item under an embargo until December 11, 2030.The human suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) serves as the master conductor of physiological homeostasis, yet reliance on animal models has historically limited understanding of its dysfunction in human-specific contexts, such as neurodegeneration and spaceflight. To address this gap, this dissertation first synthesizes extensive literature on SCN neurocircuitry and stem cell technologies, offering a comprehensive review that frames the need for improved in vitro systems. Building on this theoretical foundation, the work details the engineering of a human-induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) model of the circadian pacemaker. Differentiation protocols were optimized to generate SCN-like neurons expressing key identity markers NKX2.1, LHX1/2, and SIX3/6, and were validated by immunocytochemistry and bulk RNA sequencing.
To enable real-time tracking of circadian rhythms, a PER2::mScarlet-I3 reporter line was generated using CRISPR/Cas9. Functional assessments, including multi-electrode array recordings and calcium imaging, confirmed that these neurons establish synchronized networks with robust spontaneous electrical activity, sharply distinguishing them from cortical controls. While the model exhibits some expected in vitro limitations, it successfully recapitulates core SCN features, providing a scalable platform for screening chrono-therapeutics such as melatonin or photobiomodulation. Ultimately, this human-centric approach bridges the divide between basic circadian science and translational applications, enhancing the capacity to mitigate desynchrony in both clinical disease and extreme environments.Biomedical Engineerin
Strengthening Primary Care Through Project ECHO®: Pilot Study on Nutrition, Brain Health, and Clinician Self-Efficacy
Get PDFObjectives:
Primary care clinicians are mostly the initial point of contact in providing patient care; however, many clinicians report inadequate training and a lack of confidence in promoting brain health among their patients from a nutrition perspective. This participatory mixed-methods study evaluated the impact of a Project ECHO® pilot program on clinicians’ perceived self-efficacy in promoting brain health through nutrition among Latino older adults in South Texas.
Methods:
Employing an explanatory sequential design, a training curriculum was designed for primary care clinicians using the Project ECHO® model. Four virtual sessions were provided once a week on nutrition-related topics through the videoconferencing platform Zoom. Quantitative data were collected via pre- and post-program surveys (N = 13) and analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test in GraphPad Prism Version 10.6.0 to inform subsequent qualitative interviews. Thematic analysis was conducted to examine the transcripts from individual interviews with 4 of the 13 participating clinicians using Taguette (Version 1.3, Open-Source Software).
Results:
Data indicated a statistically significant increase in mean self-efficacy scores among clinicians following program participation (P < .005). Participant satisfaction with the program exceeded 90%, and clinicians intended to integrate nutrition into brain health counseling with patients. Thematic analysis of individual interviews identified 3 key themes, including perceived training outcomes, evaluation of the study design, and suggested areas for program improvement.
Conclusions:
Findings suggest that the Project ECHO® Nutrition and Brain Health program is a feasible intervention for improving clinician self-efficacy in delivering nutrition-based brain health care to Latino older adult populations. Future research should examine whether enhanced self-efficacy translates into practice change and improved patient outcomes.Nutrition & Dietetic
What's in an Embedding? Harnessing Deep Learning to Fuse Multi-Sensor Embeddings for Room Identification
Get PDFLocalization technologies are prevalent in use through our dailylives ranging from map-based navigation, location-based automa-tion, or locating friends. However, while these technologies arewell-suited for outdoor applications, transferring them to granu-lar indoor applications lacks the same level of precision. Indoorlocalization enables useful applications such as object and persontracking, or room-to-room navigation. As part of these applications,an underpinning concept, known as room identification, is under-standing exactly which room people or objects are in. While existingtechniques use single modalities to achieve this kind of task, theycan lack the depth necessary to understand the context availablefrom multiple devices and signals in the area that makes each roomunique. In this work, we study room identification using embed-dings from sensor fusion via deep learning methods. In addition,we use a vector database for embedding storage and flexibility toperform large-scale similarity searches for the task. Experimentingwith different fusions from three modalities (3D meshes, altitude,and link layer RSSI), we demonstrate the possibility of performingroom identification with the highest overall F1-Score reaching 89%.Computer Scienc
Nullius in Verba: Testimony as Second-Tier Justification for Knowledge
Get PDFThis paper defends a reductionist account of testimony and argues that testimonial belief, on its own, provides only second-tier justification, insufficient to meet the threshold for knowledge. I first motivate a hearer-centered approach: even when a speaker is sincere and epistemically competent, the mere transmission of information does not guarantee that the recipient can evaluate its reliability or truth. I develop a four-step method for upgrading testimonial justification—assessing the testifier’s credibility, independently verifying the truth of the claim (as far as possible without further testimony), examining contextual and methodological factors, and exercising epistemic humility about what one is in a position to know. I then address objections that this method yields an impractical burden and epistemic paralysis in complex testimonial chains, arguing instead that it should be applied proportionally to stakes and that, in some domains, we must accept that we fall short of knowledge. Finally, I extend this framework to “AI-testimony” by drawing on Ori Freiman’s taxonomy and Rico Hauswald’s account of artificial epistemic authority. I argue that the opacity, lack of genuine accountability, derivative reliance on human data, and the algorithmic mode of truth-production all undermine the claim that generative AI can serve as an epistemic authority. Its outputs should be treated as defeasible, second-tier evidence requiring independent scrutiny, much like that of human testimony, utilizing the same method applied to push our justification level to the threshold of knowledge, or at least as close as one can given their epistemic position.Philosoph
Mar y Miel: Unraveling the Melodrama of Memory
Get PDFMar y Miel follows Abraham Herrera, the reluctant heir to a tequila dynasty in Jalisco, as he struggles beneath the weight of his family's legacy. Structured as a hybrid work blending prose, poetry, and teleplay, the narrative draws on the emotional register of the Mexican telenovela to examine how love, loyalty, and silence shape a family across generations. Raised to embody strength, obedience, and devotion, Abraham finds himself molded by rigid expectations of masculinity he never fully embraced. Despite his efforts to resist becoming like his father, Don Julio, he slowly realizes how deeply his upbringing has shaped him. As the story unfolds, long-standing tensions and hidden truths begin to unravel Abraham's sense of self. He is forced to confront the emotional debts he has inherited and the patterns of harm he has unknowingly carried forward. These revelations strain his closest relationships and expose the fragile foundations on which his loyalty has been built. The narrative moves toward a reckoning in which Abraham must face the consequences of his choices and the ways he has been shaped by the very legacy he hoped to escape. He is left to grapple with whether true change is possible or if he is bound to repeat the story he was born into. Ultimately, Mar y Miel asks whether a man forged in silence and duty can break from an inherited cycle of harm-or whether blood and history will always pull him back.Englis