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A Novel D-Peptide Modulates DCLK1 Gelsolin Interactions, Reducing PDAC Tumor Growth
No full textWhat drives inflammation-associated tumorigenesis and progression in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC)? Doublecortin-like kinase 1 (DCLK1) is a central driver of inflammation-associated tumorigenesis, with elevated expression linked to worse clinical outcomes. Two isoforms of DCLK1 possess a unique extracellular domain (ECD). DCLK1 isoform 2 contains two microtubule-binding domains, while isoform 4, lacks the microtubule-binding domains but, plays a pivotal role in tumor progression. We identified novel D-peptides that selectively target this ECD, significantly suppressing PDAC cell proliferation in vitro and tumor growth in xenograft models without inducing cell death. In silico modeling and binding assays revealed DCLK1 isoform 4 interacts with pro-tumorigenic proteins like plasma gelsolin (pGSN), with D-peptides modulating these interactions. These findings underscore DCLK1’s non-kinase functions as a therapeutic target and highlight novel avenues for developing precision treatments aimed at halting cancer progression and improving patient outcomes
Optimal Control of Queueing Systems with Error-Prone Servers
No full textConsider a Markovian tandem line with finite intermediate buffers and an equal number of stations and servers. Servers are flexible but noncollaborative, so that a job can be processed by at most one server at any time. When a job is being processed, it can be damaged and wasted depending on the proficiency of the server. We identify the dynamic server assignment policy that maximizes the long-run average throughput of the system with two stations and two servers. We find that the optimal policy is either a single or a double threshold policy on the number of jobs in the buffer, where the thresholds depend on the service rates and defect probabilities of the two servers at the two stations. For larger systems, we show that the optimal policy may involve server idling and that improving the service rate at any station is always beneficial. Finally, we propose heuristic server assignment policies motivated by experimentation for small systems with finite buffers and analysis of larger systems with infinite buffers. Numerical results suggest that our heuristics yield near-optimal performance
Editorial: AI\u27s Impact on Higher Education: Transforming Research, Teaching, and Learning
No full text[Introduction] This Research Topic provides a comprehensive examination of how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming higher education. The collected studies reveal several interconnected themes that illuminate both the opportunities and challenges of AI integration in academic settings. This editorial summarizes these themes and articulates their significance for the future of higher education
From Philosophy to NLU: Evolving Definitions With Research Hypotheses
No full textOver the past decades, alongside advancements in natural language processing, significant attention has been paid to training models to automatically extract, understand, test, and generate hypotheses in open and scientific domains. However, interpretations of the term hypothesis for various natural language understanding (NLU) tasks have migrated from traditional definitions in the natural, social, and formal sciences. Even within NLU, we observe differences defining hypotheses across literature. In this paper, we overview and delineate various definitions of hypothesis. Especially, we discern the nuances of definitions across recently published NLU tasks. We highlight the importance of well-structured and well-defined hypotheses, particularly as we move toward a machine-interpretable scholarly record
U.S. Residents\u27 Current Attitudes Towards Immigrants and Immigration: A Study from the Life in Hampton Roads Survey
No full textImmigration is a fiery topic in U.S. society, as it generally brings to a boil native-born citizens’ disparate attitudes toward immigrants and immigration. While immigration has its fierce supporters and opponents alike, the topic provides fodder for politicians who use it to stoke the fear of an impending “immigrant invasion” among citizens. This is why scholars must regularly undertake empirical studies to assess community members’ views about immigrants and immigration in U.S. society. To add to the contemporary immigration debate, I analyze data from a random sample of 610 respondents who reside in the seven cities that make up the Hampton Roads region of Southeast Virginia (this region has approximately 1.5 million people). The results show that younger people, the more highly educated, and males were of the opinion that immigration is generally good for the Hampton Roads economy. Moreover, participants who did not believe that immigration increased crimes rates or that recent immigrants will take jobs away from Hampton Roads residents agreed that immigration is generally good for the Hampton Roads economy. Finally, respondents who were pleased with the quality of life in both their neighborhood and city believed that immigration has a positive impact on Hampton Roads’ economy. The implications of my findings for scholars, elected officials, community members, public policy, and future research are discussed
The Effect of Electrode Geometry on Excited Species Production in Atmospheric Pressure Air-Hydrogen Streamer Discharge
No full textWhen a gas is overvolted at or near atmospheric pressure, it results in a streamer discharge formation. Electrode geometries exert significant impact on the electrical breakdown of gases by altering the spatial profile of the electric field. In many applications the efficient generation of radicals is critical and is determined by the characteristics of the streamer discharge. We examine the effect of electrode geometry on the streamer characteristics and the production of radicals. This is performed for three different electrode geometries: plane–plane, pin–plane, and pin–pin. A two-dimensional rotationally symmetric fluid model is used for the streamer discharge simulation in the hydrogen/air gas mixture. The spatial profile of electron density and the electric field for point electrodes show significant differences when compared to plane electrodes. However, the efficiency of radical generation shows similar trends for the electrode configurations studied. We also present the results of spatial electrical energy density distribution which in turn determines spatial excited species distribution. These results can inform the design of specific applications
New Measurements of the Deuteron-to-Proton F₂ Structure-Function Ratio
No full textNucleon structure functions, as measured in lepton-nucleon scattering, have historically provided a critical observable in the study of partonic dynamics within the nucleon. However, at very large parton momenta, it is both experimentally and theoretically challenging to extract parton distributions due to the probable onset of nonperturbative contributions and the unavailability of high-precision data at critical kinematics. Extraction of the neutron structure and the d quark distribution have been further challenging because of the necessity of applying nuclear corrections when utilizing scattering data from a deuteron target to extract the free neutron structure. However, a program of experiments has been carried out recently at the energy-upgraded Jefferson Lab electron accelerator aimed at significantly reducing the nuclear correction uncertainties on the d quark distribution function at large partonic momentum. This allows leveraging the vast body of deuterium data covering a large kinematic range to be utilized for d quark parton distribution function extraction. In this Letter, we present new data from experiment E12-10-002, carried out in Jefferson Lab Experimental Hall C, on the deuteron to proton cross section ratio at large Bjorken x. These results significantly improve the precision of existing data and provide a first look at the expected impact on quark distributions extracted from parton distribution function fits
A Systematic Review of Poisoning Attacks Against Large Language Models (LLM)
No full textThis paper provides a comprehensive review of poisoning attacks against large language models (LLMs), drawing primarily from Fendley et al. (2025) and complementary studies from 2022–2025. It categorizes poisoning research into two key dimensions, Metrics and Specifications, to evaluate how attack success is measured and how attacks are implemented. This paper synthesizes quantitative results, experimental findings, and defense strategies across data, model, and multi-modal poisoning contexts. Finally, it highlights emerging challenges posed by self-adaptive and synthetic-data-driven LLMs, and proposes future research directions to strengthen model security and reliability
2025 State of the Commonwealth Report
No full textThis is Old Dominion University’s 11th annual State of the Commonwealth Report. While it represents the work of many people connected in various ways to the university, the report does not constitute an official viewpoint of Old Dominion, its president, Brian Hemphill, Ph.D., the Board of Visitors, the Strome College of Business or the generous donors who support the activities of the Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy.
Our work seeks to contribute to the conversation about how Virginia can foster growth across the Commonwealth without glossing over the challenges we face. We want to encourage difficult conversations to improve economic outcomes for all of Virginia’s residents, now is the time to have the hard discussions about where Virginia goes over the next decade. Our task is more difficult this year due to the lapse in appropriations for the federal government from October 1, 2025 to November 12, 2025. The shutdown not only delayed data, it highlighted Virginia’s distinctive relationship with the federal government
