Digital Commons Network^™

Development Of A Virtual Reality Program To Promote Occupational Participation And Decreased Psychosocial Deficits In Persons With A Brain Injury, Nicole Arneson, Rebecca King

Fall 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

Stroke is one of the leading causes of disabilities including problems with balance, muscle weakness, abnormal muscle tone, mental health, as well as deficits in visual function and sensory function The purpose of this capstone is to develop a virtual reality program that will be used with the stroke population to address ADLs, IADLs, and quality of life.

Occupational Therapy Role In Aiding Health Management For Caregivers Of Children With Neurological Conditions, Peyton Mcgee, Mary Jan Greer, Caitlin Boyd

Fall 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

Neurological disorders are identified as a dysfunction on any part of the nervous system that cause disability (Kumar et al., 2022). In order to enhance the outcome of children with neurological conditions, there should be an emphasis on the role and well-being of their caregivers. Common symptoms of neurological disorders among children include delayed developmental milestones, seizures and epilepsy, regression of skills, abnormal movements and behaviors, headaches, sensory processing issues, and communication difficulties. Adjusting to a new normal can be overwhelming for caregivers, especially when children transition out of rehab. The aim of the proposed capstone project is to aid …

Evaluations Of Digital Public Health Interventions In The Who Southeast Asia Region: A Systematic Literature Review, Nachiket Gudi, Elstin Anbu Raj, Beate Jahn, Uwe Siebert

Open Access archive

Introduction Digital health technologies have been enhancing the capacity of healthcare providers and, thereby, the delivery of targeted health services. The Southeast Asia Region (SEAR) has invested in strengthening digital public health. Many digital health interventions have been implemented in public health settings but are rarely assessed using the holistic health technology assessment (HTA) approach. Methods A systematic literature review was performed to provide an overview of evaluations of digital public health interventions in the World Health Organization (WHO) SEAR. Searches were conducted on four electronic databases. Screening title abstracts and full texts was independently conducted by two reviewers, followed …

Briar Hill Realty Llc V. Reisner

All Decisions

In this nonpayment proceeding, the landlord obtained a default judgment against the tenant. The tenant moved to vacate the default judgment, arguing that the landlord's agent misled him into believing he did not need to respond to the court proceedings. The court granted the tenant's motion, finding that the landlord's agent's actions constituted extrinsic fraud, which warranted vacating the judgment even without a showing of a meritorious defense. The court emphasized the importance of preserving the integrity of the legal process and preventing situations where parties are misled into believing they do not need to defend themselves in court.

Mental Health And Police Response Criminal Justice Training Curriculum, Richard Watkins

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This course is designed to introduce criminal justice students to responding to calls involving residents with mental illness. It will instruct students to recognize indicators of mental illness as required by the Minnesota Peace Officer Standards and Training Board learning objectives. Indicators of said mental illness will be instructed based on the DSM-5 manual to acclimate students in this area. Students will be exposed to current levels of response as well as services offered by current Minnesota Police Officers. Dealing with residents in mental health crisis and the use of force will also be addressed. Students will also learn about …

Exploring Kindergarten Teachers' Perspectives On The Interpretation Of Standards In A Developmentally Appropriate Way In Kindergarten Classrooms, Shawanza Demetrist Lockett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many kindergarten teachers are feeling the effects of standard-based education. The problem is that it is unknown whether teachers implement mandated state standards in a developmentally appropriate way. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to investigate kindergarten teachers’ perspectives on implementing standards in a developmentally appropriate manner. Shulman’s theory of teacher knowledge was the conceptual framework for the study. The research question focused on kindergarten teachers’ perspectives of implementing standards in a developmentally appropriate way. Twelve kindergarten teachers were recruited from three Title 1 elementary schools in a rural southeastern state in the United States. Thematic data analysis …

Suicide Risk Assessment And Student Competency In Cacrep-Accredited Master's Counseling Programs, Meghan Kyle O'Meara

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Suicide remains a public health issue, demanding proficient training of future counselors in suicide risk assessment (SRA). However, concerns persist regarding the competency of counselors-in-training (CITs) in this crucial area. This study explored the predictive relationship between theory of planned behavior (TPB) constructs and students’ perceived competency in SRA. Grounded in the TPB, the research addressed how attitudes (ATT), subjective norms (SN), and perceived behavioral control (PBC) influence intentions and subsequent behavior, using a nonexperimental survey design to collect data from students in Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP)–accredited master's counseling programs via a comprehensive questionnaire. …

Reducing Attrition In Medication-Assisted Treatment: Strategies From Behavioral Health Leaders, Tony Shaw

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This qualitative case study explores strategies to reduce attrition rates in medication-assisted treatment programs, drawing on the perspectives of behavioral health leaders and guided by the principles of the Baldridge Excellent Framework. It aims to implement effective strategies to enhance client retention and improve treatment outcomes. Drawing from 18 years of professional experience in behavioral health, this research analyzes current practices and identifies interventions to improve program effectiveness. Data collection includes case studies, surveys, and interviews with behavioral health leaders, providing a comprehensive view of the challenges and opportunities within these programs. The study revealed several key factors affecting retention …

Feasibility Of Large Language Models For Ceus Li-Rads Categorization Of Small Liver Nodules In Patients At Risk For Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Jiayan Huang, Rui Yang, Xiaotong Huang, Keyu Zeng, Yan Liu, Jun Luo, Andrej Lyshchik, Qiang Lu

Department of Radiology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Large language models (LLMs) offer opportunities to enhance radiological applications, but their performance in handling complex tasks remains insufficiently investigated.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the performance of LLMs integrated with Contrast-enhanced Ultrasound Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (CEUS LI-RADS) in diagnosing small (≤20mm) hepatocellular carcinoma (sHCC) in high-risk patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: From November 2014 to December 2023, high-risk HCC patients with untreated small (≤20mm) focal liver lesions (sFLLs), were included in this retrospective study. ChatGPT-4.0, ChatGPT-4o, ChatGPT-4o mini, and Google Gemini were integrated with imaging features from structured CEUS LI-RADS reports to assess their diagnostic performance for sHCC. …

Achieving Inter- And Transdisciplinarity In Ecohealth: Insights From A Rodent-Borne Disease Project In A Polycrisis Era, Isabelle Arpin, Clémence Massart, Vincent Bourret, Guillaume Castel, Valeria Carolina Colombo, Jana Eccard, Jasmin Firozpoor, Maciej Grzybek, Heikki A. Henttonen, Herwig Leirs, Andrew Mcmanus, Ben Roche, Tarja Sironen, Vincent Sluydts, Peter Stuart, Annetta Zintl, Nathalie Charbonnel

Publications

Introduction: Inter- and transdisciplinary research (ITDR) is increasingly promoted to address “wicked problems”, particularly in health sectors adopting approaches like Ecohealth. Our Ecohealth-inspired project on rodent-borne diseases, initiated just before the COVID-19 pandemic, provided an opportunity to evaluate ITDR implementation.

Methods: We employed a recently developed semi-quantitative evaluation method to measure our project’s success in achieving ITDR and analyzed factors influencing this achievement.

Results: The project showed strengths in system description, team task allocation, and data sharing, but had lower scores in engaging societal actors throughout the project cycle.

Discussion: We identified the underexplored influence of problem wickedness as a …

Rêvê La Drame, Pranjal Yogendra Sawai

Theses

Rêvê La Drame envisions the future of luxury branding by merging Audrey Hepburn's timeless elegance with the transformative capabilities of augmented reality (AR). This thesis addresses the growing demand for immersive and personalized consumer experiences, proposing a pioneering model that integrates traditional design principles with advanced technology to redefine engagement in the fashion industry. The project includes an innovative identity system featuring cinematic storytelling and AR interactions, such as a giant virtual shopping bag installation showcased at flagship locations like the MET. This thesis presents Rêve La Drame as a transformative approach to branding in the evolving luxury fashion landscape …

Reversing Chronic Disease Through Functional Medicine: Acknowledging Privilege And Seeking Justice, Rosalynn A. Vega

Anthropology Faculty Publications

This piece is based on twenty-eight months of digital-auto-ethnographic research. While my research methods included traditional ethnographic research in face-to-face settings and digital ethnography, my personal experience is also embedded in the work. In this piece, you will find “interludes” that provide glimpses into my healing journey. When writing in this autoethnographic register, I provide “thick descriptions” (Geertz 3) of how I experienced illness and recovery. By including my own story, I am acknowledging that the observed and the observer are inextricably intertwined. All ethnography is relational. Ethnographic data results from a trusting relationship between ethnographer and participant. Furthermore, in …

Leadership Strategies Indigenous Canadian Entrepreneurs Use To Sustain Their Business, Sherry Tyeesum Mattice

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Indigenous Canadian small business entrepreneurs face a high risk of failure within five years of operation. These entrepreneurs encounter challenges such as limited access to capital and skilled employees and must develop strategies to sustain and grow their businesses. Grounded in the theory of constraints, the purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore strategies employed by Indigenous small business entrepreneurs to effectively sustain their businesses beyond 5 years. The participants were six Indigenous small business entrepreneurs in British Columbia who implemented strategies to sustain their businesses beyond 5 years. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and by reviewing …

Connections Between Household Socioeconomic Status, Modifiable Risk Factors, And Diabetes Status Among Adults In Jamaica, Sheriann Elizabeth Reid

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Globally, diabetes is one of the most prevalent and challenging disorders. In Jamaica, the prevalence of the disease has increased by 42% since 2001. This study explored the connection between household socioeconomic status, modifiable risk factors, and diabetes status among adults in Jamaica using the social-ecological model. The study explored whether household socioeconomic status and modifiable risk factors were associated with diabetes and whether they predicted diabetes among Jamaican adults. A quantitative cross-sectional design was used to analyze data with 11,206 respondents from the Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions 2019 dataset. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed statistically significant associations between …

Strategies Small Business Leaders Use To Retain Employees To Reduce Turnover Costs, Karla Gilchrist-Saunders

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Failure to retain employees negatively affects organizational financial sustainability. Small business leaders become concerned when their organizations fail to retain employees, resulting in increased costs and decreased competitiveness, organizational knowledge, team dynamics, and valuable human resources. Grounded in transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry study was to identify and explore leadership strategies some small business leaders use to retain employees to reduce turnover costs. The participants were six small business leaders in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area with successful strategies used to retain employees to reduce turnover costs. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and publicly …

Sensitivity And Application Of Frequency Domain High-Density Diffuse Optical Tomography (Fd Hd-Dot), Weihao Fan

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a non-invasive imaging technique that measures hemodynamic responses in the brain, similar to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) but with distinct advantages. By utilizing near-infrared light, fNIRS can penetrate biological tissues and detect changes in oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin. Additionally, fNIRS is portable, noninvasive and inexpensive. Within the realm of fNIRS, several measurement techniques exist, including Continuous Wave (CW), Frequency Domain (FD), and Time Domain (TD) methods. In this dissertation, we focused on the effects, fundamental principles and applications of FD designs. We provided the introduction in Chapter 1, and discussed the background theory and …

Amorfe: An Ai-Integrated Interactive Brainstorming Interface, Ipshita Pal

Theses

Amorfe is an interactive multi-touch digital interface that reimagines brainstorming and collaboration using artificial intelligence (AI). Designed to make ideation more dynamic, the platform allows participants to explore, merge, and refine ideas in real time. AI is a creative catalyst, offering unpredictable outcomes and streamlining the brainstorming process. This makes Amorfe engaging, intuitive, and inclusive, encouraging active participation. The platform’s potential was demonstrated through a hypothetical scenario: “How do we create more green spaces on the RIT campus?” Four participants explored various brainstorming phases through touch interaction, leading to the creation of a prototype simulation video and a promotional video. …

Dissonance, Shreya Talegaonkar

Theses

Cognitive dissonance represents a profound psychological phenomenon where conflicting beliefs create mental tension. My thesis, Dissonance, transforms this abstract concept into an immersive multimedia installation that visually explores the human mind's intricate journey of reconciling internal contradictions. Using Cinema 4D, Adobe AfterEffects, and Resolume Arena, the project creates dynamic 3D animations projection-mapped across an 8x8x6 cubic feet space. Carefully designed blackout curtains and strategic seating immerse participants in a transformative narrative of psychological exploration. Audiences navigate through four distinct phases: Consistency, Chaos, Turmoil, and Adaptation. Each phase invites viewers to experience the unsettling yet profound journey of internal conflict resolution, …

How Do Female Arab International Students Negotiate Their Identities In The Esl Classroom In The Mid-Southern United States?, Sinaria Elmardi Hassan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

This dissertation explores how women of Islamic faith, as international students, negotiate their identities within the ESL classrooms in the mid-southern United States. Students in such categories face singular challenges at each juncture of gender, religion, and cultural background, especially in an educational system that does not always recognize or accommodate particular needs and experiences. The qualitative research design involved in-depth interviews with female Muslim students from various countries. This study aimed to determine how these students balanced their cultural and religious lives amidst the demands of the American academic environment, particularly in ESL settings where language acquisition was a …

Development Of New Controller And Associated Cybersecurity Issues With Battery Energy Storage Integrated With Microgrid, Syeda Afra Saiara

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Battery energy storage system (BESS) plays a crucial role in integrating renewable sources in microgrids. However, robust BESS controllers are needed to carry out this function properly. Existing controllers suffer from overshoots and slow convergence issues. This thesis proposes a novel Sigma Delta Modulation (SDM) controller for BESS in solar photovoltaic (PV) connected microgrids to address the limitations of existing controllers. The performance of SDM has been compared with that of the Proportional Integral (PI) and Fuzzy Logic based controllers. Also, the thesis addresses the cybersecurity issues in solar PV based microgrids. The Ensemble Learning technique and an Improved Ensemble …

On The Power Series Method For Solitons And Peakons Of Nonlinear Pde, Erika Olivares, Vesselin Vatchev

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

In this paper we discuss the power series method to obtain traveling wave solutions of nonlinear PDE in one space variable. The method, including a recursive procedure for the coefficients and error estimate for the partial sums, is presented for the Camassa-Holm equation. Numerical examples of approximate single soliton and single peakon solutions are included.

Multi-Antigen Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus (Eehv) Mrna Vaccine Induces Humoral And Cell-Mediated Responses In Mice, Jessica R Watts, Jennifer L Spencer Clinton, Jeroen Pollet, Rongsheng Peng, Jie Tan, Paul D Ling

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background/Objectives: Elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) causes lethal hemorrhagic disease (HD) in Asian and African elephants in human care and the wild. It is the leading cause of death for young Asian elephants in North American and European zoos despite sensitive diagnostic tests and improved treatments. Thus, there is a critical need to develop an effective vaccine to prevent severe illness and reduce mortality from EEHV-HD. We generated a multi-antigenic EEHV mRNA vaccine to address this need that encodes the EEHV1A-subtype glycoproteins gB, gH, gL, and gO. These conserved proteins are the entry machinery for several herpesviruses in the betaherpesvirus subfamily …

Office Of Research, Economic Engagement And Outreach Update, December 18, 2024, Office Of Research, Economic Engagement And Outreach

Office of Research, Economic Engagement and Outreach

No abstract provided.

Lindenwood Digest, December 18, 2024, Lindenwood University

Lindenwood Digest

The Lindenwood Digest has been a digital employee newsletter since 2009.

Schedulability Analysis Of Multi-Phase Limited-Preemption Tasks, Benjamin Standaert

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

This work addresses hard real-time systems, in which tasks must be scheduled so that they are guaranteed to meet deadlines. In particular, when tasks execute across multiple domains with high preemption costs, the combined cost of these preemptions can cause the system to become unschedulable. The number of preemptions must therefore be bounded to limit the overall task execution time, while ensuring that task blocking times are small enough to allow the system to be schedulable. Prior work introduces the Multi-Phase Secure model, which describes a more exact version of this scenario, and an algorithm to determine schedulability of sporadic …

Codifying Domesticity: The Story Of The Recommended Minimum Requirements For Small Dwelling Construction Of 1923, The Housing Policy Of The Hoover Secretariat, And The Impact On American Residential Architecture, Noah Morris

Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design Theses & Dissertations

During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, fire disasters and health-safety issues led to the widespread adoption of building codes. While the National Board of Fire Underwriters published the National Building Code in 1905, the code did not maintain regulatory consistency across the nation. This lack of consistency across the nation and socio-economic factors contributed to a nation-wide housing shortage of a million units by 1919. During World War I, the government addressed the housing crisis through the United States Housing Corporation and Emergency Fleet Corporation, building public housing based on the ideals of the Garden City Movement.[1] Following the …

Recollective Features In The Natural Language Used To Justify Memory Decisions, Xinran Zhang, Ian G. Dobbins

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The natural language people use to justify memory decisions predicts recognition accuracy, in part, because it conveys recollection. This study compared a traditional bag-of-words (BOW) classifier to one using BERT embeddings, and newly tests whether classifier recognition scores also predict the later recall of individual recognition probes. During both training and testing, the BERT classifier outperformed the BOW classifier. Nonetheless, a BOW approach was important for explaining the BERT classifier, accounting for a sizeable portion of its variance and confirming that the BERT classifier was also recollection sensitive. The BERT classifier’s recognition scores predicted future recall and mediated the tendency …

Patterns Of Grief And Bereavement Following A Covid Death, Karuna Thomas

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The large number of deaths due to COVID-19 has resulted in a similarly high number of people experiencing grief. The aim of this qualitative study was to understand patterns of grief and bereavement following a COVID death. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with individuals who had lost someone close to them to COVID (N = 32). Thematic analysis was used to identify themes and patterns. Participants described specific features of COVID as well as the interdependence within the community that shaped their unique experiences of grieving a COVID death. These unique experiences, in turn, led to disruptions in coping and …

Technology Development Of High-Resolution Single-Cell Lineage Tracing For Cell Reprogramming Systems, Sadie Vanhorn

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

A critical element of cell identity is the cell that created the observed cell. This parent cell dictates many aspects of its identity, whether measured by function, phenotype, or specific assays. The cell’s lineage impacts the ability of the cell to differentiate into final cell types in development or successfully reprogram in direct cell reprogramming. Here, we evolve molecular barcoding techniques to increase the resolution of lineage recording at single-cell resolution. Using single-cell RNA-sequencing as the readout for this measurement, polyadenylated reporter gene transcripts with engineered 3’ untranslated regions were designed to initially label and then record lineage information. While …

Multi-Omic Analysis Of Phototrophic Extracellular Electron Uptake In Novel Rhodovulum Spp. Isolated From A Marine Estuary, Emily J. Davenport

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Microbial metabolisms are incredibly versatile and dynamic, allowing adaptive strategies for growth in even the most limiting environments. For an ever-increasing number of microbes, this includes utilizing soluble or insoluble inorganic mineral species as electron donors, driving geochemical cycles and microbial metabolisms. This metabolic function of transporting electrons derived from the extracellular environment across cell membranes is called extracellular electron uptake (EEU). Within (photo)autotrophs, (p)EEU also sustains CO2 fixation to cell biomass, implicating a potentially fundamental role of microbial carbon cycling in aquatic and soil ecosystems. A model metabolic scheme of pEEU occurring in natural environments is photoferrotrophy, which pairs …