Digital Commons Network^™

Impact Of Climate Change On Maternal Health In Pakistan: A Review Paper, Ihsan Ullah, Kiran Mubeen, Dilshad Begum, Rafat Jan

Journal of Asian Midwives (JAM)

Pakistan is one of the country’s most susceptible to the effects of climate change. Recent floods, heavy snowfall and rain have significantly impacted maternal and infant health. Indigenous women of child-bearing age especially those in rural areas are among the most vulnerable, facing food insecurity, disruptive food systems, rising food prices, and disrupted food production due to climate change. This review highlights a critical gap in research on indigenous women's maternal nutrition in the context of climate change, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. It emphasized the necessity for culturally responsive approaches and a deeper understanding of how climate change …

The Role Of Midwives In Achieving The Global Sustainable Development Goals, Bakhtawar Muhammad Hanif Khowaja Bk, Elizabeth K. Darling

Journal of Asian Midwives (JAM)

The sustainable development goals (SDGs) provide a comprehensive framework for global development. Midwives are playing an important role in achieving the targets of the world’s priority agendas. They are actively involved in achieving the targets of SDG#2 by providing education to women on their nutritional requirements, supporting postnatal women with breastfeeding, and educating communities on the use of clean water, sanitation, and hygiene management. Beyond counseling and educating communities on nutrition and hygiene management, they are also involved in improving other health-related outcomes that are indicators for SDG#3, such as improving maternal and child immunization, counseling mothers on tobacco …

Improve The Referral System Of Health Care Organizations In Rural Community Settings Of Pakistan Using Health Information Technology (Hit) - A Protocol, Saleema A. Gulzar, Alishah Aziz Gulzar, Zahid Ali Faheem, Ayesha Arif, Aamir Sarfaraz

Journal of Asian Midwives (JAM)

Pakistan is a developing country, with 65% of the population residing in rural areas. The rural population is considered vulnerable mainly due to several factors, including poverty. Climate change and the area's topography limit their access to basic human needs such as basic healthcare, affecting their quality of life. Most people lack basic information about the location and availability of healthcare facilities, including hospitals, diagnostic centres, pharmacies, and general clinics. Hence, the rural healthcare system lacks primary care physicians, nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. Inappropriate infrastructure makes it challenging to retain qualified professionals. A non-profit and non-governmental entity aims …

An Examination Of The Perceived Factors Of Internship Programs That Lead Students To Remain With An Organization After Completing An Internship, Dorance Renard Miles Ii

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Over the past decade, there has been considerable growth in the number of undergraduate students completing internships in the United States (US). Through increased awareness and participation, internships have become known for developing career readiness skills, gaining first-hand experience in the workplace, and bridging the transition from academia to the world of work. As illustrated by the elevated number of college graduates reporting an internship experience upon graduation, internships are becoming a high-impact practice within the collegiate experience. Identified as a gateway to recruitment and hiring by organizations, internships are structured to provide students with direct work experience related to …

Phantom Jam Sybil Attack In Connected Vehicular Networks, Ahmed Ali Elamin Mohamed

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANETs) are vulnerable to Sybil attacks, mostly due to the lack of encryption in BSMs. In VANETs, multiple digital certificates (pseudonyms) are assigned to each vehicle to ensure their privacy. However, malicious nodes can exploit these pseudonyms to create ghost vehicles, inducing fake traffic jams and disturbance to other vehicles which may lead to accidents. In this work, we have developed the first sophisticated sybil attack, in which an attacker uses legitimate pseudonyms to create multiple ghost vehicles. These ghost vehicles transmit realistic kinematic data, using trajectory formulas and road maps. Additionally, the ghost vehicles randomly simulate …

Intelligent System For Student Performance Prediction Using Machine Learning, Mustafa S. Ibrahim Alsumaidaie, Ahmed Adil Nafea, Abdulrahman Abbas Mukhlif, Ruqaiya D. Jalal, Mohammed M Al-Ani

Baghdad Science Journal

Accurately predicting student performance remains a significant challenge in the educational sector. Identifying students who need additional support early can significantly impact their academic outcomes. This study aims to develop an intelligent solution for predicting student performance using supervised machine learning algorithms. This proposed focus on addressing the limitations of existing prediction models and enhancing prediction accuracy. In this work employed three supervised machine learning algorithms: Random Forest, Extra Trees, and K-Nearest Neighbors. The steps of research methodology contained (data collection, preprocessing, feature identification, model construction, and evaluation). This paper utilized a dataset comprising 24,000 training instances and 6,000 testing …

Carbon Footprint For Industry -Al-Rasheed Vegetable Oil Factory, Elham M. Al-Bayati, Jinan S. Al-Hassan

Baghdad Science Journal

This is a comprehensive study to calculate the carbon footprint of the Al-Rasheed vegetable oil factory in gaining a clear understanding of the environmental impact and identifying opportunities for emission reduction and sustainability improvement and to provide an overview of the key elements and objectives of the current study. Utilizing industry-standard calculation methodologies and emission factors specific to Al-Rasheed Factory and geographic location, we analyzed the collected data to quantify Al-Rasheed carbon emissions across only scope 1(Direct GHG Emissions via the burning of fossil fuels) measured by using the latest IPCC 2021 version 1.02 GHG Protocol and the SimaPro version …

Environmental Dna Identifies Coastal Plant Community Shift 1,000 Years Ago In Torrens Island, South Australia, Nicole R. Foster, Alice R. Jones, Oscar Serrano, Anna Lafratta, Paul S. Lavery, Kor-Jent Van Dijk, Ed Biffin, Bronwyn M. Gillanders, Jennifer Young, Pere Masque, Patricia S. Gadd, Geraldine E. Jacobsen, Atun Zawadzki, Andria Greene, Michelle Waycott

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Anthropogenic activities are causing detrimental changes to coastal plants– namely seagrass, mangrove, and tidal marshes. Looking beyond recent times to past vegetation dynamics is critical to assess the response and resilience of an environment to change. Here, we develop a high-resolution multi-proxy approach, providing a new evidence base to decipher long-term change in coastal plant communities. Combining targeted environmental DNA analysis with chemical analysis of soils, we reconstructed 4,000 years of change at a temperate wetland on Torrens Island South Australia and identified an ecosystem shift that occurred ~ 1000 years ago. What was once a subtidal seagrass system shifted …

Organ Pedalboard As A Rehabilitation Tool: A Qualitative Exploratory Study Of Healthcare Providers’ Perceptions And Recommendations, Mandy M.P. Kan, Wai Hang Kwok, Eric C. Fan, Fadi M. Al Zoubi

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Objective This qualitative study explored healthcare providers’ perceptions and attitudes regarding the use of organ pedalboards as a rehabilitation tool, particularly for lower extremity conditions. The study also sought to identify the perceived barriers and facilitators to adopting organ pedalboards within rehabilitation settings, as well as gather healthcare providers’ recommendations for integrating this tool into clinical practice. Method Healthcare providers, including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, music therapists, and sports therapists, were recruited for focus group interviews using purposive and snowball sampling. At the outset of the interview, participants watched an organist playing musical notes on a pedalboard and had the opportunity …

Cohort Profile: The Origins Pregnancy And Birth Cohort, Jacqueline Davis, Zenobia Talati, Sarah Whalan, Wesley Billingham, Nina D'Vaz, Lisa Gibson, Susan L. Prescott, Desiree T. Silva

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

No abstract provided.

Security Of Mobile Radiological Sources: Overview Of Industry Applied Technologies, Ann M. Archer, Ashleigh Wickham

International Journal of Nuclear Security

Small radiological sources used in industrial settings recurrently require transit between job sites. Securing these sources, while stationary, can be addressed with standard security approaches and equipment. Transport of these sources increases the risk and complexity of managing and maintaining control of these sources. Implementing methodologies to securely monitor and locate sources improves response and resolution of anomalous events during transit. The Mobile Source Transit Security (MSTS) system was developed to improve security and provide situational awareness of these mobile sources throughout their job cycle. The MSTS development effort focused on creating a set of systems that could be successfully …

Creative Reading: Using Poetic Inquiry In Research And Teaching, Clancy Ratliff, Abdullah Al Musayeb, Barja Islam, Mithila Mumtaz, Rosol Otear, Simon Richard, Noah Smith, Nuzhat Tarannum, Allyssa Veney

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

Creative Reading: Using Poetic Inquiry in Research and Teaching:

Essay and Poetry.

Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonist-Based Agents And Weight Loss Composition: Filling The Gaps, Robert L. Dubin, Steven B. Heymsfield, Eric Ravussin, Frank L. Greenway

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Excess adiposity is at the root of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) have emerged as first-line treatments for T2D based on significant weight loss results. The composition of weight loss using most diets consists of < 25% fat-free mass (FFM) loss, with the remainder from fat stores. Higher amounts of weight loss (achieved with metabolic bariatric surgery) result in greater reductions in FFM. Our aim was to assess the impact that GLP-1RA-based treatments have on FFM. We analysed studies that reported changes in FFM with the following agents: exenatide, liraglutide, semaglutide, and the dual incretin receptor agonist tirzepatide. We performed an analysis of various weight loss interventions to provide a reference for expected changes in FFM. We evaluated studies using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) for measuring FFM (a crude surrogate for skeletal muscle). In evaluating the composition of weight loss, the percentage lost as fat-free mass (%FFML) was equal to ΔFFM/total weight change. The %FFML using GLP-1RA-based agents was between 20% and 40%. In the 28 clinical trials evaluated, the proportion of FFM loss was highly variable, but the majority reported %FFML exceeding 25%. Our review was limited to small substudies and the use of DXA, which does not measure skeletal muscle mass directly. Since FFM contains a variable amount of muscle (approximately 55%), this indirect measure may explain the heterogeneity in the data. Assessing quantity and quality of skeletal muscle using advanced imaging (magnetic resonance imaging) with functional testing will help fill the gaps in our current understanding.

Precision Prognostics For Cardiovascular Disease In Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Abrar Ahmad, Lee Ling Lim, Mario Luca Morieri, Claudia Ha Ting Tam, Feifei Cheng, Tinashe Chikowore, Monika Dudenhöffer-Pfeifer, Hugo Fitipaldi, Chuiguo Huang, Sarah Kanbour, Sudipa Sarkar, Robert Wilhelm Koivula, Ayesha A. Motala, Sok Cin Tye, Gechang Yu, Yingchai Zhang, Michele Provenzano, Diana Sherifali, Russell J. De Souza, Russell J. De Souza, Deirdre Kay Tobias, Paul W. Franks, Stephen S. Rich, Robert Wagner, Tina Vilsbøll, Kimberly K. Vesco, Miriam S. Udler, Tiinamaija Tuomi, Arianne Sweeting, Emily K. Sims, Jennifer L. Sherr, Robert K. Semple, Rebecca M. Reynolds, Maria J. Redondo

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Background: Precision medicine has the potential to improve cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk prediction in individuals with Type 2 diabetes (T2D). Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies to identify potentially novel prognostic factors that may improve CVD risk prediction in T2D. Out of 9380 studies identified, 416 studies met inclusion criteria. Outcomes were reported for 321 biomarker studies, 48 genetic marker studies, and 47 risk score/model studies. Results: Out of all evaluated biomarkers, only 13 showed improvement in prediction performance. Results of pooled meta-analyses, non-pooled analyses, and assessments of improvement in prediction performance and risk of …

Limitation For Liberty: A Commentary On Federalism And The Tenth Amendment, Riley Banker

Senior Honors Theses

The concept of Federalism is essential to the very survival of the United States. However, recent decisions by the Supreme Court have illustrated attempts by the federal government to expand its authority and undermine the balance of power created by Federalism. This thesis will explore the concept of Federalism to demonstrate how it can best be protected. First, this thesis will address the origins of Federalism. Second, it will show how the principles of Federalism are manifested within the founding documents of the United States. Finally, this thesis will analyze current events including Supreme Court cases to demonstrate a concerning …

Impact Of Educational Sessions On Compassion Fatigue Among Home Healthcare Nurses: An Evidence-Based Practice Project, Adebimpe Blessing Ogunsefunmi

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: Nurses are compassionate professionals who provide critical care, often at the expense of their own well-being. As the healthcare system faces rapid changes due to an aging population, nursing shortages, and the impact of COVID-19, compassion fatigue has become increasingly common. Despite its prevalence, few healthcare institutions address this issue. Objective: The objective of this DNP project was to evaluate whether weekly educational sessions enhanced perceptions of a positive quality of life, which typically declines with increased compassion fatigue, as measured by the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) scale. PICOT Question: Do weekly educational sessions on compassion fatigue …

Beyond The Box: Delivering A New Look To Ohayo Korea, Beatrice Diaz

Graphic Communication

Ohayo Korea, a newly established business in South Korea, specializes in providing buying, packing, consolidation, and forwarding services for international customers seeking exclusive South Korean products or bulk shipments for business purposes. Despite offering valuable services, The business faces significant challenges in establishing visibility and trust in the marketplace. Currently, the business relies primarily on word-of-mouth and minimal social media presence, which restricts its reach and credibility among potential customers. In a highly competitive market, these constraints hinder Ohayo Korea’s ability to stand out and communicate its unique offerings effectively.

To address these challenges, a cohesive brand identity that resonates …

The Role Of Graphics And Packaging In Brand Protection, Charlotte Smith

Graphic Communication

This project was focused on how packaging and graphics can be utilized to help minimize the occurrence and risks of counterfeit products in the pharmaceutical industry. During this project, a brand protection plan for a fictional pharmaceutical product was formulated that focused on both developing packaging that is difficult to counterfeit and fostering consumer education. This plan involved covert, semi-covert and overt anti-counterfeiting features which were implemented in the packaging. An educational website was also created for users and distributors in order to enable the end users to identify if that product is genuine. The project objective was to better …

Breaking The Curse: Rebranding The Sacramento Kings, Colby Sundeen

Graphic Communication

The Sacramento Kings basketball team has a terrible reputation throughout the National Basketball Association (NBA) and has suffered a massive loss in their revenue and audience because of it. Even though they are the oldest team in the NBA and are based in the capital of California, which is the largest market in the world for basketball, they are consistently overshadowed by all of the other teams in California as well as most of the other teams in the NBA. This stems from their brand reputation which has slowly and consistently declined since the early 2000’s. Brand reputation is one …

Ten-Year Review Of St-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (Stemi) In Tanzania: A Single Center Retrospective Review, Nadeem Kassam, Mohamed Varwani, Mzee Ngunga, Jeilan Mohamed, Mangaro Mabusi, James Orwa, Salim Surani, Robert Mvungi, Nasiruddin Jamal

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Introduction: Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD) is an emerging epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Although the true burden may be underreported in the African continent, it still remains one of the leading causes of death among adults aged above 60 years. ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) is a clinically time-sensitive fatal sequela of IHD with timely reperfusion by primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) being the gold standard of care. There has been steady progress in coronary care services in Tanzania, alongside a rise in IHD-related risk factors. However, data on this is limited. This study aimed to examine trends in …

Community Response To Floods In The Cache River Watershed Of Southern Illinois: Application Of A Proposed Framework For Assessing General And Specified Community Resilience, Raymond Albert Bieri Iii

Theses

Recent years have seen increased awareness about the potential adverse impacts of climate change on hydrologic systems and human communities. The concept of community resilience – the capacity of communities to respond to drivers of change in a manner that maintains or improves upon community well-being – is widely recognized as a suitable framework for informing climate change adaptation policies. Emerging insights from the community resilience literature highlight the importance of the distinction between general resilience, which refers to the resilience of social-ecological systems to all kinds of drivers of change, and specified resilience, which is concerned with the resilience …

A Focus On The Social Validity Of Treating Stereotypy Using Response Interruption And Redirection, Maggie Grace Ratcliff

Theses

Stereotypy refers to a class of operant repetitive motor and vocal responses with no readily apparent goal or purpose (Rapp & Vollmer, 2005; Singer, 2009; Wunderlich et al., 2023). Although most stereotypy is clinically insignificant and does not warrant treatment (i.e., nail biting, hair twirling), some stereotypy persists at a frequency or severity which interferes with skill acquisition, social interactions, and daily living skills. Stereotypy which persists at this level is considered clinically significant and is often the target of treatment (Wunderlich et al., 2023). A variety of evidence-based treatments for the reduction of stereotypy exist, though some neurodiversity advocates …

Insights From Father-Toddler Communication Via Tiktok, Joy Lee Hernandez, Abha Gupta

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

This qualitative study investigates the characteristics of interactions between fathers and toddlers, as well as their influence on language development. By utilizing video clips from the social media platform TikTok, this research observes and analyses fathers' responses and interactions with their toddlers. The findings indicate that fathers play a crucial role in supporting language development by engaging in conversations, expanding vocabulary, and providing emotional support. The study underscores the significance of fathers' involvement in nurturing language skills during early childhood. However, further longitudinal research is necessary to establish a definitive link between fathers' language input and toddlers' language development. Overall, …

Tikking The Tok And Leading The Way: Teacherpreneurs Leading On Tiktok, Jori S. Beck, Derrick Riddle

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Teacher shortages in the United States have increased the need for resources for teachers just learning to teach. The purpose of this study was to explore how teacherpreneurs, a type of teacher leader, are leading on TikTok. We grounded this study in the research on teacher leadership, including the five waves of teacher leadership and the most recent development of teacherpreneurship, as well as social media influencers. We qualitatively analyzed 300 videos from 30 different teacherpreneuers to determine the following themes: diverse narratives, entertainment, instructional resources, and advocacy. We describe implications for practice, including teacher preparation, as well as future …

Investigating The Role That Calcium And The Membrane Play In 8r-Lipoxygenase Catalysis, Kaelie Bernard

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

"We Don't Need Checklists": Exploring Intercultural Competence Development In Pre-Departure Programs For International Students In The United States, Irene Martha Lutterodt

Research Papers

No abstract provided.

Investigating The Impacts Of Ai Integration On Workplace Well-Being, An Exploratory Case Study, Anezka Viskova-Robertson

Dissertations

In an era characterized by rapid technological advancement, organizations are grappling with the profound changes brought by the integration of artificial intelligence (AI). This study examines the impact of AI integration on workplace well-being, conceptualized as a key indicator of the health of an organization’s socio-technical system. Conducted over a four-month period, this research utilized an exploratory case study approach, collecting data from 35 participants across four distinct organizations. By employing a socio-technical systems perspective and the tripartite model of attitudes, the study investigates the intricate interactions between AI technologies and human factors within organizational contexts. The findings reveal that …

風自何方來? : 諷諭説的形成與演變, Sudong Cheng

嶺南學報 Lingnan Journal of Chinese Studies

華夏先民早就認識到風具有地方性和引導性兩大特徵，由此將“風”作爲德行流衍的象徵，引伸出影響、傳告之意。《毛詩大序》基於這些自然屬性，指出詩歌同時具有化民和刺上的雙重功能，是溝通上下階層的獨特文化資源，“風”由此成爲具有詩學意義的概念。漢人常用的“風諫”等概念也由此具有一定的詩學意味。至於“風諭”最初用來表示中央對地方、尤其是周邊地區的教化，至漢宣帝、劉歆等則用其表示臣下對君主的諫刺。鄭玄將漢人“五諫從諷”説與基於比興的“譬喻”加以整合，由此形成的“諷喻”説强調詩歌的政教性和修辭性，在中古時期影響廣泛。白居易又提出“諷喻詩”的概念，在强調詩歌政教功能的同時，卻强調詩歌語言的直白，與《詩經》學傳統中的“諷諭”説頗爲不同。二者也共同構成宋明以來諷翁説的不同向度。

The ancestral peoples of China long ago recognized two major characteristics of wind: its local nature, and its ability to guide or lead [things]. From this, they developed “wind” as a metaphor for the dissemination of virtue, extending its meaning to that of influence and transmission. Based on these natural attributes, the “Great Preface to the Classic of Poetry” identifies as dual functions of poetry [comprised most prominently by the airs or “winds” feng of the individual states] the civilizing of the people and the admonishment of the ruler, respectively, serving as a unique cultural resource for communication …

Vegetation Dieback In The Mississippi River Delta Triggered By Acute Drought And Chronic Relative Sea-Level Rise, Tracy Elsey-Quirk, Austin Lynn, Michael Derek Jacobs, Rodrigo Diaz, James T. Cronin, Lixia Wang, Haosheng Huang, Dubravko Justic

Faculty Publications

Coastal wetlands are vulnerable to sea-level rise. Here, the authors use 16 years of data to correlate vegetation dieback in the Mississippi River Delta to drought-induced salt water intrusion in the summer of 2012.

Covid, Elite Rhetoric, And Americans’ Attitudes Toward U.S. Trade Practices With China, Dmitriy Nurullayev, Ping Xu, James Garand

Faculty Publications

Objectives: In this article, we consider how the COVID-19 pandemic and evaluations of Donald Trump combined to influence Americans' attitudes toward U.S. trade practices with China. We suggest that psychological factors—such as confirmation bias and transfer of grievances—influence how individuals evaluate the costs and benefits of trade. Specifically, we argue that the severity of the pandemic (reflected by both cumulative deaths and news coverage of the pandemic) and the rhetoric of (then) President Trump came together to influence Americans’ attitudes toward trade with China. Methods: To assess the COVID effect, the Trump effect, and their interaction effect on trade opinion, …