Digital Commons Network^™

Applications Of Neural Networks In Parkinson’S Disease Diagnosis, Saladin Minhaaj

Theses

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a complex and debilitating neurodegenerative disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. Early and accurate diagnosis is crucial for effective treatment and management of PD. This thesis explores the application of neural networks in PD diagnosis, leveraging their ability to learn patterns from large datasets and make accurate predictions.

Thesis provides an overview of PD, including its symptoms, diagnosis, and current challenges in diagnosis. We then delve into the fundamentals of neural networks, including supervised learning, mathematical interpretations, and parametric models. This research focuses on the development of neural network models that can accurately diagnose PD …

A Comparison Of Vestibular Function In Young Adult Musicians And Non-Musician Peers, Alexandria W. Greene, Ashley G. Flagge, Nicholas S. Stanley

Ashley Flagge Publications

Purpose: The majority of college-level musicians exceed the daily recommended noise dose level during instrumental practices and performances, although less than one-third report wearing hearing protection while playing their instruments. Although the hazardous effects of music on the auditory system have been established, even in young adult musicians still early in their musical careers, the effects of music on the vestibular system are still unclear. The purpose of the present study was to examine vestibular/balance differences between young adult musicians and non-musicians to determine the effects of music exposure on the vestibular system.

Method: Young adult participants aged 18-27 years …

Adiposity Throughout Adulthood And Risk Of Young-Onset Breast Cancer Tumor Subtypes In The Young Women's Health History Study, Lydia Marcus Post, Dorothy R. Pathak, Ann S. Hamilton, Kelly A. Hirko, Richard T. Houang, Emily H. Guseman, Dan Sanfelippo, Nicole Bohme Carnegie, L. Karl Olson, Hallgeir Rui, Ann G. Schwartz, Ellen M. Velie

Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: The role of adult adiposity in young-onset breast cancer (YOBC) subtype risk is not well understood.

METHODS: In this population-based case (n = 1812)-control (n = 1,381) study of invasive YOBC (ages <50 >years), cases were identified from the Los Angeles County and Metropolitan Detroit Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registries, 2010 to 2015. Area-based, frequency-matched controls were sampled from the 2010 Census. General adiposity [body mass index (BMI)] and central adiposity (waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio) across adulthood and covariates were collected from in-person interviews and measurements. ORs and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for adiposity and YOBC tumor subtypes …

Psychologists’ Diagnostic Decision Making In Adhd And Autism In Children, Donna Kelly

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The decision-making experiences of psychologists who diagnose children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and high-functioning autism referred to as autism spectrum disorder - level 1 (ASD-1) when symptoms of either one or both are present in children were explored in this hermeneutic phenomenological study. These two common neurodevelopmental disorders share characteristics and symptoms that could lead to diagnostic confusion. There has been an absence of research on psychologists’ experiences with diagnostic decision making since the publications of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5. Exploration of psychologists’ diagnostic decision-making processes can aid in providing early intervention and accurate …

Perceptions Of Parents And Guardians Regarding Home-To-School Involvement, Brie Merritt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem that was addressed through this study was the decline in home-to-school partnerships within a local, public, and ethnically diverse middle school (DMS) in the Southeastern United States. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore parents’ perspectives on the decline in home-to-school partnerships at a DMS. Using Epstein’s six types of family involvement as a guide, a qualitative, exploratory design was used, with data collected through semi structured interviews with 12 Black mothers of eighth-grade students from DMS in the 2022–2023 school year. Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis revealed the following four themes: communication satisfaction, parent-school engagement, …

Project Manager Leadership Behaviors For Successful Digital Transformation Implementation: Contingency Theory Approach, Anpalaki J. Ragavan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Leaders of large industrial companies (LICs) are concerned about the leadership behaviors (LB) of digital transformation (DT) project managers (PMs), as over 75% of DT projects in LICs fail to be completed successfully. Grounded in contingency theory of leadership (CTL), the purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between LB (task-oriented [TO] vs. relationship-oriented [RO]) of DT PMs and the successful completion of DT projects in three contingency situations: favorable, moderately favorable, and unfavorable. These situations were defined based on three independent variables: (a) PM's leader-member relationship, (b) PM's task structure, and (c) PM's position power. …

Educating Providers On Effective Prescribing Of Benzodiazepine, Juliana Nwakamma

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The goal of this initiative is to increase provider confidence, improve patient outcomes, and foster constructive societal change by teaching healthcare professionals how to prescribe benzodiazepines safely and effectively. Many doctors prescribe benzodiazepines to treat anxiety, sleeplessness, and seizures, but using them comes with serious hazards, such as dependence, withdrawal, and overdosing, particularly when taken with other drugs like opioids. Taking these concerns into consideration, my study intends to close gaps in prescribing practices by creating an evidence-based education program specifically designed for healthcare professionals. The course emphasizes effective prescribing techniques, methods for weaning chronic users, and benzodiazepine substitutes such …

Strategies To Improve Gender Pay Equity And Reduce Voluntary Employee Turnover In The Information Technology Industry, Glynis Lee

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Achieving gender pay equity remains a significant global challenge for organizations, and its lack can contribute to increased voluntary turnover and higher talent replacement costs. Organizational leaders are particularly concerned with pay equity, as inequities can drive accelerated turnover among female employees. Grounded in equity theory and the social role theory of sex differences, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to explore strategies that human resource (HR) managers use to improve gender pay equity. The participants were six HR managers in the southeastern United States supporting information technology organizations. Data were collected using semistructured interviews. Through thematic analysis, …

Conservation Genomics In The Federally Endangered Whorled Sunflower, Helianthus Verticillatus (Asteraceae), Samantha Grace Drewry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Genetic diversity among and within populations of species is critical for survival in our rapidly changing world. Conservation genomics links studies of population genomic variation with conservation managers to provide scientific data for species management strategies. The whorled sunflower, Helianthus verticillatus (Asteraceae), is an endangered plant species endemic to the southeastern United States. Only five populations were known to exist, in Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee, until about seven years ago when additional populations of the species were discovered in Mississippi and Virginia. Population genetic work using microsatellites revealed that the Mississippi population (known as MSCC) was genetically distinct from all …

Game Of Chance, Lily Kate Anthony

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

“Game of Chance” features a purportedly psychic protagonist, Lucy Cartwright, who works as a tarot card reader online and in public forums. After a series of toxic relationships and a lifetime of watching her mother’s relationships fail, Lucy is initiated into the world of tarot and Twin Flames by a fraudulent psychic named Christine. While romantic pressure from her culture and peers mounts, Lucy resorts to spellwork to manifest her Twin and then meets Chance, an optometry student and amateur gambler who falls for her quickly. The fragility of their connection is revealed when Lucy panics at contradictions in the …

The Legacy Of Section 230: Case History And Legal Perspective On Free Speech Regulation In The Digital Age, Owen Rosenberg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

This thesis explores the legal evolution and societal implications of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a landmark provision that shields internet platforms from liability for user-generated content. Since its inception, Section 230 has fostered unprecedented growth in digital communication by allowing platforms to host and moderate content without traditional publisher liabilities. However, with the rise of social media and algorithmic content promotion, the statute's broad immunity has sparked intense debates about platform responsibility. Through case analyses—including Reno v. ACLU, Gonzalez v. Google LLC, and Twitter, Inc. v. Taamneh—this study examines how judicial interpretations of Section 230 have adapted …

Negation As Cue During Semantic Learning, David Aaron Heath

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Word learning begins by mapping novel words to referents in the world. Over time, this mapping becomes a reliable semantic representation with semantic relationships to other words. A major contributor to the strength of semantic relationships is context. We explored the extent to which purely linguistic context can influence semantic relationships. We used an artificial language learning task combined with the visual world paradigm to assess the degree of coactivation between yoked items. Participants learned novel words for familiar images in yoked pairs. We manipulated the linguistic context during training trials by presenting the novel words with a negation or …

Connecting Lighthouses To Spiritual Tourism: The Case Of The Hellenic Lighthouse Network, Polyxeni Moira, Paraskevi Kakaroucha

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Lighthouses operate as carriers of cultural value and encapsulate universal connotations. They are harmoniously integrated in unspoilt landscapes, some of which are considered dystopian. Their delicate albeit resilient structure, settled within dynamic geophysical fields, elicits philosophical quests and metaphysical concerns. Lighthouses are connected to narratives of heroism, solitude, self-efficacy and lunacy, with altruistic keepers and divine or supernatural entities starring in plenty of them. Moreover, lighthouses have been associated with religious facilities and rituals for many centuries. Therefore, they attract people pursuing transformative experiences away from mass tourism locations and could unsurprisingly be included in alternative spiritual tourism itineraries.

Greek …

Passion Plays And Their Touristic Utilisation: Authenticity Or Commercialisation?, Dimitrios Mylonopoulos, Polyxeni Moira, Elli Terzoglou

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Tourism development and the economic benefits that come from tourism have led to the increase and revival of religious celebrations and festivals in the form of events and performances, especially during the Holy Week. Many events such as Passion Plays of Jesus, due to their enduring existence in time, ‘authenticity’, particularities, originality and the emotions they evoke, capture the attention of both religious people and tourists. These Passion Plays are specific religious-cultural events that consist of depictions of scenes from Jesus Christ’s passion, following the biblical narrations (e.g. the Teaching, the Passion, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection). According to UNESCO (2014), …

Impact Analysis Of Religious Events: Medjugorje As A Pilgrimage Destination, Igor Stamenkovic, Ivan Dodig, Dajana Vukojević

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Medjugorje is one of the most well-known and attractive pilgrimage sites for Roman Catholics. The phenomenon of Medjugorje is linked to the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary to six children, which, according to the children’s claims, began in June 1981, after which this town has become one of the most visited destinations in the whole of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Tens of thousands of pilgrims attend the International Youth Festival “Mladifest”, a religious gathering that has been going on for more than thirty years. The purpose of this paper is to research and explain how this religious event impacts a …

Dante’S Pilgrimage: Transformation As A ‘Web Of Belief’, Stephen F. Haller

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

In Dante’s allegorical pilgrimage to hell and back, he travels through three stages of transformation that are illustrated in his paradigmatic example of identity transformation; namely, Dante’s Divine Comedy. As a pilgrim, he starts out in a state of ‘unease’ (or ‘sin’). Next, there is a ‘solution’ to his psychological disarray, which results in the religious experience of joy. William James has persuasively argued that these are the common features of all religious experiences (1901). Dante is in a stage of his life when he can no longer be reached by argument. This state of mind is described, by the …

Increasing The Attractiveness Of Hungarian Religious Pilgrimage Routes, The Case Of Rurallure, Ákos Lencsés, Ildikó Kádárné Kelemen, Ildikó Csepregi, Zsófia Galgócziné Szabó

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The paper discusses the regional variations and attractiveness of pilgrimage routes in Europe, focusing on the Way of Mary. The Horizon Europe project rurAllure aims to use innovative techniques, such as narrative techniques of cultural heritage and mapping non-religious points of interests, to expand the area around the route and attract younger and spiritually-seeking pilgrims. The study introduces the selection criteria, workflow, and technologies used to enhance the tourism experience along the route, exploring alternative route variants and narrative creating techniques. For this, we describe and analyse the data of Points of Interest (POIs), narratives, and recommended trips generated as …

Extreme Wrinkling Of The Nuclear Lamina Is A Morphological Marker Of Cancer, Ting-Ching Wang, Christina R Dollahon, Sneha Mishra, Hailee Patel, Samere Abolghasemzade, Ishita Singh, Vilmos Thomazy, Daniel G Rosen, Vlad C Sandulache, Saptarshi Chakraborty, Tanmay P Lele

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Nuclear atypia is a hallmark of cancer. A recent model posits that excess surface area, visible as folds/wrinkles in the lamina of a rounded nucleus, allows the nucleus to take on diverse shapes with little mechanical resistance. Whether this model is applicable to normal and cancer nuclei in human tissues is unclear. We image nuclear lamins in patient tissues and find: (a) nuclear laminar wrinkles are present in control and cancer tissue but are obscured in hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) images, (b) nuclei rarely have a smooth lamina, and (c) wrinkled nuclei assume diverse shapes. Deep learning reveals the presence …

Vps13b Is Localized At The Interface Between Golgi Cisternae And Is A Functional Partner Of Fam177a1, Berrak Ugur, Florian Schueder, Jimann Shin, Michael G Hanna, Yumei Wu, Marianna Leonzino, Maohan Su, Anthony R Mcadow, Catherine Wilson, John Postlethwait, Lilianna Solnica-Krezel, Joerg Bewersdorf, Pietro De Camilli

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Mutations in VPS13B, a member of a protein family implicated in bulk lipid transport between adjacent membranes, cause Cohen syndrome. VPS13B is known to be concentrated in the Golgi complex, but its precise location within this organelle and thus the site(s) where it achieves lipid transport remains unclear. Here, we show that VPS13B is localized at the interface between proximal and distal Golgi subcompartments and that Golgi complex reformation after Brefeldin A (BFA)-induced disruption is delayed in VPS13B KO cells. This delay is phenocopied by the loss of FAM177A1, a Golgi complex protein of unknown function reported to be a …

Functional Role Of Myosin-Binding Protein H In Thick Filaments Of Developing Vertebrate Fast-Twitch Skeletal Muscle, Andrew F Mead, Marilyn J Cipolla, Aaron N Johnson, Christina A Gurnett, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Myosin-binding protein H (MyBP-H) is a component of the vertebrate skeletal muscle sarcomere with sequence and domain homology to myosin-binding protein C (MyBP-C). Whereas skeletal muscle isoforms of MyBP-C (fMyBP-C, sMyBP-C) modulate muscle contractility via interactions with actin thin filaments and myosin motors within the muscle sarcomere "C-zone," MyBP-H has no known function. This is in part due to MyBP-H having limited expression in adult fast-twitch muscle and no known involvement in muscle disease. Quantitative proteomics reported here reveal that MyBP-H is highly expressed in prenatal rat fast-twitch muscles and larval zebrafish, suggesting a conserved role in muscle development and …

Allostatic Load, Educational Attainment, And Risk Of Cancer Mortality Among Us Men, Cynthia Li, Sydney P Howard, Charles R Rogers, Sydney Andrzejak, Keon L Gilbert, Keith J Watts, Malcolm S Bevel, Myles D Moody, Marvin E Langston, Judah V Doty, Adetunji T Toriola, Darwin Conwell, Justin X Moore

2020-Current year OA Pubs

IMPORTANCE: Health disparities among racial and ethnic minoritized populations, particularly for cancer mortality rates, remain a major public health concern. Men from underrepresented backgrounds (Black and Hispanic men, specifically) face the pervasive effects of discrimination in their daily lives, which also contribute to the complex associations among allostatic load (a marker of chronic stress), educational opportunities, and elevated risks of cancer mortality.

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the associations among educational attainment, allostatic load, and cancer mortality risk among men.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This is a retrospective cohort analysis of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a nationally …

Urinary Metal Levels, Cognitive Test Performance, And Dementia In The Multi-Ethnic Study Of Atherosclerosis, Arce Domingo-Relloso, Katlyn E Mcgraw, Susan R Heckbert, Jose A Luchsinger, Kathrin Schilling, Ronald A Glabonjat, Irene Martinez-Morata, Melanie Mayer, Yongmei Liu, Alexis C Wood, Jeff Goldsmith, Kathleen M Hayden, Mohamad Habes, Ilya M Nasrallah, R Nick Bryan, Tanweer Rashid, Wendy S Post, Jerome I Rotter, Priya Palta, Linda Valeri, Timothy M Hughes, Ana Navas-Acien

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

IMPORTANCE: Metals are established neurotoxicants, but evidence of their association with cognitive performance at low chronic exposure levels is limited.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of urinary metal levels, individually and as a mixture, with cognitive tests and dementia diagnosis, including effect modification by apolipoprotein ε4 allele (APOE4).

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: The multicenter prospective cohort Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) was started from July 2000 to August 2002, with follow-up through 2018. A total of 6303 MESA participants were included. Data analysis was performed from October 12, 2023, to June 13, 2024.

EXPOSURE: Urine samples were collected at baseline …

Strategies Large Multinational Organizational Leaders Use To Retain And Motivate Employees To Increase Work Output, Dayten Adams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee retention and motivation are critical to improving business outcomes. Business owners are concerned with retention because high turnover can negatively impact work output, productivity, and overall company performance, making it a key focus for improving long-term success. Grounded in the leader-member exchange theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry study was to identify and explore effective strategies that some large multinational organizational leaders in San Antonio, Texas use to retain and motivate employees to increase work output. Participants were four senior executives from large multinational corporations. Data were collected via semistructured interviews and a review of publicly available …

Increasing Nursing Staff Knowledge On Medication Nonadherence Among Mental Health Patients, Princess Ndidi Amadi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Medication nonadherence is a challenge among patients with severe mental health disorders, increasing the patients’ risk for exacerbations of psychosis and relapse, which may result in hospital emergency room visits and hospital admissions. In patients with schizophrenia, major depressive disorders, and bipolar disorders, the mean medication nonadherence is 49%. While no single strategy works, a combination of behavioral and educational strategies has been shown to improve patient adherence to their medication regimen. The purpose of the Doctor of Nursing Practice project was to increase healthcare professionals’ knowledge of behavioral and educational strategies to improve medication adherence among patients with severe …

The Effectiveness Of Turn Teams In Preventing Pressure Injuries, Grace Elizabeth Carlisle

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

Understanding Bigeye Scad (Selar Crumenophthalmus) In Southeast Florida: Age-Growth, Reproduction, And Diet, Mariah France

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

In southeastern Florida, the bigeye scad (Selar crumenophthalmus) is highly regarded as a baitfish for targeting billfish and other large sportfishes, often commanding market prices as live bait exceeding $180 per dozen. Despite its economic significance, there is limited knowledge regarding the species within the Atlantic Ocean, especially the population that occurs in Florida. Bigeye scad were collected monthly from local bait shops in Pompano Beach, Miami, and Islamorada to assess age-growth, reproductive behaviors, and dietary habits. Specimens from May to August had the highest values for length-weight relationships and gonadsomatic index, indicative of a spawning season during …

Prenatal Tobacco Exposure, Brain Subcortical Volumes, And Gray-White Matter Contrast, Troy B. Puga, Gaelle E. Doucet, Grace Thiel

Student Publications

Importance Maternal tobacco use during pregnancy (MTDP) remains a major public health challenge. However, the complete spectrum of effects of MTDP is not fully understood.

Objectives To examine the longitudinal associations of MTDP and children’s brain morphometric subcortical volume and gray-white matter contrast (GWC) development.

Design, Setting, and Participants Cohort study of children aged 9 to 10 years at wave 1 (October 2016 to October 2018) and at a 2-year follow-up (wave 2; August 2018 to January 2021; aged 11-12 years) across 21 US sites in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. Data were analyzed from October 2023 to …

Genome-Wide Association Analyses Identify Distinct Genetic Architectures For Age-Related Macular Degeneration Across Ancestries, Bryan R. Gorman, Georgios Voloudakis, Robert P. Igo Jr., Tyler Kinzy, Christopher W. Halladay, Tim B. Bigdeli, Biao Zeng, Sanan Venkatesh, Matthew P. Johnson, John Blangero

School of Medicine Publications

To effectively reduce vision loss due to age-related macular generation (AMD) on a global scale, knowledge of its genetic architecture in diverse populations is necessary. A critical element, AMD risk profiles in African and Hispanic/Latino ancestries, remains largely unknown. We combined data in the Million Veteran Program with five other cohorts to conduct the first multi-ancestry genome-wide association study of AMD and discovered 63 loci (30 novel). We observe marked cross-ancestry heterogeneity at major risk loci, especially in African-ancestry populations which demonstrate a primary signal in a major histocompatibility complex class II haplotype and reduced risk at the established CFH …

Machine Learning-Guided Differential Gene Expression Analysis Identifies A Highly-Connected Seven-Gene Cluster In Triple-Negative Breast Cancer, Hany Ghazal, El-Sayed A. El-Absawy, Waleed Ead, Mohamed E. Hasan

BioMedicine

Background: One of the most challenging cancers is triple-negative breast cancer, which is subdivided into many molecular subtypes. Due to the high degree of heterogeneity, the role of precision medicine remains challenging. With the use of machine learning (ML)-guided gene selection, the differential gene expression analysis can be optimized, and eventually, the process of precision medicine can see great advancement through biomarker discovery.

Purpose: Enhancing precision medicine in the oncology field by identification of the most representative differentially-expressed genes to be used as biomarkers or as novel drug targets.

Methods: By utilizing data from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) repository …

Transformative Interventions In Cell Biology: The Development And Use Of Instructor/Student-Interactive Demonstrations Of Key Cell Biology Concepts, Prashanth Rao, Ashok Upadhyaya, Meera Nanjundan

International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

In Cell Biology, a sophomore/junior undergraduate-level high-enrollment core course, students are expected to develop a broad and detailed understanding of the functioning of eukaryotic cells. For example, some of the more challenging biological concepts include machinery involved in the replication and translational processes, protein trafficking/orientation in membranes, as well as both G protein-coupled receptor and receptor tyrosine kinase signal transduction pathways. In this instructional article, we describe prior published reports of the use of interactive demonstrations of several of these key biological concepts in the classroom. Furthermore, we narrate our efforts to integrate several of these disparate evidence-based techniques (EBTs) …