Digital Commons Network^™

Enhancing Aerosol Scattering Measurements: Performance Evaluation And Quality Assurance Of Airphoton Integrating Nephelometers In The Surface Particulate Matter Network, Kamlendra Singh Pathak

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Integrating nephelometers are key instruments for quantifying aerosol light scattering, a fundamental parameter governing the direct radiative effect of aerosols on climate and visibility, and for interpreting satellite observations of aerosol optical depth. The AirPhoton integrating nephelometer quantifies aerosol light scattering by measuring total scattering from the sample air and subtracting a clean-air reference that represents Rayleigh scattering, instrument wall scattering, and detector background noise. Measurement accuracy depends on rigorous calibration and regular performance evaluation to account for instrumental drift and environmental influences. This study presents a field performance evaluation of the AirPhoton integrating nephelometer within the global Surface Particulate …

Behavior Analytic Food Reinforcement Use And Guidelines In Interventions For Children With Autism, Christopher Rogers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

Reinforcers create opportunities to increase behaviors in applied behavioral analysis, with healthy and unhealthy foods offering high reinforcing value. The use of food raises ethical and health concerns, so researchers and behavior analysts often avoid food reinforcement altogether. Kronfli et al. (2024) indicate healthy food alternatives bring about similar rates of responding as snack foods, potentially reducing ethical and health concerns. This research presents the question: To what degree are food reinforcers used in behavioral interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder? This review analyzes behavioral research articles containing the words “food,” “edible,” “autism,” and “children” in the context of …

Effects Of Exposure Route And Surface Coating On The Bioaccumulation Of Cdte Quantum Dots In Fish. Considerations For Testing Nanomaterials Following Oecd Test Guideline No. 305, Judit Kalman, Rocío Fernández-Saavedra, Carla Díaz-Tielas, Mona Connolly, Ana I. Cardona-García, Nathaniel Clark, Richard D. Handy, Eric A.J. Bleeker, Isabel Rucandio, José María Navas, María Luisa Fernández-Cruz

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

To identify nanomaterials of potential environmental concern and to support risk assessment for regulatory purposes bioaccumulation testing is required. However, further guidance is needed when applying the fish bioaccumulation OECD test guideline (TG) No. 305 to nanomaterials. Also questions remain surrounding the most appropriate exposure route and if subtle modifications to these materials (e.g. different coatings) will influence bioaccumulation potential. Therefore in this study OECD TG 305 was applied to assess the bioaccumulation potential of CdTe quantum dots (QDs) with additional considerations for testing nanomaterials. CdTe QDs were selected for our studies because of their increasing use, possible release to …

Tests Without Borders: A Global Approach To Measuring Visualization Literacy, Olivia A. Guess

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Visualization literacy assessments shape how we understand people's ability to interpret data, yet most existing instruments embed Western datasets and assumptions that limit their relevance for global audiences. This thesis argues that because data is personal, assessments must also be culturally grounded. We introduce a unified framework for adapting the Mini-VLAT into 22 regionally responsive short-form assessments, each retaining the structure of the original test while incorporating datasets and scenarios tailored to specific regions around the world. To demonstrate how such adaptations can be customized and validated, we present a detailed case study of a Ghana-adapted Mini-VLAT, developed in collaboration …

Investigating The Differential Effects Of Narrativization And Causal Structure Of Stories On Memory, Savannah J. Born

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Narratives are an effective stimulus-type for studying memory, as they can closely replicate how we use our memories in daily life. A key feature of narratives is the cause-and-effect structure between events, and previous research has found that events that are part of a causal chain are more often remembered and rated as important compared to events that are not part of a causal chain. However, there has not been a systematic investigation of the effects of varying narrativity and causality across a stimulus yet. This study aimed to address this gap by manipulating two factors: 1) the narrative vs …

Parametric Control And Amplification In Superconducting Quantum Systems: From Entanglement Probes To Pt-Symmetric Architectures, Chandrashekhar Rao Gaikwad

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The precise control, entanglement, and measurement of quantum systems are central challenges in realizing scalable quantum information processing. This dissertation investigates how parametric modulation and engineered nonlinearity can be harnessed to both manipulate and measure superconducting qubits with high fidelity. In one part, controlled parametric drives are used to generate entanglement between qubit pairs and employ their joint states as probes of environmental dynamics. This approach enables the exploration of the non-Markovian nature of quantum environments, revealing how memory effects influence qubit coherence and energy relaxation. In a separate but conceptually related study, the same principle of parametric driving is …

Development Of A Multispectral Collagen Detection Dermatology Device For Delineation Of Non-Melanoma Skin Cancers, Anmol Jarang

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

To diagnose and manage skin disease, clinicians primarily use visual inspection aided with dermatoscopes, which are cross-polarized magnifiers. In recent years, digital cross polarized multispectral imaging systems have been developed to quantitatively assess skin disease. For example, systems like the one developed by Yaroslavsky et al., which utilize red and blue filters, can non-invasively assess the collagen network in the dermis(Yaroslavsky et al., 2003). Visualization of collagen network disruption can make it easier to visualize the boundaries of skin cancers like keratinocyte carcinoma, and therefore easier to excise completely. Current systems use external bandpass filters in front of cameras to …

University Living Labs For Sustainability: Governance, Pedagogy, And Global North-South Patterns, Skilty C. Labastilla

Journal of Management for Global Sustainability

This scoping review examines how 72 higher education institutions (HEIs) operationalize sustainability through living labs (LLs), synthesizing evidence from 89 studies published between 2010 and 2025. Using Arksey and O’Malley’s (2005) framework, the review maps how LLs coordinate governance, pedagogy, operational experimentation, and stakeholder engagement, comparing 63 Global North (GN) and 26 Global South (GS) cases. GN LLs feature formalized governance and resource-intensive infrastructures linking curriculum, operations, and data-driven experimentation. GS LLs operate under resource constraints but exhibit strong community embedding, participatory co-production, and socio-ecological responsiveness. Institutionalization depends on hybrid configurations where bottom-up experimentation aligns with top-down authority. Observed governance, …

Her2-Low And Her2-Ultralow Metastatic Breast Cancer And Trastuzumab Deruxtecan: Common Clinical Questions And Answers, Nusayba A Bagegni, Karthik V Giridhar, Daphne Stewart

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Approximately 80% of invasive breast cancers are classified as human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative; however, many of these tumors have detectable levels of HER2 surface expression. Trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) is a HER2-directed antibody-drug conjugate with a membrane-permeable payload that is cytotoxic to both HER2-expressing tumor cells and neighboring cells via the bystander antitumor effect. T-DXd has shown significant antitumor activity in clinical trials for patients with HER2-positive (immunohistochemistry [IHC] 3+ or IHC 2+/in situ hybridization [ISH]+) breast cancer. In addition, the results of the DESTINY-Breast04 trial demonstrated the clinical benefit of T-DXd in patients with HER2-low (IHC 1+ …

Co-Production Of A Mobile Application For Parents Of Acutely Ill Children Under Five: ‘Ipoorly Child Symptom Checker, Sarah Neill, Amy Rathbone, John Downey, Monica Lakhanpaul, Matt Carey

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Acutely ill children under five years of age are frequent and increasing users of urgent and emergency care services despite there being no increase in acuity of presenting illnesses. This raises concerns about parents’ level of knowledge and confidence in assessing the severity of symptoms of acute illness, despite the abundance of digital information available. MethodBuilding on prior work to co-develop the content for a mobile app for parents of acutely ill children, we co-designed the iPoorly child symptom checker app using an experience based co-design methodology with seven parent and seven health professional patient and public involvement representatives. The …

Unmasking Oral Health Stigma: A Qualitative Scoping Review, J Doughty, J Booth, M Smith, K Saini, M Paisi, A Rodriguez, A Levine, C Bedos, V Muirhead, C Martins De Barros, C Freeborn

Peninsula Dental School

INTRODUCTION: Health-related stigma can limit access to care, impair adherence to treatment, and negatively impact mental health and quality-of-life. Oral health stigma, defined as stigma arising from oral conditions that diverge from sociocultural norms, operates through labelling, stereotyping, othering, and exclusion. Oral health stigma can lead to shame, diminished self-confidence, and avoidance of dental care, creating a self-perpetuating cycle of poor oral health and reinforcing internalised and anticipated stigma. While previous research has explored the social implications of oral appearance, little is known about the broader concept of oral health stigma or strategies to mitigate it.

METHODS: This scoping review …

Unraveling The Drivers Of Inequality In Maternal Healthcare Utilization In Indonesia: A Decomposition Analysis, Wji Wahyuningsih, Kemal N. Siregar, Syifa Nurhakiki

Jurnal Ekonomi Kesehatan Indonesia

This study assessed socioeconomic inequalities in maternal healthcare utilization in Indonesia and identifies key factors driving these inequalities. We used data from 2013 and 2023 Indonesian Health Surveys, comprised of a total unweighted sample of 15,638 and 9,923 women aged 15-49 in the 2013 and 2023, respectively. Concentration index (CI) measured wealth-based inequality, and decomposition analysis identified primary drivers of inequalities in maternal healthcare access. Overall maternal healthcare service utilization has increased, but significant inequalities persist. Antenatal care showed minimal improvement, with the CI rising from 0.059 to 0.079, indicating a persistent higher socioeconomic distribution. Facility-based deliveries improved, with the …

Enhancing English Literacy Through Task-Based Learning In A Technology-Integrated Classroom, Yueh-Tzu Chiang

Journal of English and Applied Linguistics

This study explored the impact of task-based teaching in a technology-enhanced environment, following the blended ladder model (Gravel et al., 2014), on second language (L2) learners’ English reading and writing skills. The study aimed to promote reading habits through extensive reading (ER), improve language skills via technology-assisted platforms (e.g., ZUVIO and Classdojo), and reduce writing anxiety. Two classes of 40 students each were divided into higher proficiency (HP) and lower proficiency (LP) groups for an eight-week intervention. Both classes participated in two interventions: self-selected reading materials with reading journals and task-based learning involving grammar, sentence structure, and authentic writing tasks …

Discursive And Ideological Issues Foregrounding The Attitudinal Conceptualization Of Yahoo Yahoo (Internet Fraud) In Selected Nigerian Comedy Skits, Temitope Michael Ajayi, Aishat Lare Husseini

Journal of English and Applied Linguistics

Cybercrime, Yahoo Yahoo in the Nigerian context, has emerged as one of the major issues the global space is currently facing, and as such has received scholarly attention, mostly from the sociological, anthropological, and legal perspectives, but very scant attention from linguistics. From alinguistic perspective, this study thus investigates the discursive-ideological issues foregrounding Nigerians’ attitudinal orientation towards Yahoo Yahoo (Internet Fraud) as portrayed in selected Nigerian comedy skits. Data comprised four purposively selected comedy skits by Lasisi Elenu and Prince Tgb downloaded from their social media pages (YouTube and TikTok). With analytical insight from van Dijk’s socio-cognitive model of ideology, …

The Holy Spirit As A Representative Of Christ In Ellen G. White’S Writings, Denis Kaiser

Ellen White Issues Symposium

No abstract provided.

Healing Through History, Nancy Baker Jones

Journal of Texas History

This is the written transcription of the author’s closing plenary address to the inaugural conference of the Alliance for Texas History, May 17, 2025. Its purpose is to put into both broad and personal historical contexts the events of 2023 and 2024 that led to the founding of the Alliance for Texas History. It concludes that, despite the difficulties of those events for her and for many other historians of Texas, history offers a potentially healing context for moving forward.

James White’S First Stroke And Rising Tension Between Adventist Leaders, Kevin M. Burton

Ellen White Issues Symposium

No abstract provided.

The Chinese Reception Of Ellen G. White, Christie Chui-Shan Chow

Ellen White Issues Symposium

No abstract provided.

Desire And Worship In The Desire Of Ages, David A. Williams

Ellen White Issues Symposium

No abstract provided.

Plurality Of Unfallen Worlds: Ellen White And Extraterrestrials, Jud Lake

Ellen White Issues Symposium

No abstract provided.

The Holy Spirit As A Representative Of Christ In Ellen G. White’S Writings, Denis Kaiser

Ellen White Issues Symposium

No abstract provided.

Critical Assessments Of The Bible And The Writings Of Ellen G. White, Alberto R. Timm

Ellen White Issues Symposium

No abstract provided.

Trustworthy Ai: Prohibited Practices, Ethical Principles, And The Identification Of Problems, Anna Karmańska

Journal of Global Awareness

The following considerations arise from the study of texts of documents of a legal nature and from the author’s judgments. They do not present the results of the author’s own empirical research; however, they constitute a factual study that is important for their undertaking in the next step. Having given concern but also hopes for AI, the author focuses her attention on issues that, not only in her opinion, have a strong bearing on the preservation of humanity in a digital environment and at the same time with technocratic features. These issues (prohibited practices, high-risk systems, and ethics) related to …

Object Tracking Based On Quantum Particle Swarm Optimization, Rajesh Misra, Kumar Ray

Journal of Global Awareness

In Computer Vision domain, moving Object Tracking is considered as one of the toughest problems. As there are so many factors associated like illumination of light, noise, occlusion, sudden start and stop of moving object, shading which makes tracking even harder problem not only for dynamic background but also for static background. In this paper we present a new object tracking algorithm based on Dominant points on tracked object using Quantum particle swarm optimization (QPSO) which is a new different version of PSO based on Quantum theory. The novelty in our approach is that it can be successfully applicable in …

Effects Of External Debt On Inflation In The West African Monetary Zone (Wamz), Collins Anosike

Journal of Global Awareness

This research examined the effect of external public debt on inflation in the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ) using annual data from 1960 to 2022. The study selected the six member countries of WAMZ, namely: Gambia, Guinea, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Ghana, to examine their economic well-being, growth performance, external debt, and inflation over a 63-year period. This study is unique because it examines three periods, namely: pre-WAMZ (1960 to 2000); during WAMZ (2001 to 2022); and the entire period (1960 to 2022), extends previous studies by using updated data, and then shows the long-run positive effect of external …

Ellen White’S Usage Of The Term Plain In The Context Of The Interpretation Of Scripture, Iriann Marie Hausted

Ellen White Issues Symposium

No abstract provided.

Hermeneutics Of Ellen G. White’S Writings: Basic Rules Of Interpretation, Jiři Moskala

Ellen White Issues Symposium

No abstract provided.

Friendly Fire: George I. Butler’S View Of Degrees Of Inspiration, Denis Kaiser

Ellen White Issues Symposium

No abstract provided.

When Did The 2300 Days Of Daniel 8:14 Begin And End? Fresh Evidence From Scripture, Chronology, And Karaite History, Richard Davidson

Ellen White Issues Symposium

No abstract provided.

Cost-Effective Photogrammetry Techniques For Surveying, Recording, And Documenting Stone Circles In County Wicklow, Maurice Murphy Dr., Garrett Keenaghan, Alain Chenaux

Journal of Academic Research and Innovation

This article presents the application of cost-effective photogrammetry techniques for surveying, recording, and documenting stone circles in County Wicklow using two case studies. The article explains, that, while digital photogrammetry may seem accessible, understanding its technical aspects is crucial to achieving accurate results and that a fundamental grasp of the photogrammetry process is necessary for genera􀆟ng precise 3D models of heritage objects and structures. The first case study presents details of the methods for capturing data and uploading it to create 3D models. The second case study demonstrates how to utilise the 3D survey for digital reconstruction and the potential …