Digital Commons Network^™

Strategies To Streamline Patient Appointments In Specialty Outpatient Care, Adama Drammeh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract Outpatient addiction treatment centers face significant challenges from inefficient appointment scheduling systems that contribute to high no-show rates, delayed care, and weakened organizational performance. These barriers affect more than daily operations; they disrupt the flow of treatment, increase patient disengagement, and place additional strain on limited healthcare resources. For patients navigating substance use disorders, a missed appointment may jeopardize continuity of care and undermine recovery efforts. This integrative review explored strategies to improve scheduling efficiency and enhance patient engagement in outpatient addiction care. A systematic search of recent U.S. studies was conducted and appraised using the Johns Hopkins Evidence-Based …

Pavements And The Urban Heat Island Effect: A Network Analysis Of Research Trends And Knowledge Structure, Fouzieh Rouzmehr, Saman Jamshidi

Architecture Faculty Research

The urban heat island (UHI) effect is one of the most pressing challenges associated with rapid urbanization. It arises primarily from the replacement of natural vegetation with impervious surfaces, alterations in surface energy balance, and heat emissions from human activity. Mitigating these drivers has become a global priority, particularly in fast-growing cities. Pavements play a central role in UHI intensification due to their large surface coverage, low albedo, and capacity to retain heat. This study adopts a bibliometric approach to systematically map the knowledge structure and research trends in pavement-related UHI studies. A dataset of 834 publications from Web of …

Food, Fitness, And Filipino Culture: Evaluating And Reimagining Chronic Disease Interventions For Filipino Americans Through The Pen-3 Framework, Juliana Mastro

Master's Projects and Capstones

Filipino Americans experience high rates of chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. This paper reviews nutrition and exercise interventions targeting this population through the strengths-based PEN-3 cultural framework, focusing on cultural identity, relationships and expectations, and cultural values. It identifies effective strategies that engage these cultural components, and highlights gaps such as limited research on Filipino-American health outcomes. Recommendations include family-centered approaches, culturally relevant activities like tinikling dance, and community-driven online healthy recipe archives to promote positive health behaviors. These culturally informed strategies aim to improve self-efficacy, support lasting health behavior change and reduce chronic disease prevalence nationwide.

Enhancing Documentation Accuracy And Nurse Handoffs Through Virtual Reality In A Pediatric Perianesthesia Unit, Alicia G. Fregoso

Master's Projects and Capstones

Setting: The pediatric perianesthesia unit (pre-operative and post-anesthesia care unit). Problem: Gaps in perianesthesia documentation contribute to poor handoff communication, leading to adverse events and increased hospital costs. Additionally, inconsistent documentation reduces clarity and consistency during handoffs. Context: Staff in the microsystem reported low confidence scores with required OP-Time documentation, inconsistent workflows, and I-PASS handoff expectations. These factors contribute to incomplete charting and a lack of standardization across providers. Interventions: A two-part educational intervention was conducted, consisting of eight sessions. The first component is a Virtual Reality (VR) simulation that demonstrates an accurate perianesthesia I-PASS handoff. The second component is …

Anexelekto (Axl)/Mer Inhibitor Tamnorzatinib In Patients With Relapsed/Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukaemia: Results From A Phase I (Monotherapy) And Phase Ii (Combination With Venetoclax) Clinical Study, Margaret T Kasner, Nigel Courtenay-Luck, Courtney Dinardo, Sean M Post, Praneeth Baratam, George N Magrath, Takaaki Nakamura, Akifumi Fujii, Sergio Prados, Naoki Honda, Mary Mcbride, Paula Edwards-Holmes, Robert Stuart

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Relapsed/refractory (R/R) acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is a life-threatening haematological malignancy without effective treatments. Anexelekto (Axl) and Mer receptor tyrosine kinases have emerged as important therapeutic targets in AML for their crucial role in survival of AML cells. Tamnorzatinib (ONO-7475) is a potent and highly selective inhibitor of Axl/Mer. We report first-in-human study of tamnorzatinib (NCT03176277) in patients with R/R AML.

Methods: Tamnorzatinib was administered as monotherapy (n = 20) to determine an appropriate biological dose of tamnorzatinib and then in combination (n = 22) with venetoclax to evaluate safety and clinical efficacy.

Results: Tamnorzatinib was safe …

Agpat2 Acts At The Crossroads Of Lipid Biosynthesis And Drp1-Mediated Er Morphogenesis, Yoshihiro Adachi, Mauricio Torres, Allen H Hunter, Woo Jung Cho, Meixia Pan, Xianlin Han, Guangwei Du, Ling Qi, Miho Iijima, Hiromi Sesaki

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The morphology of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), characterized by central sheets and peripheral tubules, is controlled by membrane-shaping proteins. However, the role of lipids in ER morphogenesis remains elusive, despite the ER being the major site for lipid synthesis. Here, by examining the role of eighteen phosphatidic acid (PA)-generating enzymes in ER morphology, we identify lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase 2 (AGPAT2) as a critical factor in mouse and human cells. AGPAT2 produces PA in the glycerophospholipid/triacylglycerol biosynthesis pathway, and its mutations cause congenital generalized lipodystrophy. We find that AGPAT2-generated PA drives ER tubulation through gene knockout, 3D structural analysis by FIB-SEM, …

Measurable Imaging-Based Changes In Enhancement Of Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma After Radiotherapy Reflect Physical Mechanisms Of Response, Brian De, Prashant Dogra, Mohamed Zaid, Dalia Elganainy, Kevin Sun, Ahmed M Amer, Charles Wang, Michael K Rooney, Enoch Chang, Hyunseon C Kang, Zhihui Wang, Priya Bhosale, Bruno C Odisio, Timothy E Newhook, Ching-Wei D Tzeng, Hop S Tran Cao, Yun S Chun, Jean-Nicholas Vauthey, Sunyoung S Lee, Ahmed Kaseb, Kanwal Raghav, Milind Javle, Bruce D Minsky, Sonal S Noticewala, Emma B Holliday, Grace L Smith, Albert C Koong, Prajnan Das, Vittorio Cristini, Ethan B Ludmir, Eugene J Koay

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Escalated doses of radiotherapy associate with improved local control and overall survival (OS) in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA), but personalization remains limited because conventional size-based CT criteria correlate poorly with outcomes. We hypothesized that quantitative enhancement measurements would better predict clinical outcomes and guide individualized RT optimization. In a retrospective cohort of 154 patients, we analyzed pre- and post-RT CT scans using quantitative European Association for Study of Liver (qEASL) to derive viable tumor volumes, comparing enhancement-based metrics with size-based RECIST and linking them to outcomes via survival and mathematical modeling. Change in enhancement volume was strongly associated with OS after …

Improving Dka Protocol Adherence In The Emergency Department, Anjolaoluwa Lawani

Master's Projects and Capstones

Problem There was inconsistency in implementation of the DKA protocol by nurses in the emergency department at the Hospital A. Only 58% of the nurses reported feeling comfortable following the DK protocol, and 84% of the nurses described the DKA order set as confusing. Context Hospital A is a large magnet-recognition hospital system in the Bay Area. The emergency department at Hospital A averages about 12 DKA patients per quarter. Intervention Education sessions were held during pre-shift cuddles across day and night shifts to clarify the DKA protocol and answer any questions or nurses may have. Measures Baseline surveys and …

An Axe To The Funny Bone: Curated Instability And Horror-Comedy Intersections In American Storytelling, Samantha Box

Masters Theses

Funny. Terrifying. Subversive.

Horror-Comedy twists and bites at the intersection of two incredibly reactive genres— with both Horror and Comedy being well known for the political and social discourses they embody and reinvent through story. While prevalent in American popular culture, scholarly analysis of this hybrid space barely exists beyond a small number of Film Studies investigations. Despite this lack, Horror-Comedy works continue to be successfully produced. This thesis unpacks the vibrant relationship between fear and laughter in contemporary American storytelling through Horror-Comedy, maintaining a focus on structural dynamics and the audience-disarming results of simultaneously applying horror and humor to …

Isu String Project Winter Concert: December 12, 2025, Dr. Cora Swenson Lee, Dr. Katherine Lewis, Katelynn Lesinski

School of Music Programs

This is the eighty-eighth program of the 2025-2026 season.

Center for the Performing Arts

December 12, 2025

Friday Evening

7:00 p.m.

Dose Adjustment Of The Anti-Seizure Medications Levetiracetam And Lamotrigine During The Postpartum Period. Schedule Plan, Safety And Efficacy, Nadejda Khmelev, Firas Fahoum, Lilach Goldstein

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: Lamotrigine (LTG) and Levetiracetam (LEV) are anti-seizure medications (ASMs) widely used for treatment of women with epilepsy (WWE) of childbearing age due to low teratogenic potential. Physiological changes during gestation results in enhanced clearance. Drug level monitoring and frequent dose adjustments are required to avoid decline in serum levels and compromised seizure control. Postpartum, physiological changes reverse and ASM clearance trends back to pre-pregnancy rate. Rapid metabolic changes make drug level monitoring and dose adjustments challenging. A delay in dose decrement could result in toxicity. The optimal postpartum dose reduction rate hasn't been established.

METHODS: We retrospectively examined medical …

Stromal Fibroblastic Mutant Trp53 Promotes Mammary Tumor Development Via Enhanced Secretion Of Paracrine Factors, Bin Liu, Shunbin Xiong, Abie Williams-Villalobo, Gilda Chau, Yuan Qi, Hehua Chen, Carenza Johnson, Dhruv Chachad, Joy Mcdaniel, Xiaoping Su, Adel K El-Naggar, Guillermina Lozano, Yun Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Mutations in the tumor suppressor gene TP53 have been identified in breast cancer-associated fibroblasts and are associated with poor patient prognosis. However, the functional impact of fibroblastic mutant p53 on breast cancer development remains unclear. To investigate this, we compared female mice harboring HER2-driven mammary tumors with a fibroblast-specific Trp53 mutation (NP) to those with wild-type fibroblastic Trp53 (N). NP mice exhibited significantly shorter median tumor-free survival than N mice. RNA sequencing of NP and N tumors and mammary glands revealed numerous differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between tumors and the corresponding glands in both genotypes. Notably, the NP tumors showed …

Fayetteville State University Winter Commencement December 12, 2025, Fayetteville State University

Graduation Exhibit

Program for Fayetteville State University Winter Commencement December 12, 2025

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Monica Terrell Leach, Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Fayetteville State University

Faculty Adoption Of The Canvas Learning Management System: An Application Of The Utaut2 Framework, Alyssa Hutcheson Mckinley

Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to examine faculty adoption of the Canvas LMS at a public university through the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) framework. Survey data were collected from faculty across multiple colleges within the university and were used to explore the predictive power of the UTAUT2 constructs including hedonic motivation, facilitating conditions, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, habit and behavioral intention. In addition to this, disciplinary differences along with discipline-specific needs were also considered in order to better understand adoption patterns. The results of this study indicated habit, hedonic motivation, facilitating conditions, and the …

What Makes A Good Leader? Ms Lili: Mississippi Library Leadership Institute, Anita L. Winger

Theses and Dissertations

What is leadership? The goal of this research is to develop leaders, but what does that mean? It is true that leadership is needed at every level in an organization, and a leader does not need to be at the administrative level of the organization but can lead from any role and any level in the organization. Everyone has their own style of leadership that needs to be developed. The research explored different styles and theories of leadership and focused on implementing a Character Strength-based framework of leadership. Through this research, identified topics will be presented to participants in the …

Barriers To Higher Education In Mississippi Prisons: A Systematic Literature Review And Policy Analysis, Ashley Elizabeth Weathers

Theses and Dissertations

Higher education in prison reduces recidivism and improves reentry outcomes, yet Mississippi’s prison education programs remain underdeveloped due to financial constraints, policy challenges, and systemic barriers. While national research on prison education is expanding, Mississippi-specific policy evaluations remain limited. This capstone employs a desk-based research methodology, integrating a systematic literature review and policy analysis to examine these challenges. The study synthesizes recent research on the impact of prison education, funding limitations, and policy frameworks, addressing a critical gap in state-specific policy evaluation. The policy analysis evaluates Mississippi’s correctional education policies and funding mechanisms, using Southwest Mississippi Community College’s (SMCC) Prison …

Understanding Acceptance Capacity And Intentions Of Mississippians To Participate In The Conservation And Management Of Black Bears In Mississippi, Basant Pant

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the acceptance capacity of Mississippians towards black bears (Ursus Americanus), and their intentions to participate in their conservation and management. It intends to bridge the theory and application of wildlife acceptance capacity among three main objectives. First, a systematic literature review of journal articles employing the Search, Appraisal, Synthesis and Analysis (SALSA) method revealed the development phase of Wildlife Acceptance Capacity (WAC)-conceptual phase (1988 -2000) and applied phase (post 2000), highlighting the strong scholarly collaboration among high human development index (HDI) countries with limited collaboration with the low HDI countries. Second, a mail survey of 4,080 Mississippi …

Exploring The Impact Of Incorporating Artificial Intelligence Integrated Systems In The Workplace, Catherine Cruz Agosto Noda

Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on assessing the impact of incorporating systems integrated with in the workplace by assessing the constructs of usability, cognitive load, and trust. The constructs are assessed by generation and experience level to determine which factors are relevant in a workplace setting. A workplace scenario was simulated by asking participants to complete tasks where they assumed the role of a warehouse manager assigned with assessing two scheduling systems – one with artificial intelligence and one without artificial intelligence. The participants were presented with three tasks of increasing difficulty for each prototype. Both quantitative and qualitative measures were used …

Bridging The Gap: Enhancing Novice Teacher Retention Through Logistical And Administrative Support, Denise Fleurette Harrel

Theses and Dissertations

This project examines the challenges novice teachers encounter and how structured support systems impact their job satisfaction, effectiveness, and retention. The review focuses on administrative and logistical support, highlighting gaps between teacher preparation and classroom realities that contribute to high attrition (Falk, 2017; Koca, 2016). Key challenges include insufficient time management training, inconsistent expectations, and limited district or school-level support (Fantilli & McDougall, 2009), all of which are intensified by the demands of navigating modern classroom technologies (Philipsen et al., 2019). The literature review centers on teacher perceptions to clarify what constitutes effective logistical and administrative support (Banerjee et al., …

A Mixed-Method Study Of African American Parents’ Involvement In Their Children’S Individualized Education Program Process, Dischedia Tamarisi Williams

Theses and Dissertations

The major purpose of the study was to examine the unique experiences of African American parents regarding their parental involvement in their child’s Individualized Education Program process. In addition, the study aimed to investigate the perceptions of teachers and administrators regarding the experiences of the African American parents as they worked with the parents and their children during the IEP process. Epstein’s (1987, 2008) Model of Parental Involvement was used as a theoretical framework to underpin the study emphasizing six dimensions of parental involvement. The six dimensions of parental involvement include the following: parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision-making, …

Optimizing Military Fighter Jet Selection: A Decision Analysis Approach For Nuclear-Capable Aircraft, Eni Kelechi Ofong

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigates the strategic decision-making process involved in selecting a nuclear-capable fighter aircraft for NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) nations in Europe. In adaptation to the continuously changing technology landscape and the necessity for enhanced deterrence capabilities, this study evaluates three potential aircraft: the legacy Panavia Tornado (PA-200), the widely deployed F-16 Fighting Falcon (F-16), and the advanced F-35 Lightning II (F-35). Each platform presents distinct advantages and limitations regarding operational performance, mission adaptability, cost-effectiveness, and long-term sustainability. To systematically assess these alternatives, the study employs various decision analysis frameworks, including Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA), single dimensional value function …

The Soil Greenhouse Gas Flux And Climate Mitigation Potential Of Conservation Reserve Program With Tree Planting In The Southeastern U. S., Jianing Liang

Theses and Dissertations

Afforestation is increasingly promoted as a nature-based solution to climate change, although its net impact on soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions remains variable across forest types, prior land uses, and environmental conditions. This dissertation investigates the soil GHG flux (CO2, CH4, N2O) responses and dynamics of afforestation under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in the southeastern United States, with a specific focus on broadleaf and conifer tree planting practices. Drawing from a combination of meta-analysis, machine learning, and field-based observations across 73 sites, this research provides an integrated assessment of afforestation’s climate mitigation potential. In Chapter II, a meta-analysis of …

Impacts Of Upgrading Gcc On The Srtuner Compiler Autotuning Algorithm, Jonathan D. Butterfield

Theses and Dissertations

An often-overlooked research gap is the applicability of research over time. The impact of updating the GNU Compiler Collection version was investigated for the SRTuner compiler optimization research. Versions 7 through 14 were tested using documented flags and recommended flag dependencies. Quality controls measured and enforced consistency across test runs and benchmarks. The performance of SRTuner was compared to a random control while the impact of enforcing flag dependencies was evaluated. The most influential flags were investigated by turning them off in isolation, but results were mixed. It was determined that enforcing flag dependencies resulted in improved performance, but the …

Equity By Design: A North Glenn High School Equitable Practices Policy Guide, Kelli Andrews Jarrett

Theses and Dissertations

This capstone project addresses equity gaps in dual enrollment programs in Mississippi, with a focus on North Glenn High School, a pseudonym for a high-poverty rural school. While dual credit opportunities have expanded statewide, disparities remain for first-generation, low-income, and minority students. A significant barrier is Mississippi’s reliance on ACT benchmarks for eligibility, which disproportionately excludes marginalized groups. The study examines the potential of the Pre-ACT in grades 9 and 10 as an early diagnostic tool to identify readiness gaps and inform targeted interventions before students take the ACT. Grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory and the Dual Enrollment Equity …

Novel Experimental Techniques For Pressure Transients, Luliang Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation introduces novel experimental techniques for analyzing pressure transients, focusing on dynamic strain and pressure measurements to advance the understanding and application of Pulse Pressure Amplification in percussive devices. The research evaluates a high-speed linescan extensometer utilizing linescan Digital Image Correlation (DIC) on a Kolsky Bar to obtain strain data at high strain rates. This data is critical for accurate material characterization and simulations to model dynamic behavior. Additionally, a novel method for measuring dynamic pressure waves in pipe systems has been developed, enabling direct assessments of pressure amplification in devices such as tapered pipe systems. The findings contribute …

Study On Vehicle-Pedestrian Interaction Autonomy By Risk Potential Theory, Riku Kikuta

Theses and Dissertations

Vehicle–pedestrian interaction is a critical aspect of autonomous vehicle (AV) development, as socially acceptable AVs must account for pedestrian intention and behavior. Risk Potential (RP) theory provides a framework to build human-like AVs by modeling expert driver risk perception, but conventional RP models treat pedestrians as static obstacles and neglect their dynamics. This dissertation extends RP theory by incorporating pedestrian velocity and orientation into three new models: the RP velocity model, the RP related-velocity model, and the RP Pedestrian Potential Position (PPP) model. These models were implemented in the Navigating All Terrains Using Robotic Exploration (NATURE) autonomy stack and tested …

A Tale Of Four Cities: The Effect Of Job Specialization On Employee Turnover Within Mississippi’S Local Police Departments, Wesley Bunch

Theses and Dissertations

Unusually high employee turnover among local law enforcement officers in the United States has been well documented. This exploratory case study examines employee turnover from a bilateral perspective of both generalists and specialists within local police departments. The purpose of this study is to determine if working in a specialized unit has any effect on employee turnover amongst local police officers in Mississippi. This study used qualitative methods to conduct interviews with thirty-four officers from four different police departments encompassing Mississippi’s northern, southern, eastern, and western regions. The interviews were conducted with individuals at the rank of officer and having …

Polyminhash: Efficient Area-Based Minhashing Of Polygons For Approximate Nearest Neighbor Search, Alima Subedi, Sankalpa Pokharel, Satish Puri

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Similarity searches are a critical task in data mining. As datasets grow larger, exact nearest neighbor searches quickly become unfeasible, leading to the adoption of approximate nearest neighbor (ANN) searches. ANN has been studied for text data, images, and trajectories. However, there has been little effort to develop ANN systems for polygons in spatial database systems and geographic information systems. We present PolyMinHash, a system for approximate polygon similarity search that adapts MinHashing into a novel 2D polygon-hashing scheme to generate short, similarity-preserving signatures of input polygons. Minhash is generated by counting the number of randomly sampled points needed before …

Your Information Zodiac: An Information Evaluation Framework For The Age Of Generative Ai, Kevin J. Reagan, Kay Coates, Jessica Swaringen

University Libraries: Faculty Publications

Building on information evaluation mnemonics like the CRAAP Test, SIFT, and ACT UP, among others, the authors propose the ZODIAC of information evaluation for an AI-dominated information environment: Zooming in, Other opinions, Dataset, Intent, Authenticity, and Consistency. Each letter introduces students to considerations unique to the critical thinking considerations of AI-generated information, such as datasets and their large language models, evaluating the purpose of a given generative AI, and questioning the authenticity and consistency of generative AI output. Additionally, as an introductory framework geared toward first-year students, the ZODIAC evaluation method does not fully address all aspects of information literacy; …

Stakeholder Criteria For Trust In Artificial Intelligence-Based Computer Perception Tools In Health Care: Qualitative Interview Study, Ansh Rai, Meghan E Hurley, John Herrington, Eric A Storch, Casey J Zampella, Julia Parrish-Morris, Anika Sonig, Gabriel Lázaro-Muñoz, Kristin Kostick-Quenet

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Computer perception (CP) technologies hold significant promise for advancing precision mental health care systems, given their ability to leverage algorithmic analysis of continuous, passive sensing data from wearables and smartphones (eg, behavioral activity, geolocation, vocal features, and ambient environmental data) to infer clinically meaningful behavioral and physiological states. However, successful implementation critically depends on cultivating well-founded stakeholder trust.

Objective: This study aims to investigate, across adolescents, caregivers, clinicians, and developers, the contingencies under which CP technologies are deemed trustworthy in health care.

Methods: We conducted 80 semistructured interviews with a purposive sample of adolescents (n=20) diagnosed with autism, Tourette …