Digital Commons Network^™

Modified Plithogenic Sets In Criterion Reduction In Optimal Decisioning On Robotized Technology, Nivetha Martin, Gabriel Xg Yue, Davron Aslonqulovich Juraev

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Superhypersoft Sets Using Python And Its Applications In Neutrosophic Superhypersoft Sets Under Topsis Method, T. Kiruthika, M. Karpagadevi, S. Krishnaprakash, G. Deepa

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Neutrosophic Triplet Growth Model For Moral-Linguistic Competence In College English Teaching Reform Under Moral Education And Talent Cultivation, Jianguo Liu, Ruohan Liu

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Correlation Coefficient Under Rough Neutrosophic Set For Effectiveness Assessment Of Students' Mental Health Education In Higher Education Institutions, Shuang Cui

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Multi-Valued Complex Neutrosophic Uncertain Linguistic Sets For Indicators Construction And Influencing Factors Of Teachers' Informational Leadership, Huisi Chen

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Echo’S Repertoire: Performing Science Fiction And Trans Care Models, Juniper Blue

Theses

Echo’s Repertoire is a mixture of a passion piece and a call for more work with performing science fiction. It focuses on interpersonal communication within trans studies and the experiences of transgender individuals and myself. Echo’s Repertoire is also an example of the Lyrical Model proposed by Awkward-Rich as a new model for trans affirming speech. The show is laid out non-linearly and follows along with Echo as he starts to build new relationships with the advice of his spaceship ai, Eep, who is a previous version of himself prior to transformation (transition).

Neutrosophic Sets And Systems, Vol. 91,2025, Florentin Smarandache, Mohamed Abdel-Basset, Maikel. Leyva Vazquez

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Monte Carlo Simulations Of Geometric Deformation Of Harrison-Anderson-Mick Applicators Used In Intraoperative Radiation Therapy, Benjamin Insley, Brett Bocian, Sam Beddar, Reza Reiazi, Patrick James Jensen, Rachael M Martin-Paulpeter, Joshua Scott Niedzielski, David Flint, Gabriel Oliveira Sawakuchi, Luis Augusto Perles

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: The Harrison-Anderson-Mick (HAM) applicator is a high-dose-rate intraoperative radiotherapy (HDR-IORT) applicator used to position Ir-192 brachytherapy sources over surgically-accessed tumor volumes or post-resection tumor beds. Because of the lack of a 3D imaging system, dwell times are optimized pre-surgery by a TG-43-based treatment planning system (TPS) that assumes a perfectly flat applicator surface surrounded by an infinite water phantom. These assumed conditions are disparate from typical treatment conditions, especially in the pelvic regions, which often involve uneven patient surfaces and superficial irradiations with little to no backscatter material.

Purpose: Develop and validate a Monte Carlo (MC) model of HDR-IORT …

Antipsychotic Misuse: A Silent But Growing Public Health Hazard, Sumeet Bhardwaj, Karisma Pathak, Myra Mclenon, Steven Spector, Kevin Tu

Student Publications

Antipsychotic drugs are essential in the management of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other psychiatric illnesses, but their use is closely linked to cardiometabolic side effects. Cardiometabolic side effects include weight gain, dyslipidemia, glucose intolerance, and increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Mechanisms of cardiometabolic side effects involve disruption of the central nervous system’s ability to regulate appetite, peripheral metabolic effects, which are changes in metabolism outside the CNS, and receptor-level interactions, with second-generation antipsychotics generally posing a greater risk than first-generation agents. This review addresses current evidence on the cardiometabolic consequences of antipsychotic therapy, increasing inappropriate off-label use of antipsychotic drugs, …

Worth The Risk? Standardized Screening To Identify Substance Use Among Patients Before Surgery, Samantha Cooley, Mark C. Bicket, Hanan Mohammed, Yenling Lai, Sarah Evilsizer, Chad M. Brummett, Jennifer F. Waljee

Student Publications

Objective:

We sought to compare the identification of unhealthy substance use before surgery using Tobacco, Alcohol, Prescription medication, and other Substance use (TAPS), a standardized 4-item instrument, versus routine clinical documentation in the electronic medical record (EHR).

Background:

Over 20% of individuals exhibit unhealthy substance use before elective surgery. Routine EHR documentation is often based on nonstandard questions that may not fully capture the extent of substance use and are subject to bias. In contrast, brief standardized screening could provide a more efficient and systematic approach.

Methods:

We conducted a cross-sectional study among adults (≥18 y) at a preoperative clinic …

Virtual Reality Protocol Development For Bone Marrow Aspiration And Biopsy In Adults With Blood Cancers, Maria Motta

Doctoral Scholarly Projects & Capstones

Patients with hematologic malignancies such as leukemia, multiple myeloma, and lymphoma frequently undergo bone marrow aspiration and biopsy (BMAB) procedures throughout their treatment trajectory. At a comprehensive cancer research hospital in southern California, these procedures were commonly performed on an outpatient basis by nurse practitioners and physician assistants while patients remained awake under topical anesthesia. Despite these measures, patients consistently reported significant pain and anxiety during BMAB procedures (Glennon et al., 2018). Current literature supported the use of virtual reality (VR) as an effective non-pharmacologic intervention to reduce pain and anxiety in cancer populations (Ahmad et al., 2020). However, the …

Ethnomusicologically Augmented French Diction Course, Jake Larcqua

Doctoral Scholarly Projects & Capstones

Modern diction pedagogy in university vocal performance education largely depends on a combination of International Phonetic Alphabet transcription study and the application of those systems to Western-Classical vocal repertoire. However, recent research in related fields suggests we may be able to expand our diction teaching methods to better meet the needs of our students. Using a combination of second-language pedagogic principles, folksong structure, self-efficacy concepts, modeling structures, and ethnomusicological perspectives on classroom culture, I have drafted a French diction course that should improve not only students’ performance within university vocal music education, but also students’ confidence in their ability to …

Early Conceptual Sketches Of Blended Reality And The Precursor To The Bbs Quad (2022), David Smith

Publications and Research

This document contains two original hand-drawn conceptual sketches created in early 2022, representing the earliest visual formulations of what would later evolve into the Balanced Blended Space (BBS) framework. The drawings predate my first conversations with ChatGPT and were produced as part of my independent sabbatical research into blended environments, mediated performance, and human–machine interaction.

The first drawing examines human–computational mediation, perception, and internal mapping. The second sketch—later referred to informally as the “BBS Quad”—extends this idea by reconciling cognition–computation symmetry with physical–virtual spatial relationships. Published together, these images document the conceptual foundations of the BBS framework prior to its …

Advancement Of Wearable Hardware & Possible Cross-Sector Applications, Yassine Chahid, Patrick Slattery

Publications and Research

This study examines recent advances in wearable technologies including smart glasses, watches, rings, and related devices. It evaluates their applications across healthcare, manufacturing, education, and logistics. As real-time data collection, hands-free interaction, and continuous health monitoring become more prevalent, wearables are emerging as pivotal tools for both personal and professional contexts. The methodology combines a comparative analysis of current-generation devices, a review of technical specifications from manufacturer documentation, and case studies of specialized deployments, particularly in medical diagnostics, remote monitoring, and workplace efficiency. Project findings will indicate the rate at which wearable devices are moving beyond consumer fitness tracking and …

Hispanic-Servingness Complexity In The United States-Mexico Borderland: Employee Perspectives At A Hispanic-Serving Community College, Jessie Arellano

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Persistent challenges and low educational attainment among Hispanic college students highlight the urgency of Hispanic-Servingness. A mixed-methods design was employed through an exploratory questionnaire to examine Hispanic-Serving Institutions’ employees’ perceptions of five metrics: institutional, academic, student services, community engagement, and grant funding practices. Data were collected from 439 employees from a Hispanic-Serving Community College located in the southwest U.S.-Mexico borderland region, who anonymously completed an online survey. Quantitative results revealed employees perceived that the Hispanic-Serving Community College demonstrates strength in institutional and academic practices that support Hispanic students. Additionally, the results indicated general agreement with the effectiveness across the metrics, …

Borderlines Of Becoming: Transfronterizx College Students Navigating Surveillance, Hybridity And Belonging Along The Us-México Border, Aylin Garcia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This narrative literature review examines the educational experiences of transfronterizx college students along the U.S.– México border, a population largely absent from higher education scholarship. Drawing on Borderlands Theory, Anzaldúa’s frameworks, and critical perspectives on neoliberalism and militarization, this thesis highlights the border as a site of both constraint and possibility. Structural violence, surveillance, and militarization intersect with linguistic, racial, and class hierarchies to shape students’ mobility, identities, and sense of belonging. At the same time, students mobilize hybrid identities, cultural wealth, and transborder networks to assert agency, cultivate belonging, and resist deficit narratives. It also identifies persistent gaps, particularly …

Our Trajectories As We Leave The Teaching Profession: Pláticas With Former Bilingual Teachers On The U.S.-Mexico Border In Texas- An Explanatory Sequential Mixed-Methods Study, Carla Medina Jaquez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Teacher attrition has had a negative impact on the educational system for many years. New and experienced teachers have been leaving the classroom. Although the reasons appear repetitive, we know relatively little about what teachers must go through when deciding to leave the profession and what happens to them afterward. A teacher shortage is occurring along the U.S.-Mexico border, as in many other cities across the United States. Despite undergoing a lengthy certification process, teachers continue to leave the classroom. This research employed an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design to explore how new and experienced teachers navigate their transition out of …

Hubert-Based Models And Evaluation Strategies For Pragmatically-Faithful Speech To Speech Translation, Javier Vazquez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Pragmatic fidelity in speech-to-speech translation (S2ST) has largely been understudied, leading to communication tools inadequate to support non-superficial dialog. We aim to improve pragmatic faithfulness in English-Spanish translation through the development of machine learning models that are able to predict a corresponding pragmatic representation in the other language. To evaluate performance, we developed a pipeline that utilizes a recently-developed pragmatic similarity evaluation metric to compare models. Further, we developed models that exploit HuBERT features as these have been found suitable for various prosody and pragmatics related tasks. Our models outperformed human and state-of-the-art predictions, albeit the methodology being limited to …

Ode To The Infomercial, Edward Wade

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

'Ode to the Infomercial' is a poetry collection in five sections which explores themes of contemporary American life, parenthood, and the media landscape. While primarily written in a narrative voice, the poetic approach is as diverse as the content. Interwoven throughout the collection is religious imagery and political posturing accompanied by healthy doses of self-criticism and humor.

Does Reducing Videofluoroscopy Frame Rate Affect Dige/St Grades In Modified Barium Swallow Studies?, Shitong Mao, Carla L Warneke, Sheila N Buoy, Ariana J Sahli, Brinda Rao Korivi, Carly E A Barbon, Kristy K Brock, Katherine A Hutcheson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Understanding the effects of reduced frame rates on the reliability of Modified Barium Swallow (MBS) ratings for swallowing safety and efficiency is essential for clinical practice. While previous research has examined frame rate (simulated pulse rates) implications concerning penetration, aspiration, and residue ratings, the impact on summary grading systems like the Dynamic Imaging Grade of Swallowing Toxicity (DIGEST) remains unclear. This study analyzed a total of 315 full MBS videos collected from 278 patients, and 76.25% of patients were diagnosed with head and neck cancer (mean age 62.51 years, SD 8.53; 12.23% female). We performed pairwise comparisons of DIGEST grades …

Secretory Iga Dysfunction Underlies Poor Prognosis In Fusobacterium-Infected Colorectal Cancer, Ilseok Choi, Kyung-A Kim, Sang Cheol Kim, Donghwan Park, Ki Taek Nam, Jun Hyung Cha, Seungbyn Baek, Junha Cha, Hye-Yeong Jo, Minsun Jung, Melody Y Zeng, Irina Matei, Susan Bullman, Joong Bae Ahn, Yoon Dae Han, Han Sang Kim, Insuk Lee

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn) is commonly enriched in colorectal cancer (CRC) and associated with poor outcomes, though its mechanisms remain unclear. Our study investigated how Fn affects the tumor microenvironment through single-cell transcriptomic analyses of 42 CRC patient tissues, comparing Fn-positive and Fn-negative tumors. We discovered that Fn impairs IgA plasma cell development and secretory IgA (sIgA) production by disrupting communication with tumor-associated macrophages. Additional experiments in germ-free mice, together with our re-analysis of a publicly available single-cell RNA-seq data set from a CRC mouse model with an intact gut microbiome–both models having been orally gavaged with Fn–jointly validated the causal …

Tumor Intrinsic Mettl5 Modulates Atf4 Translation To Prevent T Cell-Induced Ferroptosis In Ovarian Cancer, Jiakai Hou, Cheng-Wei Ju, Nicholas A Egan, Yanjun Wei, Yunfei Wang, Minghao Dang, Tianyi Zhou, Leilei Shi, Ningbo Zheng, Si Chen, Ashley M Guerrero, Xiaofang Liang, Wanfu Wu, Areej Akhtar, Chitra Dhiman, Debanwita Roy Burman, Andro E Gerges, Mason D Flores, Han Li, Li-Sheng Zhang, Marleen Kok, Xiaobo Mao, Linghua Wang, Qin Feng, Yiwen Chen, Sanghoon Lee, Daniel J Mcgrail, Nidhi Sahni, Chuan He, Amir A Jazaeri, Weiyi Peng

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Poor clinical responses to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) observed in ovarian cancer (OC) highlight an unmet need to understand the mechanisms driving immune evasion in this disease. To address this, an integrative analysis is conducted by combining in vitro genome‐wide immune screens, in vivo ICB screens, and clinical data mining, and METTL5 is identified as a crucial OC‐intrinsic factor that promotes immune resistance. Immunologically “cold” OC tumors and poor responders to ICB exhibit elevated METTL5 expression. Mechanistically, knocking out (KO) METTL5 in OC disrupts ATF4 translation by altering 18S rRNA m6A levels, leading to the downregulation of SLC7A11 and SLC3A2 …

Kras Inhibition Activates An Actionable Cd24 "Do Not Eat Me" Signal In Pancreatic Cancer, Yongkun Wei, Minghui Liu, Er-Yen Yen, Jun Yao, Zhenzhen Xun, Phuoc T Nguyen, Xiaofei Wang, Zecheng Yang, Abdelrahman Yousef, Dean Pan, Yanqing Jin, Ching-Fei Li, Madelaine S Theardy, Jangho Park, Yiming Cai, Mitsunobu Takeda, Matthew Vasquez, Elizabeth M Park, David H Peng, Yong Zhou, Hong Zhao, Timothy P Heffernan, Andrea Viale, Huamin Wang, Stephanie S Watowich, Han Liang, Dan Zhao, Ronald A Depinho, Wantong Yao, Haoqiang Ying

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

KRASG12C inhibitors (G12Ci) have produced encouraging, albeit modest and transient, clinical benefit in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Identifying and targeting resistance mechanisms to G12Ci treatment is therefore crucial. To better understand the function of KRASG12C and possible G12Ci bypass mechanisms, we developed an autochthonous KRASG12C-driven PDAC model. Compared to the classical KRASG12D PDAC model, the G12C model exhibits slower tumor growth, yet similar histopathological and molecular features. Aligned with clinical experience, G12Ci treatment of KRASG12C tumors produced modest impact despite stimulating a ‘hot’ tumor immune microenvironment. Immunoprofiling revealed that CD24, a ‘don’t eat me’ signal, is significantly upregulated on cancer …

Smags-Lasso: A Novel Feature Selection Method For Sensitivity Maximization In Early Cancer Detection, Hamid Khoshfekr Rudsari, Sara Khorami-Sarvestani, Johannes F Fahrmann, James P Long, Samir Hanash, Kim-Anh Do, Ehsan Irajizad

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Sensitivity and specificity are foundational metrics for cancer detection tools. However, most machine learning algorithms prioritize overall accuracy during optimization, which fails to align with clinical priorities of early detection. We aim to develop a feature selection machine learning algorithm while maximizing sensitivity at a given specificity.

Methods: We developed SMAGS-LASSO, a machine learning algorithm that combines our developed Sensitivity Maximization at a Given Specificity (SMAGS) framework with L1 regularization for feature selection. This approach simultaneously optimizes sensitivity at user-defined specificity thresholds while performing feature selection. SMAGS-LASSO utilizes a custom loss function with L1 regularization and multiple parallel optimization …

The Pneumonia Challenge: Time To End The Global Neglect, Catia Cillóniz, Markus Fally, Scott Evans, Guinevere Dy-Agra, Pneumo-Strategy Group

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Periostin Promotes Sarcoma Growth By Promoting Tumor-Associated Macrophage Migration And Differentiation, Jin-Fen Xiao, Kristin Ishaya, Emily Y Ko, Annaliese Fowler, Marina T Broz, Jlenia Guarnerio

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Soft-tissue sarcomas (STS) are characterized by abundant extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition, yet the functional contribution of specific ECM components remains poorly understood. In this study, we identify periostin (POSTN), a matricellular protein, as a regulator of sarcoma progression and the tumor immune microenvironment. Analysis of human sarcoma datasets revealed that high POSTN expression correlates with poor prognosis and elevated expression of ECM-related and myeloid cell–associated genes. In murine genetic models of sarcoma, tumors expressing high levels of Postn displayed enhanced expression of ECM genes and monocyte-recruiting cytokines. Functional silencing of Postnin vivo reduced tumor growth without altering tumor cell …

Experimental Design And Control Methods For Dose Rate Optimization In A Synchrotron-Based Proton Therapy Beamline, Jason Tang, Daniel Liu, Jacob Mathew, Sabrina Campelo, Lawrence Bronk, Paige Taylor, Yuting Li, Fada Guan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Ultra-high dose rate radiotherapy (typically defined >40 Gy/s) has shown promise for enhanced normal tissue sparing while maintaining tumor control, termed the FLASH effect when this biological response is observed. However, precise dose rate control remains a technical challenge in proton therapy systems, particularly for research applications investigating dose rate effects.

Purpose: To develop and validate a passive beam modulation technique using tungsten scatterers for controllable dose rate adjustment in a synchrotron-based proton therapy beamline without modifying accelerator parameters.

Methods: We investigated dose rate modulation using tungsten foils of varying thicknesses (0.1-3.5 mm) positioned upstream in an 87.2 MeV …

Activity-Dependent Transit Dose Assessment In 192ir High-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy Surface Applicator Using Gafchromictm Ebt4 Film, Daniel Liu, Emily Draeger, Christopher J Tien, Fada Guan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: To characterize the newly released GafChromicTM EBT4 film for transit dose measurement in high-dose rate brachytherapy (HDR-BT) surface applicators and to systematically investigate the relationship between transit dose and 192Ir source activity.

Methods: EBT4 film was used to measure dose at 3 mm depth from a horizontally oriented Leipzig-style surface applicator connected to a 192Ir HDR-BT remote afterloading unit. Transit dose was systematically characterized across eight different source activities ranging from 3.372 to 9.716 Ci (13,724 U to 39,544 U) using measurements with seven nominal dwell times (5-100 seconds, scaled to 10 Ci (40,700 U)). Transit dose was derived …

Sahrang: Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Recovery And Galantamine: A Pilot Multicenter Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial, Bosco Seong Kyu Yang, Jude P J Savarraj, Elena Moreno, Kevin E Immanuel, Georgene Hergenroeder, Glenda Torres, Jung Hwan Kim, Sophie Samuel, Claudia Pedroza, James C Grotta, Andrew Barreto, H Alex Choi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) causes life-long neurologic dysfunction. Peripheral inflammatory processes as a reaction to brain injury have been shown to worsen outcomes after SAH. Galantamine has been shown to reduce proinflammatory microglial activities and improve synaptic connections. We hypothesize that galantamine treatment after SAH mitigates inflammation-mediated neuronal injury and improve outcomes. We conducted a pilot clinical trial to examine the tolerability and safety of galantamine in patients with SAH.

Methods: This prospective, multicenter, double-masked, randomized, placebo-controlled study contiguously screened and enrolled adult patients presenting with aneurysmal SAH with a Fisher grade of 3 within 72 h of symptom onset. …

Normalization Of Temperature Effects For Quality Assurance Of Quantitative Prostate Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Imaging Across Multiple Sites, Ken-Pin Hwang, Joshua Yung, R Jason Stafford, Caroline Chung, Aradhana M Venkatesan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) as measured by diffusion weighted imaging is known to negatively correlate with prostate tumor aggressiveness. Heterogeneity in system and protocol performance causes potential variability in ADC acquired across a large scanner network, prompting a need to evaluate quantitative ADC from a prostate-specific MR diffusion protocol as part of quality assurance (QA). Due to the temperature dependence of ADC, repeatability and reproducibility assessments typically require phantoms to maintain a temperature of 0°C, imposing a considerable burden when assessing large numbers of scanners.

Purpose: To develop a QA procedure at room temperature for assessing the reproducibility of …