Digital Commons Network^™

Ml Model To Better Identify Instances Of Bullying Faced By Members Of The Lgbtq+ Community, Arslan Bisharat

Master's Theses

Cyberbullying poses a significant threat to online communities, with the LGBTQ+ community facing disproportionately higher rates of harassment. While existing cyberbullying detection systems have made progress in identifying general instances of online harassment, they often fail to capture the nuanced and context-dependent nature of LGBTQ+-targeted bullying. This thesis presents a novel approach to this challenge by developing SpectrumNet, an LGBTQ+-centric transformer-based model for cyberbullying detection. Our research was conducted in two phases. In Phase 1, we evaluated the effectiveness of pre-trained transformer models (RoBERTa, BERT, and GPT-2) in identifying LGBTQ+-related cyberbullying. Building on these findings, Phase 2 introduced SpectrumNet which …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Open Banking In Poland: The Perspective Of Market Experts, Sylwia Ciechanowska

Studia i Materiały Wydział Zarządzania Uniwersytet Warszawski

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to present an in-depth analysis of the development of open banking in Poland based on interviews conducted with market experts representing financial institutions and regulatory authorities. The article identifies both the benefits and implementation barriers of open banking, with particular emphasis on the quality of APIs (application programming interfaces), system interoperability, and the impact of regulatory frameworks on service innovation and security.

Methodology: This qualitative study was conducted using structured interviews with market experts representing banks, fintech companies, regulatory authorities, and independent industry consultants. The selection of experts was purposive, with …

Active Learning Seminar Assignment: Broken Windows Perusall Activity, Penny Geyer

Open Educational Resources

This collaborative reading assignment created by Professor Penny Geyer was created as part of a seminar on Active Learning using OERs in 2025. The assignment uses the social annotation tool, Perusall, to transform a traditional reading assignment into an active learning exercise that encourages close reading, peer engagement and structured discussion of the foundational text, "Broken Windows" by James Wilson and George Kelling.

Targeting Rna Polymerase I In Ewing Sarcoma Treatment, Alexis Bruce, Gavin Anchondo, Rebekah Carter, Sergio Guerrero Pacheco, Hema Sri Kambala, Elizabeth Cortez, Kyra Parker, Le Su

Research, Publications & Creative Work

Ewing sarcoma (ES) is a high-grade bone and soft tissue tumor in adolescents and young adults. Cytotoxic chemotherapy does not improve prognosis, especially for advanced ES patients who have a 5-year survival of 30% or less [1, 2]. Molecular targeted therapy emerges as a promising strategy to battle ES, given its unique driver mutations resulting from the fusion of the EWS and one of the ETS genes, but the feasibility of directly blocking EWS-ETS function has not yet been established [3]. To search for new therapeutic targets, we began with an analysis of the Cancer Dependency Map (DepMap) datasets that …

Setting The Stage For Success: Readiness And Connectedness As Antecedents Of Learning Continuance Intention In Online Learning, Yingqi Tang, Hungwei Tseng, Yu-Chun Kuo, Hsin-Te Yeh, Jianfang Liu

Research, Publications & Creative Work

Through a hierarchical multiple regression analysis, this study investigated how dimensions of online learning readiness and online connectedness influence students’ intentions to continue to take online courses. Data from 369 students who took at least one online course at a four-year public university showed that online learning readiness had a stronger relationship with continuance intention than online student connectedness, while online learning readiness had a significant correlation with online student connectedness. Online learning readiness and connectedness were indicators of online learning persistence. Factors such as age, computer/internet self-efficacy, self-directed learning, learner control, and facilitation influence students' intention to continue with …

Exploring The Factors That Influence K-12 Teachers’ Use Of Open Educational Resources, Yu-Chun Kuo, Yu-Tung Kuo, Hungwei Tseng

Research, Publications & Creative Work

The features of open educational resources (OERs) have the potential of enhancing teaching effectiveness and student learning experiences in K-12 education. Encouraging K-12 teachers to use OERs requires an understanding of the factors that have an influence on teachers’ decisions to adopt or use OERs in their teaching. In this regard, this study explored the factors related to how teachers perceived their use of OERs, including the perceived ease of use of OERs, perceived usefulness of OERs, intention to adopt OERs, attitudes, OER self-efficacy, and so on. The relationships of several proposed factors were explored. The participants were teachers from …

Exploring Minority Students’ Perceptions Of Using Open Educational Resources In A Computer Game Design Course, Yu-Tung Kuo, Yu-Chun Kuo, Hungwei Tseng

Research, Publications & Creative Work

With the increasing use of open educational resources (OERs) in higher education, and the potential of OERs to enhance student learning, this study investigated minority students’ perceptions of using OERs in learning computer programming. The influence of minority students’ OER perceptions on their learning outcomes, as well as the relationships of the perception variables were explored. The participants were minority students from an HBCU institution in the southeastern United States. Quantitative approaches were used to analyze the collected data. The results indicated that the minority students’ perceptions of using OERs had a significant influence on their perceived learning outcomes in …

Skinned Worlds: Virtual Reality And The Postbiological, Alicia Corts

Research, Publications & Creative Work

This paper explores the concept of “skinning” in educational virtual reality (VR) environments, reframing it as a dramaturgical and pedagogical act rather than a mere visual overlay. Through comparative analysis of The World of Hugo Simberg and C!ao: Piazza Navona Experience, the study investigates how design decisions shape user identity, agency, and the performance of learning. Drawing on performance theory, it examines how avatars – or their absence – guide learners through curated paths, subtly influencing perception and interaction. While both applications strip away overt self-representation, they open space for subversion, reflection, and imaginative engagement. The paper argues that skinning …

The Impact Of International Baccalaureate (Ib) Courses: Experience And Outcome Differences For Full Ib Diploma Earners Vs. Non-Diploma Earners In An Urban School In The Us, Christopher Jennens, Nilufer Guler

Research, Publications & Creative Work

This study examines differences in educational experiences and outcomes for high school(HS) students who participated in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program and earned full diplomas compared to those who participated in the IB Diploma Program but did not earn the diploma. ACT scores, after-high school placement, and HS graduation rates of 256 participants were collected. 122 participants completed an online survey, and 12 participated in interviews. The results revealed that the educational outcomes and experiences for diploma and non-diploma earners were vastly similar. Diploma earners had significantly higher ACT scores, but their college entrance and other academic outcomes were …

The Complex And Marginalized Experiences Of Bipoc Trafficked Women: An Examination Of Disabilities, Aces, Discrimination, And Racism, Jacquelyn C. A. Meshelemiah, Fabian Arroyo Rojas, Hannah Ruth Steinke, Marlene Carson, Justin A. Haegele

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experiences and multiple identities of disabled BIPOC trafficked women. The findings from this study help to identify a carousel of victimization experienced by disabled BIPOC trafficked women, starting with adverse childhood experiences, onto trafficking victimization that differed between Black and White women, and later while seeking services. These findings highlight the need for providers and researchers to think beyond monolithic identities and consider the intersecting ways in which various forms of oppression (ableism and racism) influence the experiences of disabled trafficked BIPOC women.

Differences In Prescription Drug Misuse Among U.S. Adults With And Without Disabilities, Jeanette M. Garcia, Samantha M. Ross-Cypcar, Justin A. Haegele

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Introduction

Increasing evidence suggests that adults with disabilities have higher rates of drug misuse compared to adults without disabilities, however; there is limited information on rates of commonly misused prescription drugs (e.g., stimulants, opioids, tranquilizers) to quantify the magnitude of this disparity. Thus, the purpose of this cross-sectional study is to examine and compare prevalence rates of prescription drug misuse by disability status and age group in a national sample of U.S. adults.

Methods

Data (n=47,100 adults) from the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health was stratified by age group: 1) 18-29 years; 2) 30-49 years; 3) 50 …

Associations Of Different Types Of Physical Activity And Sedentary Behavior With Self-Rated Health In Children And Adolescents: A Systematic Review Of Research From 2010 To 2024, Yahan Liang, Xihe Zhu, Ji-Hye Yang, Fei Wang, Danqing Zhang, Xingyi Yang, Sitong Chen, Yang Liu

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Self-rated health (SRH) is one of the common measures to evaluate individuals’ overall health. Many studies have explored the associations between different types of physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior (SB), and SRH in children and adolescents. These studies report inconsistent findings and sometimes highlight gender differences. This systematic review aims to synthesize findings to provide a comprehensive evaluation of these associations.

Our Reflections And Concluding Thoughts, Justin A. Haegele, Wesley J. Wilson

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

In this chapter, the editors provide concluding thoughts and reflections about the process of constructing this case-based learning book, and encouragement for readers to further consider ways to reflect about the stories of the authors. We reiterate the five broad reflective prompts from Chapter 2 to guide this reflection. We also share concepts related to ableism, and examples of how ableism may look and how it may inform practice. We conclude with, again, encouraging authors to think about and reflect on the stories included throughout the book, and to be mindful of ways ableism may (or may not) influence this …

Conceptualizing And Problematizing Inclusion Porn In Education Scholarship And Practice, Justin A. Haegele, Anthony J. Maher

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Discourses of inclusion are currently used without clear and consistent meaning and multiple and varied interpretations exist, therefore stunting our ability to enhance or utilize the concept in social justice and education scholarship and practice. In this article, we argue that the ambiguous, conflicting, and contested features of inclusion have opened a door for nondisabled policy makers, academics, practitioners, and other stakeholders to exploit the concept of inclusion by crafting the logics and taken-for-granted assumptions that become associated with it. Accordingly, these nondisabled stakeholders gain social, cultural, and symbolic capital in the fields that they operate, while (some) disabled students …

Academic Clustering For Athletes, Reginald Overton, Bob Case, Michael Ross

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

A trend is developing in academia as it relates to Student-Athletes and advisement practices. With the NIL deals and transfer portals on the continually evolving forefront of collegiate athletics it is difficult to keep the athletes not only eligible to compete but also on track to obtain a degree. A student athlete may be advised to take the track of an Integrated Studies degree and then a transfer to or from a Sport Management Degree. This occurs throughout both the undergraduate and graduate levels of higher education. In addition, certificate programs in athletic administration, sport marketing, sport management, and sport …

Global Horizons: International Considerations Within Sport Management, Michael Ross, Reginald Overton, Bob Case

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

As experiential learning becomes increasingly prioritized within sport management curriculums found across the nation, an emerging need for a more in-depth understanding of the globalization of sport has become evident. Professional, collegiate, and even high school sports are displaying a global footprint though international competition and experiencing increased numbers of international players within their rosters.

While those of us in the academic realm continue to bridge the gap between academia and industry, it is essential to enhance the global perspective of our students by incorporating more international opportunities, such as study abroad programs, that blend academic components with real-world sports …

Sport Business And Cosma: Marketing Opportunities, Michael Ross, Reginald Overton, Bob Case, Heather Alderman

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

The traditional path and location of sport management programs in Colleges of Education, and specifically physical education programs, is changing. In recent years, sport management programs have moved into Colleges of Business at a fast pace. Sport management courses are also being included in Business School curricula and course offerings. As the identity of sport management programs shifts and changes, what role does the accrediting body, the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA), play in the marketing of the old and new sport management programs?

The purpose of this presentation is to examine the continually changing landscape of sport management …

Development Of A Personalized Conversational Health Agent To Enhance Physical Activity For Blind And Low-Vision Individuals, Soyoung Choi, Jooyoung Seo, Ashwath Krishnan, Sanchita Kamath, Justin Haegele

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Background: With the advancements in mobile health (mHealth) technologies, sighted individuals can benefit from mobile apps and wearable devices to more easily manage their physical activity (PA) and wellness data through intuitive touch gestures and effective data visualizations. However, for blind and low-vision (BLV) individuals, these conventional interaction methods are often challenging, not only limiting their ability to use these technologies but also potentially diminishing their motivation to adopt them to support health-promoting behaviors. We aimed to develop a health monitoring application called Personalized and Conversational Health Agent (PCHA) that supports BLV individuals with self-monitoring and management of their PA …

Comparative Effectiveness Of High-Intensity Interval Training And Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training On Cardiometabolic Health In Patients With Diabesity: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis Of Randomized Controlled Trials, Sameer Badri Al-Mhanna, Eric Tsz-Chun Poon, Barry A. Franklin, Mark A. Tarnopolsky, John A. Hawley, John M. Jakicic, Emmanuel Stamatakis, Jonathan P. Little, Linda S. Pescatello, Deborah Riebe, Walter R. Thompon, James S. Skinner, Sheri R. Colberg, Jonathan K. Ehrman, George S. Metsios, Helen T. Douda, Norsuhana Omar, Abdullah F. Alghannam, Alexios Batrakoulis

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Objective

To evaluate the effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on cardiometabolic health-related outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and concurrent overweight/obesity (diabesity).

Design

Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

Data sources

PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Science Direct, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar databases were searched from inception up to January 31, 2025.

Eligibility criteria for selected studies

RCTs comparing HIIT alone ≥ 2 weeks in duration with moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT). Participants were adults with diabesity.

Results

A total of 26 RCTs qualified, involving 790 patients (50/50 female/male ratio; age: 59.8 ± 12.9 …

Autistic Young Adults' Experiences And Recommendations For Strength Training, Ashlyn Barry, Justin A. Haegele, Daniel Schaefer, Kristen A. Pickett, Luis Columna

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Strength training can be a beneficial form of physical activity (PA), but little research has examined how autistic individuals experience it or what makes programs accessible and supportive. Therefore, the purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to explore autistic young adults’ experiences with strength training, and (2) examine their recommendations for designing programs that meet their needs. Thirteen autistic young adults (ages 22–25) participated in semi-structured interviews about their strength training experiences and preferences for program design. A qualitative descriptive approach with a constructivist lens guided reflexive analysis. Participants described key factors that influenced their participation in strength training, …

The Efficacy Of Physical Activity Or Exercise Among Individuals With Cerebral Palsy: An Umbrella Review Of Systematic Reviews, Majed M. Alhumaid, Faris Yahya I. Asiri, Mohamed A. Said, Justin A. Haegele

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Introduction

Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common childhood disability, affecting 1.5-3 per 1000 live births. Physical exercises have been shown to improve muscle and limb outcomes in CP. This systematic review critically appraises existing systematic reviews on the effects of physical activity and exercise on physical, functional, and psychosocial outcomes in individuals with CP compared to those without.

Methods

Using a PICO framework, the question was: In patients with CP, do physical activity and exercise improve muscle- and limb-related outcomes compared to no intervention or usual care? PubMed, Cochrane, ISI Web of Science, and Embase were searched for systematic …

Impact Of Aerobic Exercise On Cardiometabolic Health In Patients With Diabesity: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis Of Randomized Controlled Trials, Sameer Badri Al-Mhanna, Barry A. Franklin, John M. Jakicic, Emmanuel Stamatakis, Linda S. Pescatello, Deborah Riebe, Walter R. Thompson, James S. Skinner, Sheri R. Colberg, Jonathan K. Ehrman, George S. Metsios, Norsuhana Omar, Nouf H. Alkhamees, Bodor Bin Sheeha, Abdullah F. Alghannam, Alexios Batrakoulis

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Purpose

This systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) aimed to evaluate the effects of aerobic exercise on cardiometabolic health-related indices in patients with type 2 diabetes and concurrent overweight/obesity (diabesity).

Methods

PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Science Direct, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar databases were searched from inception to October 2024. The search strategy included the following keywords: diabetes, aerobic exercise, and endurance training. RCTs comparing aerobic exercise training ≥2 weeks in duration to standard treatment were considered eligible. Participants were adults with diabesity.

Results

A total of 1391 middle-aged/older adult patients (55 % females) were included …

Impact Of High-Intensity Interval Training On Cardiometabolic Health In Patients With Diabesity: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis Of Randomized Controlled Trials, Sameer Badri Al-Mhanna, Barry A. Franklin, Mark A. Tarnopolsky, John A. Hawley, John M. Jakicic, Emmanuel Stamatakis, Jonathan P. Little, Linda S. Pescatello, Deborah Riebe, Walter R. Thompson, James S. Skinner, Sheri R. Colberg, Jonathan K. Ehrman, George S. Metsios, Helen T. Douda, Norsuhana Omar, Abdullah F. Alghannam, Alexios Batrakoulis

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Aims This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on cardiometabolic health-related outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes and obesity (diabesity).

Methods PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Science Direct, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar databases were searched from inception up to November 2024. The search strategy encompassed the following keywords: diabetes, obesity, and HIIT. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) recruiting adult participants with diabesity and comparing HIIT per se for ≥ 2 weeks in duration with non-exercise standard treatment were included.

Results A total of 18 RCTs qualified involving 504 patients (52/48 women/men …

Hearing From Working Nurses: Incorporating Real-World Knowledge Practices Into The Framework To Better Instruct Tomorrow’S Healthcare Professionals, Anne R. Diekema, Elizabeth (Betsy) S. Hopkins, Britt Fagerheim, Brandon Patterson, Nena Schvaneveldt

Library Faculty & Staff Publications

There is a certain duality to the role of librarians in higher education as the job requires preparing students for their current academic work, such as doing research for writing papers, while at the same time preparing students for their future professional information work.¹ Librarians seeking guidance on teaching information literacy more comprehensively are left to study the professional standards of the targeted professional group,² and find or carry out research on these practitioners.³ Synthesizing and translating these findings into instructional approaches while staying true to existing information literacy standards, however, can be challenging.⁴ In this …

A Computational Fluid Dynamics (Cfd) Based Assessment Of Animal Borne Data Logger Impact, Christopher Pass

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Animal borne data loggers are powerful tools that provide researchers with valuable insight into the behaviour and ecology of free-ranging marine animals. Despite their usefulness, the addition of a tag inevitably alters the forces acting on a swimming body and can increase the energetic cost of swimming. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tools offer a powerful means of assessing tag impact and a number of previous works have employed CFD to this end but have typically been based on a range of simplifying assumptions. Chief amongst these simplifications is that animals can be modelled as rigid bodies with a simple tag …

Upregulation Of Delta Opioid Receptor By Meningeal Interleukin-10 Prevents Relapsing Pain, Kufreobong E Inyang, Jaewon Sim, Kimberly B Clark, Matan Geron, Karli Monahan, Christine Evans, Patrick O'Connell, Sophie Laumet, Bo Peng, Jiacheng Ma, Cobi J Heijnen, Robert Dantzer, Grégory Scherrer, Annemieke Kavelaars, Matthew Bernard, Yasser A Aldhamen, Joseph K Folger, Alexis Bavencoffe, Geoffroy Laumet

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Chronic pain often includes periods of transient amelioration and even remission that alternate with severe relapsing pain. While most research on chronic pain has focused on pain development and maintenance, there is a critical unmet need to better understand the mechanisms that underlie pain remission and relapse. We found that interleukin (IL)-10, a pain resolving cytokine, is produced by resident macrophages in the spinal meninges during remission from pain and signaled to IL-10 receptor-expressing sensory neurons. Using unbiased RNA-sequencing, we identified that IL-10 upregulated expression and antinociceptive activity of δ-opioid receptor (δOR) in the dorsal root ganglion. Genetic or pharmacological …

Historia Romów Amerykańskich. Historyczne Nieobecności I Ich Konsekwencje [Romani American History: Historical Absences And Their Consequences], Ann Ostendorf

History Faculty Scholarship

American historians have created an historical absence by ignoring Romani people’s presence in evidence from the past. The origins of this „absence-ing” are multifaceted and interrelated, but fundamentally stem from the continued influence of out-of-date and unprofessional ways of thinking and knowing. Examining and understanding „absence-ing” requires a consideration of the nature of the discipline of history as well as a history of the missing historicization of Romani Americans. The consequences of the „absence-ing” of Romani people from American histories have negatively and distinctively influenced four different groups of people: historians of the Americas; historians of Romani people in Europe; …

Privacy-Preserving Collaborative Population Stratification With Dynamic Algorithm And Hyperparameter Selection, Maryam Ghasemian, Lynette Hammond Gerido, Erman Ayday

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

We present a privacy-preserving selection layer for collaborative population stratification under 𝜖-local differential privacy (LDP). Rather than fixing a single pipeline (e.g., PCA+K-Means with preset 𝐾), our framework lets parties choose among three DP pipelines: PCA→Noise, Noise→PCA, and Noise-Only, according to their resources, and has an honest-but-curious server aggregate only DP shares to automatically select the clustering algorithm (K-Means, GMM, or Hierarchical) and 𝐾 that maximize internal metrics (Silhouette, Calinski–Harabasz, Davies–Bouldin). Because selection operates on DP data, it adds no further privacy loss. On openSNP (942 samples, 28,396 SNPs), the PCA-augmented pipelines yield higher utility …

On The Empirical Power Of Goodness-Of-Fit Tests In Watermark Detection, Weiqing He, Xiang Li, Tianqi Shang, Li Shen, Weijie Su, Qi Long

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Large language models (LLMs) raise concerns about content authenticity and integrity because they can generate human-like text at scale. Text watermarks, which embed detectable statistical signals into generated text, offer a provable way to verify content origin. Many detection methods rely on pivotal statistics that are i.i.d. under human-written text, making goodness-of-fit (GoF) tests a natural tool for watermark detection. However, GoF tests remain largely underexplored in this setting. In this paper, we systematically evaluate eight GoF tests across three popular watermarking schemes, using three open-source LLMs, two datasets, various generation temperatures, and multiple post-editing methods. We find that general …

Privacy-Preserving Verification Of Ml Preprocessing Via Model Behavior Indicators, Wenbiao Li, Anisa Halimi, Jaideep Vaidya, Xiaoqian Jiang, Erman Ayday

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

We present a privacy-preserving framework to verify whether a declared data preprocessing pipeline was correctly applied before training a machine learning model on sensitive data. The verifier has only black-box query access to the model and combines three behavior indicators: shift in prediction accuracy, Kullback-Leibler (KL) divergence between output distributions, and explanation vectors from Local Interpretable Model-agnostic Explanations (LIME) and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP). The method requires neither the original training records nor ground-truth labels. It supports two tasks: (i) a binary decision on correctness and (ii) a multi-class diagnosis identifying which step is missing. Experiments on three tabular datasets …