Digital Commons Network^™

Physical Activity Intensity And Memory In Middle-Aged And Older Adults In China, Simi Tang, Yucheng Gao

Makara Journal of Health Research

Background: Memory decline represents a major challenge in aging populations, and physical activity may help preserve cognitive function. However, evidence on whether different activity intensities are associated with memory remains inconclusive.

Methods: Using five waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (2011–2020), this study investigated the association between physical activity intensity and memory among middle-aged and older adults in China. Individual fixed-effects models were applied to control for unobserved time-invariant heterogeneity. The outcome was memory score, and the main predictors encompassed high-, moderate-, and low-intensity physical activities.

Results: Based on 52,135 person–wave observations from 21,423 …

Rodrigo’S Weather Report: Is The Sky Falling?, Richard Delgado

Minnesota Journal of Law & Inequality

In the latest installment of the Rodrigo series, the main character and his straight man discuss what has come to be called sanewashing, focusing on the Administration’s many contrived emergencies to accomplish objectives that would otherwise be flatly illegal.

What I Didn’T Tell You, Grace Larson

The Sucarnochee Review

No abstract provided.

Brooming The Graveyard, Yuan Changming

The Sucarnochee Review

No abstract provided.

Dark Hemlock, Michael Washburn

The Sucarnochee Review

No abstract provided.

Staff Education On Frailty And Senior Surgical Safety, Kimberly Buhay Gibu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This staff education doctoral project addressed a practice gap involving limited education on frailty assessment and senior surgical safety within the general surgery department of a large, integrated healthcare system. Frailty is associated with increased postoperative complications, hospitalizations, readmissions, and mortality among older adults, making early recognition essential to improving surgical outcomes. The practice-focused question project was: Does education on frailty screening and senior surgical safety improve the knowledge, confidence, and intent of general surgery staff in a large, integrated health system? The purpose was to develop, implement, and evaluate an evidence-based educational intervention. The project was guided by the …

Improving Hypertension Control Through Increased Follow-Up Frequency In Rural Adult Patients, Clarissa Renea King

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project centered on the implementation of an organizational change initiative to improve hypertension control among adults aged 18 years and older in a rural primary care setting, where barriers to healthcare contribute to poorer outcomes. The practice-focused question asked whether more frequent follow-up visits improve hypertension control rates in rural adults. Interventions included increased follow-up visits for uncontrolled hypertension, patient education, home blood pressure monitoring, and staff education on accurate blood pressure measurement techniques. The project involved a pre-/post- evaluation design and analysis of deidentified organizational quality data. Findings show that the baseline hypertension …

Staff Education To Improve Blood Pressure Reassessment And Referral Practices In An Urgent Care Setting, Carolyn Denise Kluttz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was a staff education and quality improvement initiative designed to improve blood pressure (BP) reassessment and referral compliance among adult patients presenting with elevated BP readings in an urgent care setting. Elevated blood pressure is frequently identified during urgent care visits; however, provider responses and follow-up recommendations are often inconsistent, creating missed opportunities for early identification and intervention. The practice-focused question guiding this project was: In adult patients presenting to urgent care settings, how does implementing a standardized nurse-led hypertension screening and referral protocol, compared with usual care, affect the identification and follow-up …

Staff Education To Improve Knowledge Of Standardized Scheduling In A Certified Home Health Agency, Roger Nounamo Kamkoumeu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In this staff education project, I addressed the concerning rate of missed patient visits in home healthcare settings. At the practicum site, there has been no education program addressing scheduling and communication best practices for staff. The practice-focused question guiding this project was: Among nursing staff in a home health agency, does implementation of a staff education program on a standardized scheduling and reminder protocol, improve staff knowledge of missed visit reduction practices? The purpose of the project was to evaluate the effectiveness of the staff training on staff knowledge of scheduling, communication, and reminder protocols for the reduction of …

Addressing Implicit Bias Toward Patients With Substance Use Disorders Through A Staff Education Quality Improvement Initiative, Jeanne Baleng Okuwobi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This doctoral project was a staff education quality improvement (QI) initiative designed to reduce implicit bias among healthcare providers toward patients with substance use disorder (SUD) at a community mental health center. Provider implicit bias toward patients with SUD contributes to stigma, inequitable care, reduced treatment engagement, and poorer health outcomes; addressing this bias is essential to advancing patient safety, health equity, and quality nursing care. The practice-focused question guiding this project asked whether a 9-week evidence-based staff education program incorporating didactic instruction and reflective practice would reduce provider implicit bias toward patients with SUD compared with current practice, which …

Local Farming Sustainability Nongovernment Organization’S Perceived Driving Forces For A Crisis Management Plan, Nthonoki Cynthia Tsepe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) operate in increasingly volatile environments characterized by financial uncertainty, political pressures, and climate-related disruptions; however, many lack formalized crisis management systems. The absence of structured crisis governance exposes organizations to operational instability, financial risk, and reputational damage. The purpose of this qualitative force field analysis study was to explore a local farming sustainability NGO’s perceived driving and restraining forces for developing a formal crisis management plan. Guided by Burnett’s crisis management model and Lewin’s force field analysis framework, data were collected from nine organizational leaders involved in governance and operational decision making. Round 1 included open-ended online …

African American Experiences Accessing Mental Health Services In Rural Communities, Danielle O. Keith-Alexandre

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American communities have exhibited greater vulnerability in psychological functioning and well-being, and usage of mental health services for evaluation and treatment are lower than for other groups, due to a range of barriers, including geographic location and lack of access. There is a lack of research on the difficulties African Americans face in accessing mental health services in U.S. rural communities. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore, from a phenomenological approach, the lived experiences of African American adults residing in rural Pennsylvania mid-U.S. Eastern Coastal communities in regard to accessing mental health services. The social-ecological model …

African American Fathers’ Experiences Of Emotional Distress Within The Context Of Black Masculinity After Their Children’S Autism Diagnosis, John Notice

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although parental experiences following a child's autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis have been examined, mothers’ experiences have garnered the most exploration, with comparatively less attention given to fathers’ experiences. There was a gap in knowledge, in particular, on how African American (AA) fathers experience their children's ASD diagnoses while navigating emotional distress within the context of Black masculinity. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore how AA fathers experienced their children's ASD diagnoses while navigating emotional distress within the context of Black masculinity. Crenshaw's intersectionality theory served as the conceptual framework. Data were collected by conducting semistructured …

Youth With Mental Illness Transitioning Into Adult Judicial Systems, Susan K. Beltran

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite attempts to alleviate the issues of recidivism in juveniles, this issue continues to have a major impact on young adults suffering from mental health challenges. Criminal justice involvement continues to present significant challenges for individuals with behavioral health disorders, underscoring the need to identify factors associated with arrest to inform prevention and intervention efforts. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the relationship between recidivism and the age of first arrest, gender, and psychiatric diagnosis for youths in an adult facility. The current study used data from the Northwestern Juvenile Project, with a sample size of N=1829. …

Social Workers’ Perceptions Of Pediatric Hiv Disclosure Process, Colleen Myrie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although the social problem of pediatric HIV disclosure has been studied by researchers internationally, there remains a gap in the experiences of social workers in facilitating this process. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore the experiences and perceptions of social workers in the United States regarding the disclosure process for HIV positive children. This study was grounded in Rosenstock’s health belief model, which posits that an individual will take necessary action to prevent or manage a disease based on their perceptions of health. This model was effective in helping to identify what social workers think about …

Teachers’ Perspectives About Early-Career Implementation Of Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices In Secondary Science Classrooms, Nicole D. Wilson-Pringle

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem that was addressed through this study was that little was known about how secondary science teachers use their training to implement culturally responsive teaching practices (CRTPs) during their early careers in classrooms with diverse student populations. Grounded in the culturally relevant pedagogy and the teacher identity development frameworks, the purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore secondary science teachers’ perspectives on the use of their training to implement CRTPs during their early careers in classrooms with diverse student populations. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with 10 middle and high school science teachers who received certification …

Comments Re: Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program And Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program, Fred D. Ledley M.D., Edward Zhou Pharm. D.

CISI Publication

Thank you for the opportunity to provide written comments in response to the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program proposed rule published on June 16, 2026 in the Federal Register. [1] We are answering as academic researchers with experience in medicine, pharmacy, biomedical research, and the biopharmaceutical industry. Our perspective is informed by extensive, published research on the economics and finance of pharmaceutical innovation, the value created by new medicines, and the impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

We applaud the accomplishment of the IRA in establishing the precedent for the government to negotiate “fair market prices” for drugs on …

Two-Thirds Return But Performance Suffers: Acl Reconstruction Outcomes Across Elite European Women's Soccer Leagues, Haneef Khan, Forest Rodriguez, Amina Khan, Ashley Rosenberg, Stephen Marcaccio

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

PURPOSE: To analyse return-to-play (RTP) rates, timing and performance outcomes following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction (ACLR) in elite European women's soccer players across the top five leagues.

METHODS: We reviewed ACL injuries sustained by female professional soccer players across the Bundesliga, Women's Super League, Primera División Femenina, Serie A Women and Première Ligue between 2007 and 2025. Players were included if they had a confirmed ACL injury requiring ACLR and one season of performance data pre- and post-injury. Players were excluded if the injury occurred during their rookie season or after the 2023 season. Data were collected from Soccerdonna.de …

Closing On The Cardiovascular Disparity Among Black Adults In Boston Through Church-Based Community Health Worker Intervention, Ana Porfirio

Capstones

Hypertension and cardiovascular disease disproportionately affect Black adults age 40 and older in Boston's Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan neighborhoods, as heart disease mortality is three times higher among blacks than whites across Boston, and premature death rates are over twice as high in Dorchester and Roxbury as in richer neighborhoods. Historic redlining contributes to barriers in food access and is one factor behind Mattapan's highest age-adjusted mortality rate from heart disease in the city. These brief outlines a culturally concordant church-based Community Health Worker (CHW) intervention that includes a trained CHW who assists adults with uncontrolled hypertension in managing their …

Closing Boston's Pediatric Asthma Equity Gap Through Housing-Integrated Care, Valeria Miranda

Capstones

Asthma morbidity is disproportionately high for preschool-age children (2-5 years) in Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan neighborhoods of Boston owing to poor housing conditions and a lack of coordination between housing remediation and healthcare systems. Data at the neighborhood level indicate rates of (0-17) emergency department visits as high as 144.1 per 10,000 in Mattapan, compared to 15.0 per 10,000 in West Roxbury, where Black children have emergency department visit rates that are 6.9 times more than the rates for White Children across the city (Boston Public Health Commission, 2023). Additionally, Community Health Worker (CHW)-led home visiting with environmental trigger remediation, …

Pericardial Cyst, Mohamed Elsisy, Ibrahim K. Zazai, Mohamed H. Alahmadi, Chris Kyriakopoulos

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Pericardial cysts are typically considered a congenital anomaly of the anterior and middle mediastinum, with most patients diagnosed via incidental findings on routine chest imaging. They represent a small proportion of mediastinal masses but a substantial proportion of mediastinal cysts. Most are asymptomatic at presentation, and when symptoms occur, they are usually related to compression of adjacent mediastinal, pulmonary, or cardiac structures rather than intrinsic malignant behavior.

Review Of Letters From The Edge: Outrider Conversations By Margaret Randall, Ann Ferguson

Wagadu: A Journal of Transnational Women's & Gender Studies

No abstract provided.

Review Essay: Incarcerated Women’S Voices And A Critique Of Carceral Feminism, Mechthild Nagel

Wagadu: A Journal of Transnational Women's & Gender Studies

No abstract provided.

Motherhood And The Illusion Of Delayed Gratification In Gerotti Kyomuhendo’S Waiting And Secrets No More, Mopelola R. Olayiwola

Wagadu: A Journal of Transnational Women's & Gender Studies

The birth of a girl child in most African societies automatically signals the arrival of another procreator. Her role is assigned long before birth: she is to be a woman, a wife, and a mother whose nurturance continues until death. Motherhood demands nurturing children alongside the husband, and most myths tie a woman’s relevance to this single role. To ensure undivided attention to this occupation, societies empower the virtue of patience. As a result, many African narratives corroborate the ideology of delayed gratification, encouraging women to give excessively toward a distant future when children may return the favour. Little attention …

From The Traditional Role Of Motherhood To The Creation Of Ritual Fertility Dolls Among The Ashanti People, Youssoupha Mane

Wagadu: A Journal of Transnational Women's & Gender Studies

This article explores the art and traditional sculpture of the Ashanti people of Ghana. The study delves into the symbolic, spiritual, therapeutic, and psychological implications of ritual fertility dolls known as Akua’ba, which serve as a means for infertile women to experience the joy and delight of motherhood. The study will also focus on how accessing motherhood is highly esteemed and regarded as a social obligation in most African cultures. The psychological burden and pressure associated with the social duty of bearing children to avoid ‘‘social death’’ or being ‘‘the dead end of human life’’ is undoubtedly at the root …

Winnie's Feminism: A Tribute To Mama Dr. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela As A Radical Feminist From 1986-2018, Anna Lefatshe Moagi

Wagadu: A Journal of Transnational Women's & Gender Studies

Growing up in South Africa and having read several “tell-all” biographies by influential women have made this researcher aware of the struggles of women to be recognised and valued within their social environments. The many names that come to mind, when speaking of women’s voices that challenged their position in our society, belong to those of struggle veterans such as Adelaide Tambo, Ruth First, Lilian Ngoyi, Albertina Sisulu, Thandi Modise, Baleka Mbethe, Leymah Gbowee, Ruth Mompati, Charlotte Maxeke, Joice Majuru, Thuli Madontsela and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. Their as women leaders roles remain undervalued (Shekhawat 2015). These phenomenal influential women and many …

Meeting Van Gogh, Yuan Changming

The Sucarnochee Review

No abstract provided.

Encounters Xlv: Solid Ground, Susan Johnson

The Sucarnochee Review

No abstract provided.

Doing Good In A Bad World: A Social Worker’S Memoir, Connie Woodring

The Sucarnochee Review

No abstract provided.

Spcc: Inferring Spatial Cell-Cell Interaction By Integrating Single-Cell And Spatial Transcriptomics, Tiangang Wang, Yu Zhou, Xi Liu, Sijia Wu, Liyu Huang, Kexin Huang, Xiaobo Zhou

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Study of single-cell spatial biology reveals the importance of integrating single-cell and spatial data for capturing spatial structure at individual cell resolution in various fields. With the lack of cellular-level information in most spatial data, it is necessary to integrate single-cell and spatial data. Here, we developed a deep learning computational framework for alignment and mapping of unpaired single-cell and the spatial data by using adversarial joint-variational autoencoder and Random Forest model (SPCC). SPCC will generate a mapping matrix for single-cell and spatial positions that can transfer spatial location to individual cells. SPCC can be used to perform downstream analysis, …