Digital Commons Network^™

Study On The Concept And Framework Of Synergy Between Mitigation And Adaptation, Xianchun Tan

Double Helix Methodology

Carbon neutrality and the Global Goal on Adaptation jointly drive the integration of mitigation and adaptation; however, a clear conceptual and analytical framework for their synergy remains absent. This study first examines the components of mitigation and adaptation, and analyzes the mechanisms through which they interact. It then explores the fundamental principles underlying the synergy between mitigation and adaptation, and construct a corresponding analytical framework. It emphasizes that mitigation and adaptation are mutually influential, providing a foundation for achieving synergy. Furthermore, synergy should be promoted in the five aspects of objectives, regions, sectors, pathways, and policies—and follows the logic of …

When Probiotics Guidelines Differ: A Practical Guide For Clinicians And Researchers, Geoffrey A Preidis, Hania Szajewska, Marla Cunningham, Howard Bauchner, Daniel J Merenstein

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Many professional organizations publish clinical practice guidelines for the use of probiotics in gastrointestinal disorders. Generally, no two guidelines align perfectly, and some differ markedly. These discrepancies occur because clinical practice guidelines are not purely mechanical outputs of data synthesis. They are shaped by structured interpretation, value judgments, and predefined thresholds for uncertainty. These elements become particularly visible when effect sizes are small, heterogeneity is high, and outcomes vary in clinical relevance-as is the case with probiotic research. This article examines why discordance among probiotic guidelines is predictable and provides practical guidance for clinicians who must decide among conflicting recommendations …

Interplay Of Autophagy And Mtor Signaling On Amyloid-Beta, Samuel Wycoff

WUSM Theses and Dissertations – All Programs

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by the accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ), a process thought to result from an imbalance between Aβ production and clearance. Autophagy, a major intracellular degradation pathway regulated by the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), has emerged as a potential therapeutic target for restoring Aβ homeostasis, although its precise role in Aβ metabolism remains unclear. This study investigated how pharmacological modulation of autophagy and mTOR signaling influences Aβ levels in both in vitro and in vivo models.

Wild-type SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells were treated with a panel of autophagy-modulating compounds, and extracellular Aβ secretion was quantified alongside the …

Sar Ship Detection Based On Shallow Feature Guidance, Chenxu Xia, Peng Chen, Ya Zhang, Ying Li

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Maritime ship detection is of great significance for both military security and civilian applications. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), with its all-weather and all-day imaging capability, plays a vital role in maritime surveillance. Nevertheless, SAR ship targets typically appear small in scale, embedded in complex backgrounds, blurred at boundaries, and easily confused with near-shore features, which pose substantial challenges for accurate detection. To address these issues, we propose a SAR ship detection network that integrates dual enhancements of small-object representation and edge information. The network introduces two key components: the Small Target Refine Pyramid (STRP) to strengthen shallow feature representation for …

Investigating The Ability Of Presequences To Influence Mitochondrial Protein Import, Youmian Yan

WUSM Theses and Dissertations – All Programs

Mitochondria are essential organelles housing over 1000 proteins, 99% of which are nuclear-encoded and synthesized in the cytosol. Most mitochondrial proteins are targeted by a positively charged sequence called the presequence, which lacks a common sequence motif and is poorly conserved across evolution. Accumulating evidence suggests that presequences encode meaningful information that influences mitochondrial protein uptake. For instance, multiple stress response models propose that stress sensing proteins contain “weak” presequences which allows them to monitor mitochondrial health. However, there is a lack of systematic examination about how presequences influence import kinetics and what constitutes presequence strength. These gaps in knowledge …

Navigating Urgency And Innovation: How Pandemic-Era Leadership Frames The Evolving Role Of Ai In Educational Leadership, Patricia Virella, Alexandra J. Lamb

Department of Educational Leadership Scholarship and Creative Works

Purpose: This paper examines how pandemic-era leadership lessons inform the current implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) in schools, focusing on adaptive strategies, distributed leadership, and equity-focused decision-making among US school principals during crisis-driven technological change.

Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative approach was employed, drawing on semi-structured interviews with fifty public school principals conducted between 2020 and 2022. Data were coded and analyzed iteratively using distributed leadership theory to identify key themes related to technology integration, professional development and leadership practices in rapidly changing environments.

Findings: Adaptive, distributed leadership and proactive planning for digital equity were vital for effective crisis response and technology …

Does The Court Follow The Election Returns?, Thomas Keck

Political Science - All Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Knowledge, Attitudes, And Practices (Kap) Of Parents Regarding The Prevention And Control Of Childhood Iron Deficiency Anemia In Egypt: A Cross-Sectional Study, Omnia Soliman

Theses and Dissertations

Childhood Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) remains a major public health challenge in Egypt, where its persistently high and rising prevalence carries substantial consequences for child growth, cognitive development, immunity, and long-term health outcomes. Globally, approximately 40% of children aged 6–59 months are affected by anemia (World Health Organization, 2025), and Egypt mirrors this burden, with national data showing a worsening trend in recent years. In Egypt, national strategies have traditionally focused on biomedical interventions such as iron supplementation and food fortification, while less attention has been directed toward behavioral and household-level determinants, particularly parental knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related …

Alarm Fatigue Among Georgia Southern University Nursing Students: Examining Clinical Effects And Preventive Interventions, Madison T. Mills

Honors College Theses

Alarm fatigue, a response to constant exposure to clinical devices’ alarms that can lead to a decrease in responsiveness and safety in healthcare settings. Although it’s well researched in practicing nurses, yet there isn’t much known if alarm fatigue can start in nursing school and how it affects nursing students when in clinical settings. This study examines the importance and effects of alarm fatigue among Georgia Southern University nursing students and the faculty/staff through a mixed-methods survey. Prior research suggests that alarm fatigue can be developed through clinical exposure. Educational and technological interventions, such as alarm-management training and improved monitoring …

Balancing Root-Zone Oxygenation And Rhizosphere Stability: The Impact Of Aeration And Hypoxia On Hydroponic Plant Growth, Christian D. Baker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

As the global population and food demand continue to increase, growers must look to innovative and sustainable methods for plant cultivation. Hydroponics is a popular method of sustainable plant cultivation where plant roots are suspended over a liquid nutrient solution. Hydroponics uses less water compared to traditional agriculture because there is no evaporation or solution runoff. It also maximizes land use, requires fewer pesticides and herbicides, and enables year-round cultivation in controlled environments. However, indoor hydroponic systems rely on artificial lighting, which has higher energy costs than traditional farming methods. Optimizing growing conditions is therefore critical to ensure long-term economic …

International Aid And Post-Conflict Recovery In The Western Balkans, R. Mary Wall

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

After violent conflicts end, communities often receive international support to help rebuild their governments and economies. This study asks whether aid targeted toward physical reconstruction and institutional reform produces measurable outcomes in those areas. 

Examining five Western Balkans countries between 2000 and 2021, the study finds that infrastructure aid is associated with improved access to clean water and reductions in displaced populations, while aid directed toward strengthening government institutions shows no measurable association with improvements in government effectiveness within the same period. These findings suggest that in the years immediately following conflict, physical reconstruction produces more observable improvements than institutional …

Nature-Based Therapy In The Uae: Leveraging Ecosystems To Alleviate Depression And Anxiety, Aya Abdul Karim Al-Taani, Mahmoud Mohammad Al-Gharaibeh, Ahmed A. Al-Taani

All Works

This review synthesizes current evidence on the relationship between natural ecosystems and mental health outcomes with a particular focus on arid and rapidly urbanizing contexts such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It introduces the Multi-Ecosystem Therapeutic Framework for Arid Urban Environments, which moves beyond generalized "nature exposure" models by systematically linking distinct environmental systems to mental health outcomes through identifiable psychological, physiological and social mechanisms. The framework is structured around three interconnected components: ecosystem types (urban green spaces, desert landscapes, mountain environments and blue spaces), mediating mechanisms (including psychological restoration, stress reduction, physical activity and social interaction) and mental …

Analysis Of U.S. Army Body Composition Policies: Implementation Effectiveness And Recommendations For Policy Enhancement At Brooke Army Medical Center, Michael L. Rizzo

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Manuscripts

US Army body composition policies (AR 600-9 and recent directives) are essential for military readiness, injury prevention, and force health protection, yet implementation gaps persist, particularly with the 2026 Department of Defense (DoD)-mandated waist-to-height ratio (WHtR < 0.55) transition. This DNP project evaluated policy implementation effectiveness at Brooke Army Medical Center using the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Logic Model and CFIR 2.0 framework. Analysis of 2022–2025 de-identified administrative data and 16 stakeholder questionnaires identified ≥10 implementation gaps, including low awareness of new standards and workload impacts. The project developed 8 evidence-based recommendations and an implementation roadmap to improve compliance, optimize resources, reduce administrative burden, and strengthen military readiness.

The People, The Branches, And The Pearl Of Independence, Brian C. Murchison

Hofstra Law Review

What will be the fate of the independent agencies? Since 1887, Congress has seen fit to address an array of contemporary issues by creating expert federal agencies, such as the Interstate Commerce Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, and others. The principal officers of these agencies are appointed by the President on advice and consent of the Senate, serve limited staggered terms, are bipartisan in the sense that only a bare majority of the agency’s officers can be members of the same political party, and are “independent” in the sense that the officers are removable only …

The Willing And The Compelled: How Power And Place Shape Human-Bison Coexistence In Poland And The United States, Patrick Orville Kelly

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Wildlife recovery programs depend not just on animals, but on how people feel about living with them. The degree to which people accept the disruptions wildlife brings to their lives, known as social tolerance, can determine whether a recovery program succeeds or fails, yet it remains understudied and underapplied in management plans. This dissertation studies how people in Poland and the western United States feel about living with the two living species of bison, the largest land animals in Europe and North America. In Poland, we surveyed 242 residents living at different distances from European bison habitat. Surprisingly, the most …

A Projector-Rank Partition Theorem For Exact Degrees Of Freedom In Experimental Design, K. G. Nagananda

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

In many experimental designs—split-plots, blocked or nested layouts, fractional factorials, and studies with missing or unequal replication—standard ANOVA procedures no longer tell us exactly how many independent pieces of information each effect truly contributes. We provide a general degrees of freedom (df) partition theorem that resolves this ambiguity. For N observations, we show that the total information in the data (i.e., N −1 df) can be split exactly across experimental effects and randomization strata by projecting the data onto each stratum and counting the df each effect contributes there. This yields integer df—not approximations—for any mix of fixed and random …

Soil-Science Expertise In An Ai-Exposed World: Competencies, Curricula, And Careers For Soil Security, Gian Franco Capra, Thiago Assis Rodrigues Nogueira, Arun Dilipkumar Jani

Biology, Agriculture and Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the world of knowledge-based work, with highly qualified professions appearing more exposed to substitution than routine manual ones. Soil science occupies a hybrid position, being a field that requires extensive knowledge and at the same time a strong dependency on field and laboratory activities, time-consuming and intrinsically “embodied.” This review examines what AI entails for soil science, asking which competencies are more or less exposed, how curricula should respond, and what actions institutions should undertake in the current AI-dominant academic environment. The analysis rests on two axes, namely the AI exposure of a task …

Pieces Solving A Puzzle: Emerging Roles And Cross-Field Analogies During A Distributed Epistemic Game, Jenna Matthews

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

In an effort to describe why some problems can’t be solved, a character compared them to a cubic meter of platinum - a block so dense that all the people who could squeeze around it still couldn’t lift it off the ground. In the same way, these problems simply can’t have enough people gathered around and communicating about them - and so they remain unsolved.

This research looks at the first Polymath Project (2009) as an example of a distributed epistemic game to examine how groups engage with complex problems. and without a locally omniscient individual. In this setting of …

When Lawyers Attack The Rule Of Law: The Rise Of Autocracy In America, Scott L. Cummings

Hofstra Law Review

No abstract provided.

"None Of This Is Normal": The Golden Age Of Legal Bribery, James J. Sample

Hofstra Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Morality Of Legality, Cass R. Sunstein

Hofstra Law Review

The Morality of Legality holds that it is a moral wrong, and essentially taboo, for those who work in the executive branch to act unlawfully, even if high-level officials much want to act unlawfully, even if circumstances clearly call for the action in question, and even if there is a strong public demand for the unlawful action. The Morality of Legality is less innocuous and more directive than it might seem. It is a red light; it is a conversation-stopper; it empowers law and lawyers. Those who are committed to it will not engage in unlawful action even if no …

Legislation Is Hot: Reforming The Troubled Teen Industry In California, Jaclyn Ragusa

Hofstra Law Review

No abstract provided.

Reasserting Congressional Authority In National Security In The Post-Chadha Era, Jacob Shaffer

Hofstra Law Review

No abstract provided.

Quasi-Poisson Analogs Of Regular Poisson Varieties, Casen Thompson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Let G be a complex semisimple linear algebraic group with 𝐶 a conjugacy class of parabolic subgroups of G. In previous work, Dr. Crooks defines 𝑢_𝐶→ B_𝐶 , a universal flat family of a fine Hamiltonian Lagrangian G-bundles over 𝐶, and shows that 𝑢_𝐶 is a family of regular Poisson varieties. This manuscript introduces a natural candidate for a quasi-Poisson analog of Dr. Crooks’s construction, 𝑢_𝐶, using the framework of quasi-Poisson geometry established by Alekseev, Kosmann-Scwarzbach, and Meinrenken. It will be shown that this proposed quasi-Poisson analog indeed has a valid quasi-Poisson structure and …

Providing Effective Student Feedback: Effects Of Sociotropy, Student-Teacher Connectedness, And Expressed Disappointment And Praise On Students' Self-Esteem And Motivation, Emily Davied

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This study examined how different types of teacher feedback (i.e., expressed pride, expressed disappointment, and near-neutral feedback) impact students’ motivation to learn and self-esteem. It also explored whether such effects vary depending on students' personality and how connected they feel to their teacher. Undergraduate students (N = 221) imagined receiving feedback from a teacher and completed surveys assessing their motivation, self-esteem, sociotropy, and connectedness with the teacher. The results showed that feedback expressing disappointment lowered students' self esteem compared to expressing pride and lowered students' motivation compared to near neutral feedback. Although sociotropy (i.e., dependence on others' approval) and teacher …

Ambulatory Blood Pressure Variability In Prediction Of Target Organ Injury: The Ship Ahoy Study, Coral D Hanevold, Jang Dong Seo, Stephen R Daniels, Bonita E Falkner, Michael A Ferguson, Joseph T Flynn, Julie R Ingelfinger, Philip R Khoury, Marc B Lande, Kevin E Meyers, Mark Mitsnefes, Joshua Samuels, Elaine M Urbina

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Ambulatory hypertension is associated with elevated left ventricular mass index (LVMI), cardiac dysfunction, and increased arterial stiffness in adolescents. Whether the addition of measures of BP variability improves the prediction of subclinical cardiovascular target organ damage (TOD) over mean BP measures is not known.

Methods: We assessed clinic and ambulatory BP (ABP), anthropometrics, and TOD in 397 adolescents. ABP means standard deviation (SD), BP, and heart rate (HR) dipping were calculated; coefficients of variability (CV) were calculated (SD/mean) to assess ABP variabilities. Measures of TOD included LVMI, left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), LV systolic shortening, LV diastolic function (e'/a'), and …

Thermally-Driven Equiaxation Of Columnar Grains And Α″ Nanoparticles Enabling Isotropic Β-Ti Alloys With Strength–Ductility Synergy Manufactured By Laser Powder Bed Fusion, Lei Qin, Shengfeng Zhou, Jianbo Jin, Huan Yang, Kunmao Li, Cheng Deng, Yujie Yuan, Lai-Chang Zhang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The transient thermal cycling characteristics during laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) induce elemental segregation and columnar growth, resulting in significant mechanical anisotropy and strength–ductility trade-off in titanium alloys. In order to break through this bottleneck, this work proposes a strategy of inducing equiaxation of columnar grains through recrystallization and regulating the morphology of the α″ phase (from an acicular shape to nanoparticles) to synergistically optimize the uniformity, strength and ductility of LPBF-fabricated Ti-35Nb-5Cu-xMo (Ti355x, x = 0, 1, 2, 4 wt%) alloys. The results demonstrate that LPBF-fabricated Ti355x alloys display equiaxed/columnar microstructures with significant mechanical anisotropy and strength–ductility trade-off. After …

Depression, Psychological Distress, And Coping Strategies Among African Migrants In Australia: A Cross-Sectional Web-Based Study, Uchechukwu Levi Osuagwu, Lillian Mwanri, Edith N. Botchway-Commey, David Chisanga, Agness Tembo, Nnaemeka Meribe, Kathomi Gatwiri, Obed Adonteng-Kissi, Kerrie P. Doyle, Frank Darkwa Baffour, Ahmed A. Moustafa

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: African migrants constitute a significant proportion of the Australian population. While migration and resettlement offer opportunities, the associated stressors may adversely affect the mental health and well-being of African migrants. This study explored, for the first time, the prevalence of depression and psychological distress among African migrants in Australia and the relationship between coping mechanisms and mental health outcomes. Methods: A web-based cross-sectional survey of adult African migrants in Australia was conducted between February and May 2022. Participants (N = 167) who did not have a refugee status who resided in Australia for at least 12 months were recruited …

Arithmetic And Necessity: A Quasi-Concrete Modal Structuralist Account, Benjamin Faltesek

Mathematics, Philosophy and Physics (D.Sc.) Dissertations

This dissertation addresses the necessity of arithmetic by distinguishing two tasks that are often run together: the derivation task, which seeks to prove that mathematical truths are necessary, and the characterization task, which asks what kind of necessity arithmetic has and what grounds it. Setting the former aside for now, I focus on the latter, arguing that an adequate explanation of arithmetical necessity requires two sources: logical necessity and the necessary possibility that the right kind of structure exists. The second source makes mathematical modality distinctively mathematical, and the dissertation’s positive contribution emerges chiefly in that area. I survey and …

Harnessing Digital Twin (Dt) Technology For Food Security And Climate Resilience In Sub-Saharan Africa (Ssa), Henri E.Z. Tonnang, Francis Chianu, Siyabusa Mkuhlani, Francis Muthoni, John Michael Humphries Choptiany, Franck B.N. Tonle, Bonoukpoe M. Sokame, Mercy Lung’Aho

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) faces chronic food insecurity despite possessing approximately 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land. Field trials generate evidence but are costly and insufficiently scaled to address accelerating climate and demographic pressures. Digital twin (DT) technology, defined as the continuous, bidirectional virtual replication of physical systems using real-time data, supports monitoring, modelling, and optimisation of agrifood systems. To our knowledge, however, no published synthesis has examined DT agriculture research through the lens of SSA food systems or smallholder farming realities. A PRISMA-compliant systematic review was conducted across bibliographic databases using a pre-defined Boolean search and adapted PICOS eligibility …