Digital Commons Network^™

Injuries In Children Undergoing Subspecialty Abuse Evaluations Because Of Intimate Partner Violence, M Katherine Henry, Gunjan Tiyyagura, Joanne N Wood, Jan Leonard, Kristine A Campbell, Daniel M Lindberg, Angela N Bachim, Farah W Brink, Lori D Frasier, Nancy S Harper, Claire Hickey, Natalie Laub, John D Melville, Hannah Sahud, Philip V Scribano

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background and objectives: Intimate partner violence (IPV) and child physical abuse often co-occur, but the frequency and risk factors for abusive injuries in IPV-exposed children remain unknown. Our objectives were to (1) determine frequency of skeletal surveys (SSs) and neuroimaging use because of IPV and their diagnostic value in children aged less than 24 months evaluated by a child abuse pediatrics specialist (CAP) and (2) identify factors associated with performance of and findings on SS and neuroimaging.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of children aged less than 24 months undergoing CAP consultations because of IPV exposure from February 2021 …

Case Report: Primed Dendritic Cell Immunotherapy For Multiple Solid Tumors, Jeffrey Jones, Aly Alrabaa, William Decker, Luis Ferbeyre, Gregorio Viramontes, Rafael Gonzalez, Elideth Angulo, Antonio Zamudio, Raul Hernandez, Stephen Noga, Susana Hernandez-Reyes, Paul Zhang, Darryl Smith, Ara Karamanian, Luis Tamara, Dalton Greenwood, Matthew Halpert

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Many patients with advanced solid tumors ultimately develop resistance to conventional therapies, with especially limited options for those experiencing rapid progression or poor performance status, highlighting the need for personalized immunotherapies capable of inducing durable responses. In this retrospective case series, we describe the clinical course and outcomes of five adults (4 male, 1 female; median age 51 years [range, 39-62]) with metastatic solid tumors who achieved complete and durable remission following doubly loaded autologous dendritic cell therapy after failure of standard treatments, such as immune checkpoint inhibition, radiation, surgery, or endocrine therapy. Five patients, including prostate adenocarcinoma (n=1), malignant …

Intercornual Distance And Postoperative Reproductive Outcomes In Moderate-To-Severe Intrauterine Adhesions: A Retrospective Cohort Study, Yifu He, Xingping Zhao, Huan Huang, Changfa Shu, Xiaoming Guan, Jia Guo, Dabao Xu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Study question: Does intercornual distance (ICD), as reflected by intrauterine stent size during hysteroscopic adhesiolysis, have an association with reproductive outcomes and provide information for postoperative risk stratification in women with moderate-to-severe intrauterine adhesions?

Summary answer: A smaller ICD was independently associated with a lower likelihood of clinical pregnancy within 1 year of the final hysteroscopy and may offer additional information for postoperative risk stratification in women with moderate-to-severe intrauterine adhesions.

What is known already: Reproductive outcomes following treatment for moderate-to-severe intrauterine adhesions vary considerably. Existing severity classifications offer limited discrimination within this group. The potential association between ICD and …

Non-Congenital Hsv-1 Keratitis In An Immunocompetent 9-Month-Old Infant, Caleb A Casanova, Stephanie Trejo Corona, Stephen F Pflugfelder

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Isolated, non-congenital herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) keratitis in immunocompetent infants is exceedingly rare and may be easily misdiagnosed, leading to delays in appropriate antiviral therapy. This case is unique in that it describes HSV-1 keratitis in a healthy 9-month-old infant presenting without systemic illness, initially treated as bacterial conjunctivitis. The patient presented with unilateral eye pain, redness, and corneal opacification. Subsequent evaluation revealed HSV-1 keratitis, and the patient was treated with intravenous acyclovir in combination with topical moxifloxacin and topical ganciclovir, resulting in complete resolution of symptoms within one week. This case adds to the limited literature on …

A Comparative Analysis Of The Sport Mental Health Assessment Tool (Smhat-1) Between Paediatric And Adult Olympic And Paralympic Athletes, Ashley N Triplett, Travis Anderson, Eric G Post, Jessica Bartley, Jeffrey S Shilt, Eric L Dugan, Amber Donaldson, Jonathan Finnoff, William M Adams

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objective: To determine if paediatric athletes exhibit differences in positive screenings on the Sport Mental Health Assessment Tool (SMHAT-1) compared with adults.

Methods: Team USA Olympic and Paralympic paediatric athletes ≤21 years (n=589; 58.8% female; age=19.5±1.7 years) completed the SMHAT-1 between January 2021 and September 2024. A comparative sample of Team USA adult athletes (n=493, 54.2% female; age=27.3±4.9 years) matched for sex and sport was randomly sampled, and the percentage of athletes with a positive screening on each questionnaire was calculated. χ2 analysis compared the proportion of positive screenings between paediatric and adult samples. Piecewise linear regression assessed the association …

The Rise Learning Theory: A New Paths-Way For Teaching Social Emotional Learning Curricula, Rebecca L. Demeo

Scripps Senior Theses

This study aims to look at the effectiveness of the Promoting Alternative THinking Strategies (PATHS) Social Emotional Learning curriculum when taught through the second and fourth principles of the RISE learning theory. The implementation will take effect within United States elementary schools, and consenting students will participate in the quasi-experimental design where classrooms will either be assigned to the control group, PATHS program taught as normal, or the experiment, PATHS taught with the RISE principles. During the study, participants will complete pre-experiment, post-experiment, and follow-up assessments to measure differences in mean scores of competence and application throughout the implementation. I …

Roots To Recovery: How Therapeutic Horticulture Can Heal Sexual Trauma, Fiona E. Larsen-Teskey

Scripps Senior Theses

Sexual assault is one of the most prevalent sources of trauma among females. While still requiring more research, therapeutic horticulture (TH), also known as gardening therapy, has so far shown promising results regarding trauma recovery. In this study, I seek to discover how TH can aid in female sexual assault recovery. To determine its impact, I will conduct a three-month experiment with two groups: those who receive cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and those who receive CBT plus TH. I will specifically measure three common side effects survivors face: dissociation, shame, and PTSD. These categories will be measured through surveys and …

Carrots, Not Sticks: A Contingency Management Model For Rural Methamphetamine Recovery, Ella House

Scripps Senior Theses

Rates of methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) have risen sharply across the United States, with rural Appalachia experiencing the steepest mortality increases. Contingency management (CM) is among the most effective treatments for stimulant use, yet implementation is constrained by cost, logistics, and clinician shortages. Utilizing digital CM platforms and peer recovery support specialists, who are central to addiction support in rural regions, may reduce these barriers. This thesis proposes a 16-week, three-arm randomized controlled trial (N ≈ 300) comparing: (1) Digital Abstinence CM Only (remote saliva toxicology and monetary vouchers for stimulant-negative tests); (2) Digital + Peer-Goal CM (digital abstinence-based CM …

Pervasive Policing: The Psychological Effects Of Overcriminalization Of Black And Latino Youth, Chloe Gonzalez

Scripps Senior Theses

Recent years have brought increased awareness to the discriminatory treatment of Black and Latino individuals by the police, but a gap in the literature remains at the intersection of the study of criminalization and psychology. The proposed study will attempt to bridge this gap by investigating the extent to which the overcriminalization of Black and Latino high schoolers contributes to the internalization of racialized stereotypes and the development of depressive symptoms. The research will implement a correlational approach combining quantitative and qualitative methods to gather data from a sample of Black and Latino high schoolers ages 14 to 18. Participants …

Doikayt And The Ethics Of Belonging: Lessons In Place-Making From The Jewish Labor Bund, Zoë L. Jacobs

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis traces the evolution of doikayt—the Bundist principle of hereness—from its origins in the Jewish Labor Bund to contemporary applications in North America. Rooted in a refusal of both assimilation and nationalist escape, doikayt emphasizes cultivating safety, solidarity, and belonging through collective responsibility rather than territorial claims.

Building on this foundation, the exploration situates hereness within a settler-colonial context, where ethical dwelling is complicated by Indigenous dispossession. Drawing on Alexis Shotwell alongside Indigenous thinkers Vanessa Watts and Kyle Whyte, I examine how inhabiting place requires confronting historical injustices and ongoing relational responsibilities. Chapter 3 analyzes Linke Fligl (2016–2022) as …

Art Therapy’S Effect On The Social And Emotional Skills Of Children With Autism: A Naturalized Parent Mediated Design, Abigail Adell

Scripps Senior Theses

This study examines the effect of art therapy on the social and emotional skills of children with autism. Using sensitive design and language, participants will take the CARS2 and ADOS-2 and then undergo an eight-week art therapy program. Families will attend weekly training sessions at the autism center their child already attends for eight consecutive weeks, with each session lasting approximately 90 minutes. Parents will implement the assigned art activity at home five times per week between training sessions, with each home session lasting fifteen to twenty minutes. The program uses a naturalized parent-mediated design so topics and projects can …

Boredom And Creativity: The Effects Of Unstructured Play Versus Screen Time On Creative Performance, Vivienne J. Swenson

Scripps Senior Theses

Children today spend increasing amounts of time engaged with digital media, raising questions about how screens may displace developmental experiences that support creativity. Although research suggests that unstructured play and even mild boredom can facilitate divergent thinking, few studies have directly compared unstructured, self-directed play with passive screen use in early childhood. The present study proposes an experimental design to examine whether 20 minutes of unstructured play leads to higher creativity scores on the Thinking Creatively in Action and Movement (TCAM) than an equivalent period of passive screen engagement among children ages 3–5. Using matched-group assignment based on demographic, cognitive, …

Bilingual Beginnings: Expressive Language And Socio-Emotional Development In Early Childhood, Molly C. Mccormick

Scripps Senior Theses

Although research on bilingualism has expanded rapidly in recent years, the majority focuses on cognitive advantages or receptive vocabulary, or the words children understand. Far less attention has been given to how expressive language, the words children produce, and its potential role as the mechanism linking bilingual exposure to socio-emotional development. Although dual-language learners sometimes appear to have relatively limited expressive vocabularies in one language, these differences tend to reflect patterns of language use and input quality rather than true developmental delays. Even so, temporary differences in expressive skills can be especially meaningful during children’s formative years, when they rely …

Resilience As A Pathway From Openness To Eustress In College Students, Karis H. Choi

Scripps Senior Theses

College students experience high levels of stress, yet not all stress leads to negative outcomes. This study examines how personality and coping resources contribute to eustress—a positive, motivating form of stress—by investigating whether resilience mediates the relationship between openness to experience and eustress. Undergraduate participants completed baseline measures of openness and resilience before engaging in either a high-demand mental arithmetic task or a low-demand control task. Following the task, participants reported their emotional and behavioral responses using the Measure of Emotional, Physical, and Behavioral Markers of Eustress and Distress (MEDS). Consistent with expectations, individuals higher in openness were predicted to …

Exploring The Moderating Role Of Ethnic Identity In Asian American Multi-Ethnic Youths’ Sense Of Purpose And Life Satisfaction, Grace Cheung

Scripps Senior Theses

The rapid increase of interracial and interethnic families globally creates a need for researchers to understand the unique experiences and development of multi-ethnic youths’ sense of identity and purpose as they relate to well-being. Emerging research in Asian American psychology also suggests the urgency and need to reexamine the experiences of individual ethnic groups. The current study will examine the moderating role of ethnic identity in Asian American multi-ethnic youths’ sense of purpose and life satisfaction through a mixed methods approach that includes an online survey followed by an interview for a subgroup of participants. Anticipated results will show how …

An Analysis Of Eating Disorders As A Comorbidity Of Autoimmune Diseases, Madeleine Shore

Scripps Senior Theses

For many autoimmune disease patients, psychiatric conditions are a common comorbidity. Although there are many shared mechanisms between autoimmune disease and psychiatric conditions, current research surrounding mental health among autoimmune disease patients often focuses on mood disorders rather than eating disorders. Despite the high risk for developing psychiatric conditions, most autoimmune disease patients are not screened for eating disorders. This lack of screening is significant, because if an eating disorder is missed by a healthcare provider, the autoimmune or eating disorder condition could be exacerbated, resulting in severe illness or even fatality. Given an existing link between comorbid psychiatric disorders, …

Effects Of Teacher Training On Identifying Inattentive Type Adhd In Afab Students, Gabrielle A. Boles

Scripps Senior Theses

Teachers are more likely to detect hyperactive ADHD symptoms than inattentive ones, which often results in students, especially girls with inattentive symptoms, being under-referred (Willcut, 2012). This study evaluates whether a targeted, inattentive-focused, and gender responsive teacher training reduces gendered and symptom-based biases in referral decisions. K-5 teachers will be randomly assigned to receive either standard general ADHD identification training or an inattentive-focused, gender-responsive training, and will then be asked to review vignettes depicting children with hyperactive and inattentive symptoms, with varying student genders. Referral accuracy and knowledge of ADHD will be measured. Training condition, symptom presentation, and student gender …

Assessing Diagnostic Overshadowing For Co-Occurring Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd) And Eating Disorders (Ed), Eden Sweet

Scripps Senior Theses

Significant behavioral overlaps in feeding patterns are observed among individuals with eating disorders (EDs) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). These behavioral similarities can blur diagnostic boundaries, contribute to diagnostic overshadowing, and consequently increase the risk of misdiagnosis and the implementation of ineffective treatment approaches. The proposed study addresses the risk of diagnostic overshadowing as it relates to the ambiguous distinction between autism-driven feeding behaviors and clinically significant eating disorders (ED) within the autistic population. Although the literature has acknowledged behavioral similarities between ASD and EDs, limited research has systematically examined how they impact diagnostic practices and influence the likelihood of …

Lights, Camera, Aggression!: Exploring The Relationship Between The Horror Genre And Criminality, Taylor M. Wanke

Scripps Senior Theses

This proposed correlational study will examine the effect of exposure and involvement with the horror genre in media and the crime genre in media on one’s antisocial personality traits, criminal thinking, criminal behavior/aggression, and morality in the general population and those who are currently incarcerated. Data will be collected through a Qualtrics survey accessed online for the general sample and printed out for the incarcerated sample. Each participant will complete exposure checklists, involvement scales for each genre, and multiple measures to record their level of each dependent variable. Data will be analyzed using a correlational analysis, 1-sample t-tests, and a …

The Dunning-Kruger Effect In Sixth Grade Adolescents: Improving Metacognition For Self-Regulated Learning, Julie H. Chen

Scripps Senior Theses

The Dunning-Kruger (DK) effect is a cognitive bias where low-performing individuals overestimate their own abilities, and top-performing individuals underestimate their own abilities relative to their peers. The purpose of this proposed study is to investigate the DK effect in sixth grade adolescents and to use metacognition as an intervention to improve self-assessment calibrations. This study will investigate adolescents in Piaget’s formal operational stage, aiming to improve metacognition levels. The study will occur over 12 weeks, and participants will be given a preparation handbook with or without metacognition activities for the purpose of preparing for the California Assessment of Student Performance …

The Economics Of Accountability: Learning From German Holocaust Reparations, Grace I. Gates

Scripps Senior Theses

Drawing on microdata from the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe, this study compares European Holocaust survivors who received reparations with similar Europeans who did not. It finds that, decades on, recipients are not systematically better or worse off on core outcomes like life satisfaction, savings, and debt. This is consistent with the argument that reparations restore parity rather than create new advantages. Where differences emerge, they point to stabilization in more vulnerable settings (e.g., lower likelihood of high debt in parts of Eastern Europe). The main takeaway from effective reparations is applicable to the United States debate: …

Mindfulness As A Potential Facilitator Of Self-Forgiveness?, Isabella S. Lindsay Castelli

Scripps Senior Theses

Despite clinicians’ attestation to self-forgiveness’ relevance in clinical practice, as well as research suggesting its positive relationship to well-being, most clinicians are not familiar with models for facilitating self-forgiveness. The present study draws on theoretical overlap between mindfulness theory and three prominent models of the self-forgiveness process, as well as empirical research showing a positive association between dispositional mindfulness and dispositional self-forgiveness. Participants were adults in the United States, randomly assigned to a mindfulness exercise or control (progressive muscle relaxation exercise). Participants were asked to think of a transgression they committed, report their self-forgiveness for that transgression, and retake the …

The Silent Language Of Trauma: Defendant Behavior, Juror Bias, And Expert Testimony, Jensen Goldman

Scripps Senior Theses

Trauma can profoundly influence behavioral presentation, yet jurors often rely on demeanor as a diagnostic cue for guilt, credibility, and remorse. Such reliance poses risks within a legal system that seldom equips jurors to interpret trauma related behaviors accurately. The proposed study will examine how two trauma-linked affective presentations– overemotionality and flat affect– shape juror perceptions of credibility and guilt, and whether expert psychological testimony about trauma-related affect can mitigate these biases. Online survey participants will read one of five trial vignettes with varying defendant conditions (flat affect vs. overemotional) and varying expert testimony conditions (present or not present) and …

Implementing Climate Remedies, Camila Bustos

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

Climate change litigation has emerged as a powerful tool for addressing the climate crisis, particularly in the face of executive and legislative inaction. Across jurisdictions, courts have issued landmark decisions mandating stronger mitigation targets and recognizing rights-based claims against governments and corporations. While recent scholarship has examined the trends, legal theories, and broader effects of this relatively new phenomenon, it has primarily focused on bringing and winning legal challenges. Less attention has been paid to a crucial phase: the implementation and enforcement of judicial rulings. A deeper understanding of how climate remedies are implemented can provide valuable insights for climate …

From Passive To Powerful: Creating Engaging Resident-As-Teacher Modules, Anna E Rueda, Stephanie V Sherman, Sherita J Love, Glenn C Bridges, Wesley A Mayer, Mark J Harbott, Teri L Turner, Bani M Ratan

Faculty and Staff Publications

Background: We aimed to design, implement, and evaluate three novel institutional resident-as-teacher (RAT) e-modules for postgraduate year (PGY) 1, 2, and 3 and compare them to previously utilized online trainings.

Methods: We utilized PICRAT, a model examining both students' relationship with technology (passive, interactive, creative) and instructors' use of technology (replaces, amplifies, or transforms) to create interactive experiences that amplified teaching methodologies. We compared evaluations of the previous and new trainings with an unpaired t test. New modules were assessed with one-way analysis of variance for specialty-based acceptability and content analysis of two open-ended questions.

Results: Response rates averaged 93.2% …

Discordant Molecular Biomarkers In Unfavorable Intermediate-Risk Localized Prostate Cancer, Michael Rooney, Krishnan R Patel, Shalin Shah, Justin R Gregg, Steven Jay Frank, Karen Hoffman, Ryan Park, Comron J Hassanzadeh, Seungtaek Choi, Sean Mcguire, Quynh-Nhu Nguyen, Daniel N Costa, Patricia Troncoso, Sumit K Subudhi, Shuang George Zhao, Curtis A Pettaway, Paul Corn, Chad Tang, Phuoc T Tran

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

A Rare Case Of Eosinophilic Granulomatosis With Polyangiitis Following Development Of Central Diabetes Insipidus: A Case Report And Literature Review, Tatsuaki Kosaka, Shinya Yamamoto, Naoko Yasugi, Sayaka Sugioka, Takuro Hakata, Rintaro Saito, Ryosuke Hiwa, Sho Koyasu, Yuki Teramoto, Motoko Yanagita

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Central diabetes insipidus (CDI) can develop as an acquired systemic disease. However, cases of eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) with concurrent CDI are rare. We herein report a case of EGPA following CDI. A 68-year-old woman with a 30-year history of sinusitis and asthma developed CDI, followed by severe renal dysfunction with eosinophilia and elevated myeloperoxidase-antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody levels. A renal biopsy confirmed EGPA. Intensive treatment resulted in dialysis discontinuation, while partial improvement in arginine vasopressin secretion suggested a potential link between EGPA and CDI. We also conducted a literature review on concurrent EGPA and CDI. Clinicians should be aware …

Polysemicolon; Novice Programmers And Java Keywords, Briana C. Bettin

Michigan Tech Publications

Most industrial programming languages leverage the English language for reserved keywords – words which a program compiler recognizes as specific execution commands. The divide between expert and novice programmers showcases an intriguing middle-ground by which the polysemy of many keywords becomes revealed. This essay explores a sampling of the multitude of keyword interpretations that a novice programmer may derive from the Java language’s syntactic style and keywords specifically, and how the polysemy of both “English” and “code” meanings to these terms affects the novice-expert programmer transition.The transition from novice to expert, and the mapping of the career of metaphor to …

Smart City And Smart Tourism Destinations: A Look At Split, Croatia, Bj Fletcher, Saša Drezgić, Molly Schnoke

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

This case study was a multi-institutional collaborative effort shaped by interdisciplinary expertise including people and tools. Led by the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Rijeka, Croatia, the team includes researchers from the University of Illinois at Springfield (USA) and Cleveland State University (USA). The research team conducted a site visit of the city of Split between June 12-14, 2025. The visit included field observations, in-person interviews with local officials; informal meetings and conversations with varying experts and residents; examination and documentation of field visit sites; and review of strategies, plans and publicly available information.

Researchers utilized …

Large Language Models For Neurology: A Mini Review, Donald C. Wunsch, Daniel B. Hier

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Large language models have the potential to transform neurology by augmenting diagnostic reasoning, streamlining documentation, and improving workflow efficiency. This Mini Review surveys emerging applications of large language models in Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and epilepsy, with emphasis on ambient documentation, multimodal data integration, and clinical decision support. Key barriers to adoption include bias, privacy, reliability, and regulatory alignment. Looking ahead, neurology-focused language models may develop greater fluency in biomedical ontologies and FHIR standards, improving data interoperability and supporting more seamless collaboration between clinicians and AI systems. Two future developments have the potential to be particularly impactful: (1) …