Digital Commons Network^™

Soft-Chemical Scalable One-Pot Aqueous-Medium Synthesis Of Na3(Vo)2(Po4)2f-Based Cathodes: Compositional Tuning And Electrochemical Performance In Na- And Li-Ion Batteries, Prashanth Sandineni, Subal Chandra Manna, Sutapa Bhattacharya, Santhoshkumar Sundaramoorthy, Ramesh Deokate, Milad Aghayi-Anaraki, George E. Sterbinsky, Kartik Ghosh, Amitava Choudhury

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

One of the most important cathode materials for Na-ion batteries, Na₃(VO)₂(PO₄)₂F, and its compositional variants have been synthesized using four different and facile one-step soft chemical routes. The as-synthesized compounds, Na_2.95(VO)₂(PO₄)₂F (I), Na_2.93(VO)₂(PO₄)₂F (II), and Na_2.58(VO)₂(PO₄)₂F (IV), crystallize in the tetragonal crystal system in the P4₂/mnm space group, while Na₃(VO)₂(PO₄)₂F (III) crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal system in …

Governance By Numbers And The Architecture Of Anxiety A Human-Capital Efficiency Analysis In Global Higher Education, Sukanya Kemp

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

There has been a movement of global university rankings from the margins to the center of higher education governance. These metrics are now treated as external performance indicators in institutional strategy formation. In this dissertation an Architecture of Anxiety created by these rankings was explored, specifically examining how ranking volatility functions as a signal of environmental uncertainty and resource risk. To bypass the Transparency Barrier inherent in global financial data, given the effects of internal political considerations on data reporting, a human-capital-centered approach was adopted. By utilizing academic staff full-time equivalents (FTE) as the primary analytical input, universities were reframed …

Evaluating Multi-Year Transferability Of Single- And Multi-Class Machine Learning For Remote Monitoring Of Beaver-Engineered Landscapes, Harris J. Sloan

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Long-term satellite image archives enable ecological monitoring at large scales, but manual extraction of fine-grained features (e.g., beaver dams) remains time-consuming. Machine learning models may automate these tasks, but their temporal transferability for multiannual monitoring is still poorly resolved.

We evaluated the performance of two complementary neural-network frameworks across a 100,000-hectare watershed in Montana USA, using a decade of satellite imagery (2014-2024): (i) a single-class ResNet-50 beaver dam detector, and (ii) a multi-class ResU-Net landcover classifier.

In 2024, the dam detector identified 352 of 404 mapped dams, achieving balanced accuracy = 93.6%, precision = 79.8%, recall = 87.1%, F1 = …

Relevance Between Strict Liability Theory And Banking Crimes In The Transfer Of Customer Funds: Negligence And Intent, Astrid Athina Indradewi, Evi Kongres, Ananda Chrisna D. Panjaitan, Evelyn Hutami Gunawarman

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This article discusses the relevance of the Strict Liability theory to banking crimes in the transfer of customer funds involving elements of negligence as well as intent committed by bank managers. Strict liability places responsibility on the perpetrator without the need to prove fault, but rather by establishing a causal relationship between the act and the harm. In the context of civil law, Articles 1365 and 1367 of the Indonesian Civil Code recognize a form of liability resembling this concept through the mechanism of vicarious liability, whereby the bank as employer may be held liable for the unlawful acts of …

Age-Related Hearing Loss Involves Mitochondrial Dna Instability And Copy Number Depletion In The Cochlea: Insights From In Vivo And In Vitro Models, Akil Turner, Bo Ding, Xiaoxia Zhu, Tam Nguyen, Parveen Bazard, Robert D. Frisina

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is a highly prevalent sensory neurodegenerative disorder that involves various molecular mechanisms. The present study investigated if age-related oxidative stress (OS) induces alterations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number and heteroplasmy, using complementary in vivo and in vitro models. Aged (30-month) CBA/CaJ mice have elevated auditory brainstem response (ABR) thresholds amplitudes vs. young (3-month) CBA/CaJ mice, a key physiological characteristic of ARHL The in vitro experiments employed the strial SV-K1 cochlear cell line treated with hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). Both the aged cochleae and H₂O₂-treated cells exhibited a significant …

Insights Of Quantitative Imaging And Instantaneous Heat Transfer Coefficient Measurement In Spouted Bed Column, Hasan A. Abdulwahab, Abbas J. Sultan, Amer A. Abdulrahman, Haydar A.S. Aljaafari, Ali A. Yahya, Zahraa W. Hasan, Malik M. Mohammed, Laith S. Sabri, Bashar J. Kadhim, Jamal M. Ali, Muthanna H. Al-Dahhan

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this study, the heat transfer behavior of a conical spouted bed column was imaged for the first time across its entire cross-sectional area and at multiple axial heights. To achieve this, a custom-built quantitative imaging approach was developed. This method combined FluxTeq heat flux sensors with an Arduino-based data acquisition system. The experimental setup enabled instantaneous, spatially resolved measurements of surface temperature, heat flux, and local heat transfer coefficients (LHTC) under various operating conditions. Measurements at different radial locations, angles, and heights provided a comprehensive view of heat transfer behavior throughout the column. The obtained cross-sectional images show that …

Relationships Between Smartphone Use, Mental Health, And Personality, Christina M. Frederick, Gabriel Fredrich

Publications

The present study examined how patterns of smartphone use relate to mental health and personality variables. Ninety-four individuals reported information from their iPhones on pick-ups and screen time, as well as completing a measure of depression, anxiety and stress, and a short personality test. Higher numbers of iPhone pick-ups related to lower levels of depression, anxiety, and stress, but also to lower levels of emotional stability. Greater phone usage may correlate with mental health concerns but also raises new questions about how smart phone use patterns might help to lessen feelings of anxiety, depression or stress in users. This study …

External Validation Of A Knowledge-Based Clinical Toxicology Consultant For Diagnosing Single Exposures, Hugo Lerogeron, Joel D. Schipper, Jay L. Schauben, Laurent Guéguen, Valentine Lacotte, Kim An Nguyen

Publications

Introduction

Clinical prediction models assist healthcare providers in estimating disease likelihood using multiple patient-specific factors. While these models are increasingly used, few undergo the essential process of external validation, which limits their clinical utility. In toxicology, timely diagnosis is crucial and expertise scarce, making knowledge-based systems an excellent choice to support medical decision making. A knowledge-based system developed using data from the Florida Poison Information Center Network has shown promise but lacks external validation. This study aims to evaluate its performance using data from the Lyon Poison Information Center to assess its generalizability

Methods

To externally validate the Florida diagnostic …

Ai Is For Alma Implementation: Evolution Of Finding Ex Libris Documentation, James M. Day

Publications

Those of us who administer the Ex Libris Alma Library Services Platform for our institutions often need help with procedures for configuring or customizing Alma and its related applications: Alma-D, Leganto, Rapido, Primo, Summon, Analytics, etc. The way we have done this has evolved over the years. This paper reviews how methods for finding Ex Libris documentation online have changed, even as older methods are still in use today.

Artificial intelligence chatbots are changing the way we access information, including software application help. A recent Alma implementation project at my university provided the perfect opportunity to put a new, fully …

Alpacas: An Evaluation Methodology For No- Or Low-Cost Course Materials, Heather Leonard

Publications

Evaluating no- or low-cost course materials is a key concern for those supporting affordable learning initiatives. This article will review the current needs of researchers in no- or low-cost course material, the methods currently available to guide them, and a new method I have designed to specifically address needs that current methods cannot. This method, ALPACAS (Apt, License, Provenance, Accurate, Currency, Authority, and Sources), combines insights from several other well-known methods to assist librarians, course designers, and instructors in finding appropriate no- or low-cost course materials. For each item in ALPACAS, I will break down why it is important and …

Stop-Falling A Checklist Tool For Fall Prevention In A Long-Term Care Nursing Facility, Latoya Shirley

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Practice Innovation Projects

Background: Falls are common among the elderly population. Falls affect not only residents but also staff in long-term care facilities (LTCFs). Approximately one in three individuals aged 65 years or older will have a fall within a year. As the population ages, the incidence of falls continues to rise globally. Falls, overall, have a significant and widespread impact on the overall health and wellbeing of individuals, leading to increased hospitalizations, rehabilitation, reduced quality of life, and increased mortality. 
Evidence Summary: Multifactorial fall prevention programs have proven to be effective in reducing falls when implemented in various settings, such as clinics, …

Differentiation Of Cell Populations In Saliva-Skin Mixtures Using Autofluorescence Profiling, Kara Fairfax

Master of Science in Forensic Science Directed Research Projects

While DNA profiling of sexual assault evidence can identify biological contributors, determining the tissue source of recovered profiles remains a significant challenge, particularly in cases of suspected oral assault involving mixtures of epithelial cells. The initial goal of this study was to identify non-genetic signatures for differentiating two types of epithelial cells relevant to oral assaults, saliva epithelial cells and epidermal skin cells. To develop tissue-specific signatures, reference cell populations from saliva and epidermal skin surfaces were collected from 20 donors and analyzed using full spectrum flow cytometry.

Results from single-source reference samples showed that saliva-derived particle populations exhibited higher …

Impact Of Prostate Cancer Tumor Microenvironment On Alternative Splicing Landscapes In Nk Cells: An Lncap-Based In Vitro Model, Pratham N. Modi

Honors Undergraduate Theses

NK cells play a significant role in anti-tumor activity, yet the transcriptomic mechanisms underlying NK cell dysfunction in the prostate cancer tumor microenvironment remain generally poorly characterized. While most transcriptomic studies focus on gene-level expression, alternative splicing and isoform-level analysis may reveal additional levels of regulation not identified in traditional analysis. The overall goal of this study was to characterize gene and isoform-level changes in NK cells exposed to in vitro prostate cancer conditions and to evaluate whether isoform-level analysis could provide additional depth and insights beyond gene-level analyses. NK92-MI cells were co-cultured with LNCaP prostate cancer cells using direct-contact …

Illuminating Those Who Lurk In The Shadows: An Examination Of The Use Of Psychological Profiling In Identifying Violent Criminals In The Modern Age, Skylar R. Holmes

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study examines the role of psychological profiling in apprehending violent criminals. Psychological profiling involves analyzing behavioral patterns at crime scenes, exploring the relationships between victims, and identifying characteristics and tendencies of offenders. It is currently used by many law enforcement agencies across the country to narrow down a pool of potential suspects and direct researchers, making the most of the limited manpower available. There is, however, a significant limitation in the literature and available evidence that suggests its tenets may be based on intuition and anecdotal evidence purported by investigators, subject to internal bias and thus should not be …

An Investigation Of The Impact Of Gender And Race On The Stigmatization Of Borderline Personality Disorder, Joshua Samet

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Stigma surrounding mental health reduces treatment-seeking behaviors and can worsen symptoms. Research on stigma surrounding borderline personality disorder (BPD) has shown that race and gender can impact the nature of the stigma associated with the disorder; however, less is known about the interaction between the two. This study investigated if stigma varies when considering both the race and gender of the stigmatized individual simultaneously. 218 undergraduate students read one of four vignettes describing either a Black male, White male, Black female, or White female, then completed the Attribution Questionnaire-20 (AQ-20) stigma scale. The results indicate that there is a statistically …

Variability In Parainfluenza Virus Derived From Persistently Infected Lung Epithelial Cells, Cassidy R. Conte

Honors Undergraduate Theses

An acute infection (AI) with RNA virus can progress to a persistent infection (PI) where infected cells continue to grow and replicate while producing progeny virions. PIs with respiratory viruses are clinically important, as they can lead to prolonged shedding of viruses and generation of mutant viruses that are altered in pathogenesis and/or immune responses. Parainfluenza type 5 (PIV5) is a prototypic RNA virus shown to cause PIs in cell culture. Plaques in tissue culture from an acute infection with parental PIV5 were homogeneous in size and shape. By contrast, plaques from PIV5 persistently infected cells were heterogeneous, having a …

Perceptions, Expectations, And Attitudes About Adolescent Telepsychiatry Among Indian American Family Caregivers, Udayvir Jalf

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Adolescent mental health concerns have risen sharply in the United States. The COVID-19 pandemic marked a significant turning point in mental health care access, with telehealth having become a central mode of care delivery. With adolescent telehealth, caregiver involvement has shown to improve treatment adherence and outcomes. Little is known, however, about how Indian American caregivers experience and navigate their adolescent’s virtual mental health care. This qualitative study investigated the perceptions, expectations, and attitudes of Indian American family caregivers regarding adolescent telepsychiatry and caregivers’ involvement. In depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with Indian American caregivers of adolescents who completed at …

Factors Related To Deviant Behavior, Chiara S. Popp

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Understanding the factors that contribute to deviant behavior across the life span remains an important goal in psychology and criminology. Guided by life course theory, the present study examined whether childhood trauma, social connectedness, perceived childhood socioeconomic status, and key life transitions are associated with deviant behavior in adulthood. The purpose of this research was to better understand how early life experiences and social relationships may shape behavioral outcomes later in life. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with adult participants in the United States, aged 18 to 55. Participants completed measures assessing adverse childhood experiences, perceived childhood socioeconomic status, …

Industrial And Organizational Psychology Researchers’ Positive And Negative Experiences With The Peer-Review Process, Alexa Weaver

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Peer review plays a critical role in advancing the field of psychology; however, limited empirical research has examined psychologists’ experiences with the peer review process. The present study investigated both positive and negative peer review experiences among industrial and organizational (I/O) psychologists and assessed the prevalence of specific reviewer behaviors. A two-phase survey design was administered via Qualtrics. Study 1 employed open-ended questions to identify recurring themes in researchers’ experiences with peer review. Thematic analysis revealed distinct positive and negative patterns of reviewer behavior, which informed the development of Study 2.

Study 2 quantitatively assessed the prevalence of behaviors associated …

Do Comments And Expertise Still Matter? An Experiment On Programmers’ Adoption Of Ai-Generated Javascript Code, Changwen Li, Christoph Treude, Ofir Turel

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This paper investigates the factors influencing programmers’ adoption of AI-generated JavaScript code recommendations within the context of lightweight, function-level programming tasks. It extends prior research by (1) utilizing objective (as opposed to the typically self-reported) measurements for programmers’ adoption of AI-generated code and (2) examining whether AI-generated comments added to code recommendations and development expertise drive AI-generated code adoption. We tested these potential drivers in an online experiment with 173 programmers. Participants were asked to answer some questions to demonstrate their level of development expertise. Then, they were asked to solve a LeetCode problem without AI support. After attempting to …

Decreasing Hospital Acquired Pressure Injuries Through A Multi-Intervention Approach: A Quality Improvement Project, Kendra D. Crawford

DNP Scholarly Projects

BACKGROUND: Hospital acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) continue to plague hospitals across the country. HAPIs are an indication of the quality of care delivered by the hospital’s nursing workforce. These injuries are costly to organizations and can lead to increased length of stay (LOS). The development of a HAPI, depending on severity, is a reportable injury and is classified as patient harm. Patients who suffer from HAPIs can experience significant pain and at times, permanent disfigurement. This project’s focus is a community hospital that has seen a steady increase in HAPIs over the last 2 years. During 2025, 28% of the …

Improving Confidence In Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists In Providing Care For Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacements, Justin Alley

DNP Scholarly Projects

Abstract

Title: Improving Confidence in Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists in Providing Care for Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacements (TAVR)

Background: Anesthesia staffing for complex, high-risk procedures like Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacements (TAVR) is challenging due to a national shortage of anesthesia providers and the company's heavy reliance on non-permanent (locum tenens and 1099) Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs). At this TAVR procedure location, 70% of the team is comprised of non-permanent staff. A lack of specialized training and experience in TAVR procedures led to a decrease in provider confidence and staffing shortages for these critical cases.

Purpose: The primary …

Succession Planning As A Tool For Nursing Recruitment, Retention, And Resilience, Natalie Kennett

DNP Scholarly Projects

Background: Healthcare is facing a significant nursing shortage. This shortage not only impacts bedside nurses but also nurse leaders. Succession planning is a method for recruiting, retaining, and building resilience among nurse leaders.

Purpose: This quality improvement project applied principles of succession planning, including leadership education, training, and assessment of leadership retention and resilience.

Methods: Two interventions were implemented in this quality improvement project. The first was an assessment of a modification in nursing leadership organizational structure that was made in 2024 with the purpose of improving succession planning. This evaluation was completed with the use of …

Reducing School Absenteeism In Children With Avoidance Behaviors, Kimberly Carey

DNP Scholarly Projects

Background: Chronic absenteeism and school avoidance are a problem facing schools across the nation following the COVID-19 pandemic. Chronic absenteeism is financially, emotionally, and academically expensive for society. Purpose: This quality improvement project aimed to decrease absences by 50% over a 6-week timeframe when compared to the same timeframe from the previous year. Methods: Utilizing a Plan-Do-Study-Act framework, an intervention based on tracking multi-day consecutive absences and reaching out to families to provide education and support was implemented. At three days of absence, the school nurse would either call the family for absence with unknown etiology or email with an …

Integrating Brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Into Telepsychiatry: A Professional Development Model For Pmhnps, Catherine A. Roberts

DNP Scholarly Projects

Background: Mental illnesses remain among the most prevalent health conditions in the United States, affecting approximately 23% or nearly one in five adults in 2025 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2025); National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH], 2024a). Despite this high prevalence, only 50.6% of adults living with mental health disorders receive treatment (NIMH, 2024a); although the expansion of telepsychiatry has improved access to mental healthcare, medication-management visits are frequently brief and primarily focused on pharmacotherapy thereby limiting opportunities for delivery of psychotherapeutic interventions. This limitation highlights the need for structured, evidence-based psychotherapeutic approaches that can be …

Improving Psychiatric Paraprofessional Preparedness Through Mental Health First Aid Training In An Outpatient Mental Health Clinic, Anisha Hampton

DNP Scholarly Projects

BACKGROUND: Paraprofessional staff in outpatient mental health clinics play a critical role in monitoring clients with serious mental illness (SMI) and supporting continuity of care in community-based settings. However, the absence of standardized training contributes to variability in staff knowledge, confidence, and ability to recognize early signs of mental health deterioration. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is an evidence-based training designed to improve mental health literacy and crisis response skills among frontline workers.

METHODS: This quality improvement project utilized a pre-post design within a Plan-DoStudy-Act (PDSA) framework at an outpatient mental health clinic. Paraprofessional staff completed the Mental Health Literacy …

Supporting Clinical Readiness And Well-Being In New Graduate Nurses: A Scoping Review, Angela Cyr Msn, Rn, Rnc-Nic, Npd, Bc

MaineHealth Maine Medical Center

Objectives: To map and synthesize current evidence on orientation strategies that integrate clinical and psychosocial support for newly licensed nurses, with a focus on first-year retention outcomes.

From Evidence To Action: Optimizing Ards Care In The Icu, Amy Stafford Dnp, Aprn, Ccns

MaineHealth Maine Medical Center

Objectives

• Define ARDS using historical and current diagnostic criteria

• Explain the pathophysiology of ARDS and its impact on lung mechanics, including compliance, driving pressure, and recruitable lung

• Recognize limitations of common monitoring tools, including pulse oximetry, and incorporate this into clinical decision-making

• Apply evidence-based management strategies for ARDS, including lung protective ventilation, PEEP optimization, proning, and adjunctive therapies

• Analyze clinical case scenarios to make decisions related to ventilator management, oxygenation strategies, and escalation of care

Manufacturing And Performance Evaluation Of Carbon/Epoxy Laminated Composites Cured Using Single- And Six-Magnetron Microwave Applications, Nayan Pundhir

Doctoral Dissertations

Microwave curing is fast, energy-efficient, and a viable alternative to conventional thermal curing processes. It has been widely adopted for processing carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites because the high electrical conductivity of carbon fibers enables strong microwave coupling, leading to rapid volumetric heating and reduced energy consumption. The aim of this study is to investigate the use of microwave curing for manufacturing CFRP composites. IM7/Cycom 5320-1 unidirectional prepreg was utilized to fabricate laminated composites in two thickness ranges: 16-layer laminates (2.5 mm thickness) and 64-layer laminates (9.2 mm thickness). Two lay-up configurations were examined: symmetric cross-ply and quasi-isotropic. Different curing …

Adaptive Machine Learning Framework For Microstructural Optimization And Mechanical Performance Prediction In Steels, Henry Adekola Haffner

Doctoral Dissertations

Evolution of microstructures, such as polygonal ferrite, acicular ferrite, bainite, and martensite, plays a pivotal role in determining the final microstructural and mechanical properties of steel products. Given the established inter-relationship between processing parameters, microstructure, properties, and performance, precise control of phase transformation is essential to achieve pre-determined properties. To understand transformation routes in different steel grades, time-temperature-transformation (TTT) and continuous-cooling-transformation (CCT) diagrams are necessary and can be described using the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami-Kolmogorov equation and Scheil’s additivity rule. This study presents a comprehensive computational framework for predicting and optimizing microstructure and mechanical properties in advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) using adaptive machine …