Digital Commons Network^™

Enhancing Patient Satisfaction Through A Telehealth -Enabled Post-Discharge Follow-Up Program In An Adult Medical-Surgical Unit, Helen T. Idowu, Helen Temitope Idowu

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Abstract

Purpose: This quality improvement (QI) project evaluated the effectiveness of a telehealth-enabled post-discharge follow-up program in improving patient satisfaction among adult medical–surgical patients discharged following arteriovenous (AV) fistula placement.

Background: Ineffective communication during transitional care contributes to poor patient understanding, decreased confidence in self-management, and lower patient satisfaction. Internal organizational data identified a baseline satisfaction rate of 55%, demonstrating the need for a structured post-discharge intervention.

Methodology: A 12-week QI initiative was conducted using the Plan–Do–Study–Act framework. Registered nurses completed standardized telehealth follow-up calls within 24–48 hours of discharge to reinforce discharge education, assess symptoms, and address patient …

Implementing An Evidence-Based Wound Care Protocol For Inpatient End-Of-Life Residents That Aligns With Hospice Comfort Care Goals, Oge C. Okeke, Oge C. Okeke

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Abstract uploaded

Teaching Primary And Secondary Computing: A Comparative Study Of Classroom Practices And Resources In The Uk And Ireland, Robert Whyte, Diana Kirby, Elizabeth Cole, Tom Crick, Nicola Looker, Keith Quille, Sue Sentance

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Background and Context: As more K–12 teachers are required to teach computing, there is a need to understand how it is enacted in classrooms. In addition, many non-specialists are teaching computing for the first time. Objective: We set out to better understand how computing is currently being taught across five jurisdictions in the UK and Ireland. The aim of the study was to understand CS teaching practices, including the use of certain approaches and resources in the computing classroom. Method: We analysed survey data from 475 primary and secondary teachers across a number of relevant categories: teachers’ use of CS …

Characterizing Gut Microbial Communities And Symbiont-Mediated Detoxification In Herbivorous Insects, Rachel C. Vargas

Biology Dissertations

Insect gut bacteria are vital contributors to host physiology, yet the broader prevalence and fitness implications of symbiont-mediated detoxification remain poorly understood. This thesis investigates these dynamics across three research chapters. Chapter 1 uses 16S rRNA sequencing to characterize how grasshopper gut microbial communities vary across species, dietary breadths, and gastrointestinal segments. Chapter 2 evaluates the detoxification capacity of over 150 bacterial isolates from diverse herbivores against the plant allelochemicals phenethyl isothiocyanate, rutin, and chlorogenic acid to determine if host dietary specialization predicts microbial metabolic ability. Finally, Chapter 3 employs fitness bioassays to test whether inoculating generalist herbivores with detoxifying …

Deep Learning For Wireless Communications, Swarada Ajit Kulkarni

Electrical Engineering Dissertations

The rapid evolution of wireless communication imposes stringent requirements for ultra-reliable, low-latency transmission in dynamic, interference-prone environments. Traditional model-driven signal processing struggles to adapt to nonlinear hardware effects, time-varying channels, and complex interference patterns. Deep learning (DL) offers a transformative, data-driven alternative, enabling end-to-end optimization and robust adaptation under uncertain propagation conditions.

This dissertation investigates deep learning architectures for intelligent and resilient wireless communication through three complementary contributions. The first introduces a Vision Transformer (ViT)-based modulation classification framework that leverages self-attention to capture local and global dependencies in spectrogram representations of Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) signals. The ViT achieves superior …

Adolescent Girls’ Experiences Of Digital Dating Abuse Through Social Media: A Scoping Review, Kiara E. Rodriguez

Social Work Theses

Teen dating violence (TDV) is a prevalent adverse childhood experience with lasting psychological and behavioral consequences. As adolescents increasingly engage with social media, with 95% of teens aged 13-17 reporting using it, digital spaces have become a significant context in which dating abuse can occur. Digital dating abuse (DDA) refers to patterns of abusive behaviors that are directed toward a dating partner through digital technologies, including social media and mobile phones. Despite the growing role of social media in adolescent relationships, research on how adolescent girls experience DDA in these contexts remains limited. The central question for this scoping review …

Why Does The U.S. Still Practice The Death Penalty? An Application Of Waltz's Three Images, Anika Tracy

University Honors Program Senior Projects

The United States is the only Western democracy that still practices the death penalty, and legal scholars, domestic politics scholars, and comparativists have written extensively about American capital punishment. In this thesis, I will synthesize this scholarship to present a multifaceted explanation for America’s uniquely continued use of the death penalty through Kenneth Waltz’s three “images” or levels of analysis. While Waltz’s three levels of analysis is an established theory in the field of international relations (IR), the utilization of IR theory for an analysis of American capital punishment is particularly enriching because death penalty abolition is a norm in …

A Third Possibility: The Press Clause At The Founding, Matthew L. Schafer

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

With the rise of history and tradition at the Supreme Court, scholarship purporting to define historical fact is likely to have outsized influence on the development of constitutional law. Underdeveloped constitutional rights like the First Amendment’s Press Clause are especially susceptible to such influence as they lack a precedential counterweight. While Press Clause jurisprudence is shallow, historical research about the Press Clause is not. For decades, scholars who have considered the Press Clause’s historical meaning have generally concluded that the record is quite vague, and, for that reason, cautioned against absolutist conclusions as to its original understanding. …

A Third Possibility: The Press Clause At The Founding, Matthew L. Schafer

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

With the rise of history and tradition at the Supreme Court, scholarship purporting to define historical fact is likely to have outsized influence on the development of constitutional law. Underdeveloped constitutional rights like the First Amendment’s Press Clause are especially susceptible to such influence as they lack a precedential counterweight. While Press Clause jurisprudence is shallow, historical research about the Press Clause is not. For decades, scholars who have considered the Press Clause’s historical meaning have generally concluded that the record is quite vague, and, for that reason, cautioned against absolutist conclusions as to its original understanding. More recently, though, …

Deregulating The Song: The Case For Free- Market Licensing Of Musical Works In The Digital Streaming Era, Bailey Alberton

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

This Note takes as its starting point that songwriters are inadequately and unfairly compensated for the streaming of their music and argues that the unique and pervasive government regulation of musical composition licensing exacerbates this problem. To address this problem, this Note argues that both the compulsory mechanical license and the performing rights organizations consent decrees should undergo reform to permit songwriters to negotiate with music streaming services in the free market.

The Invisible String: How Litigation Funders In Patent Suits Pose A National Security Risk, Cosette Mclaughlin

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

This Note will address why the Supreme Court should modify Rule 7.1 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure to require third-party litigation funding (TPLF) funders and agreements to be disclosed to the judge and the opposing party. This amendment would mitigate the national security risk posed by foreign adversaries acting through TPLF in patent suits by eliminating the veil of secrecy. The semiconductor industry acts as an illustration of the benefits of this modification.19 In addition, if TPLF funding were required to be disclosed to all involved, conflict identification would become significantly easier. Full transparency in patent litigation TPLF …

Doctrine, Data, And The Death Of Dupont, Thomas A. Reichert

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

For fifty years, trademark opinions have claimed to apply a comprehensive thirteen-factor test for trademark confusion. They are deeply mistaken. Using AI-powered analysis of over 4,000 TTAB inter partes decisions (2000–2025), this Article proves what practitioners have long suspected: in Section 2(d) adjudication, the test has collapsed to just two factors.

A simple categorical rule predicting confusion if and only if both mark similarity (Factor 1) and goods/services relatedness (Factor 2) (hereinafter “F1” and “F2” in figures, tables, and formulas) favor confusion achieves 99.55% accuracy across 4,651 comparisons. Cross-validated logistic regression confirms the pattern: a two-factor model achieves 99.46% accuracy, …

Discrimination In The Trademark Id Manual, Rachael Dickson

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

Using evidence drawn from the USPTO’s treatment of 221 identifications submitted for inclusion in the Trademark ID Manual (including 43 this Author submitted on their own and as part of a team), this Article, the first ever written on the ID Manual, argues that the USPTO’s administration of the Manual systematically disadvantages trademark applicants offering lawful but socially disfavored goods or services, such as those relating to cannabis, sexual health, or “vice.”

By deliberately refusing to include identifications of goods and services relating to entire categories of commerce in the ID Manual, the USPTO imposes higher costs, greater uncertainty, and …

Music Is Medicine: Addressing Legal Challenges In An Emerging Clinical Practice, Basha Goldwater

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

Music is universally experienced, and most will recognize its profound personal impact; yet, music’s broader influence on society is yet to be fully explored. People may listen to music when they are sad, when they are seeking motivation, or as a way to relax. However, music extends beyond expression, entertainment, and an outlet for emotions. Research indicates that music can offer substantial benefits to patients in a plethora of medical situations.

Part I of this Note will explain the usefulness of music as medical care, its advantages, and the broad range of institutional support music-based medicine has garnered. Part II …

Artificial Sense-Making Dataset, Jason A. Bengtson, John Sandstrom, Nathan Camp

NMSU Library: Datasets

No abstract provided.

Post-Secular Revitalization Of Religion: Ukranian Experience Of Social Initiatives By Churches As A Moral Alternative To The Russian "Theology" Of War, Iryna Horokholinska, Sviatoslav Vaskul, Oleksandr Brodetskyi, Andriy Kvik

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This article examines the processes of religious revitalization in Ukrainian society under wartime conditions and their institutional manifestations. It explores how religious institutions engage with the public sphere and their role in the ethically oriented transformation of suffering, turning individual trauma into socially constructive practice. The study draws on innovations in the activities of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, other Christian denominations, as well as Muslim and Jewish communities in Ukraine. It presents the Ukrainian model of religious revitalization as a social practice shaped by institutional autonomy and interfaith coordination. Particular attention is given to …

Coloring Outside The Lines: Antiracist Aesthetics In The Detective Novels Of Chester Himes, Kam Shapiro

Faculty Publications – Politics and Government

In a series of detective novels published between 1957 and 1969 Chester Himes portrayed diverse individuals struggling for survival, wealth, and status in a fictionalized postwar Harlem, combining what Richard Wright called a “bio-social” perspective with an antiracist aesthetics that falsified simplistic racial categories. In this essay, I trace Himes’s renderings of bodily difference and transformation, highlighting features neglected by contemporaries such as Ellison and Baldwin as well as more recent critics and readers who frame Himes’s writings as protests against anti-Black violence. I conclude that Himes’s Harlem novels did not simply reflect violent realities of African American lives but …

2026 Oer Deep Dive, Caterina B. Azzarello, Cassendra Bergstrom, Kirsten Gilderhus

About OER

The Affordable & Open Educational Resources (AOER) Committee at UNC, in collaboration with the Colorado Department of Higher Education, UNC’s Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, and the University Libraries, hosted an in-person OER Deep Dive professional development workshop on Tuesday, May 19, 2026. This full-day event was created for faculty and staff interested in learning more about Open Educational Resources (OER) and exploring ways to incorporate them into their instructional practices.

Throughout the workshop, participants examined the foundations of OER, discussed distinctions between openly licensed and freely available materials, and explored the role of affordable course content …

A Transdisciplinary Approach To Advancing Water Security And Public Health: The “Nurse + Engineer” Model For Achieving Sustainability In Wash Systems Using Community-Based Participatory Research, Daniel B. Oerther, Sarah Oerther

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Human health is linked to the health of the environment, a concept referred to as planetary health. As environmental challenges become increasingly complex, single-disciplinary approaches are insufficient to achieve sustainable solutions. This article presents a transdisciplinary framework, termed the "Nurse + Engineer" model, as a novel methodology for addressing complex problems at the nexus of environmental engineering and public health. The model integrates the technical design and systems-level thinking of environmental engineering with the community-based, patient-centered care of nursing. This work details the key lessons learned from the retrospective application of this framework to a series of multi-year, community-based participatory …

How Effective Is Online Teaching Of Physiology Modules? Perception Of Rwandan Health Sciences Students, Abdullateef Isiaka Alagbonsi, Mojeed Akorede Gbadamosi, Mathieu Nemerimana, Makinde V. Olubiyi, Olufunke Onaadepo, Akaninyene Ubong Ime, Abdul-Rahuf Aderemi Feyitimi, Ruth Wanjiru Mungai, Florent Rutagarama, Simiat Elias

Biomedical Sciences, East Africa

Background: While blended teaching is approved in Rwandan medical education, the perceived effectiveness of online-only delivery for physiology modules remains unclear. This uncertainty limits its continued use. The present study assessed Rwandan health sciences students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of online teaching for physiology modules.

Methods: A total of 528 students from medicine and surgery (n = 300), pharmacy (n = 99), dentistry (n = 89), and clinical psychology (n = 40) programs at the University of Rwanda completed an online questionnaire. Data were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression and non-parametric tests (Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis) with corresponding effect …

Smartflow: A Communication-Efficient Sdn Framework For Cross-Silo Federated Learning, Osama Abu Hamdan, Hao Che, Engin Arslan, Md Arifuzzaman

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Cross-silo Federated Learning (FL) enables multiple institutions to collaboratively train machine learning models while preserving data privacy. In such settings, clients repeatedly exchange model weights with a central server, making the overall training time highly sensitive to network performance. However, conventional routing methods often fail to prevent congestion, leading to increased communication latency and prolonged training. Software-Defined Networking (SDN), which provides centralized and programmable control over network resources, offers a promising way to address this limitation. To this end, we propose SmartFLow, an SDN-based framework designed to enhance communication efficiency in cross-silo FL. SmartFLow dynamically adjusts routing paths in response …

Examining The Drivers, Consequences, And Depoliticization Strategies Of Greenhouse Gas Emission Polarization Among The American Public, Lauren Wilner

Environmental Studies Honors Theses

This thesis examines the politicization of greenhouse gas emissions within the American public, tracing its evolution from a consensus based scientific topic to a deeply polarized partisan issue. While early research established a clear link between greenhouse gases and global warming, the late 20th century saw a strategic rise in skepticism fueled by conservative think tanks, contrarian scientists, and industrial interests. This study analyzes the psychological mechanisms and media practices that have exacerbated this divide and decline in public environmental concern, which has resulted in negative social and environmental effects due to a slowed federal response to the climate crisis. …

Match Or Mismatch? : The Effects Of Fingerprint Evidence And Expert Testimony On Jury Decisions, Kassie N. Thallas

Dissertations

Fingerprint evidence is widely perceived as objective and reliable, yet is typically presented to jurors through expert testimony rather than directly evaluated. The present study examined how fingerprint match status and expert testimony influence juror decision-making. Participants (N = 225) read a mock criminal trial summary and were randomly assigned to one of five conditions. Four conditions were derived by crossing Expert Condition (fingerprint expert alone vs. conflicting experts) and Match Status (match vs. no match), with an additional control condition without fingerprint evidence. The participants made verdict decisions and rated the credibility, honesty and believability of the expert. The …

Exploring Detached Concern, A Dual-Process Emotional-Regulation Strategy, Among Intensive Care Nurses Providing End-Of-Life Care In The United States, Melissa Milton Miasek

Dissertations

Intensive care unit (ICU) nurses repeatedly provide end-of-life care (EoLC) and experience significant emotional distress, burnout, and moral distress that can lead to leaving the profession. Detached concern (DC), a dual-process emotional-regulation strategy which balances empathetic concern with emotional detachment, may support ICU nurses' emotional well-being; however, DC among nurses remains vastly understudied. This qualitative descriptive study gained deeper understanding of DC among ICU nurses providing EoLC in the United States. The study was guided by a conceptual model adapting Lampert and Glaser's dynamic DC process within Elfenbein's emotional regulation framework. The overarching research question explored ICU nurses' perspectives on …

Comprehending Levels Of Explainability And Ai Recommendations (Clear) Study Series, Virginia Sullivan

Dissertations

AI systems can offer a great deal to improve decision-making through efficiency and predictive accuracy due to their unique ability to rapidly analyze large amounts of data relevant to the decision. Yet many AI systems remain opaque, limiting users’ ability to evaluate outputs and leading to issues of mistrust or over-reliance. This dissertation investigates how varying levels of AI explainability affect trust, perceived reliability, understanding, and confidence, and identifies perceptual and behavioral indicators of over-reliance behavior in AI-assisted decision making scenarios. This dissertation is organized as a three-study series. The CLEAR survey study uses a mixed design to examine the …

Introduction, Caroline Dunn, Rachel Swanteson-Franz

Natural Resources Journal

No abstract provided.

Icipe Annual Report 2025, International Centre Of Insect Physiology And Ecology (Icipe)

icipe Annual Reports

No abstract provided.

Comparing Microgrids With Nuclear Energy: Which Is Better To Catapult New York Toward Its Green Energy Future?, Justin R. Ochs

Natural Resources Journal

This Note examines New York’s climate goals under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) by comparing two pivotal energy solutions: nuclear energy and microgrids. Microgrids remain notably underexplored in legal scholarship, particularly their potential to achieve compliance with the CLCPA. By analyzing the economic, environmental, regulatory, and public perception challenges associated with nuclear energy and microgrids, this Note argues that microgrids offer a safer, more flexible, and sustainable option for accelerating New York’s path toward its green energy future. This Note evaluates microgrid projects across New York, along with common critiques regarding the scalability and viability of hybrid …

Off-Label Abuse: The Prosecution Of Individuals For Pesticide Crimes Under The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, And Rodenticide Act, Joshua Ozymy, Melissa Jarrell Ozymy

Natural Resources Journal

When individuals commit pesticide crimes involving significant harm or culpable conduct, they may be prosecuted for criminal violations of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), but we have little knowledge of how individual offenders have been prosecuted historically for such crimes. Using content analysis of 2,728 environmental crime prosecutions resulting from U.S. EPA criminal investigations, 1983 to 2021, we select all cases of individuals prosecuted under FIFRA for our analysis. We find that 100 cases were adjudicated, resulting in 135 years of probation, 75 years of incarceration, and $4.2 million in monetary penalties assessed at sentencing. Of those …

Andrews University Press 2026 Booklist, Andrews University Press

Booklists

No abstract provided.