Digital Commons Network^™

Autistic Traits In Fibromyalgia Are Associated With Hypersensitivity And Central Sensitisation, Helen Johnston, Alison Bacon

School of Psychology

Fibromyalgia presents with symptoms of central sensitisation (CS). Allodynia is the defining symptom, with evidence for general hypersensitisation extending beyond the pain symptoms that characterise fibromyalgia, to sensory and psychological domains. Generalised sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) may increase vulnerability to hypersensitisation; while a direct association exists between sensory sensitivity and autistic traits in autistic people, CS symptoms are also associated with autistic traits in a broader participant sample. This study complements previous lines of enquiry by examining the relationship between SPS, CS symptoms and autistic traits in samples with and without fibromyalgia. It proposes that SPS is indirectly associated with …

Refining Participatory Design For Aac Users, Blade Frisch, Keith Vertanen

Michigan Tech Publications

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is a field of research and practice that works with people who have a communication disability. One form AAC can take is a high-tech tool, such as a software-based communication system. Like all user interfaces, these systems must be designed and it is critical to include AAC users in the design process for their systems. A participatory design approach can include AAC users in the design process, but modifications may be necessary to make these methods more accessible. We present a two-part design process we are investigating for improving the participatory design for high-tech AAC …

A Feedback Management System Based On Blockchain Technology For Educational Institutions, Diman M. Mohammed, Rana F. Ghani

Baghdad Science Journal

The provision of feedback is an essential element in the process of enhancing the performance of an organization. With precise feedback, errors and possibilities for improvement can be determined. The purpose of every survey is to accurately capture individuals’ real feelings. Today, the majority of feedback data is stored in a database system, However, a lack of confidence in the database system results in inaccurate or partially compromised feedback. Blockchain is an innovative and promising technology that decreases security risks, eliminates fraud, and provides unprecedented levels of transparency to ensure feedback system efficiency. It is a decentralized ledger that has …

Tweaking Ml-Kem (Kyber) And Ml-Dsa (Dilithium), Kumar Rahul

Master’s Dissertations

Lattice-based cryptography is the use of conjectured hard problems on point lattices in Rn as the foundation for secure cryptographic systems. Attractive features of lattice cryptography include apparent resistance to quantum attacks (in contrast with most number-theoretic cryptography), high asymptotic efficiency and parallelism, security under worst-case intractability assumptions, and solutions to long-standing open problems in cryptography. This work surveys the structure, security, and optimization potential of two leading lattice-based cryptographic schemes: ML-KEM (Kyber) and ML-DSA (Dilithium). Special attention is given to their applicability in government-oriented post-quantum cryptographic systems, focusing on performance, implementation considerations, and resilience against known quantum threats. In …

Fantasy Novels, Romance, And Book Boyfriends: Romantic Views And Expectations Of Young Adult Women, Kennedy Dawn Morris

Theses and Dissertations

Despite its drop in popularity, reading is a pastime that is enjoyed by many. As with other forms of media, there is the question of how consuming literature impacts individuals. This research study examines how reading fantasy novels impacts the romantic views and expectations of women in emerging adulthood. Social comparison theory and parasocial relationships were utilized in order to examine how young adult women compare their relationships and relationship ideals to those of fictional characters, as well as how young adult women decide which fictional relationships and/or characters are worth their admiration. The findings of this study suggest that …

Lived Experiences Of Black African Non-Denominational Pastor’S Perceptions, Attitudes, And Beliefs Of Mental Health, And Their Referral Practice In The United States, Esther Paul

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The high frequency of mental health issues within the Black African Christians communities and the insufficient use of mental health resources, was the driving forces for this study. This qualitative study aimed to explore the attitudes, beliefs, and lived experiences of non-denominational Black African pastors on mental health and identified potential barriers to mental health care and create culturally appropriate solutions by investigating their experiences. The theoretical basis of this study was centered on Goffman’s social stigma theory, which was created by Erwin Goffman, the social identity theory (SIT), and the role identity theory, the latter which served as the …

Exploring Strategies In Manufacturing To Reduce Loss Of Workers And The Costs Associated With Turnover, Aaron Sterrett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High employee turnover rates in the U.S. manufacturing firms create significant operational and financial challenges. Leaders of U.S. manufacturing firms seek to address employee turnover, which threatens productivity, profitability, and long-term sustainability. Grounded in the competing values framework, this qualitative pragmatic inquiry project aimed to identify and explore manufacturers' efficient management strategies to reduce employee turnover. The participants were five individuals who work in different management roles within the manufacturing industry and have assisted in developing successful employee retention strategies. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and a review of organizational information. Four themes were identified during qualitative coding analysis: …

Impact Of Military-Related Moves On Spousal Perinatal Depression Screening And Mental Health Services, Chambraia Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Maternal depression, including perinatal depression (PND), poses significant public health risks to women, infants, and families. Although routine PND screening is recommended, limited research has examined screening and referrals among military spouses, an underserved population affected by frequent relocations and deployments. This study examined how permanent change of station (PCS) frequency affects PND screening and referrals to mental health services. Grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s socioecological model and the CDC’s social ecological model of health, eight research questions explored associations between PCS frequency, PND screening, referrals, and the moderating roles of military branch and deployment status. A quantitative cross-sectional design was used …

The Carsr Two-Component System Directly Controls Radd Expression As A Global Regulator That Senses Bacterial Coaggregation In Fusobacterium Nucleatum, Bibek G C, Chenggang Wu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Two-component systems (TCS) enable bacteria to sense and respond to environmental signals, facilitating rapid adaptation. Fusobacterium nucleatum, a key oral pathobiont, employs the CarSR TCS to modulate coaggregation with various gram-positive partners by regulating the expression of radD, encoding a surface adhesion protein, as revealed by RNA-Seq analysis. However, the direct regulation of the radD-containing operon (radABCD) by the response regulator CarR, the broader CarR regulon, and the signals sensed by this system remain unclear. In this study, chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by high-throughput DNA sequencing (ChIP-seq) identified approximately 161 CarR-enriched loci across the genome and …

Replicating Associative Learning Of Rodents With A Neuromorphic Robot In An Open-Field Arena, Tianze Liu, Kang Jun Bai, Hongyu An

Michigan Tech Publications

This study emulates associative learning in rodents by using a neuromorphic robot navigating an open-field arena. The goal is to investigate how biologically inspired neural models can reproduce animal-like learning behaviors in real-world robotic systems. We constructed a neuromorphic robot by deploying computational models of spatial and sensory neurons onto a mobile platform. Different coding schemes—rate coding for vibration signals and population coding for visual signals—were implemented. The associative learning model employs 19 spiking neurons and follows Hebbian plasticity principles to associate visual cues with favorable or unfavorable locations. Our robot successfully replicated classical rodent associative learning behavior by memorizing …

A Two-Phase Service Access Beside Retrial Queues, Orbit Mechanism, Working Vacation Policies For Single Server Environments, Bharathy S, M.C. Saravanarajan

Baghdad Science Journal

This paper analyzes the M/G (P1, P2)/1 queue using a single server that provides essential services in both the first phase (FPS) and the second phase (SPS). It was assumed that the server undertakes unreliability due to starting failure (SF) during the beginning of the first phase with probability (α) or service begins by the idle server successfully with probability (1-α) for the arriving or retrial customer. Then immediately took the failed server for repair and launched the customer into orbit. Also, the server operates at varying rates instead of fully ceasing service during its vacation. …

Numerical Solution Of Distributed Order Fractional Differential Equations Using Spectral Mittag-Leffler Weight Function Based On Chelyshkov Polynomials, Abdulrazzaq T. Abed, Ekhlass S. Al-Rawi

Baghdad Science Journal

In many studies, spectral methods based on one of the orthogonal polynomials and weighted residual methods (WRMs) have been used to convert the distributed-order fractional differential equation (DOFDEs) into a system of linear or nonlinear algebraic equations, and then solve this system to obtain the approximate solution. In this paper, a numerical method is presented for solving DOFDEs. The approximate solution is imposed as an orthogonal Chelyshkov polynomial with unknown coefficients. The required coefficients are obtained using WRMs, which transform the DOFDEs into a system of algebraic coefficients. The Mittag-Leffler function is proposed as a suitable weight function. The method …

Improving Golden Eagle Optimization Algorithm Through Using Wavelet Mutation, Ebtehal Talib, Abeer Salim Jamil, Nidaa Flaih Hassan

Baghdad Science Journal

The Golden Eagle Optimization (GEO) algorithm is another amazing nature inspired optimization algorithm based on the foraging behavior of the Golden Eagles. GEO is an excellent behavioral model of how Golden Eagles interact with one another while searching for prey, consisting of a population of virtual “eagles” that together represent potential solutions to the optimization problem. The “eagles” interact with one another and together communicate and move as a single unit towards something, in this case the optimal solution. In this paper, we expand upon this idea with a new version of the GEO algorithm, called Wavelet Mutation Golden Eagle …

Accelerating Face Mask Detection Training Model Based On Multi-Gpus And Multi-Core Cpu, Ammar Hussein Jassim, Nada Hussain Ali, Ahmed Al-Taie, Doaa Mohammad Majed

Baghdad Science Journal

Modern machine-learning applications require GPUs, and modern platforms can leverage numerous GPUs on one or more machines to increase performance. Contemporary deep-learning models are too huge for CPU or GPU training. Training these models with many GPUs without performance degradation is necessary to train them rapidly and maximize GPU consumption. Thus, training deep convolutional neural networks (DCNN) with multiple GPUs has become necessary for improving training. Therefore, we presented a parallel design and development of an efficient model for enhancing face mask CNN performance and improving resource efficiency. This DCNN model is a parallel training system over multiple GPUs, a …

Advancing Political Science With Machine Learning: A Gaussian Process Approach, Yehu Chen

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

The proliferation of data in recent decades including including survey, image and text data, has significantly transformed the landscape of political science research. Machine learning methods have played an instrumental role in analyzing these datasets, yet their application poses challenges in areas where political concepts are not directly measurable or the primary focus of inference is causality. In addition, the essence of machine learning algorithms being trained for prediction performance in a black-boxed manner, makes their outputs hardly interpretable and even unappreciated. This dissertation addresses these issues by proposing a novel methodological framework that employs Gaussian Process (GP) models, a …

Leadership In Open Innovation: Strategies For Effective Crisis Management In Malaysia, Mosharrof Hosen, Irfan Hameed, Rajat Subhra Chatterjee, Mosaddek Hossain, Hafiz Mudassir Rehman

Plymouth Business School

The study of crisis management is vital for developing effective strategies that address the unique challenges posed by socio-political and environmental contexts. Despite its importance, there is a notable lack of research on crisis management across various sectors in Malaysia. This highlights the need for comprehensive studies considering the country's challenges and strategies. Through the lens of dynamic capabilities theory, this research aims to fill the gap in existing literature by focusing on Malaysia's distinct socio-economic and cultural dynamics, which may influence the effectiveness of crisis management strategies. Data were collected from 310 employees of Malaysian manufacturing companies and analyzed …

Pyrene-Based Hole Transport Materials For Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells, Madiha Irfan, Aamer Saeed, Sania Tahir, Muhammad Rehman Yaqoob, Sohaib Ahmed Zia, Muhammad Usama, Junaid Mukhtar, Usama Farrukh, Sara Rehman

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

In the past few years, perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have gained a lot of attention and become a well-known topic in solar studies due to their lower manufacturing costs and improved efficiencies. Previously utilized hole transport materials (HTMs), such as poly[bis(4-phenyl)(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)amine] and 2,2ʹ,7,7ʹ-tetrakis(N,N-di-p-methoxyphenylamine)-9,9ʹ-spirobifluorene, are challenging due to their high price, complicated synthesis, limited carrier mobility, and poor device stability. Developing HTMs for PSCs that are inexpensive and high-performance has gained much interest. Currently, many HTMs of organic molecules are used to improve photovoltaic qualities and reduce synthesis costs. Effectively using HTMs is essential for producing the best photovoltaic efficiency in …

Removal Of Ddt, Ddd, And Dde From Washing Extracts Of Contaminated Soil Using Polyaniline/Bagasse Composite Material, Hop Quang Nguyen, Bach Xuan Nguyen, Thien Quang Tran, Anh Van Nguyen

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

Polyaniline (PANi) was hybridized with a bagasse (BG) substrate to treat Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane compounds, which are persistent organic pollutants (POPs) causing environmental contamination. The PANi/bagasse (PA/BG) composite was synthesized using ammonium persulfate and sulfuric acid, achieving efficiencies ranging from 82.63% to 86.92% with different ratios of PANi monomer to BG. Infrared spectroscopy (IR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize the synthesized materials. The adsorption capacities of DDT, DDD, and DDE compounds were investigated under various conditions, including adsorbent type, adsorption time, adsorbent dosage, and adsorbate concentration. Both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were …

Pt-Enhanced Wo3 Nanoparticles For Efficient Hydrogen Production: Synthesis And Electrochemical Evaluation, Merve Akbayrak

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

In this study, Pt/WO3 nanoparticles were synthesized using a simple room-temperature impregnation-reduction method and characterized by advanced techniques including ICP, TEM-EDX, FE-SEM-EDX, and XRD. The ICP-OES analysis confirmed a 1.0 wt. %Pt loading on the WO3 support. TEM and FE-SEM analyses revealed that the Pt nanoparticles were well dispersed with an average size of approximately 3.7 nm. The XRD patterns showed characteristic WO3 peaks without any detectable Pt diffraction peaks, indicating the high dispersion of Pt. Electrochemical evaluations demonstrated that the Pt/WO3 catalyst exhibited outstanding hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance, with –27.8 mV vs. RHE onset potential and –37.4 mV …

Determination Of P53 Biomarker With A Smart Electrochemical Biosensor Based On Brush Polymer-Functionalized Disposable Electrode, Muhammet Aydin

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

A label-less impedimetric biosensor modified with poly(thiophene)-graft-poly(glycidyl methacrylate) polymer (PThi-g-PGM) was manufactured for p53 protein quantification in human serum samples. In this study, PThi-g-PGM polymer was synthesized, and this polymer matrix was coated using the spin-coating technique on the single-use indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate for anti-p53 antibody immobilization. The anti-p53 antibodies with high affinity for p53 proteins were covalently attached onto the PThi-g-PGM-coated electrode surface. In addition, the affinity of anti-p53 for the p53 protein was monitored at a constant frequency. Under optimized conditions, the impedimetric changes were linearly related to the p53 concentrations, ranging from 0.05 to 15 …

Amateur Athletes' Psychological Experiences Of Participation-Altering And Participation-Ending Injuries, Andrew Milowsky

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Injury is a common occurrence among athletes, and research indicates that when athletes experience an injury, they frequently experience negative psychological consequences. Most of the literature related to the psychological impact of injury centers around higher-level (i.e., professional, college, and elite) athletes, with limited literature for amateur athletes who also experience injury. More specifically, there is also sparse scholarship examining the psychological impact of moderate and severe injuries for amateur athletes that experience them. Considering the gaps in the literature, the current study examined the psychological impact of participation-altering and participation-ending injuries in amateur athletes (N = 177), while also …

Perception Of Florida Political Actions By Higher Education, Matt Vanover Vanover

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

This qualitative dissertation examines the impact of recent political actions in Florida on higher education, specifically exploring how these developments have influenced tenured, public university professors' teaching practices, student interactions, and research agendas. Guided by the theoretical framework of social constructionism and employing narrative inquiry as the methodological approach, the study captures the lived experiences of six tenured faculty members at public universities across the state. The findings indicate that Florida’s political actions of Governor Ron DeSantis and a Republican-led legislature may have led to changes in the academic landscape. Professors report self-censorship in the classroom, limited discussions of controversial …

Quality Improvement Project Reducing Pediatric Anesthesia In Magnetic Resonance Imaging: The Role Of Preparedness And Education, Rachel Turner

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Pediatric hematology-oncology patients undergo general anesthesia (GA) for various medical procedures, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. Overexposure to GA increases the potential for long-term neurocognitive effects in pediatric patients. Despite the growing research literature on GA-related neurotoxicity and the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) warnings, advanced practice providers (APP) often lack the knowledge to advocate for and support reductions in pediatric GA use. The Doctor of Nurse Practice (DNP) quality improvement (QI) project aimed to reduce unnecessary GA in pediatric hematology-oncology patients undergoing MRI scans by addressing the primary clinic APPs' knowledge deficits through interprofessional education (IPE). Structured in …

"Mattering" Is The Foundation Of Identifying 'What Matters' In Patient Care, Kieran Green, John Downey, Sheena Asthana, Joanne Watson

School of Nursing and Midwifery

No abstract provided.

Hegemonic Entrepreneurial Masculinities In Patriarchal Contexts: Exploring Men's Entrepreneurship In War-Torn Territories, Doaa Althalathini, Theodore A. Khoury, Nick Rumens

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article examines how the war-torn context in Iraq has affected men’s entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial masculinities. Drawing on the entrepreneurship masculinities literature, Connell’s notion of hegemonic masculinity and in-depth interviews with 21 Iraqi men entrepreneurs, this article demonstrates the complex interplay between entrepreneurship, masculinity and patriarchal dynamics in the context of wars and economic instability in Iraq. Study findings show how Iraqi men often turn to entrepreneurship out of necessity to meet patriarchal expectations of them as primary providers for their families. We contribute to the literature on entrepreneurship, men and masculinities by demonstrating how entrepreneurship not only serves as …

Modeling Reemergence Of Vaccine-Eliminated Infectious Diseases Under Declining Vaccination In The Us, Mathew V Kiang, Kate M Bubar, Yvonne Maldonado, Peter J Hotez, Nathan C Lo

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Importance: Widespread childhood vaccination has eliminated many infectious diseases in the US. However, vaccination rates are declining, and there are ongoing policy debates to reduce the childhood vaccine schedule, which may risk reemergence of previously eliminated infectious diseases.

Objective: To estimate the number of cases and complications in the US under scenarios of declining childhood vaccination for measles, rubella, poliomyelitis, and diphtheria.

Design, setting, and participants: A simulation model was used to assess the importation and dynamic spread of vaccine-preventable infectious diseases across 50 US states and the District of Columbia. The model was parameterized with data on area-specific estimates …

Apolipoprotein M Attenuates Age-Related Macular Degeneration Phenotypes Via Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Signaling And Lysosomal Lipid Catabolism, Tae Jun Lee, Andrea Santeford, Kristen M Pitts, Carla Valenzuela Ripoll, Ryo Terao, Zhen Guo, Mualla Ozcan, Dagmar Kratky, Christina Christoffersen, Ali Javaheri, Rajendra S Apte

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of blindness in people over 50. AMD and cardiovascular disease share risk factors including age, impaired lipid metabolism, and extracellular lipid deposition. Because of its importance in age-related diseases, we hypothesize that apolipoprotein M (ApoM), a lipocalin that binds sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), might restore lipid homeostasis and retinal function in AMD. In support, we find that human patients with AMD demonstrate significantly reduced ApoM compared to controls. In mice with impaired retinal cholesterol efflux, ApoM improves retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) function and lipotoxicity in an S1P- and S1P receptor 3-dependent manner. Ultrastructural evidence …

Proactive Personal Safety Systems Using Artificial Intelligence, Sumukh Ashok Shevde, Kamran Mustafa, Abhijit Adsule

Defensive Publications Series

This document describes techniques that enable a mobile computing device (e.g., a smartphone, smart watch, wearable device, augmented reality glasses, vehicle infotainment system, etc.) to generate context data (e.g., location data, movement patterns, audio data, biometrics, traffic hazards, recent crimes, etc.) for use by a proactive personal safety system. The proactive personal safety system may include an intelligent software agent (e.g., artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning model, etc.) hosted locally on the mobile computing device, on a companion device (e.g., tethered smartphone), on a cloud server, etc. The mobile computing device may continuously monitor diverse environmental factors and user behavior …

Classification Of Human Trust In Ai Using Brain Activity Data, Danushka Bandara, Ruhuan Liao, Fatima Chowdhury, Leslie Abbott

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

Trust plays a crucial role in human-computer interaction, particularly in scenarios involving artificial intelligence (AI) systems. This study explores the feasibility of using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) data to classify trust levels in human-AI interaction scenarios. A total of 18 participants completed an image classification task with an AI team member while their hemodynamic responses were recorded using fNIRS. Preprocessing of fNIRS data involved motion artifact removal, filtering, and normalization. Exploratory analysis identified significant associations between hemodynamic responses in the prefrontal cortex and trust levels. An across-subject binary trust classification model was developed using machine learning techniques, achieving an F1 …

University As A Platform: Systems And Platform Thinking For Business Model Innovation And Ai Transformation In Higher Education, Evangelos Katsamakas, Oleg V. Pavlov

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

Higher education institutions (HEIs), such as colleges and universities, face many challenges and competitive pressures and must innovate. How can ideas from complexity and a systems approach help a HEI understand how it creates value and potentially drive business model innovation? This article provides a university-as-a-platform (UaaP) framework that integrates platform thinking and systems thinking to help HEIs think about value creation, innovation, and the design of new business models. Platform thinking is used to provide a platform conceptualization of the university and define the framework's main elements. A HEI creates value by facilitating the participation and value-creating interactions of …