Digital Commons Network^™

Recombination-Mediated Dissemination Of Methicillin-Resistant S Aureus Clonal Complex 1 In The Egyptian Health Care Settings, Salma W Elsayed, Reem A Elghaish, Eman Badr, Shaimaa F Mouftah, Nehal A Saif, Iman S Naga, Ahmed H Shata, Ben Pascoe, Samuel K Sheppard, Mohamed Elhadidy

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a rapidly evolving pathogen that is frequently associated with outbreaks and sustained epidemics. This study investigated the population structure, resistome, virulome, and the correlation between antimicrobial resistance determinants with phenotypic resistance profiles of 36 representative hospital-acquired MRSA isolates recovered from hospital settings in Egypt.

Results: The community-acquired MRSA lineage, clonal complex 1 (CC1) was the most frequently detected clone, followed by three other globally disseminated clones, CC121, CC8, and CC22. Most isolates carried SCCmec type V and more than half of isolates demonstrated multi-drug resistant phenotypes. Resistance to linezolid, a last resort antibiotic for …

Impact Of Library Instruction Tutorial Format On Student Preference And Performance In First-Year Chemistry, Tara Stieglitz, Lindsey Whitson

Communications in Information Literacy

This research study investigates the effects of library instruction tutorial format (written versus video) on student preference and performance in chemistry education. The authors assessed the format of tutorials used to provide library instruction in an introductory chemistry course by observing 27 student participants as they took in instructions in either a video or a written format and then completed two chemistry information tasks. While participants expressed strong preferences for particular formats, neither the video tutorials nor the written instructions significantly improved task completion speed or performance. Rather, the authors determined that student preference alone is enough to justify the …

Why Do People Hate Other Groups? The Role Of Perceived Threat As Mediator The Effect Of Group Identification Toward Group Based Hatred, Yuni Nurhamida, Hamdi Muluk, Mirra Noor Milla

Makara Human Behavior Studies in Asia

This study aimed to investigate the formation of group-based hatred in the context of latent conflict, as previous studies have predominantly explored the consequences of hatred in intractable conflicts. Group identification was hypothesized to lead to hatred of another group through perceived threat as a mediator, with the types of threat formulated from historical conflict narratives. The research context was the latent Muslim-PKI conflict in Indonesia. Realistic feelings of threat are formulated based on the narrative that the PKI (Indonesian Communist Party) is perceived to be resurging and trying to change the foundation of the state into communism. Symbolic threat …

A Comprehensive Program Evaluation Of Colorectal Rescreening Initiatives In Rural Virginia, Sarah E. Stowell

Doctors of Nursing Practice (DNP) Final Projects, 2020-current

Background: Despite low-cost and effective screening tools, colorectal cancer (CRC) mortality remains high in the U.S., particularly in rural areas like Virginia’s Northern Shenandoah Valley, where screening rates are low. While literature highlights barriers to CRC screening in these communities and suggests improvement strategies, few studies focus on long-term adherence to screening in rural health clinics (RHCs).

Purpose: This program evaluation assessed the impact and effectiveness of the Rural Colorectal Cancer Rescreening Initiative (RCRI), a pilot program to increase colorectal cancer rescreening rates in a local RHC. It also offers recommendations for optimizing future RCRI efforts. Methods: The program evaluation …

Assuring Netlist-To-Bitstream Equivalence Using Physical Netlist Generation And Structural Comparison, Reilly Mckendrick, Jeffrey Goeders, Keenan Faulkner

Faculty Publications

Hardware netlists are generally converted into a bitstream and loaded onto an FPGA board through vendor-provided tools. Due to the proprietary nature of these tools, it is up to the designer to trust the validity of the design’s conversion to bitstream. However, motivated attackers may alter the CAD tools’ integrity or manipulate the stored bitstream with the intent to disrupt the functionality of the design. This paper proposes a new method to prove functional equivalence between a synthesized netlist, and the produced FPGA bitstream. The novel approach is comprised of two phases: first, we show how we can utilize implementation …

Does Patella Lowering As Part Of Multilevel Surgery Improve Knee Kinematics In Children With Cerebral Palsy And Crouch Gait? A Meta-Analysis Of Comparative Studies, María Galán-Olleros, Sergio Lerma-Lara, Beltran Torres-Izquierdo, Ana Ramírez-Barragán, Rosa M Egea-Gámez, Pooya Hosseinzadeh, Ignacio Martínez-Caballero

2020-Current year OA Pubs

PURPOSE: To evaluate differences in knee kinematic outcomes of patellar-lowering surgery, specifically patellar tendon advancement or patellar tendon shortening, compared with no-patellar-lowering surgery in multilevel surgery for children with cerebral palsy and crouch gait.

METHODS: Four databases were searched to retrieve studies published from inception until 2023. Three reviewers independently screened for studies with observational or randomized control designs, comparing two groups of patients with cerebral palsy and crouch gait who underwent multilevel surgery (with patellar-lowering surgery versus no-patellar-lowering surgery), where various gait analysis outcomes were reported (CRD42023450692). The risk of bias was assessed with the Risk Of Bias In …

Evaluation Of The Aggressive-Variant Prostate Cancer Molecular Signature In Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (Clia) Environments, Paul V Viscuse, Rebecca S Slack-Tidwell, Miao Zhang, Prih Rohra, Keyi Zhu, F Anthony San Lucas, Eric Konnick, Patrick G Pilie, Bilal Siddiqui, Christopher J Logothetis, Paul Corn, Sumit K Subudhi, Colin C Pritchard, Rama Soundararajan, Ana Aparicio

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Aggressive-variant prostate cancers (AVPCs) are a subset of metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancers (mCRPCs) characterized by defects in ≥ two of three of TP53, RB1, and PTEN (AVPCm), a profile linked to lineage plasticity, androgen indifference, and platinum sensitivity. Men with mCRPC undergoing biopsies for progression were assessed for AVPCm using immunohistochemistry (IHC), next-generation sequencing (NGS) of solid tumor DNA (stDNA), and NGS of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) assays in CLIA-certified labs. Biopsy characteristics, turnaround times, inter-reader concordance, and inter-assay concordance were assessed. AVPCm was detected in 13 (27%) patients via IHC, two (6%) based on stDNA, and seven …

E-Cigarette Use And Respiratory Symptoms In Adults: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Mohammed M. Alqahtani, Faraj K. Alenezi, Mohammed A. Almeshari, Abdullah M. Alanazi, Ziyad Ben Taleb, Mohammad E Ebrahimi Kalan, Mary P. Martinasek, Rheese J. Mcnab, Rachel Culbreth, Mansour Alotaibi, Hassan Alijohani, Lynda T. Goodfellow, Taha T. Ismaeil, Saleh S. Algarni, Tareq F. Alotaibi, Mobarek K. Alqahtani, Hamoud Al-Ajel, Khalid S. Alwadeai, Nafea S. Almutairi, Eric Ford

APC Fund

Introduction:
Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use is gaining popularity among adults. Monitoring e-cigarette-induced respiratory symptoms is crucial for both clinical and regulatory purposes. We systematically reviewed the current literature to understand the prevalence of respiratory symptoms among exclusive e-cigarette users, dual users, and former smokers.

Methods:
Databases searched included PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Scopus. We included all English-language, empirical quantitative articles that explored the prevalence of e-cigarette-related respiratory symptoms. Random-effects models were utilized in conducting the meta-analyses. The quality of identified studies was evaluated using the NIH Study Quality Assessment Tools. This study is registered with PROSPERO(#CRD42020165973).

Results:
The …

A Personal Tribute To Professor Ashok Midha, Larry L. Howell

Faculty Publications

When I received the news that Professor Ashok Midha had passed away, I was grieved by the unexpected news. But I also felt another emotion: gratitude for having known him. I am grateful for him, for the opportunity I had to learn from him, and for the influence he has had on my life and career. I wanted to honor his memory in some way. This document is in response to that desire.

Some of my thoughts at his passing are summarized in the first chapter and the conclusion. The other writing is taken from a draft of my personal …

Mldg - Machine Learning Dataset Generator (Pilot Findings): For Final Year Open-Book Machine Learning Summative Assessment, Keith Quille, Keith Nolan, Lidia Vidal-Meliá, Brett A. Becker

Conference papers

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, many institutions are considering the continuation of open-book assessments. Students cite many reasons for preferences for open-book assessments, both held in proctored environments and assessments that can be held remotely. Despite the numerous benefits, open-book assessments impose a number of challenges for educators, which is compounded if the assessment has the option to be taken in class (proctored) and remotely simultaneously. The challenges not only exist around academic integrity but also exist from a student-centred viewpoint of fairness and the equality of the assessment.

This paper first presents the development of a tool for generating student-centred …

Navigating Repatriation: Factors Influencing Turnover Intentions Of Self-Initiated Repatriates In Emerging Economies, Nga T. T. Ho, Hung T. Hoang, Pi Shen Seet, Janice Jones

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose: The repatriation process often involves challenging and unexpected readjustment issues, leading to high turnover amongst repatriates. However, research has focussed on the re-entry decisions and experiences of company-assigned (CA) repatriates, whilst studies on self-initiated expatriates (SIEs) that repatriate back to their home countries (i.e. self-initiated repatriates (SIRs)) are limited, particularly in emerging transition economies. This study develops and tests a model to explain the factors influencing professional SIRs' turnover intentions and how repatriation readjustment affects their intentions in Vietnam. Design/methodology/approach: The data was collected from 445 Vietnamese professional SIRs who worked and/or studied for extended periods overseas and subsequently …

Corona Apts. Llc V Barrios

All Decisions

No abstract provided.

Race: An Efficient Redundancy-Aware Accelerator For Dynamic Graph Neural Network, Hui Yu, Yu Zhang, Jin Zhao, Yujian Liao, Zhiying Huang, Donghao He, Lin Gu, Hai Jin, Xiaofei Liao, Haikun Liu, Bingsheng He, Jianhui Yue

Michigan Tech Publications

Dynamic Graph Neural Network (DGNN) has recently attracted a significant amount of research attention from various domains, because most real-world graphs are inherently dynamic. Despite many research efforts, for DGNN, existing hardware/software solutions still suffer significantly from redundant computation and memory access overhead, because they need to irregularly access and recompute all graph data of each graph snapshot. To address these issues, we propose an efficient redundancy-aware accelerator, RACE, which enables energy-efficient execution of DGNN models. Specifically, we propose a redundancy-aware incremental execution approach into the accelerator design for DGNN to instantly achieve the output features of the latest graph …

Characterizing The Evaporating Droplets Over Heterogeneous Wettability Surfaces, Xi Li

Theses

This work investigates deposition patterns left by evaporating particle-laden droplets on heterogeneous surfaces with spatially varying wettability. Spatial differences in receding contact angles give rise to scalloped-shaped contact lines. During evaporation, the contact line recedes in one location and remains pinned in another. This non-uniform contact line recession results in particle self-assembly above areas where the contact line remains pinned, but not where it recedes. This behavior is fairly robust across a variety of particle sizes, concentrations, and device geometries. We hypothesize that particle self-assembly in these cases is due to the competition between particle diffusion and the evaporative-driven advective …

Floating Wind Farm Experiments Through Scaling For Wake Characterization, Power Extraction, And Turbine Dynamics, Juliaan Bossuyt, OndˇRej FercˇÁk, Zein Sadek, Charles Meneveau, Dennice Gayme, Raúl Bayoán Cal

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this study, wind and water tunnel experiments of turbulent wakes in a scaled floating wind farm are performed. Scaling of a floating wind farm with a scaling ratio of 1:400 is made possible by relaxing geometric scaling of the turbine platform system, such that the dynamic response can be correctly matched, and to allow for relaxing Froude scaling such that the Reynolds number can be kept large enough. Four dimensionless parameters, describing the relative importance of wind and wave loads compared to turbine inertia, are used to guide the scaled floater design. Free decay tests of the pitch and …

Fintech And Entrepreneurship: An Assessment Model To Evaluate Policy Instruments For Fintech Adoption By Small And Medium Enterprises (Smes), Deemah Abdullah Alassaf

Dissertations and Theses

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the engines that drive economic development. They are the backbone of the middle class as they provide social stability, innovation, inclusive growth, and poverty alleviation. SMEs contribute significantly to job creation, employment, tax provision and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, they face inferior conditions and challenges when it comes to their financing compared to that of large enterprises, as well as having a high expectancy of failing. Because of these limitations, SMEs tend to grow slowly since building up higher credit is difficult for them, and in addition to this, they lack access …

Truth Or Consequences: Academic Instruction Librarians As Information Literacy And Critical Thinking Activists, Laureen P. Cantwell-Jurkovic, Heather F. Ball

Communications in Information Literacy

The graphic edition of Snyder’s On Tyranny (2021) states "truth dies in four modes," which is a contemporary synthesis connected to Klemperer's Language of the Third Reich (1957). The researchers connected these four modes to information literacy (IL) instruction—but would others? The researchers surveyed academic librarians engaged in IL instruction on whether they felt they addressed any of the modes in their work. The researchers also asked whether they believe the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education works to circumvent any of the four modes. Nearly 150 librarians responded and, while most respondents were unfamiliar with the two …

Frailty In End-Stage Liver Disease: Understanding Pathophysiology, Tools For Assessment, And Strategies For Management, Mazen Elsheikh, Ahmed El Sabagh, Islam B Mohamed, Megha Bhongade, Manal M Hassan, Prasun Kumar Jalal

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Frailty and sarcopenia are frequently observed in patients with end-stage liver disease. Frailty is a complex condition that arises from deteriorations across various physiological systems, including the musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and immune systems, resulting in a reduced ability of the body to withstand stressors. This condition is associated with declined resilience and increased vulnerability to negative outcomes, including disability, hospitalization, and mortality. In cirrhotic patients, frailty is influenced by multiple factors, such as hyperammonemia, hormonal imbalance, malnutrition, ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, and alcohol intake. Assessing frailty is crucial in predicting morbidity and mortality in cirrhotic patients. It can aid in making critical …

Deep Learning-Based Phenotyping Reclassifies Combined Hepatocellular-Cholangiocarcinoma, Julien Calderaro, Pooja Navale, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Primary liver cancer arises either from hepatocytic or biliary lineage cells, giving rise to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICCA). Combined hepatocellular- cholangiocarcinomas (cHCC-CCA) exhibit equivocal or mixed features of both, causing diagnostic uncertainty and difficulty in determining proper management. Here, we perform a comprehensive deep learning-based phenotyping of multiple cohorts of patients. We show that deep learning can reproduce the diagnosis of HCC vs. CCA with a high performance. We analyze a series of 405 cHCC-CCA patients and demonstrate that the model can reclassify the tumors as HCC or ICCA, and that the predictions are consistent with clinical …

Leading Transformational Change By Living Transformational Change: Seven Structures Of Successful Innovation In Doctoral Education, Rebecca Farley, Jennifer Dinielli

Transform

Transformational change is vital to the sustainability of all individuals and organizations. This qualitative historical study of the Brandman University Doctoral Program in Organizational Leadership utilized the Bolman and Deal (2017) four-frame change model to examine the evolution of the program from 2013 through 2017. Findings from the study indicate seven key structures of the doctoral program had the greatest impact on the program’s successful transition from start-up to the refinement and scaling phases. This study contributes to the literature on transformational change and doctoral education by providing detailed analysis of critical factors of the program’s successful transformation in the …

Covid, Church, & Cuts: A Single Narrative Case Study Of Pandemic Impacts On A Bi-Vocational Pastor & Barber, A. D. Hooker, Camille S. Talbert

The Journal of Faith, Education, and Community

This narrative case study provides an in-depth look into the impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic from the perspective of an assistant pastor with a small African American church in an urban city. His story indicates that the pandemic had both positive and negative effects on the pastor’s ability to carry out his role of pastoral care and ministry. Some positives were the results of new technological adaptations that helped to improve members’ consistency in attending and participating in weekly services. Some negative effects imposed by COVID-19 was the revelation of imbalanced relationships and a lack of trust in God. The …

Sharp Stick Grasps At Autistic Women’S Liminal Vulnerability, Meaghan Krazinski

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

This film analysis of Sharp Stick by Lena Dunham critically explores how the film uptakes representations of the ideas around the vulnerabilities of Autistic women in popular culture, and yet does not explicitly name them as such. This liminality is critical and plays into the intersectional analysis that the author engages around the way vulnerability and Autistic identity is interpreted and read. The author draws upon McDermott's (2022) "neurotypical gaze" in an analysis that shows how traditional tropes around Autistic women’s vulnerability are social constructions that are brought into relief by stereotypes around race, gender, and ability. The author uses …

Critical Autism Studies Beyond Academia: An Annotated List, Alyssa Hillary Zisk

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

This is an introduced and annotated list of sources from beyond academia which are, have been, or may yet be important texts for critical autism or neurodiversity studies. The defining actions of critical autism studies, or of critical neurodiversity studies, have been taken outside academia and will continue to be taken outside academia. This list serves as a reminder of this reality through examples.

How Animal Assisted Therapy With Dogs Is Understood And Perceived Among Health Care Providers And The General Public In Canada, Healey Gardiner Dr., Jill Singleton-Jackson Dr.

Journal of Counseling and Psychology

When a dog is included in treatment to meet an individual’s therapeutic goal it is known as Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT). Although AAT has increased in popularity, limited research exists regarding its efficacy. According to the diffusion of innovation theory an innovation must be properly communicated to all appropriate channels before it may be adopted into practice. Little is known about how AAT is understood and perceived among healthcare professional and public populations in Canada. In the present study, health care professionals and the general public in Canada were surveyed. Attitude toward dogs, openness to experience, agreeableness, and subjective distress were …

Grace Community Church Council Minutes 2015-2023, Grace Community United Methodist Church, Fort Mill

Methodist Local Church Records

No abstract provided.

Early Management Of Nutritional Deficiencies To Reduce Musculoskeletal Disabilities Of Pediatric Populations In Africa, Kristin Freitas, Justin Gambini, Curt C. Stilp, Kara Roman, Ryan Mather

Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc)

An estimated 1.3 billion individuals live with disabilities across the world, however many of these impairments are developed throughout childhood and could be prevented or treated with prompt and early intervention. In Africa, nutritional deficiencies are a common reason for disability in pediatric populations, often due to a limited supply of resources and diets high in grains and beans. This results in the development of genu varum and valgum deformities, which are most commonly caused by rickets attributed to calcium deficiencies in these areas. The children often go untreated, evidently causing musculoskeletal disabilities and further complications of osteomalacia or fractures …

Investment Behavior: The Difference Between Individual And Professional Investors, Saketh Dantuluri

Honors Projects in Finance

In the modern world, there is greater accessibility to information and investment opportunities. This has led to more people from many different backgrounds to start investing in various markets. Because of this, the modem-day investor can look like many different things and have significantly varied levels of financial knowledge. This study will look into the differences in investment behaviors for individual investors, who typically have lower financial literacy rates, and professional investors, who typically have higher financial literacy rates. The data will be obtained by surveying individuals with various financial literacy rates in order to gauge the differences between individual …

Rolando Hernandez-Martinez V. Attorney General United States Of America

2023 Decisions

Agency

Critical Edition: A Commentary Upon The Prophecie Of Isaiah, Grace Weaver

University Honors Papers

A Commentary Upon the Prophecie of Isaiah, written by John Calvin, was first published in French in 1551. John Calvin (b. 7.10.1509 in France; d. 5.27.1564 in Geneva) was a prominent protestant reformer in Europe. Throughout his life, he published apologies and commentaries on many biblical books and religious texts, and became a notorious figurehead of the time. As a significantly controversial figure, Calvin and his work faced censorship and ridicule by Catholics outraged at the growing Christian Reformation of the 16th Century. A little over seven years after its initial publication, a second edition of A Commentary Upon the …

Mastery Learning: Second Chances, Instructor Workload, And Student Confidence, Judith Puncochar

Conference Presentations

No abstract provided.