Digital Commons Network^™

Determination Of Steroid Hormones And ⍺-Zeranol In Beef Products In East Tennessee, W. Colby Huffman, S. Ellie Jaynes, Nathan C. Duncan, D. Andrew Crain

RURALS: Review of Undergraduate Research in Agricultural and Life Sciences

Hormone growth implants are commonly used in cattle to increase growth and there is some concern that these implants may result in altered hormone concentrations in the beef from implanted cattle. This study aims to (1) develop a simple, standard, cost-effective method to measure hormones in beef and (2) compare hormones in meat from cattle not exposed to growth implants (negative controls), cattle exposed to growth implants (positive controls), and from a commercial retail store. Extraction and measurement using LCMS/MS was successful in detecting 17b-estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, and a-zeranol in meat, with a trend to lower concentrations in meat not …

Practicing Freedom: Rethinking Art Education Through Resistance And Observation, Barbara Drobot

International Journal of Lifelong Learning in Art Education

In the post-Soviet space, art education has increasingly been shaped by tensions between traditional academic approaches and the rise of informal, entertainment-oriented models of what is called “creative development”.

After a classical academic art school, many students give up drawing because of the complex presentation of information. In contrast to specialized art education, most modern creative studios for children have reformatted their approach to step-by-step instructions and copying of samples, which limits the independence of students and suppresses artistic development. In this article, the author offers a critical analysis of template teaching methods and substantiates the need to move to …

Full Issue

International Journal of Lifelong Learning in Art Education

No abstract provided.

Blind Mate Paddle Fabric Shuffle Cassette, Anonymous

Defensive Publications Series

The present disclosure describes a blind-mate cassette interconnect system that enables high-speed, high-density connectivity between modular switching and fabric elements while maintaining full compatibility with standard OSFP (Octal Small Form-factor Pluggable) cages and connectors. The cassette integrates pre-terminated twinax or optical links within a floating housing that allows precise, tool-less alignment and automatic mating during module insertion, replacing up to sixteen discrete OSFP cables. This architecture combines the serviceability of blind-mate connectors with the flexibility of standard OSFP ecosystems (DAC, ACC, AOC, coherent, WDM, etc.), reducing installation time, eliminating cabling errors, and simplifying expansion from single-rack to multi-rack systems. By …

Cloud-Managed System For Distributing Audio Content To Point-Of-Sale Devices, Ramprasad S, Gulmohar Khan, Ankul Batra, Gajen Agrawal, Malay Singh, Saurabh Mimani, Ajay Prasad, Venu Annamraju, Sailendra Bathi

Defensive Publications Series

The utility for merchants of point-of-sale (POS) audio devices can be expanded beyond announcing transaction details. A cloud-managed system can facilitate the creation and distribution of custom audio content to these devices. For example, a user can input text through a client application, which can be sent to a cloud backend. The backend can use services, such as generative artificial intelligence for content refinement and a text-to-speech engine, to generate an audio file. The backend can then orchestrate the distribution of the audio file and an associated playback schedule to one or more endpoint audio devices. This system can expand …

Immunological Surveillance Against Cancer Across Mammals, Orsolya Vincze, Piotr Minias, Alexandre Corthay, Fernando Colchero, Jean-François Lemaître, Louise Maille, Tamás Malkócs, Justus Hagemann, Dalia A. Conde, Samuel Pavard, Antoine M. Dujon, Beata Ujvari, Frédéric Thomas, Amy M. Boddy, Carlo C. Maley, Damien Chevallier, Tuul Sepp, Thomas Pradeu, Mathieu Giraudeau

Presidential Fellows Articles and Research

Contrary to expectations based on their higher cell numbers, larger and longer-lived species do not face dramatically increased risk of cancer. This strongly suggests that evolution has fashioned natural cancer resistance mechanisms, yet our knowledge remains limited on what these mechanisms might be. The cancer immunological surveillance hypothesis, proposed by Burnet and Thomas in the 1950s, highlights immunity as a key factor determining species-specific cancer resistance. Here we address the original, evolutionary interpretation of this hypothesis by investigating the relationship between cancer mortality risk and markers of efficient antigen presentation. Our results show that the expansion of the MHC class …

Dissecting The Efficacy And Immunogenicity Of Tlr7 Agonist–Antibody Conjugates Through The Lens Of Fc Effector Function, Conjugation Strategies, And Linker Cleavability, Siteng Fang, Samantha R. Benjamin, Lina Wu, Mohammad Asikur Rahman, Kayla K. Elder, Victor T. Ojo, Tao Zhang, Tracy A. Brooks, L. Nathan Tumey

Pharmacy Faculty Scholarship

The advent of immuno-oncology therapeutics has given rise to antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) designed to selectively activate pattern recognition receptors such as Toll-Like Receptors (TLRs). In contrast to classical ADC technology, these Immune Stimulating Antibody Conjugates (ISACs) are widely reported to rely on Fcγ-mediated uptake and noncleavable linkers. Herein, we systematically study the impact of Fc effector function, linker cleavability, and conjugation strategy on the efficacy and immunogenicity of a series of TLR7 agonist-based ISACs. We demonstrate that the combination of FcγR-ablation and incorporation of a cleavable linker results in increased stimulation of myeloid cells, enhanced efficacy, and improved tolerability as …

Empathy On Trial: The Role Of Neuroscience And Communication In Sexual Violence Jurisprudence, Samantha M. Gonzales

Honors Program Theses and Research Projects

Sexual violence remains a contentious public safety and legal challenge, which has become further complicated by the tension between supporting victim-survivors and safeguarding the falsely accused. False accusations, though still well below the numbers of rightly accused, are experiencing a rise in popularity given recent (past ten years) political climates. This thesis examines how communication theory, neuroscience, and law intersect in molding perceptions of truth, culpability, and justice in sexual violence cases; while also examining the intersectionality of those fields in addressing the candor of allegations, the rate of recidivism, and quality of public health and safety. The most prominent …

Designing Culturally Responsive Classrooms: Breaking Boundaries Using Bilingual Children’S Literature, Maryann Huebner

Honors Projects

The purpose of this study was to educate and empower teachers to implement culturally responsive teaching practices in the elementary classroom to create inclusive learning environments. With an emphasis on high-quality instruction and meaningful materials, the research aimed to support equitable learning opportunities for all students. The study had a specific focus on how the use of bilingual, culturally relevant children’s literature can be a powerful resource for developing bilingual abilities in students, enabling them to meaningfully and confidently participate in the multicultural classroom. To explore how children’s literature can foster bilingualism and biculturalism in students, I collected daily, reflective …

Defying Gravity: Fall Prevention Quality Improvement Project, Taylor Ryan, Madeline Bartush

2025

QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

Background: In March of 2025, an increase in inpatient falls led to a hospital-wide containment period. In response, a fall prevention nurse role was created to identify gaps, provide targeted education and lead improvement efforts. Initial surveys of 101 nurses revealed that while 91% reported using the teach-back method of education as part of their practice with patients and families, only 36.6% reported they always use this method, and just 19.8% reported feeling very comfortable doing so. Direct observations revealed families unable to teach-back fall prevention strategies despite nurse documentation of education completion. A gap analysis also …

Deconstructing The Black Box: An Explainability Analysis Of Deep Learning Architectures In Cytopathology, Chase A. Garrett

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Deep learning shows strong potential in medical-image analysis, yet adoption in cyptopathology remains limited. Cytopathology could benefit from deep learning applications by improving diagnostic efficiency and accuracy. However deep learning comes with a notorious “black box” that keeps the models from being transparent and trustworthy for widespread clinical adoption. We conducted a comprehensive and comparative analysis of several deep learning architectures for multi-class classification of acute leukemia types, ALL, AML, and normal healthy cells from peripheral blood smear images. The models in this research include a Vision Transformer (ViT) and a diverse selection of Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) models. The …

Death Before Breath: Courts Should Add De–Escalation And Proportionality To The Graham Factors, Nakyshia Fralin

University of Miami Race & Social Justice Law Review

This paper examines Barnes v. Felix, a case recently before the Supreme Court, through a comparative analysis of various circuit courts’ applications of the Graham factors in use–of–force evaluations. Beginning with a historical overview of policing, the paper revisits the factual background of the case before delving into the Fifth Circuit’s analysis, known as the Moment–of–Threat doctrine. It then contrasts this approach with the broader “totality of the circumstances” approach, highlighting the differing judicial interpretations. Building upon these established frameworks, the paper proposes two additional factors aimed at promoting human life and safety. By introducing these elements, the analysis seeks …

The Integral Fail–Safe: Restoring Clemency’S Role As A Remedy For Injustice In Death Penalty Cases, Mya Nobles

University of Miami Race & Social Justice Law Review

Executive clemency has long been understood simply as an act of mercy; however, this Note argues that executive clemency was historically designed to also function as an indispensable corrective mechanism within the criminal justice system, especially in capital cases where the consequences of error are irreversible. Using the execution of Marcellus Williams as a central illustration, this Note examines how modern clemency practices have deviated from their original purpose, becoming increasingly arbitrary, politically influenced, and vulnerable to racial bias. Although clemency has been characterized by its broad discretion and minimal procedural constraints, this Note argues that such unfettered authority has …

Importance Of Expressed Breast Milk Verification And Patient Identification, Deb Lathrop

2025

QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

Background: Due to changes in Texas reimbursement, the Plano campus was transferring neonates, infants under 28 days of life, to the Dallas campus. It was decided in 2023 to obtain a neonatal designation for the Plano campus. A Program Manager was hired as part of the requirements and a quality and Patient Safety committee was formed. As part of the program, quality data collection was required. As a Level I designated facility, expressed breastmilk verification was one of the required data sets to be collected. It was discovered that staff at the Plano campus were not scanning …

Next Word Prediction In Social Media Texts For Punjabi-English Bilingual Users With Sequential Cnn-Bilstm, Gurpreet Singh, C P Kamboj

Baghdad Science Journal

Preparing a collection of Punjabi-English social media text and creating a next word prediction system for Punjabi users are the main goals of this study. As the Gurmukhi script has a large character set, typing in Punjabi takes a lot of time. That is the reason behind using the Roman script for communication on social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, and Twitter by many Punjabi users. For such users, we have proposed a sequential CNN-BiLSTM architecture to provide suggestions to improve typing speed and make communication convenient. In our proposed model, we used 128 filters and a kernel size of …

Navigating The Future: Healthcare Professionals’ Perspectives On Cobot Integration In Hospitals, Amanda Spence, Kellie Patterson, Stephanie Rogers, Paige Merring, Wendy Bassett, Stephanie Roth, Sanaz Taherzadeh, Susan Smith Birkhoff, Briana Abernathy, Hannah Rackie, Erin Mitchell, Morgan Tallo

Biennial Convention (CONV)

There is growing interest in the implementation of delivery robots in healthcare, yet a lack of understanding remains regarding frontline clinicians’ views on the implementation of these robots. Limited research exists addressing the perceptions, attitudes, and experiences of staff following the integration of delivery robots into clinical practice. Gaining insight into staff perspectives is essential for the effective integration and optimization of robots in healthcare settings.

This study aims to explore the perceptions of healthcare workers after the implementation of delivery robots within a large tertiary care hospital setting.

Guided by Bowden’s feasibility framework, a mixed methods design with a …

I Don’T Want To Be Alone: The Impact Of Cohorting Neonates On One Unit, Deb Lathrop, Rose Dela Cruz

2025

INNOVATION & LEADERSHIP

Background: The hospital has been caring for neonates since it opened in 2005. To comply with state regulations, a state designation for neonatal care is required. The facility hired a program manager to address specific needs and to apply for the state designation. A designation of Level 1 neonatal care was obtained at the end of 2023. The facility does not possess a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The program manager started collecting historical data on thermoregulation who are located on every unit of the facility in October 2023. It became evident that neonates in the hospital …

Deterring Prison Versus Police Civil Rights Violations: Legal Challenges, Public Policy, And Institutional Failures, Natalie Kemper

University of Miami Race & Social Justice Law Review

The status of incarcerated individuals falls categorically below that of non-incarcerated individuals in our society, yet most would agree they deserve protection from governmental abuses of power. This Note evaluates the current legal, institutional, political, and societal circumstances that contribute to the immense difficulties faced by individuals alleging civil rights violations under the Eighth Amendment, primarily through the avenue of U.S.C. § 1983. Due to similarities in civil rights claims, this Note compares the barriers faced by incarcerated plaintiffs to those encountered in police misconduct claims, highlighting key discrepancies that undermine accountability and deterrence.

A primary barrier is the significantly …

Ascertaining Ascertainability, Patrick D. Murphree

Louisiana Law Review

No abstract provided.

For Pete's Sake: A Comparative Analysis On Quantum Review After Pete V. Boland, Joseph X. Kehrli

Louisiana Law Review

No abstract provided.

Guiding The Story World: A Comparison Of Diegetic Cues In A Snow White Vr Narrative Game, Jiayi Xu

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Virtual reality (VR) narrative games must guide players through complex story worlds without undermining immersion, yet prior work rarely compares different forms of in-world guidance under tightly controlled conditions. Designers routinely mix diegetic text, character behavior, and environmental motion, but it remains unclear how these cue families differentially shape cognitive load, task performance, and narrative experience when they convey the same instruction.

This thesis investigates how three common diegetic cue types—diegetic text, non-verbal gestures from a non-player character, and environmental motion and highlights—affect players in a first-person VR retelling of the Snow White story. In a between-subjects laboratory study, each …

Tesla's Forced Middleman: Why Modernization In The Automobile Industry Requires Louisiana To Revise Its Direct Sales Law, John Brainard

Louisiana Law Review

No abstract provided.

When Laws Leave You Hanging: Negotiorum Gestio Steps In For Self V. Bpx Operating Company, Melisse Speligene

Louisiana Law Review

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of Traffic Related Air Pollution Effects On Indoor Air Quality In Educational Buildings, Ahmed Gouda Mohamed, Mohamed Sherif Dr., Fahad Alqahtani Dr., Yousif Deeb Eng.

Civil Engineering

This study assesses the impact of traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) on indoor air quality (IAQ) within a Riyadh school. The main objectives are to pinpoint factors influencing IAQ and to evaluate the effectiveness of existing ventilation and filtration systems. Air quality Egg sensors monitored nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and particulate matter (PM1.0, PM2.5, PM10) levels both indoors and outdoors over 30 days. Findings revealed average indoor PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations of 14.09 µg/m3 and 18.15 µg/m3, respectively, while outdoor concentrations averaged 20.63 µg/m3 and 27.88 µg/m3. A strong positive correlation was observed between indoor and outdoor PM levels, …

High-Throughput Screens Identify Genotype-Specific Therapeutics For Channelopathies, Christian L. Egly, Alex Shen, Tri Q. Do, Carlos Tellet Cabiya, Paxton A. Ritschel, Suah Woo, Matthew Ku, Brian P. Delisle, Brett M. Kroncke, Björn C. Knollmann

Physiology Faculty Publications

Genetic diseases such as ion channelopathies substantially burden human health. Existing treatments are limited and not genotype specific. Here, we report a 2-step high-throughput approach to rapidly identify drug candidates for repurposing as genotype-specific therapy. We first screened 1,680 medicines using a thallium-flux trafficking assay against Kv11.1 gene variants causing long QT syndrome (LQTS), an ion channelopathy associated with fatal cardiac arrhythmia. We identified evacetrapib as a suitable drug candidate that improves membrane trafficking and activates channels. We then used deep mutational scanning to prospectively identify all Kv11.1 missense variants in an LQTS hotspot region responsive to treatment with evacetrapib. …

Diffog: Differentiable Policy Trajectory Optimization With Generalizability, Zhengtong Xu, Zichen Miao, Qiang Qiu, Zhe Zhang, Yu She

School of Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

Imitation-learning-based visuomotor policies excel at manipulation tasks but often produce suboptimal action trajectories compared to model-based methods. Directly mapping camera data to actions via neural networks can result in jerky motions and difficulties in meeting critical constraints, compromising safety and robustness in real-world deployment. For tasks that require high robustness or strict adherence to constraints, ensuring trajectory quality is crucial. However, the lack of interpretability in neural networks makes it challenging to generate constraint-compliant actions in a controlled manner. This article introduces differentiable policy trajectory optimization with generalizability (DiffOG), a learning-based trajectory optimization framework designed to enhance visuomotor policies. By …

Psychopharmacologic Management Of Serious Mental Illness In State Prisons, Clarel Neuvieme

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project focused on developing and evaluating an evidence-based clinical practice guideline (CPG) for the psychopharmacologic management of serious mental illness (SMI) in a state correctional health system. The project explored a critical practice gap: the unavailability of standardized, evidence-based prescribing and monitoring protocols for incarcerated individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia, major depressive disorder with psychotic features, or bipolar disorder. The evidence-based project was structured around the central question: “Will an interprofessional team achieve consensus on updating the clinical practice guideline for psychopharmacologic management of serious mental illness in state prisons, thereby improving consistency and quality …

Ndls Communicator: Week Of 11.24.25, Notre Dame Law School

NDLS Communicator

The Latest News

• Four Notre Dame faculty invested as members of American Academy of Sciences and Letters
• Congratulations to Professor Derek Muller on being honored as a member of this year’s Notre Dame All-Faculty Team during Saturday's Notre Dame football game.
• Chief Judge William H. Pryor, Jr., delivers the 2025 Rice-Hasson Distinguished Lecture
• Bishop Kevin. C. Rhoades speaks to the law school about the Catholic Church's teaching on immigration and religious freedom

Alumni News

• Notre Dame Alumna Carmen Haydeé López Runs for Congress in Honduras

Faculty Briefs

• Rick Garnett
• Mary Ellen O'Connell
• Paolo Carozza
• Fr. John Paul Kimes
• Haley Proctor …

Optical, Electrical, And Structural Properties Of Nio Thin Films, Derived By Sol–Gel Method, Tatyana Ivanova, Antoaneta Harizanova, Nikolay Petkov

Physical Sciences Publications

NiO films were successfully deposited by sol–gel spin coating on Si, glass, and ITO-covered glass substrates. The impact of the film thickness (the different number of layers), annealing temperatures (from 300 to 500 °C), and the substrate type on the crystal structure, film morphology, optical, and vibrational properties was investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed a polycrystalline structure and the appearance of the cubic NiO phase. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) was applied to explore the surface morphology of NiO films, deposited on glass and ITO substrates. The oxidation states of Ni were determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The …

Transformer Network On Global Self-Attention Mechanism For Brain Tumor Segmentation, Ammar Awni Abbas Baghdadi, Mohammed Al-Mukhtar, Ammar S Al-Zubaidi

Baghdad Science Journal

Transformers are a specific category of neural network design. Transformers often depend on extensive pre-training on a large scale and exhibit a notable degree of computational complexity. The disadvantage of using this method is a significant increase in computational complexity, which necessitates a significant commitment of time and computing resources in order to successfully work with these models. Transformer networks possess the desirable benefit of extracting distant characteristics effectively via their self-attention mechanism. In this paper, the Global Self-Attention Transformer module is applied to tackle these issues. The model is based on a segmentation problem called Brain-GS that works as …