Digital Commons Network^™

Tax Clinic, Peter Elder

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.

Taxpayer Privacy Vs. Freedom Of Information: Proposals To Amend Sec. 6103, Meade Whitaker

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Libraries’ Onboarding Documentation At A Metropolitan University Consortium, Sonali Sugrim, Eric Silberberg

Urban Library Journal

This study investigates the extent to which onboarding documentation for academic librarians prioritizes long-term employee success. The authors applied content analysis to the onboarding documents from a consortium of libraries in a major metropolitan area in the United States. Study findings reveal that the onboarding documents prioritize introducing new hires to organizational structure rather than integrating them into the workplace culture. Most documents are checklists; however, some libraries provide comprehensive manuals, particularly regarding the tenure process. Notably, only half of the libraries include information about mentorship programs. Based on these findings, this study offers recommendations for improving onboarding documentation, including …

Magnesium, Iron, And Calcium Isotope Signatures Of Chicxulub Impact Spherules: Isotopic Fingerprint Of The Projectile And Plume Thermodynamics, Courtney Jean Rundhaug, Martin Schiller, Martin Bizzarro, Zhengbin Deng, Hermann D. Bermúdez

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary (KPB) represents a massive extinction event in Earth's history, probably triggered by the Chicxulub asteroid impact ∼66 Ma. The event dispersed vast volumes of ejecta materials including exceptionally preserved impact spherules in the Gorgonilla Island KPB section. Previous work identified three populations of spherules at Gorgonilla: 1) ballistically transported molten spherules, 2) a mixture of molten and condensed spherules dispersed by the expansion of a high-temperature, turbulent cloud (the "pyrocloud"), and 3) tiny droplets condensed from the plume (the "fireball layer"). We determine the Mg, Fe, and Ca isotopic compositions of pristine spherules to better understand the …

Generation And Characterization Of A Knockout Mouse Of An Enhancer Of Ebf3., Emily Cordova Hurtado, Janine M Wotton, Alexander Gulka, Crystal Burke, Jeffrey K Ng, Ibrahim Bah, Juana Manuel, Hillary Heins, Stephen A Murray, David U Gorkin, Jacqueline K White, Kevin A Peterson, Tychele N Turner

Faculty Research 2025

Genomic studies of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) have identified several relevant genomic variants. EBF3 is a gene with an excess of protein-coding de novo variants and underlies Hypotonia, Ataxia, and Delayed Development Syndrome. We previously identified noncoding de novo variants in an enhancer of EBF3 and further found enrichment of deletions of this enhancer in NDDs. In this study, we generated a novel mouse line that deletes the highly conserved, orthologous mouse region within the Rr169617 regulatory region, and characterized the molecular and phenotypic aspects of this mouse model. We found a deviation from Mendelian expectation (P=0.02) with significant depletion of …

Secret Key Generation Based On The Physical Layer Characteristics For Iot Networks, Abdullah Dakhlallah Alshamdayn

Doctoral Dissertations

The rapid expansion of low-resource devices, coupled with advances in telecommunications, has significantly increased the number of connected devices and enabled the development of affordable, energy-efficient, portable, and high-performance sensors for diverse applications. However, this convenience comes with security and privacy concerns related to the reliability of hardware, software, and communication infrastructure. The extensive interconnectivity of limited-resource devices and the transmission of large data volumes pose significant security challenges in wireless networks. The future wireless technologies, such as 5G, will enable the transfer of critical data, including personal, financial, military, and industrial information, necessitating secure communication in wireless networks. Generally, …

For The Good Times: The Influence Of Leaders' Regret On Risk-Taking Behavior In Decision-Making, Ashley Elizabeth Owen

Doctoral Dissertations

Regret is a powerful and often underexplored emotion that significantly shapes leadership decision-making, particularly in high-stakes environments where the consequences of choices have lasting impacts on individuals, organizations, and communities. The researcher utilized qualitative research to explore how various forms of regret, including anticipatory regret, self-blame regret, and existential regret, influence risk-taking behavior and decision-making processes among higher education leaders within the University of Louisiana System. Drawing upon behavioral decision theory, regret theory, prospect theory, and emotional intelligence frameworks, the study aimed to understand how leaders experience, process, and respond to the emotional dynamics of regret within complex organizational settings. …

Advanced Plant Growth Using Halloysite Nanotubes (Hnts) And Waste Extraction For Medical Applications, Zeinab Jabbari Velisdeh

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation presents an integrated research framework that bridges nanotechnology, green chemistry, and sustainable agriculture, aiming to address two critical global challenges: enhancing plant growth under resource-limited conditions and valorizing agricultural waste for bioactive compound extraction. The study is divided into three major projects that together highlight the innovative application of magnesium oxide-coated halloysite nanotubes (MgO-HNTs) and the development of environmentally conscious extraction methods for high-value phytochemicals. The first component of this work investigates the design, fabrication, and functional evaluation of MgO-HNTs as advanced nanocarriers for promoting seed germination and early root development in tomato plants. MgO-HNTs were synthesized via …

Investigation Of Electrochemical Corrosion Fatigue Mitigation Strategies For Mild Carbon Steel, Joel Andrew Hudson

Doctoral Dissertations

Corrosion fatigue remains a critical durability challenge for steels used in boiler tubes and other safety-critical components, where the interaction of cyclic stresses and corrosive environments accelerates material degradation. This dissertation comprises three experimental studies aimed at advancing mitigation strategies and test methodologies: (1) enhancing corrosion resistance through electrodeposited Fe-Ni anodic coatings, (2) inducing synthetic crack closure to suppress fatigue crack growth, and (3) developing an accessible, low-cost, automated testing system to investigate environmentally assisted cracking (EAC) under controlled laboratory conditions. The first study examined the corrosion behavior of Fe and Fe-Ni electrodeposits synthesized from sulfate-based baths and applied to …

Illiberalism In Israeli Public Opinion, Hannah M. Ridge

Political Science Faculty Articles and Research

Israel has long identified as a democracy. However, scholars have expressed concerns that it is engaged in democratic backsliding (Kremnitzer and Shany 2020; Oren and Waxman 2022). Despite holding repeated elections, its liberal credentials are weakening, as the rule of law and judicial independence are threatened. Institutionally, then, it is fulfilling Dahl’s (1971) contestation requirement for democracy but not the inclusiveness requirement. At the citizen level, there is questionable democratic culture (Inglehart and Welzel 2003). If the public supports electoral institutions but not liberal values, then the democracy’s foundation is weak (Mounk 2018). This article analyzes recent Israeli public opinion …

Rethinking Schedule Quality Risk Assessment, Michael E. Oliver, Patrick T. Rodjom

Beyond the Project Horizon: Journal of the Center for Project Management Innovation

Critical Path Method schedule reliability is dependent on exhibition of specific qualities. Failure to exhibit these qualities (i.e., schedule defects) increases project risk exposure. Although current schedule quality assessment methods provide diagnostic remediation insights, they do not provide a meaningful singular assessment value that characterizes the nature and magnitude of schedule quality risk nor do they enable parity when comparing schedule quality across multiple schedules of disparate size (e.g., number of tasks) or complexity (e.g., number of concurrent paths, degree of merge bias). This study employed a design science research approach to address current schedule quality assessment practice dilemmas through …

Analysis Of Aroma Volatile Compounds In Black Tea Produced From The Large-Leaf Variety In Northern Guangxi Based On Hs-Spme-Gc-Ms, Ting Chen, Chunyu Guo, Yingqi Wu, Min Li, Yuelan Pang, Yan Qing

Journal of Food Science and Biotechnology

[Objective ] This study explores the unique flavor characteristics and volatile compounds of black tea produced from the large-leaf variety in northern Guangxi,aiming to reveal the material basis of aroma formation of this variety.[Method ] Sensory evaluation,determination of biochemical parameters,headspace-solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS ),and odor activity value (OAV ) analysis were performed in combination with chemometrics analysis to analyze the flavor characteristics and volatile compounds of the black tea.[Result ] The black tea samples produced from the large-leaf variety in northern Guangxi had similar aroma properties and were characterized by distinct floral and fruity aromas.A total of 88 volatile …

Inverse Design For Generating Initial Conditions In Scientific Simulations, Leslie Horace, Christin Whitton, Vanessa Job, William Jones, Nathan A. Debardeleben

Computing Sciences

We propose a conditional normalizing flow (CNF) surrogate model to solve generative, many-to-one inverse problems in scientific simulations governed by partial differential equations (PDEs) with time-evolving interactions between heterogeneous materials. We present two case studies: electrostatic potential and heat diffusion, which serve as proxy simulations for generating diverse sets of initial conditions that can reproduce an observed output state (transient or steady). Finally, we provide a comprehensive overview of the synthetic datasets, the model specification, each stage of the experimental workflow, evaluation of training performance, and uncertainty quantification for the generated samples.

Connected-Component Labeling Using Hls For High-Energy Particle Physics Instruments, Nick Song, Marion Sudvarg, Roger Chamberlain

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Many instruments used in high-energy particle physics observations, e.g., gamma-ray telescopes, use FPGAs for front-end signal processing of raw sensor data. The use of high-level synthesis (HLS) to express the signal processing algorithms has the potential to significantly reduce development time for new instruments of this type. We describe our experience with one of the computational stages in the signal processing pipeline, island detection, exploring its implementation across multiple configurations: 1D versus 2D islands, and 4-way versus 8-way connected-component labeling (CCL) in the 2D configuration. We report resource usage and performance for both configurations of 2D island detection, including the …

Early Visual Predictors Of Progression To Alzheimer’S Disease And Dementia With Lewy Bodies, Abril Baez

Master's Theses

We examined whether specific visual cognitive skills predict progression from Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), or dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). The Benson Complex Figure Task (BCFT) was used to measure visual perception and construction (copy), and visual memory (recall). National Alzheimer Coordination Center longitudinal dataset included participants who remained stable (MCI-stable; n =2630), progressed to AD (MCI-AD; n =798), or progressed to DLB (MCI-DLB; n =59). Baseline BCFT scores were entered into logistic regression models predicting diagnostic outcome. Impaired copy performance was significantly associated with MCI-DLB (B = 0.79, OR = 2.21, BCa CI [0.26, 1.36], …

Turfgrass Weed Control For Professionals, 2024, Aaron J. Patton, Matthew T. Elmore

Purdue University Press Books

Turfgrass is used on everything from athletic fields, golf courses, and parks, to lawns, sod farms, and roadsides. Unfortunately, information on weed management for professionals maintaining these areas has often been inaccurate or out of date, and applicators are frequently unaware of the most effective methods for controlling weeds in turf. Written by experts in the field and featuring insights from contributors from sixteen states across the US, the 2024 edition of Turfgrass Weed Control for Professionals was developed to provide science-based information for those working in the field. It contains information about turfgrass management, weed biology and management, more …

Shu World Review- November 15th 2025, Diplolab

SHU World Review

No abstract provided.

Interview With Bill C. Robertson, Bill C. Roberston, Logan Dovalina

Rio Grande Valley Oral Histories

Bill Robertson (September 15, 1943-June 20, 2026), a lifelong resident of Mission and McAllen, provides a first-hand account of the pioneer era and mid-20th-century social fabric of Mission, Texas, with particular emphasis on the exclusive Shary Heights subdivision.

Robertson traces his family’s arrival: his paternal grandfather entered the cotton business in Mission in 1908, while his maternal grandfather relocated from Vernon, Texas, to establish a citrus grove after purchasing land from developer John H. Shary. He vividly recalls the town’s earliest days, including cross-border bandit activity, homes lost to fire, and freezes, and the tight-knit circle of founding families (Shary, …

The Impact Of Arginase1, Malondialdehyde Levels And The Activity Of Glutathione S-Transferase On The Development And Progression Of Diabetic Retinopathy In Some Iraqi Patients, Maha Faris Yaseen, Fayhaa M. Khaleel

Baghdad Science Journal

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the major cause of blindness due to microvascular damage from high blood glucose and lipid levels. Arginase1 is an enzyme that regulates β-cell activities, insulin resistance, and vascular complications, inflammatory responses, and oxidative stress. This study aimesto investigate the role of Arginase1 in Iraqi individuals with obesity, T2DM and DR and investigating the relationship with GST and MDA in the development of inflammation and oxidative stress that causes diabetic complication. This research included 120 participants: 40 obese controls, 40 diabetes Type 2 patients, and 40 diabetic retinopathy patients, aged 30–65, from both sexes. All groups …

A Study Of Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 In Iraqi Patients With Coronary Artery Disease, Saja Taha Yissen, Layla Othman Farhan

Baghdad Science Journal

Heart and blood vessel illnesses are collectively referred to as cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Although there is, till now, no known cure for the deadly disease known as CAD, it is extremely predictable, treatable, and preventative. Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) is a single-pass transmembrane protein that regulates glucose levels and has several roles in the immune system, cell migration and proliferation, and other areas. The purpose of the study is to measure the DPP 4 levels in the sera of Iraqi patients with CAD. The DPP4 was measured in Iraqi patients' serum in the current investigation to evaluate, which included forty …

Synthesis, Characterization And Biological Activity Studies Of New Metal Ion Complexes With Schiff Base Derived From (Z)-3-Hydrazineylidene-1-Phenylpyrazolidine And Evaluating Them As Antioxidants, Zahra Mounir Ahmed, Naser Shaalan

Baghdad Science Journal

The research includes the preparation of several complexes of the transition elements and zinc where M(II) = Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn, containing the 3d shell, with ligand (LH)was synthesized by treating the (Z)-3-hydrazineylidene-1-phenylpyrazolidine and Salicylaldehyde. Ligand (LH) was identified using FT-IR spectra,¹H-¹³C-NMR, UV-Vis spectroscopy, elemental microanalysis CHN and mass spectrometry. The complexes were studied and identified with elemental microanalysis CHN, FT-IR spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy, conductivity measurement, and magnetic sensitivity. The result showed that, these complexes were classified as homogeneous tridentate complexes with the formula [M(LH) (H₂O)₂Cl] or [M(LH)₂]. xH …

Advancements In Understanding Spasticity: A Neuromusculoskeletal Modeling Perspective, Mohammad S Shourijeh, Argyrios Stampas, Shuo-Hsiu Chang, Radha Korupolu, Gerard E Francisco

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Spasticity, a complex consequence of upper motor neuron lesions, poses challenges for clinical assessment due to its neural and mechanical origins. Traditional scales like the Modified Ashworth and Tardieu Scales provide subjective, context-limited insights, often missing spasticity's dynamic nature. Neuromusculoskeletal (NMS) modeling offers objective, quantitative insights by integrating patient-specific muscle-tendon properties, reflex dynamics, and multi-joint biomechanics. This scoping review examines advancements in spasticity modeling, comparing mechanical, neurological, and integrated approaches, and their applications in conditions like cerebral palsy and stroke. We highlight barriers to clinical translation, including computational demands and regulatory challenges, and propose future directions, such as real-time simulation …

Image-Based Meta- And Mega-Analysis (Ibmma): A Unified Framework For Large-Scale, Multi-Site, Neuroimaging Data Analysis, Jacklynn M. Fitzgerald

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

The increasing scale and complexity of neuroimaging datasets aggregated from multiple study sites present substantial analytic challenges, as existing statistical analysis tools struggle to handle missing voxel-data, suffer from limited computational speed and inefficient memory allocation, and are restricted in the types of statistical designs they are able to model. We introduce Image-Based Meta- & Mega-Analysis (IBMMA), a novel software package implemented in R and Python that provides a unified framework for analyzing diverse neuroimaging features, efficiently handles large-scale datasets through parallel processing, offers flexible statistical modeling options, and properly manages missing voxel-data commonly encountered in multi-site studies. IBMMA successfully …

Unveiling Novel Bladder Cancer Associations From Multicentred Primary And Secondary Care Electronic Health Records By Machine Learning: A Case-Control Study, Xu Wang, Andrea Preston, Jonathan Aning, Shang-Ming Zhou

School of Nursing and Midwifery

ObjectiveThe rising incidence and mortality in bladder cancer (BC) underscore the importance of identifying asscociated features. Current reliance on haematuria as a primary indicator for BC proves inadequate. While mining electronic health records (EHRs) offer potential of identifying BC-related signals, traditional data-driven methods struggle with high-dimensional datasets. This study aims to uncover novel BC-associated clinical signals by developing Parsimony-driven cAtegory-balaNced binary Signal extractor for Primary Care EHRs (PanSPICE) tailored to extremely high-dimensional data linked from multi-centres.MethodsWe collected BC cases and control patients (n = 64,884) linked at patient-level from Welsh nationwide databases, yielding 48,261 features in primary care settings. The …

Modeling And Optimizing Real-Time Telescope Interaction For Multi-Wavelength Observation Of Gamma-Ray Bursts, Ye Htet, Marion Sudvarg, Honghao Yang, Jeremy Buhler, Roger Chamberlain, James Buckley

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Multi-wavelength observation of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) requires real-time interaction among multiple telescopes. A gamma-ray telescope detects and localizes a GRB in the sky and must then communicate with an optical telescope to direct the latter toward the GRB as quickly as possible. We previously developed software for ADAPT, a suborbital gamma-ray telescope, to localize GRBs in real time, on a timescale shorter than that of the GRB itself. This work therefore studies progressive localization, in which ADAPT computes a series of increasingly accurate location estimates during a GRB to enable a partner instrument to more rapidly find it. We describe …

Characterizing The Metabolites Of The Tyrosine-Kinase Inhibitor Pexidartinib In Mouse Feces, Urine, Plasma, And Liver, Xuan Qin, Si Chen, John M Hakenjos, Jian Wang, Lei Guo, Ashish Dogra, Zhaoyong Hu, Kevin R Mackenzie, Feng Li

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Pexidartinib (PEX, TURALIO®), a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is approved for treating tenosynovial giant cell tumor in adults. However, its potential to cause fatal liver injury has prompted the U.S. FDA to issue a black box warning, and the mechanisms underlying its hepatotoxicity remain largely unknown. As biotransformation may contribute to PEX-induced hepatotoxicity, understanding its metabolism is essential. Our previous research indicated that PEX forms reactive metabolites in human and mouse liver microsomes and in human hepatocytes. We investigated PEX metabolism and liver distribution in mice with a focus on metabolite characterization. Our data shows that PEX is mainly excreted into …

Real-World Evidence For Herbal Medicine Benefit In 9728 Type 2 Diabetes Patients-Peridonotitis Risk And Ambulatory Care Utilization., Wen-Wei Lin, Chieh-Tsung Yen, Hanoch Livneh, Hua-Lung Huang, Ming-Chi Lu, Wei-Jen Chen, Tzung-Yi Tsai

Leadership, Learning and Counseling Faculty Publications and Presentations

Recent evidence manifests that individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) are increasingly affected by oral disorders. Although medicinal herbs have shown promise in managing T2D, their benefit in managing periodontitis risk and subsequent healthcare utilization remains uncertain.

Generation And Characterization Of A Knockout Mouse Of An Enhancer Of Ebf3, Emily Cordova Hurtado, Janine M Wotton, Alexander Gulka, Crystal Burke, Jeffrey K Ng, Ibrahim Bah, Juana Manuel, Hillary Heins, Stephen A Murray, David U Gorkin, Jacqueline K White, Kevin A Peterson, Tychele N Turner

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Genomic studies of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) have identified several relevant genomic variants. EBF3 is a gene with an excess of protein-coding de novo variants and underlies Hypotonia, Ataxia, and Delayed Development Syndrome. We previously identified noncoding de novo variants in an enhancer of EBF3 and further found enrichment of deletions of this enhancer in NDDs. In this study, we generated a novel mouse line that deletes the highly conserved, orthologous mouse region within the Rr169617 regulatory region, and characterized the molecular and phenotypic aspects of this mouse model. We found a deviation from Mendelian expectation (P=0.02) with significant depletion of …

Evaluating Competencies In Counseling Students: Comparing Adjunct And Core Faculty Ratings, Mark D. Newmeyer, Kaitlyn C. Stafford, Peter J. Buckingham, Karen E. Fischer, Meredith D. Mcdaniel, Rhys P. Wilson

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

This study examines the differences in how adjunct and core faculty evaluate counseling students using a brief version of the Counselor Competencies Scale-Revised (CCS-R). Data from 647 evaluations of 433 students were analyzed. The results show that adjunct faculty, particularly those with master's degrees, tend to rate students significantly higher on professional counseling dispositions than core faculty, raising concerns about the consistency of gatekeeping in counselor training programs. These findings suggest a need for the standardization of counseling disposition evaluation practices to maintain high training standards. Implications for student-to-faculty ratio requirements are discussed.

Counselor Education: Digital Delivery With Confidence, Nicole Marie Arcuri-Sanders, Alisha Davis

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Counselor education programs are required to demonstrate a clear framework, effective implementation, and overall program effectiveness. The pandemic’s surge in online instruction influenced CACREP’s (2024) digital delivery (DD) standards, addressing ethical and legal implications alongside student outcomes. Guidance from digital health initiatives, telemental health ethics and legal practices can be invaluable in clarifying DD protocols for counselor education programs. Understanding the parallels between DD and digital health regulations (e.g., HIPAA, ACA [2014], and NBCC [2023] ethical codes) provides a solid foundation for protecting both students and programs. Integrating technology and modeling digital health practices can enhance counselor education, benefiting both …