Digital Commons Network^™

Assessing A Community Health Worker-Facilitated, Digitally Delivered, Family-Centered Diabetes Management Program: Single-Arm Quasi-Experimental Study, Zenong Yin, Vanessa L Errisuriz, Heather Cuevas, Bertha E Flores, Laura Delfausse, Christina Galvan, Jing Wang, Chengdong Li, Renata Morfin, Shiyu Li, Maysa Sapargeldiyeva, Giliane Yza Muyna, Minyu Zhang, Vanessa Sweet, Deborah Parra-Medina

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: The high prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and associated complications disproportionately affect low-income Latino populations, who also experience disparities in diabetes self-management (DSM), including poor medication adherence, physical activity, diet, and glycemic control.

Objective: This study examined, through an academic-community partnership, the effectiveness of ¡Salud, Salud! (an evidence-based, family-centered diabetes self-management education and support [DSMES] program) on primary (glycemic control and quality of life) and secondary (social, psychological, and behavioral factors related to T2D management) outcomes among low-income Latino adults with T2D or prediabetes.

Methods: In total, 81 adults (mean age 48.90 years, SD 12.57; n=57, 70.4%, female; …

Follow Me Into Math: Near-Peer Influencers Take The Stage, Aaron T. Wilson, Sergey Grigorian, Mayra Ortiz Galarza, Xiaohui Wang

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Young people like to be entertained, and to entertain others. What if students were to invest enough of their time and effort into learning topics from our mathematics courses to become experts in the eyes of their peers? In this study we positioned college students and high school students as mathematical performers on the stage in front of their nearpeers, for whom they became math influencers, developing and presenting MathShows. The paper shows readers how we positioned students on the stage, using a 7-step MathShow Design Process informed by a Neer-peer Mathematical Mentoring framework. Of import for educators, researchers and …

Early Childhood Special Education Teachers’ Perspectives Of Teaching Social-Emotional Skills During The Covid-19 Pandemic Virtual Learning Period, Dalena Lynette Lafferty

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

During the COVID-19 pandemic, early childhood special education teachers struggled to virtually teach social-emotional skills to their students when schools were closed, and all students were moved from face-to-face to virtual learning. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore early childhood special education teachers’ perspectives on teaching social-emotional skills to their students during the COVID-19 pandemic virtual learning period. Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory was used as the conceptual framework for this study. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with 10 early childhood special education teachers from the United States who had experience with teaching social-emotional skills virtually during …

Implementation Of The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 As A Screening Tool For Depression, Nathalie Teboh Njofri Bih

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Depression is a common mental health issue that is often misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed in primary care practice due to a lack of appropriate screening. The practice problem addressed by this project was the inconsistent use of standardized tools, like the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), which hinders timely and accurate depression diagnosis. The practice-focused question was: Does educating staff impact their knowledge of the recommended use and interpretation of the PHQ-9 and their confidence in administering the tool? I aimed to enhance depression screening practices by educating nursing staff on administering, scoring, and integrating the PHQ-9 into routine patient care. For …

Apoe-Calypse Tau: Apoe-Tau Synergy In Alzheimer's Disease, Matthew Paul Lennol, Chiara Bordier, Léana Kamelher, Jason D Ulrich, David M Holtzman, Maud Gratuze

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia, is characterized by the accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) in senile plaques and abnormally hyperphosphorylated tau proteins in neurofibrillary tangles. While much of the research has focused on Aβ, tau-mediated neurodegeneration is more closely associated with synaptic loss and cognitive decline in AD, emphasizing the need for a deeper understanding of tau pathology. In this context, the interaction between tau and APOE, particularly the main genetic risk factor for AD APOE ε4, remains underexplored. APOE encodes apolipoprotein E (apoE), a protein important in lipid metabolism. In addition to promoting Aβ deposition, emerging …

Forensic Anthropologists As “Social Workers For The Deceased”: Integrating Social Work Standards And Collaborative Efforts In Long-Term Unidentified Human Remains Cases, Amy Michael, Samantha Blatt, Jennifer Bengtson, Scotia Mullin, Juliette R. Bedard, Samantha Unwin, Jose Sanchez

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

Forensic anthropologists working in university laboratories are often curators of long-term unidentified human remains cases. Here, we review how and why anthropologists can effectively move toward case resolution by drawing on literature and collaborative best practices from the field of social work. Borrowing from the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) standards for case management, we detail five standards that can be effectively followed during the forensic anthropological case investigation to ensure culturally sensitive and victim-centered approaches to human identification. While the field of forensic anthropology has its own professional standards developed through a consensus body and shared governance, these …

Improving Icu Nurses’ Knowledge Of Early Mobility Through An Educational Intervention, Mohini Chand

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This doctoral project sought to close a critical knowledge gap in the implementation of early mobility (EM) practices among intensive care unit (ICU) nurses. Guided by the ADDIE instructional design model, the initiative centered on developing and delivering a six-week educational intervention aimed at enhancing nurses’ comprehension and application of EM strategies for critically ill patients. Despite robust evidence supporting EM’s role in mitigating ICU-acquired weakness, reducing delirium, and improving functional outcomes, its clinical adoption remained inconsistent prior to this intervention. The project was anchored by the practice-focused question: “To what extent does an educational intervention improve ICU nurses’ knowledge …

Soft Skills For Student Success, Tia L. Young

Doctor of Strategic Leadership (DSL) Capstone Abstracts

Soft Skills for Student Success

This capstone project explores the role of etiquette-based training in cultivating soft skills essential for college students’ success in the workforce. Grounded in Human Capital Theory (Becker, 1993), Emotional Intelligence (Goleman, 1995), and Experiential Learning Theory (Kolb, 1984), the study positions etiquette as a transformative tool for enhancing students’ confidence, professionalism, and marketability. Employers consistently rank soft skills—such as communication, adaptability, and professionalism—above technical expertise, yet many graduates lack these competencies. The research question guiding this project asks: How can etiquette training serve as a transformative tool for developing soft skills and improving college students’ …

A Supplement, Not A Substitute: Accuracy And Completeness Of Chatgpt Responses For Common Elbow Pathology, Benjamin Fiedler, Umar Ghilzai, Abdullah Ghali, Phillip Goldman, Pablo Coello, Michael B Gottschalk, Eric R Wagner, Adil Shahzad Ahmed

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Hypothesis: Large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT have increasingly been used as online resources for patients with orthopedic conditions. Yet there is a paucity of information assessing the ability of LLMs to accurately and completely answer patient questions. The present study comparatively assessed both ChatGPT 3.5 and GPT-4 responses to frequently asked questions on common elbow pathologies, scoring for accuracy and completeness. It was hypothesized that ChatGPT 3.5 and GPT-4 would demonstrate high levels of accuracy for the specific query asked, but some responses would lack completeness, and GPT-4 would yield more accurate and complete responses than ChatGPT 3.5.

Methods: …

The Taxonomy And Origins Of Folia: A Brief Review, Donald G. Davis, Louise D. Hose, Harvey R. Duchene

International Journal of Speleology

All folia demonstrate a few common elements: folia (singular, folium) are planar or sub-planar speleothems, slanting downward and away from cave walls and ceilings, and genetically associated with fluctuating environmental interfaces. They were first identified and named from examples in western USA hypogenic caves but have since been identified elsewhere in the world. Folia shelves are typically composed of calcite and interweave smoothly along sub-horizontal contours. Calcite accretion, both chemical and mechanical from suspended particles, follows water-surface fluctuations to form protrusions in arrays along walls and ceilings where new accretion tends to follow the water-surface downward during descending phases, gradually …

Red: A Crayon’S Story Bibliotherapy, David Wolff

OER Materials

The goal of this assignment was for preservice teachers to practice writing a chain of questions that focused on the social and/or emotional needs of young learners. Bibliotherapy is therapeutic in nature to help individuals understand themselves and the world around them through guided reading experiences (American Library Association, 2025; Delisle & Galbraith, 2002). Further, bibliotherapy allow individuals to identify a personal problem mirrored by a character in a book. As the reader connects with the character, the reader experiences the emotions expressed by the character. Finally, the reader applies the character’s experience to their own personal problem (American Library …

25 Conference Program - Integrated Continuous Biomanufacturing Vii, Kevin Brower, Alois Jungbauer, Mark Brower, Irina Ramos

Integrated Continuous Biomanufacturing VII (ICB VII)

No abstract provided.

Take In Case Of Emergency: Reconciling Necessity Takings With The Original Meaning Of The Takings Clause, Tony Smith

Northwestern University Law Review

Does the Fifth Amendment’s Takings Clause permit the state to destroy property without compensation whenever it declares an emergency? The long-standing doctrine of necessity empowers the state to do exactly that.

Courts dating back to common law England have permitted governments to claim a privilege of necessity to avoid paying for private property they destroy in times of crisis. The privilege rests on the principle that the public good sometimes outweighs the harm the individual suffers. Today’s courts and academics stretch this principle to its limits, arguing necessity should be used as a vehicle for combating all manner of social …

Introduction To Analysis: Theorems And Examples, Hidefumi Katsuura

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

This book focuses on the theoretical aspects of calculus. The book begins with a chapter on set theory before thoroughly discussing real numbers, then moves onto sequences, series, and their convergence. The author explains why an understanding of real numbers is essential in order to create a foundation for studying analysis. Since the Cantor set is elusive to many, a section is devoted to binary/ternary numbers and the Cantor set. The book then moves on to continuous functions, differentiations, integrations, and uniform convergence of sequences of functions. An example of a nontrivial uniformly Cauchy sequence of functions is given. The …

Generative Suspicion And The Risks Of Ai-Assisted Police Reports, Andrew Guthrie Ferguson

Northwestern University Law Review

Police reports play a central role in the criminal justice system. Many times, police reports exist as the only official memorialization of what happened during an incident, shaping probable cause determinations, pretrial detention decisions, motions to suppress, plea bargains, and trial strategy. For over a century, human police officers wrote the factual narratives that shaped the trajectory of individual cases and organized the entire legal system.

This practice is about to change with the creation of AI-assisted police reports. Today, with the click of a button, large language models (LLMs), a type of generative AI using predictive text capabilities, can …

Lessons From A Masterclass, Daniel R. Fine

Northwestern University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Bridging The Gap: Awareness Of Healthy Menstrual Practices Among Married And Single Women In Baghdad Teaching Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Study, Ban Yousif Yaaqoob

Al-Nisour Journal for Medical Sciences

Background: Menstruation is a natural biological process that significantly impacts women’s physical and emotional well-being. Despite its universality, misconceptions and unhealthy practices surrounding menstruation persist, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This study aimed to assess the knowledge and practices of married and single women regarding healthy menstrual habits in Baghdad, Iraq.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 20, 2022, to February 25, 2023, involving 100 women divided into two groups: 50 single females from the College of Health and Medical Techniques and 50 married employees from Baghdad Teaching Hospital. Data were collected through structured interviews and …

Enhancing 6g Network Security With Quantum Key Distribution: A Comprehensive Review, Bassma M. Kamil

Al-Esraa University College Journal for Engineering Sciences

With the considerable progress of sixth-generation (6G) networks further on the horizon, security has attracted much attention in the face of increasingly sophisticated threats, especially from quantum computing. Classical cryptographic schemes based on computational hardness are becoming more and more brittle, as they can easily be attacked with a quantum computer. Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) arises as a promising tool for information-theoretic security through quantum mechanics to obtain an unbreakable key by exchanging unknown bit sequences. In this paper, we provide an extensive survey on the integration of QKD both in the envisioned 6G architecture, including current implementations, technical feasibility, …

Protection The Nfv Net-Work Using The Random Forest Classification, Mustafa H. Taha, Ibtesam Jomaa Hawi, Wafaa Waheeb Abdullah Ali

Al-Esraa University College Journal for Engineering Sciences

A misuse attack is the most common and dangerous type of attack that could target NFV (Network Function Virtualization). In a misuse attack, the attacker attempts to consume the NVF environment’s resources by sending a large amount of traffic. To protect the NFV environment, an early and accurate misuse attack detection system has been proposed based on NFV and Random Forest Classifier. The proposed model starts with importing the dataset and analyzing it then pre-processing and feature selection using a PSO (particle swarm optimization) Test algorithm, classification is based on the most common and efficient machine learning technique, which is …

Disparities In Street Harassment Exposure And Mental Health Consequences: Elevated Risk For Marginalized Women, Sophia Shaiman, Kaitlin M. Boyle

Faculty Publications

Street harassment is a widespread harm that disproportionately affects women. While research suggests links between racial inequality, street harassment, and mental health outcomes, it is less understood how the severity of harassment experienced is shaped by their demographic characteristics, and how the severity of the harassment shapes mental health outcomes. Thus, we ask two questions. First, which demographic characteristics are associated with a greater risk of “complementary” and “hostile” forms of street harassment? Second, are complementary and hostile forms of street harassment both associated with higher levels of negative emotion, psychological distress, and post-traumatic maladaptive beliefs? To answer these questions, …

The Impact Of Smoking On The Health And Academic Level Of Male High School Students In Anbar, Esraa Abd Al-Karim Marouf

Al-Nisour Journal for Medical Sciences

Many studies have been conducted on the effects of smoking of all kinds on middle and high school students. Furthermore, smoking has recently become normal lifestyle for many university and school students (especially in the preparatory and secondary stages). Where smoking included tobacco cigarettes, e-hookah and hookahs of various types and flavors. As is well known, smoking has many negative effects on health, physical, psychological, cognitive, social and economic aspects. According to the World Health Organization, the use of tobacco leads to catastrophic effects on public health and it’s a direct cause of death for more than 7 million people …

Shohani Hormonal Guard (Shg): A Multifunctional Nutraceutical Approach To Treating Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Through Metabolic, Hormonal, And Anti-Inflammatory Pathways, Mohammed Mahdi Salman Ghadban

Al-Nisour Journal for Medical Sciences

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a complex endocrine-metabolic disorder affecting women of reproductive age. It is characterized by ovarian dysfunction, insulin resistance, and hyperandrogenism, often accompanied by an overactive hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. “Shohani Hormonal Guard” (SHG) is a nutraceutical formulation designed to target PCOS pathophysiology via multiple ingredients. We present a comprehensive review of SHG’s components – including inositols, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), berberine, ashwagandha, omega-3 fatty acids, and micronutrients (zinc, magnesium, vitamin B6, vitamin D3/K2, resveratrol, chromium, probiotics, etc.) – and their mechanistic roles and clinical benefits in PCOS. The literature demonstrates that SHG’s ingredients improve insulin sensitivity, modulate cortisol and …

Remedies For Unreasonable Administrative Action After Vavilov, Kate Glover Berger

Articles & Book Chapters

This article comments on Pepa v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration), arguing that it departs from the Supreme Court's previous guidance on remedies in an unprincipled manner. The article outlines the remedial framework established in Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) v. Vavilov, traces its development over the past five years, discusses key departures from the general rule of remittal, and highlights the principles these departures reflect. It then examines the approach to remedies adopted in Pepa. This assessment shows that the Pepa majority's invocation of the "single reasonable interpretation" exception to the general rule of remittal departs from the core …

Foundations Of Artificial Intelligence In Healthcare Diagnostics: A Systematic Survey, Raghad Tariq Al-Hassani

Al-Esraa University College Journal for Engineering Sciences

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming the cornerstone of the future of healthcare diagnostics, that has to ability to change the healthcare diagnostic landscape in terms of diagnostic accuracy, speed, and availability. This systematic review investigates the basic methods, tools, applications, and challenges involved in the integration of AI in diagnostic medicine. It emphasizes the using of machine learning models, deep learning networks (e.g., CNNs), NLP for clinical documentation, and smart computing infrastructures, such as edge device and IoMT. They are making possible real-time, data-driven decision making that is already at human-expert-level performance or, in some cases, even better (in the …

Enhancing Automated Lung Disease Detection From Chest Radiography: An Interpretable Deep Learning Approach With Integrated Preprocessing And Ensemble Modeling, Ahmed Mohammed Abdulkarem, Jamal Kamil K. Abbas, Qamar Ali Abdulridha

Al-Nisour Journal for Medical Sciences

In this study, we tackled the problem of early pulmonary disease detection in chest radiography by developing and evaluating a sophisticated deep learning framework. Our goal was to improve diagnostic precision for conditions like cancer and pneumonia. To do this, we combined insights from current literature with a rigorous experimental protocol using a 5,000-image sample from the well-known NIH Chest X-ray dataset. A core component of our work was the implementation of a multi-stage preprocessing pipeline, featuring both lung segmentation and targeted contrast enhancement, designed to focus the model’s attention on relevant clinical features.

We assessed our models, which were …

Therapeutic Potential Of Sh-Hp (His-D-Trp-Ala-Trp-D-Phe-Lys) In Helicobacter Pylori Infection And Acute Gastric Intoxication, Mohammed Mahdi Salman Ghadban

Al-Nisour Journal for Medical Sciences

Helicobacter pylori is a highly prevalent gastric pathogen (colonizing ∼50% of people worldwide) that causes chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, MALT lymphoma, and gastric cancer. Rising antibiotic resistance (e.g. >15% clarithromycin resistance) has compromised standard eradication regimens, necessitating novel therapies. SH-HP (His-D-Trp-Ala-Trp-D-Phe-Lys) is a synthetic hexapeptide analogue of the endogenous hormone ghrelin/GHRP-6, originally developed as a growth hormone secretagogue. Preclinical studies reveal that SH-HP/GHRP-6 has potent gastroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects: it prevents stress-induced gastric mucosal lesions and mitigates multiorgan damage in ischemia/reperfusion models. Given that ghrelin receptor signaling plays a key role in gut mucosal defense (via nitric oxide and …

The Impact Of Refractive Errors Instability On The Life Quality Of The Patients With Type 2 Diabetes, Farah Fareed Tarik, Rasha Taha Yassen

Al-Nisour Journal for Medical Sciences

The present work aims to study the refractive error instability effects on life quality among type 2 diabetic patients and to understand the issues in people with refractive error. The cross-sectional study was conducted among patients of Ghazi Al-Hariri Hospital and Al-Diwaniyah Teaching Hospital from 1/11/2023 to 1/3/2024. A slit lamp, E chart, lensometer, OCT, trial case, and some tests were performed. One copy of the questionnaire was completed for each subject out of 100 diabetic patients. The present study included (48%) male and (52%) female who were diagnosed as type II diabetic patients. The results show that (89%) of …

Assessment Study Of The Amblyopia And Its Treatment By Physical Exercises In Baghdad Hospital, Wasen Abbas Jawad, Zina Tariq Ali, Ruaa Saad Abdualhussin

Al-Nisour Journal for Medical Sciences

The study aimed to assess the effects of physical exercises on patients with amblyopia with age ranges from 2 to 45 years old. This is study involves forty (40) patients, nineteen(19) males and twenty one (21) females with age ranges from (2_45) years old. All patients in our study diagnosed by visual acuity (VA) test for both right and left eyes (without glasses and with glasses), then the patients submitted to study questionnaire (Date of amblyopia diagnosis), is there any previous treatment? What type of exercises (Patching, ocular motility and others) they have? The patients examined by Visual acuity (VA), …

Groundwater Quality Analyses For Irrigation Purposes In Salah Al-Din, Iraq: A Review, Noor A. Radhi, Dawood E. Sachit, Abdul-Sahib T. Al-Madhhachi

Al-Esraa University College Journal for Engineering Sciences

The focus of this study is the effect of the physical and chemical characteristics of groundwaters on plants and agricultural crops, following the last studies on this matter. The results underscore the necessity for groundwater treatment before its utilization in irrigation for sustainable agricultural farming. It is also possible to identify which crop type can be grown in well-watered land, according to the characteristics of irrigation water and the yield of each crop. The study also introduces some ideas about irrigation water quality parameters such as Electrical conductivity (EC), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), pH, Chloride (Cl^–), Sodium (Na …

Risk Markers For Sudden Unexpected Death In Epilepsy: An Observational, Prospective, Multicentre Cohort Study, Manuela Ochoa-Urrea, Xi Luo, Laura Vilella, Nuria Lacuey, Shirin Jamal Omidi, Norma J Hupp, Blanca Talavera, Johnson P Hampson, M R Sandhya Rani, Shiqiang Tao, Xiaojin Li, Christina Y Miyake, Licong Cui, Jaison S Hampson, Ganne Chaitanya, Yash Shashank Vakilna, Rup K Sainju, Daniel Friedman, Maromi Nei, Luke Allen, Catherine A Scott, Joana Oliveira, Brian Gehlbach, Stephan U Schuele, Jennifer A Ogren, Ronald M Harper, Beate Diehl, Lisa M Bateman, George B Richerson, Jose-Miguel Yamal, Guo-Qiang Zhang, Orrin Devinsky, Samden D Lhatoo

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is the leading cause of epilepsy-related mortality. Generalised-particularly nocturnal-convulsive seizures, longstanding epilepsy, and solitary living have been identified retrospectively as risk factors. No definitive electroclinical biomarkers have been prospectively ascertained. This study aimed to identify SUDEP risk markers using multimodality data with long-term follow-up.

Methods: This prospective, multicentre, observational cohort study, conducted at nine centres (eight in the USA and one in the UK), recruited children and adults with epilepsy who were undergoing prolonged video-electroencephalographic (EEG) monitoring. Inclusion criteria were diagnosis of epilepsy by an epilepsy specialist, with or without drug resistance; age …