Digital Commons Network^™

Immunosuppressive Tumor Microenvironment Of Osteosarcoma., Aaron M Taylor, Jianting Sheng, Patrick Ks Ng, Jeffrey M. Harder, Parveen Kumar, Ju Young Ahn, Yuliang Cao, Alissa M Dzis, Nathaniel L. Jillette, Andrew Goodspeed, Avery Bodlak, Qian Wu, Michael S Isakoff, Joshy George, Jessica D S Grassmann, Diane Luo, William F Flynn, Elise T Courtois, Paul Robson, Masanori Hayashi, Alini Trujillo Paolillo, Antonio Sergio Petrilli, Silvia Regina Caminada De Toledo, Fabiola Sara Balarezo, Adam D Lindsay, Bang Hoang, Stephen T C Wong, Ching C Lau

Faculty Research 2025

Background/Objectives: Osteosarcoma is the most common malignant bone tumor in children, characterized by a high degree of genomic instability, resulting in copy number alterations and genomic rearrangements without disease-defining recurrent mutations. Clinical trials based on molecular characterization have failed to find new effective therapies or improve outcomes over the last 40 years. Methods: To better understand the immune microenvironment of osteosarcoma, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing on six tumor biopsy samples, combined with a previously published cohort of six samples. Additional osteosarcoma samples were profiled using spatial transcriptomics for the validation of discovered subtypes and to add spatial context. Results: …

Margo Weems V. City Of Philadelphia

2025 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Leadership Development Through Coaching: A Study Of Fire Department Company Officers’ Influence On Emerging Leaders, Steven T. Denzien

Ed.D. Capstone Reports

This capstone was created to inspire junior fire department members to progress their personal leadership knowledge and style to share with the department and all their life touches. This culminated into the creation of a training program for company officers centering on equipping them with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to express leadership through the practical example of coaching.

The ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate) model was utilized to create a dynamic method of practical education that promotes the see one, do one, teach one premise to share the principals of leadership in daily life through practice. This …

Staff Education Project On Genetic Testing In A Psychiatric Facility, Chinenye Vivian Akpuaka

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The project was an educational DNP project that aimed to improve staff knowledge on genetic testing. The practice focused question was “Will an education module on best practices for genetic testing increase self-reported knowledge among health care professionals in a mental health clinic?” The purposes of genetic testing in psychiatry are to improve pharmacological therapy through better prescription of the right medications (Pinzón-Espinosa et al., 2022). The implementation of genetic testing at the project site is limited due to gaps in knowledge and attitudes as well as efficacy of this intervention. The leaders at the practicum site supported the potential …

Changes In Rfi Values Of Omomyid Mandibular Molars In Response To Climatic Shifts, Hannah Vanooteghem

Masters Theses

Molar anatomy reflects the functional demands of food mastication, and dental topography provides a quantitative method for evaluating how molar structure relates to dietary niche. Relief index (RFI), a dental topographic measure, has been successfully used to infer diet in extant and fossil mammals. This study tests two hypotheses regarding mandibular molars of early Eocene omomyids: (1) There is an association between changes in omomyid RFI values of first and second mandibular molars and changes in climatic variables (temperature and precipitation) from Wa0 to Wa5, and (2) The first and second mandibular molar RFI values of omomyid species are significantly …

No Longer At War With My Words: Finding Healing Through Therapeutic Writing, Marlo Degaetano Kreitzinger

Theses and Dissertations

While living in Dallas, Texas, I had the incredible opportunity to work with women transitioning out of homelessness, addiction, prison, or other life traumas. During my four years of facilitating life skills and job readiness classes, I witnessed a desperate need for healing. Many of the women I served were stuck in the repetitive cycle of their unprocessed emotional trauma. These women were often victims of the unprecedented mental health crisis plaguing our world and had little to no access to mental health resources. My initial introduction into therapeutic writing helped me to accept my own mental health crisis and …

Quality Improvement Project Implementing A Hand Hygiene Compliance Program, Daisy Jean-Pierre

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Hand hygiene remains a cornerstone of infection prevention in healthcare, yet gaps in compliance persist among nursing staff, contributing to preventable healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and patient harm. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project, conducted at Piedmont Henry Hospital, was to implement and evaluate an educational intervention targeting nurse managers, with the aim of enhancing their knowledge, self-efficacy, and leadership in promoting hand hygiene compliance. The project addressed the identified problem of inconsistent hand hygiene practices among frontline staff, which was linked to insufficient leadership engagement and ongoing barriers such as time constraints and resource limitations. The …

Quality Improvement Project Improving The Management Of Diabetes In A Primary Care Setting Through Staff Education, Chibuzo Okereke

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Managing chronic disease, such as type 2 diabetes, requires effective patient education. This quality improvement project aimed to improve staff knowledge and confidence in delivering diabetes education using the evidence-based teach-back method. Eight staff members (physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, medical assistants, and a clinic manager) of a suburban primary care clinic in Houston, Texas, were involved in the project by participating in structured educational sessions. The Always Use Teach-Back Conviction and Confidence Scale (CCS) and a Diabetes Knowledge Test 2 (DKT2) were validated instruments to measure data pre- and post-intervention. A quasi-experimental pre- and post-test design was used, and the …

Quality Improvement Project Evaluating The Impact Of Specialized Blood Pressure Measurement (Bpm) Training On Nursing Faculty's Knowledge And Self-Efficacy In Teaching Bpm, Heba Sadaka

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Accurate blood pressure measurement (BPM) is crucial for the proper diagnosis and management of hypertension. However, BPM errors are common and may lead to under- or overtreatment, negatively impacting patients. The purpose of this quality improvement (QI) project was to retrain nursing faculty on BPM practices based on the 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) clinical guidelines. A quasi-experimental pre-/post-intervention design was used. The intervention consisted of an online specialized training video developed by the Idaho Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Stroke Prevention Program. Nursing faculty’s BPM knowledge and self-efficacy were measured before and after the training using the …

The Labor Supply Curve Is Upward Sloping: The Effects Of Immigrant-Induced Demand Shocks, Sigurd Galaasen, Andreas Kostøl, Joan Monras, Jonathan Vogel

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

What is the effect of immigration on native labor-market outcomes? An extensive literature identifies the differential impact of immigration on natives employed in jobs that are more exposed to immigrant labor (supply exposure). But immigrants consume in addition to producing output. Despite this, no literature identifies the impact on natives employed in jobs that are more exposed to immigrant consumption (demand exposure). We study native labor market effects of supply and demand exposures to immigration. Theoretically, we formalize both measures of exposure and solve for their effects on native wages. Empirically, we combine employer-employee data with a newly collected data …

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

Master’s Dissertations

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

Utility Of Cenegermin For The Management Of Neurotrophic Keratopathy After Penetrating Keratoplasty, Alexandra R. Zaloga, Ashley Khalili, Brandon D. Ayres, Brenton D. Finklea, Beeran B. Meghpara, Christopher J. Rapuano, Zeba A. Syed

Wills Eye Hospital Papers

BACKGROUND: The study aimed to report the outcomes of patients treated with cenegermin 0.002% for neurotrophic keratopathy (NK) following penetrating keratoplasty (PK).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective case series included patients evaluated at a tertiary care hospital who completed an 8-week course of cenegermin for NK within 12 months following PK. The primary outcome measure was NK stage, while secondary outcomes included complete epithelial healing, epithelial defect size, and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at baseline and four time points during and following treatment. We also evaluated disease progression.

RESULTS: Fourteen eyes of 14 patients were included and demonstrated significant improvement …

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

Theses and Dissertations

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

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

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

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

Predictive Study Of The Relationship Between Self-Care And Professional Quality Of Life Among Licensed Counselors Impacted By Covid-19, Maria G. Billings

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for mental health professionals, significantly increasing burnout and secondary traumatic stress while reducing available resources and limiting opportunities for compassion satisfaction. The purpose of this cross-sectional, quantitative survey study was to determine whether self-care engagement predicts levels of burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion satisfaction among counselors. Grounded in Stamm’s theoretical framework on compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue, the Self-Care Assessment Worksheet (SCAW) was used to measure self-care engagement, and the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL-V) was used to assess burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion satisfaction. The sample included 59 licensed …

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

Michigan Tech Publications

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

Improving Clinical Prediction Of Pulmonary Embolism In Pregnancy And Postpartum By Modifying Wells Score With A Population Specific Risk Factor: A Retrospective Study, Maryam Al Shukri, Albayan Al Masalami, Karolina Stachyra, Elias Houari, Vaidyanathan Gowri, Sumaya Al Amri, Waoud Al Saidi, Khadija D. B. Ishaq

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

Objective: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a significant cause of maternal mortality, necessitating accurate clinical prediction tools to optimise diagnosis and reduce unnecessary imaging. This study aimed to examine the Wells score’s (WS) predictive value for PE, the effect of incorporating sickle cell disease (SCD) on its predictive accuracy and to estimate prevalence of PE in pregnanct and postpartum women. Methods: This retrospective study included pregnant and postpartum women who underwent computed tomography-pulmonary angiography (CTPA) for suspected PE at two tertiary hospitals (Sultan Qaboos University Hospital and Royal Hospital in Muscat, Oman) from 2013 to 2019. The relationship between WS …

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

Baghdad Science Journal

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

Cancer Detection Framework Using Cellular Automata Based Segmentation And Deep Learning, Rupashri Barik, Nazma B J Naskar, Aleena Swetapadma

Baghdad Science Journal

Image processing plays vital role in medical sciences. Medical image processing reduces diagnosis time and cost. Early detection of cancer may reduce life risk. Earlier works on cancer detection mostly focused on specific organs and imaging modalities. This work aims a generalized framework for detecting tumors in various organs by analyzing different imaging modalities. Here, Cellular Automata helps in image segmentation through region growing, and deep learning algorithms made performance analysis in terms of accuracy and loss. Analyzing CT-Scan, MRI images of brain, breast, lungs, the proposed framework may assist to detect the region of mass being developed. Proposed CA-based …

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

Baghdad Science Journal

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

Removal Of Heavy Metal Iron(Ii) Ions From Wastewater Using An Ultrasonic System With Climbazole-Alcohol, Melek Gökmen Karakaya, Bahdi̇şen Gezer, Abdullah Menzek, Özlem Gündoğdu Aytaç

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

Climbazole (CBZ) is an antifungal active pharmaceutical ingredient often used in antidandruff products. In this study, the ketone group in the racemic CBZ molecule was reduced to synthesize CBZ-alcohol, named 1-(4-chlorophenoxy)-1-(1H-imidazol-1-yl)-3,3-dimethylbutan-2-ol, and the optimum adsorption conditions were investigated for removing iron(II) (Fe2+) ions from wastewater by adsorption from aqueous solutions using the economical and environmentally friendly ultrasonic method. The parameters and levels used in the study were designed using response surface methodology and model equations were derived to optimize the results. The independent variables selected were the initial pH (1, 3, and 5), adsorption time (30, 45, and 60 min), …

Physical And Chemical Characterization Of Recycled Glass Sand For Environmental Restoration, Shehbaz Ahmad, Julie P. Vanegas, Nicholas Borne, Natalia Butler, Toby Mendels, Leah A. Michaeloff, Diego Molina, Mary Salvaggio, Samantha Tamayo, Franziska Trautmann

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Introduction

We rely on coastal resources for food, water, and energy. However, over 75% of U.S. coastlines are eroding. Concurrently, the U.S. recycles less glass than other developed countries, landfilling hundreds of millions of tons every year. Recycled glass sand has many potential benefits over natural sand for combatting land loss; for example, it can be produced with controlled particle size to better resist erosion, making it an excellent—and underutilized—material for environmental restoration.

Objectives

This research compares the physical and chemical properties of recycled glass sand to natural sands (beach and dredge) from the U.S. Gulf Coast to assess environmental …

A Contextual Analysis Of The Early Work Of Andrzej Trautman And Ivor Robinson On Equations Of Motion And Gravitational Radiation, Donald Salisbury, Daniel Kennefick

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

In the mid-1950s, Andrzej Trautman published a series of papers connected with his dissertation work written under Leopold Infeld. In these, he drew upon the slow motion approximation developed by Infeld, the general covariance-based strong conservation laws enunciated by Bergmann and Goldberg, the Riemann tensor attributes explored by Goldberg and related geodesic deviation exploited by Pirani, the permissible metric discontinuities identified by Lichnerowicz, O'Brien and Synge, and finally Petrov's classification of vacuum spacetimes. With several significant additions he produced a comprehensive overview of the state of research in equations of motion and gravitational waves that was presented in a widely …

Jet Fuel Melts Steel Democracies: The Relationships Among Dark Personality, Belief In Conspiracy Theories, And Political Violence, Gabriel Alfaro

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Conspiracy theories are defined generally as the belief that a ‘shadowy group’ or collective is intentionally acting against one’s in-group. The last decade has seen significant sociopolitical and socioeconomic shifts, with rising antidemocratic sentiment in democracies and the COVID-19 pandemic contributing to new research on conspiracy theories. Recent studies have consistently found that dark personality traits are positively associated with belief in conspiracy theories. Other studies have also documented the potential links between conspiracy theories and antidemocratic beliefs, actions, and subsequent political violence. The present study builds on previous work examining specific conspiracy theories by exploring the relationship of dark …

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

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

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

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

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

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

On Some Hypergraph Coloring Algorithms, Boyoon Lee

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Of a given bipartite graph G = (V, E), it is elementary to construct a bipartition in timeO(|V |+|E|). For a given k-graph H = H(k) with k ≥ 3 fixed, Lovász proved that deciding whether H is bipartite is NP-complete. In this thesis, we consider the average running time of this problem. For that, let B_n = (B^(k))_n be the collection (family) of all bipartite k-graphs H on the fixed vertex set [n] = {1, ...., n}. We construct, of a given H ∈ B_n, a bipartition in time averaging O(n^k) over the class B_n. We provide two proofs …

A Road Map For Uniform, Comprehensive Long-Term Follow-Up After Curative Therapy For Sickle Cell Disease, Shalini Shenoy, Julie Kanter, Adetola Kassim, Courtney Fitzhugh, Elizabeth Stenger, Monica Bhatia, Lydia Pecker, Lakshmanan Krishnamurti, Allison A King

2020-Current year OA Pubs

An increasing number of allogeneic transplant and autologous gene modification transplant therapies seek to eradicate sickle hemoglobin and the consequent hemolysis, vasculopathy, functional compromise, morbidity, and mortality. Because these modalities are used in parallel, it is important to be able to define the spectrum and stability of correction, long-term effects, and the pros and cons of each modality. A comparison between interventions that will be sought by providers and patients undergoing intervention requires uniform assessments that evaluate disease- and intervention-related effects for informed decision-making. This expert summary outlines a pathway to functional evaluations with timing recommendations, provides broad management guidelines, …

Tune-Able, Piezoelectric Acoustic Source, Baker Hughes Company

Defensive Publications Series

Piezo-electric devices are widely used, in static as well as dynamic applications. This invention disclosure is concerned with dynamic applications, that involve the use of a piezo stack. A piezo stack is an electro-mechanical device that converts electrical in mechanical energy or vice versa. It is characterized by one or more resonance frequencies that depend on the physical properties of the piezo stack. However, these properties depend on how the piezo stack is configured exactly. Since this configuration can be changed ‘on the fly’ (i.e., during operation), we can use one single piezo stack to operate at different resonance frequencies. …

Fluid Displacer For Neutron Drilling Tools, Baker Hughes Company

Defensive Publications Series

The invention targets tools measuring back scattered neutrons, e.g. thermal or epithermal neutron porosity tools.

The response of neutron tools is heavily affected by drilling fluid in the borehole annulus, a mitigation of borehole fluid effects is challenging for very large bore holes and standoffs. Fluid displacers with large thicknesses of steel in large boreholes also affect neutron count rates.