Digital Commons Network^™

Functional And Structural Lesion Network Mapping: Insights Into Acquired Brain Injury And Insomnia, Kathleen Erekson Rugh

Theses and Dissertations

Insomnia disorder is the most reported sleep disorder and can negatively affect daily functioning. Acquired brain injuries can lead to insomnia disorder. Limited research has explored a causal link between brain networks and insomnia symptoms in this population. This study replicated a lesion network mapping methodology of an insomnia study (Helquist et al., 2024) and extended it to examine structural networks linked to insomnia symptoms in individuals with acquired brain injuries. Traced lesions (N =44) were used as seed regions to compare against normative functional and structural network data. For functional analyses, we used resting state fMRI scans from a …

Machine Learning For Modeling In An Elementary Differential Equations Class, Nathan Albin, Andrew G. Bennett, Abhinav Chand

CODEE Journal

Mixing machine learning with modeling is an area of increasing importance. This paper presents a lesson where students model a spring-mass system both using traditional analysis with linear damping and using machine learning to learn the damping from real data. The machine learning is implemented in a Jupyter notebook hosted on Google Colab, allowing students to train the neural network without requiring the students to carry out coding. Students get experience with how machine learning can fail, how it can work, and the time and data requirements for machine learning to succeed, and are asked to apply this knowledge to …

Modeling Alternative Futures: Scenario-Based Land-Use And Land-Cover Projections For Nepal (2030-2050), Gita Bhushal, Pankaj Lal

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Nepal has undergone significant land-use and land-cover (LULC) changes from 2000 to 2020, driven by urbanization, agricultural shifts, and broader socioeconomic dynamics. This study analyzes historical changes and projects LULC dynamics for 2030, 2040, and 2050 across four scenarios: Business-as-Usual (BAU), Rapid Urban Development (RUD), Forest Degradation and Terai Contraction (FDTC), and Agricultural Land Abandonment and Ecological Recovery (ALER). A CA-Markov modeling framework in TerrSet was used to simulate future land-use patterns, utilizing scenario-specific transition probability matrices and spatial constraints to reflect different socio-economic and policy assumptions. Under the BAU scenario, land-use change remains moderate, characterized by gradual urban expansion …

Thomas Wood V. Eiazuiks

2026 Decisions

USDC for the Western District of Pennsylvania

Kinematically Cold And Warm Planetary Nebulae Samples, Hii Regions And Supernovae Remnants In The Disc Of The Face-On Spiral Galaxy Ngc 628 (M74) - The Planetary Nebulae Spectrograph With The Hα Arm, Magda Arnaboldi, Ortwin Gerhard, Surya Aniyan, Kenneth C. Freeman, Anastasia Ponomareva, Lodovico Coccato, Johanna Hartke, Steven P. Bamford, Arianna Cortesi, Nigel Douglas, Crescenzo Tortora, Michael Merrifield, Konrad Kuijken, Massimo Capaccioli, Nicola R. Napolitano, Claudia Pulsoni, Aaron J. Romanowsky

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Introduction – We present the results from the observations of the galaxy NGC 628 with the Planetary Nebulae Spectrograph (PN.S) equipped with the Hα arm. With the third PN.S arm, the Hα arm, we measure the Hα fluxes, in addition to fluxes and line-of-sight velocities (LOSV) of monochromatic, spatially unresolved [OIII] 5007Å sources, in the nearly face-on disc of NGC 628. Methods – The narrow band color ([OIII] 5007Å–Hα) vs m5007 magnitude diagram does separate planetary nebulae (PNe) from single compact ionized HII regions and supernovae remnants (SNRs), which also emit in [OIII]5007 Å. The goals are to detect bona …

Usa V. Jabar Evans

2026 Decisions

USDC for the District of New Jersey

Rodney Anderson V. Kevin Kauffman

2026 Decisions

USDC for the Middle District of Pennsylvania

Indonesia Spatial Planning Criteria Promotes 70% Terrestrial Protected Areas In Papua, Devi Manuhua, San Afri Awang, Wahyu Wardhana, Lies R. W. Faida

Forest and Society

Papua is renowned as a world-class tropical wilderness, rich in both floristic and linguistic diversity. Proactive efforts to protect this region have been implemented by Indonesian government through a land allocation policy designating at least 70% of the area as protected. However, the extent to which protected areas (PA) criteria are implemented at a spatial scale remains very limited. Therefore, this study aims to link multi-criteria PA policies with Papua's landscape conditions, focusing on land allocation for the expansion of terrestrial PA at a spatial scale. Geographic information system (GIS)-multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) method played a crucial role in analyzing PA …

Exploring Speaking Skills Among Upper-Secondary School Students In Rojava: A Qualitative Inquiry Of Challenges And Strategies, Civin Abdulrehman Segvan, Karwan Mustafa Saeed

The Qualitative Report

In Rojava region, the interplay between sociopolitical factors and educational infrastructures complicates the landscape of English language speaking skills development among English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. This qualitative study explores the factors that hinder EFL students from developing their English-speaking skills. It primarily aimed at reporting teachers’ voices on the challenges in the context of Northeast Syria (NES) known as Rojava. To this end, semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven EFL teachers and two English educational supervisors (EES) to explore the challenges facing students in the context of this study. Using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-phase thematic analysis, …

Building Cultural Wealth: A Look Into The 40x40 Council’S Rise East Plan, Camille L. Batiste

Master's Theses

This research began as an effort to understand how community-based organizations in neighborhoods that have experienced generational economic disinvestment address the financial and cultural wealth gap in their communities. With the 40x40 Council and its work in East Oakland serving as the case study, it is evident how this organization mobilizes to reverse the impact of cultural erasure and wealth exclusion, helping Black residents not just live, but thrive. With an enriched understanding of how the 40x40 Council frames its approach, implements its vision, and develops its longevity, the Rise East Plan utilizes an alternative wealth-building strategy that centers community, …

Strategic Silence: The Greek Left's Avoidance Of The 1922 Asia Minor Catastrophe During The Refugee Crisis, 2015–2019, Harry Courts

College Honors Program

This thesis examines why the Greek political left, and specifically the SYRIZA government under Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras during the time period from 2015 to 2019, made near-absent reference to the 1922 Asia Minor Catastrophe when addressing the refugee crisis of those years. The Catastrophe, in which approximately 1.3 million Orthodox Greeks were displaced from Anatolia, is the foundational trauma of modern Greek nationhood and a living presence in Greek political culture. When hundreds of thousands of Syrian, Afghan, and Iraqi refugees arrived on Greek shores from 2015, the historical parallel was widely noted. That SYRIZA rarely drew it requires …

Fleeting Roots, Jonathan Tirado

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Onomichi, Japan carries a quiet crisis. Across its hillside arcades, akiya (abandoned properties) outnumber active storefronts, hollowing a town once defined by its dense, walkable culture. Fleeting Roots proposes a decentralized arts and fabrication campus woven through ten existing buildings along the Hondori Arcade, treating vacancy not as decay but as raw material for civic return.

The project rejects the museum impulse that often shadows preservation work. Heritage here is not frozen for tourist consumption. It is reactivated as a site of mutual cultural production, where local craft, visiting practice, and everyday commerce share the same vernacular shell. A precise …

The Role Of Pharmacists In Preventing Antibiotic Resistance: A Narrative Review, Kristy Rahayu Martadiani, Widya Norma Insani, Sofa Dewi Alfian

Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research

Antibiotic resistance is a serious global health threat, driven by irrational antibiotic use, including uncontrolled self-medication, use without proper indication, and non-adherence to medical instructions. This review aims to examine the strategic role of pharmacists in preventing antibiotic resistance through interventions at different points of healthcare services. While the discussion addresses the global pharmacist role, this review places particular emphasis on resource-limited settings, such as those in developing countries, where access to antibiotics is relatively unrestricted, regulatory enforcement is weak, and self-medication practices are more prevalent. Literature findings indicate that pharmacists play an important role as educators and supervisors of …

Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia, Sarcoidosis, And The Ultimate Unmasking Of A Pheochromocytoma, Anusha U. Saga, Elizabeth Clark, Isaac R. Whitman

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

The pitfall of anchoring bias may contribute to diagnostic conundra. In this case, a patient with a history of systemic sarcoidosis presented to the electrophysiology clinic with palpitations. Rhythm monitoring revealed polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (PMVT). A diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis was presumed and pursued even though repeat cardiac imaging was negative. In the interim, the patient developed new hypertension, and the patient’s primary care provider screened the patient for pheochromocytoma. Despite the initial pursuit of a misdiagnosis in a patient with a high pretest probability for the wrong diagnosis, the pheochromocytoma was resected and the PMVT and hypertension was cured.

Association Of Polygenic Risk Scores With Aortic Valve Calcium: The Multi-Ethnic Study Of Atherosclerosis, Seamus P Whelton, Jie Yao, Clary Clish, Alexis C Wood, Kent D Taylor, Michael J Blaha, Matthew Budoff, Natalie Marrero, George Thanassoulis, Wendy S Post, Xiuqing Guo, Jerome I Rotter

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Aortic valve calcification (AVC) is the primary process leading to aortic stenosis. We examined whether polygenic risk scores (PRS) are associated with AVC beyond traditional atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk factors.

Methods: We included 6812 participants in MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) with computed tomography-measured AVC at Visit 1. Using previously published PRS we calculated weighted PRS, standardized within each ancestry group. The cross-sectional association per 1 SD higher PRS with AVC >0 was examined using multivariable logistic regression modeling with Bonferroni correction. The mean age was 62 years old, 53% were female, and 913 (13.4%) had AVC >0 at …

Deep-Learning Endomicroscope With Large Field-Of-View And Depth-Of-Field For Real-Time In Vivo Imaging Of Epithelial Cancer Hallmarks, Huayu Hou, Jimin Wu, Jinyun Liu, Vivek Boominathan, Argaja Shende, Karthik Goli, Jennifer Carns, Richard A Schwarz, Ann M Gillenwater, Preetha Ramalingam, Mila P Salcedo, Kathleen M Schmeler, Tomasz S Tkaczyk, Jacob T Robinson, Ashok Veeraraghavan, Rebecca R Richards-Kortum

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

In vivo microscopy (IVM) has shown great promise to improve early detection of epithelial precancer, but it suffers from fundamental trade-offs that limit the resolution, field-of-view (FOV) and depth-of-field (DOF). Here, we present PrecisionView, a compact, deep learning-enabled endomicroscope that breaks these constraints and achieves 20 mm2 FOV and 500 µm DOF with 4 µm resolution, representing approximately 5× increase in FOV and 8× larger DOF compared to conventional IVM with similar resolution. PrecisionView integrates a deep learning-optimized phase mask and real-time reconstruction, enabling rapid in vivo assessment of two key hallmarks of cancer: epithelial cell nuclear morphology and subsurface …

The Impact Of Optimization Approximation Algorithms On The Performance Of The Bht-Qaoa, Ali Al-Bayaty, Marek Perkowski

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article investigates the performance impact of five classical optimization approximation algorithms on our previously introduced quantum search algorithm, termed the Boolean–Hamiltonians Transform for Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm (BHT-QAOA), to effectively search for all best-approximated solutions for Boolean-based problems. These optimization approximation algorithms are BFGS, L-BFGS-B, SLSQP, COBYLA, and COBYQA. Their performance impact is evaluated and compared using two proposed performance metrics—(i) the final number of function evaluations (the lower numbers denote the best optimization approximation algorithms) and (ii) the final quality of qubit measurements (the higher values indicate all best-approximated solutions were found for a problem). Arbitrary classical Boolean …

Dual Identification: How Organizational Culture Impacts Educational Access For Student With Intersecting Language & Dis/Ability Identities, Kara M. Piastrelli

Doctoral Dissertations

Educating multilingual learners (MLLs) in the K–12 setting has been, and continues to remain, a complex challenge. Students with intersecting language and dis/ability identities often face organizational barriers that interrupt equitable access to curriculum, language acquisition, and educational opportunities. While previous research has largely focused on racial disproportionality within special education, limited research has examined the intersection of multilingual learners within special education and the organizational systems that shape their educational experiences. This study sought to examine how organizational culture shapes the implementation and expression of institutional policies and practices related to multilingual learners with dis/abilities, specifically in relation to …

Algorithms And The Duty To Explain, Tatiana Dancy

Indian Journal of Law and Technology

This article addresses the judicial duty to explain a decision that is informed by the output of a predictive algorithm. In discharging this duty, courts generally point to evidence about how the algorithm performs: the reason for using an algorithm just is that it makes accurate predictions for all groups within the target population, without causing unjustified disparities between them. As predictive performance can be validated statistically, judges have not sought access to the algorithm itself. I argue for a more robust approach to transparency in certain cases, which involve predictions about individual behaviour. In these cases, there are reasons …

Mental Model Dilemma Of Technological Shifts And Generational Gaps? Incorporated From The Musings Of An Octogenarian., Madhavi Chakrabarty

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

An Exercise In Personal Branding: Marketing Students Mentoring College Athletes In The New Age Of Nil, Michelle C. Carpenter Mba, Jay O’Toole Ph.D., Brendan O’Hallarn Ph.D., Craig A. Morehead Ph.D.

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Sponsor Recognition In Professional Sports: A Comparison Between Cincinnati Reds And Bengals Fans, Bridget Satinover Nichols, Jenny Gardner, Joe Cobbs

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

A Single Visit Alternative Denture Built On Classic Principles, Scottie R. Miller Dds

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.

Do The Effects Of Ethnocentrism And Cosmopolitanism Depend On Countries-Of-Origins? An Empirical Study Of U.S. Consumers, Thomas Tanner, Ronda Mariani

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

For Online Success- Make It Easy For Patients New And Existing To Find You Online, Naomi Cooper

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.

Is This Tooth Restorable?, John J. Boyle Jr., Dmd

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.

Consumer Product Perceptions Within Emerging Markets: The Product Adoption Process And Consumer Ethnocentrism, Larry Carter, Miguel Sahagun

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Brand Equity And Willingness To Pay Higher Prices In The Fast-Food Industry, Mayuresh M. Kelkar

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Aliterate Consumers' Miscomprehension Of Product Warnings, Haeran Jae

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Book Review: #Metoo And The Politics Of Transnational Feminism, Muhammad Umer Azim

Journal of International Women's Studies

No abstract provided.