Digital Commons Network^™

Nurtur-Her, Azizi Ivey

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

The Vine City Wellness Campus will transform the abandoned Morris Brown College Student Center—a symbol of the neighborhood's rich HBCU heritage—into a beacon of community health, honoring the past while addressing present health crises. By integrating clinical care, maternal health services, wellness programming, and community gathering spaces within a historic structure supplemented by sensitive new construction, this project will demonstrate how architecture can heal both bodies and communities, addressing generations of health inequity in one of Atlanta's most historically significant yet underserved neighborhoods.

“Justice” By Deception: The Immigration Regime’S Longstanding Reliance On Fraud And Coercion, Lori A. Nessel

Buffalo Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Detection Of Forever Chemicals From Paper Cups Using Colorimetry, Sara Miller

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic chemicals added to food packaging products to increase water-resistance and durability. PFAS are a growing concern due to their migration into beverages and foods and have been linked to cancer, immunotoxicity, and thyroid disturbances. The purpose of this study was to quantify PFAS migration from paper cups into water and evaluate toxic effects using planarians. PFAS detection was performed using a colorimetric assay, which forms a colored complex with PFAS, on: perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), heptadeca fluorooctane sulfonic acid potassium salt (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). PFNA and PFOS showed absorbance at 640 nm, while …

Modeling Velocity Distributions Of Interstellar Neutral Hydrogen In The Heliosphere, Lucas Robert Dyke

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

As interstellar neutral hydrogen (ISN H) is the most abundant neutral element in the helio- sphere, the region within which the solar wind interacts with the portion of the interstellar medium through which our solar system moves through, it is integral that we aim to under- stand its many properties and interactions within this region. This work details the synthesis and use of a model of ISN H, using trajectory methods to backtrace from a target point at a radial distance of 1 au where explorer probes like Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) and Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) reside. …

Two-Year Retrospective Evaluation Of Frailty To Optimize Postoperative Spinal Fusion Outcomes In Adults Aged 65 And Older, Sheri Loo

Doctoral Projects

Many older adults over the age of 65 have both spinal stenosis requiring spinal fusion surgery and frailty. As life expectancy has increased, many older individuals will undergo elective spinal fusion surgery to decrease their chronic pain in pursuit of improved quality of life. There is currently an underutilization of frailty screening for risk stratification of postoperative complications. A retrospective chart review over a two-year period from July 2023 to June 2025of adults aged 65 and older who underwent posterior spinal fusion surgery, involving 126 participants, was completed. We assessed the correlation between frailty and postoperative outcomes, discharge disposition, and …

Development And Psychometric Analysis Of An Instrument To Assess Social Stigma Associated With Parkinson's Disease, Ana Lourdes Guerra-Anzaldo, Arturo Emmanuel Espinosa-Picos, Karen Itzel Sánchez-Ramírez, Ana Jimena Hernández-Medrano, Amin Cervantes-Arriaga, Ariadna Domínguez-García, Mayela Rodríguez-Violante

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: To develop and report the psychometric properties of a comprehensive scale designed to measure stereotypes and attitudes of the general population towards people with Parkinson’s disease (PwP).

Methods: The development and analysis of the Parkinson's Disease Stigma Perception scale (PDSP) included four phases: 1) literature review, 2) item development, 3) tests of validity and reliability, and 4) dissemination of a preliminary version. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to explore underlying structures, and confirmatory factor analysis to test the model's fit.

Results: Six (2%) of the 294 survey respondents were disqualified because of incomplete …

Type-1 Ryanodine Receptor Plays An Important Role In Cardiac Hypertrophy And Heart Failure By Increasing Type-2 Ryanodine Receptor-Mediated Calcium Release, Yong-Xiao Wang, Ed Wilson Santos, Sarahann Mistretta, Yuexing Yuan, Harold A. Singer, Shey-Shing Sheu, Yun-Min Zheng

Center for Translational Medicine Faculty Papers

Type-1 ryanodine receptor (RyR1) is essential for skeletal muscle contraction. This Ca²⁺ release channel is expressed in cardiac myocytes; however, its function remains elusive. Cardiac-specific RyR1 overexpression (OE) mice were generated under the cardiac-specific Myh6 promoter. Cardiac hypertrophy (CH), cardiac functions, and mechanistic changes in RyR1 OE and control (wildtype, WT) mice were assessed using hematoxylin and eosin staining, echocardiography, electrocardiogram, quantitative RT-PCR, Western blotting, [³H]-ryanodine binding assay, confocal microscope, ROS dye Amplex Red and 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescein diacetate. RyR1 OE mice had increased whole heart, left ventricular weight, and left ventricular wall thickness, but decreased cardiac output and …

Analysis Of Perturbations And Station Keeping Maneuvers Of A Satellite In Geostationary Equatorial Orbit (Geo), Michael I. Safier

Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Independent Study

This independent study analyzed the station keeping maneuvers and ΔV’s required to offset major natural perturbations to keep a satellite in Geostationary Equatorial Orbit (GEO). This was completed with Poliastro in Python by modeling those perturbations and propagating through a GEO orbit. This allowed for the determination of the North-South and East-West station keeping maneuvers required to keep the satellite within a ± 0.05 longitude and latitude box. The four major perturbations studied were 𝐽₂, lunar gravity, solar gravity, and solar radiation pressure, whose accelerations were all found to be on an order of magnitude of 10−9 km/𝑠 …

Speech Acts In Children With Autism: A Pragmatic Study Of Communication Skills In Selected Igbo Autistic Teenagers, Oluchukwu Ann Anueyiagu, Ngozi Christiana Ikegwuonu

Journal of Innovation and Teacher Professionalism

This study examines the speech acts of selected Igbo autistic teenagers from a pragmatic perspective, with the aim of understanding how culture influences their communicative competence. The study is anchored on Searle’s Speech Act Theory and Hymes’ Ethnography of Communication framework. It investigates how autistic teenagers within the Igbo socio-cultural environment produce and interpret communicative functions such as requesting, informing, apologizing, questioning, and expressing emotions. A qualitative case study design was adopted, involving three autistic teenagers purposively selected from special schools and therapy centres in Anambra State, Nigeria. Data were collected through naturalistic observations, audio and video recordings of spontaneous …

Christine Mcgoveran V. Amazon Web Services Inc

2026 Decisions

USDC for the District of Delaware

Comparing The Use Of Measured And Smoothed Data In Forecasting Visual Field Tests Using Deep Learning, Ashkan Abbasi, Sowjanya Gowrisankaran, Wei-Chun Lin, Xubo Song, Bhavna Josephine Antony, Gadi Wollstein, Joel Schuman, Hiroshi Ishikawa

Wills Eye Hospital Papers

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of training and testing deep learning (DL) models for visual field (VF) forecasting using input-target pairs in which the target is either the measured VF test result, or its smoothed counterpart constructed via linear regression.

DESIGN: A retrospective data analysis study evaluating DL models for VF forecasting under multiple training and testing configurations.

SUBJECTS AND CONTROLS: A total of 1400 subjects (healthy and glaucoma patients) with 19 437 reliable Humphrey VF (24-2 Swedish Interactive Threshold Algorithm) tests collected from longitudinal cohorts at the University of Pittsburgh and New York University.

METHODS: Three DL-based pointwise VF …

Multi-Grader Validation Of The Telemedicine Retinopathy Of Prematurity Severity Score, Harrison W. Pratt, Sarthak V. Shah, Cindy S. Zhao, Arthur R. Brant, Caroline R. Baumal, Cagri G. Besirli, Audina M. Berrocal, Kimberley A. Drenser, Anna L. Ells, Clio Armitage Harper, G. Baker Hubbard, Eric D. Nudleman, Polly Quiram, Irena Tsui, Edward Wood, Yoshihiro Yonekawa, Tatiana Rosenblatt, Jochen Kumm, Darius M. Moshfeghi

Wills Eye Hospital Papers

We aimed to statefully validate Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) grading by evaluating intergrader variability over age-matched simulated exams. In a prospective retinal photographic grading cohort study, both eyes of twenty patients with five images per eye per visit were graded by twelve expert graders across six weekly visits. For each eye visit, ROP experts graded the Zone, Stage, and Plus, from which the Telemedicine ROP Severity Score (tROP-SS) was calculated. Graders retained knowledge of prior assessments for a given eye and followed International Classification of ROP rules. Intergrader coefficient of variation (CoV) for Zone, Stage, Plus, and tROP-SS remained below …

Experiences Of Gay, Bisexual, And Transgender Nurses Working In A Hospital Setting, Layla C. Bradley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Risk Factors As Predictors Of Maternal Filicide, Melanie Inez Bailey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

The Effectiveness Of After Care Substance Abuse Treatment Programs From The Perspective Of Released Female Offenders, Sarah Kay Blankenship

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Reducing Burnout Among Psychiatric Practitioners And Therapists, Sarah Lemaine

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Fifty Years And Counting: Middle School Principals’ Experiences, Beliefs, And Preparation For Serving Students Of Color With Disabilities, Lourdes Rodriguez Flores

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This study explored how middle school principals understand and support students of color with disabilities (SOCWD) on comprehensive school campuses. This topic is deeply personal and professional, shaped by my experiences as a mother, special education teacher, and district leader who has witnessed ongoing challenges in how schools serve students with disabilities, especially Black and Brown students. Guided by Disability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit; Annamma et al., 2013) and Social Justice Leadership (Theoharis, 2007), this study examined how race and disability intersect in school systems and influence leadership decisions, practices, and access to opportunity. Using a qualitative approach, I conducted …

Optimal Timing Of Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Insertion Relative To Cranioplasty Post-Decompressive Craniectomy: A Frequentist Network Meta-Analysis, Shaan Patel, Shiva A. Nischal, Kush M. Kale, Pious D. Patel, James S. Harrop, Jack Jallo, Srinivas K. Prasad

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVE: Optimal timing of ventriculoperitoneal shunting (VPS) relative to cranioplasty (CP) after decompressive craniectomy remains controversial. VPS may be performed before, during, or after CP, but no consensus exists on which sequence minimizes complications. We performed a systematic review and network meta-analysis to compare the safety profiles of pre-, simultaneous, and post-CP shunting.

METHODS: We searched PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, and CENTRAL from inception to October 2025. Eligible studies directly compared at least two timing strategies in patients undergoing both CP and VPS. Primary outcomes included overall complications, reoperation, infection, and intradural bleeding. Secondary outcomes included shunt-related and other procedure-specific adverse events. …

Efficacy Of A Cognitive-Behavioral Group Intervention For Adhd In Collegestudents Via Telehealth, Will H. Canu, Kate Flory, Maggie W. Johnson, Laura E. Knouse, Kenneth Mcclure, Emily Miller, Emily A. Bodalski, Abby De Arellano

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective: college students with ADHD often experience academic and life challenges related to executive functioning (EF). telehealth interventions are generally beneficial for emerging adults, but this claim needs to be tested for ADHD. We examined a telehealth adaptation of a cognitive-behavioral intervention for college students with aDhD that focuses on organizational, time management, and planning (OTMP) skills. Participants: students at three universities (n = 106; 72.6% female; M age =22.21; 86.7% White; 91.5% Not Hispanic or Latina/e/o) presented for ADHD treatment. Method: six group sessions and three individual sessions were delivered via video conferencing software. Results: Pre-post differences in self-report …

Illicit Origins, Public Displays: How Trafficking And Repatriation Reshaped Ancient Greek Pottery In Modern Museums, Alisha Bhandari

Honors College Theses

This thesis examines how illicit excavation, antiquities trafficking, and repatriation have reshaped the modern circulation and interpretation of ancient Greek pottery in museum collections. While Greek pottery has traditionally been studied through style, iconography, attribution, and artistic value, this project shifts attention to the modern systems that have determined how these objects were excavated, sold, displayed, and contested. Through a literature review and three case studies — the Aineta Aryballos, the Python Bell-Krater, and the Athena Kylix — this thesis argues that ancient Greek pottery should be understood not only as evidence of antiquity, but also as evidence of modern …

Irregular Warfare, Part Two: Ai Approaches, Implications, And Proposed Recommendations, James Giordano, Jocelyn Garcia

Strategic Insights

Part Two of "Irregular Warfare" looks at how artificial intelligence is transforming irregular warfare through AI-enabled, non-kinetic influence operations that target perception, trust, morale, and decision-making. State adversaries employ AI-driven cognitive and information operations below the threshold of kinetic conflict to shape strategic outcomes, exploit societal vulnerabilities, and challenge allied cohesion. This commentary also assesses the implications of AI-enabled irregular warfare for military readiness, cognitive resilience, operational planning, and strategic competition, and provides recommendations for how the Department of War can strengthen preparedness against emerging cognitive and information threats.

A Governance-Aware Multi-Agent Framework For Enhancing Fairness & Temporal Accuracy In Disaster Response Systems, Md. Ashfaqur Rahman

Theses and Dissertations

Large Language Models (LLMs) have demonstrated significant potential in disaster-response decision support, however, their deployment in high-stakes humanitarian settings raises critical concerns regarding factual reliability, fairness, temporal validity, and governance compliance. Hallucinated outputs, demographic bias, and outdated recommendations can directly impact vulnerable populations and undermine public trust. This dissertation proposes a governance-aware multi-agent framework designed to enhance fairness and temporal accuracy in disaster-response systems through structured Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), verification-driven orchestration, and adaptive correction mechanisms.The proposed architecture decomposes response generation into specialized agents responsible for real-time retrieval, fact-checking, bias auditing, temporal validation, threshold-based correction, and monitoring. By embedding governance constraints …

Smart Pediatric Oncology Tracker Of Symptoms (Spots), A Web-Based Interface For The Pediatric Pro-Ctcae: Development And Usability Study, Stacey Crane, Deevakar Rogith, Melody Hellsten, Andrew D Miller, Jacqueline Castillo, Brandy Boeger, Susan Vidaurre, Stefanie Pieper, Cecile Nguyen, Duc Anh Thanh Huynh, Jessica Wooden, Amy Franklin, Karen Moody, Wenyaw Chan, Pamela S Hinds, Constance Johnson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Children undergoing cancer treatment experience a range of treatment-related toxicities that significantly affect quality of life and adherence to therapy. Current methods for symptom reporting rely heavily on clinician interpretation of caregiver or child verbal reports, which can result in incomplete or inaccurate records. The Pediatric Patient-Reported Outcomes version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (Pediatric PRO-CTCAE; National Cancer Institute) provides a validated mechanism for direct symptom reporting by children and caregivers, yet its traditional administration and preselection of questions limit the breadth of symptom capture.

Objective: This research aimed to co-design and conduct formative usability testing …

Llms In Compiler Construction, Raffi Khatchadourian

Open Educational Resources

These lecture slides survey the use of large language models (LLMs) in compiler construction for a graduate compiler course (CSc 81010). They situate LLMs across the compiler pipeline and examine representative work: foundation models trained on LLVM IR and assembly (Meta's LLM Compiler), LLM-driven code optimization, binary decompilation (LLM4Decompile), and LLM-assisted automated refactoring—alongside the challenges of applying probabilistic models to tasks that demand correctness. The slides are a self-contained HTML (W3C Slidy) deck with editable Pandoc Markdown source. Part of a two-session unit on advanced compiler topics; see also "Deep Learning Compilers."

Deep Learning Compilers, Raffi Khatchadourian

Open Educational Resources

These lecture slides introduce deep learning compilers for a graduate compiler-construction course (CSc 81010). Building on the classical compiler pipeline, they show how modern machine-learning systems compile tensor programs: static tensor and type analysis (illustrated by a WALA/Ariadne-based refactoring of imperative TensorFlow code to graph mode), MLIR-based end-to-end compilation with IREE, and the PyTorch 2.x stack—TorchDynamo graph capture, AOTAutograd, PrimTorch operator decomposition, and TorchInductor lowering to Triton (GPU) and C++/OpenMP (CPU). The slides are a self-contained HTML (W3C Slidy) deck with editable Pandoc Markdown source. Part of a two-session unit on advanced compiler topics; see also "LLMs in Compiler Construction."

Sensation-Suppression Theory: A New Explanation For Fibromyalgia Syndrome And Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (Me/Cfs), Michael E. Hyland

School of Psychology

Explanations and treatment of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) are controversial, and outcomes are poor. This paper describes sensation-suppression theory, a theory modelled on self-organizing control systems that are capable of adaptation in response to inputs and used in applications of artificial intelligence. The theory shows how the need to suppress inflammatory and other causes of pain or fatigue due to challenging circumstances sensitizes the neurological processing of pain and fatigue, thereby creating the amplified sensations and abnormal cognitions of central sensitivity syndromes. These syndromes are caused by errors in an evolutionarily early behavior-control mechanism of …

Effect Of Black Soldier Larvae Meal (Hermetia Illucens) As An Alternative Dietary Protein Source Supplemented With Microbial Probiotics And Multi-Enzymes On: 1. Broiler Productive Performance, Slaughter Traits, And Economic Efficiency, Ahmed Abd-Elaziz Abdallah, Mona A. Mahmoud, Mohamed M. Khalifah, Marwa R. El-Deken, Bahaa M. Abou-Shehema, Mohamed E. Farag, Afaf B. Abu_Shouk, Reda. M. Zaki, Asmaa A. Saad, Mervat A. Berikaa

Journal of King Abdulaziz University: Meteorology, Environment and Arid Land Agriculture

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of black soldier fly larvae meal (BSFLM), fed with or without a microbial probiotic and multi-enzyme supplement (MPE), on growth performance and carcass characteristics of broiler chickens from 1 to 38 days of age. A total of 225 one-day-old Ross 308 unsexed broiler chicks were randomly assigned to nine treatment groups in a 3 × 3 factorial design (five replicates, with five chicks per replicate). Nine experimental diets were formulated for the starter-grower (0–20 d) and finisher (21–38 d) phases by replacing soybean meal protein (SBMP) with black soldier larvae …

Staff Education To Improve Medication Adherence Through Motivational Interviewing, Sonia Thomas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Assessing Estimated Premorbid Iq In Dementia In The Uae: A Way Forward For The Gulf Cooperation Council Countries, Sophie Price

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

Glp-1 Receptor Agonists And Disordered Eating: Clinical Indicators And Patient Narratives, Samantha E. Schulz

Masters Theses

Introduction: The use of the medication, GLP-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA), for weight loss has increased exponentially in the United States over the past decade. The continuing rise in demand for the use of GLP-1 RAs for weight loss justifies the need to better understand the physical and psychological effects that can occur with significant weight loss. By combining a standardized screening tool for eating disorder (ED) risk with narratives from patients undergoing GLP-1 RA treatment for weight loss, this study examines associations between GLP-1 RA use patterns and risk of ED and explores patient experiences, including the role of …