Digital Commons Network^™

Improving Reading Motivation For Upper High School Students: Thematic Book Clubs For The Ela Classroom, Isabella Haskin

Masters Projects

Though strong literacy skills are commonly understood to be essential for a successful life, reading comprehension rates continue to fall in the United States. A major factor in this literacy trend is a disinterest and lack of motivation to read among high school students. Research shows that students lose interest in reading as they progress through school, often due to a lack of choice and relevancy of school assigned texts. To address this issue, this project aims to provide educators with a replicable unit plan that will motivate students to read, and subsequently strengthen their literacy skills. It pairs a …

Addressing The Hidden Curriculum Through Trauma-Informed And Culturally Responsive Teaching For Multilingual Learners, Gabrielle Moeggenborg

Masters Projects

Multilingual learners (MLLs), including refugee, transient, and culturally and linguistically diverse students, often enter schools with experiences of trauma that impact academic performance, behavior, and sense of belonging. Additionally, the hidden curriculum in U.S. schools reinforces inequities for these students. The purpose of this project was to develop a high-quality, research-based educational handbook integrating trauma-informed practices with culturally responsive teaching to better support MLLs and mitigate the effects of the hidden curriculum. This project involved an extensive review of peer-reviewed and interdisciplinary research on learning theories, trauma, culturally responsive teaching, and multilingual education. Historical and contemporary literature was synthesized to …

Providing Individualized Support For Students With Adhd, Jeremy Scott Clymer

Masters Projects

Many general education teachers lack sufficient skills to successfully serve students with special needs. This project aims to provide professional development materials for pre-service and in-service educators which will provide them with information to help them achieve better outcomes for students with ADHD. Based on existing research about how ADHD can affect students differently and how to best account for those learning differences, the project provides background information about the different subtypes of ADHD, best practices for curriculum design, common accommodations for students with ADHD, and types of interventions that can help students with ADHD succeed. It includes a slide …

Risk Of Alzheimer Dementia After High-Dose Vs Standard-Dose Influenza Vaccination, Avram Samuel Bukhbinder, Yaobin Ling, Lauren Jhin, Elizabeth He, Kristofer Harris, Mya Rodriguez, Jenna Thomas, Gabriela Cruz, Kamal Phelps, Yejin Kim, Luyao Chen, Xiaoqian Jiang, Paul E Schulz

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background and objectives: Previous studies, including large cohort analyses comparing vaccinated and unvaccinated adults, suggest that routine immunizations such as inactivated influenza vaccines (IIVs) may reduce Alzheimer dementia (AD) risk. Whether AD risk differs after high-dose IIV (H-IIV) vs standard-dose IIV (S-IIV) remains unexamined. We hypothesized that AD risk would be lower among adults ≥65 years after H-IIV compared with S-IIV.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study analyzed data spanning 2014-2019 from IQVIA PharMetrics Plus for Academics, a US health care claims database. Eligible participants were ≥65 years with ≥2 years of continuous medical and pharmaceutical coverage and no previous diagnostic …

Complexity Of The Zero Set Of A Matrix Schubert Ideal, Cesar Julian Meza

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

T-varieties are normal varieties equipped with an action of an algebraic torus T. When the action is effective, the complexity of a T-variety X is dim(X)−dim(T). Matrix Schubert varieties, introduced by Fulton in 1992, are T-varieties consisting of n×n matrices satisfying certain constraints on the ranks of their submatrices. In this dissertation, we focus on the complexity of certain torus-fixed affine subvarieties of matrix Schubert varieties. Concretely, given a matrix Schubert variety X_w where w∈S_n, we study the complexity of Y_w obtained by the decomposition X_w = Y_w ×C^k with k as large as possible. Building on results by Escobar–Mészáros …

Finiteness Of Torsion Loci And Normal Functions Arising From Cycles On Hadamard Products, Devin Akman

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The unifying theme of this dissertation is normal functions. In the first chapter, we study an invariant of knot exteriors and similar manifolds called the A-polynomial through the lens of vanishing loci of normal functions. Using a special case of the Zilber-Pink conjecture, proven in the second chapter, we show that only finitely many irreducible Laurent polynomials of bounded overgenus appear as factors of A-polynomials. In the third chapter, we construct normal functions from hypergeometric variations of Hodge structure and compute their regulators. Finally, we determine under which conditions incomplete motivic cohomology cycles on families complete to cycles on their …

Exactly Solving One-Dimensional Models For The Fractional Quantum Hall Effect, Joseph R. Cruise

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Nearly fifty years after its experimental debut, the quantum hall effect has produced perhaps more unique descriptions than any other subject of condensed matter physics. From topological band theory to non-commutative geometry, topological and conformal field theories, random matrix models and more, each approach captures a subset of the essential features, and compliments the others to produce a beautiful mosaic description. In this thesis, we revisit the fractional quantum hall (FQH) effect from its oldest vantage point, that of the trial wavefunctions and the parent Hamiltonians which stabilize them. Laughlin's observation of the importance of the theory of holomorphic functions …

Vestibular Schwannoma Microsurgery In The Era Of Multimodal Treatment: Advances In Technique And Patient Selection, Ibrahem Albalkhi, Basel Musmar, Nimer Adeeb, Hussam Abou-Al-Shaar, Jacques J Morcos

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: The management of vestibular schwannoma (VS) has traditionally prioritized gross total resection to achieve high tumor control, often at the cost of cranial nerve injuries and quality of life impairment. However, advances in surgical approaches and intraoperative technologies, coupled with active surveillance and/or adjuvant treatment, have shifted the management paradigm towards prioritizing patient-centered outcomes, which are as critical as oncological control.

Content: The authors reviewed the technical advances driving this paradigm shift, including endoscopic assistance in the different microsurgical approaches (retrosigmoid, translabyrinthine, and middle cranial fossa approaches) of VS resection and advanced neuromonitoring (facial nerve electromyography and cochlear/auditory evoked …

Who's Got The Floor? Successful Interruptions In Dyadic Conversation In The Candor Corpus, Josie Steen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Conversational exchanges are frequently marked by overlap. Some forms include backchanneling and both unsuccessful and successful attempts to take the floor. To further understand their role in discourse, 81 half-hour virtual conversations between strangers from the CANDOR corpus (Reece et al., 2023) were analyzed for instances of successful interruptions, whereby one member of a dyad takes the floor away from the other. Nearly six hundred such episodes were identified and analyzed for underlying systematicity. Regarding demographic characteristics of the speakers, gender was not related to successful interruptions. However, older speakers were more likely to successfully interrupt, suggesting that a speaker’s …

Probing Composition Effects On The Intrinsic Energetics Of Proton Transfer In Binary (Hcl)M(H2o)N Clusters, Max R. Tucker, Sarah N. Arradondo, Olivia M. Longsworth, George C. Shields, Gregory S. Tschumper

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

This work examines the effects on intrinsic energetics as the composition of finite (HCl)_m(H₂O)n cluster families containing at least one water molecule is changed at the molecular level, where m ≥ 2 and m + n = 4 − 6, and the associated (Cl⁻)_x(H₃O⁺)_x(HCl)_m−x(H₂O)_n−x clusters resulting from the dissociation of x HCl fragments via proton transfer (PT). They are collectively labeled m:n, and xPT indicates the degree of dissociation, from 0PT (no dissociation) up to 3PT. More than 1000 unique minima …

Grupo De Apoyo Prenatal: Pregnancy In Good Company, Brigid Hughes, Michelle Buelow, Kimberly Chobanian Balash, Alexandra Medina

All Other Contributions

No abstract provided.

Microarray Analysis Of Human Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm With Emphasis On Cardiovascular Genes Revealed Differentially Expressed Genes, Song Lu, Li Ping Li, John V. White, Xiaoying Zhang, Ifeyinwa Nwaneshiudu, Adaobi Nwaneshiudu, Nectaria Ntaoula, John Gaughan, Dimitri S. Monos, Wan-Lu Lin, Charalambos C. Solomides, Emilia L. Oleszak, Chris D. Platsoucas

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND/AIM: We examined gene expression profiles in abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) lesions vs. normal aortas by cDNA microarray and real-time quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Phosphorus (³²P)-labeled cDNA from AAA specimens (mean AAA size 6.65 cm) and normal aortas were hybridized with a 588-gene microarray primarily of the cardiovascular system. The results were validated by qRT-PCR.

RESULTS: A total of 35 out of the 588 genes were differentially expressed, with either log₂ ratio of AAAs/controls ≥1 (upregulated; 20 genes) or ≤-1 (downregulated; 15 genes) in AAA lesions vs. normal aorta, and …

Feasibility Of Nationwide Remote Chronic Neural Data Collection From Recording-Enabled Deep Brain Stimulation Systems, Kasra A Mansourian, Ajay D Gandhi, Jonathan H Bentley, Kalman A Katlowitz, Danika L Paulo, Nisha Giridharan, Mohammed A Hasen, Tommy B Liu, Zain U Naqvi, Sarah S Soubra, Thomas A Hamre, Rick R Hanish, Eric A Storch, Wayne K Goodman, Sameer A Sheth, Nicole R Provenza

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Introduction: Bidirectional deep brain stimulation (DBS) devices can continuously record neural activity while delivering stimulation. Due to memory limitations on the implanted device on which data are stored, frequent data downloads are required to prevent data loss. In this study, we present a novel collaborative data collection method utilizing a nationwide network of device representatives to allow frequent data transfer that reduces data loss without imposing travel burden on patients.

Methods: We collected chronic neural data from nine patients with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder who received ventral capsule/ventral striatum DBS treatment between May 2023 and August 2024. We included patients implanted …

Disordered Differentiation And Cellular Senescence In Pediatric Hodgkin Reed-Sternberg Cells, Jennifer E Agrusa, Elmoataz Abdel Fattah, Howard Lin, Jessica Velazquez, Sandra Andrea Salinas, Harshal A Abhyankar, Brooks P Scull, Ryan Fleischmann, M Tarek Elghetany, Andrea N Marcogliese, Choladda V Curry, Jyotinder N Punia, Nmazuo W Ozuah, Olive S Eckstein, Nader K El-Mallawany, Nitya Gulati, Joseph Lubega, Terzah M Horton, Kala Y Kamdar, Kenneth L Mcclain, Tsz-Kwong Man, Carl E Allen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is characterized by inflammatory lesions with relatively few (typically < 1%) pathogenic Hodgkin Reed-Sternberg (HRS) cells. The scarcity of malignant HRS cells in HL has historically limited characterization of these disease drivers, and pathogenic mechanisms underlying HL are incompletely defined. Using multiparameter flow cytometry to purify HRS cells and immune cell populations from pediatric HL lesions and control tonsils, we sought to define transcriptional programs in pediatric HRS cells. HRS cells are thought to arise from transformed germinal center B cells. Interestingly, transcriptomic analysis of HRS cells compared to control tonsil CD30+ cells revealed disordered differentiation with multilineage gene expression patterns, and primary HRS cells had distinct transcriptomes compared to HL cell lines. Further, transcriptomic analysis revealed increased expression of senescence-related genes and downregulation of proapoptotic/mitosis-related genes. Gene expression findings were validated by immunohistochemistry and single-cell imaging. In vitro treatment of primary HRS cells with B-cell lymphoma 2 inhibitor, venetoclax, augmented the induction of apoptosis in HRS cells and other cells of the HL immune microenvironment. These findings support the further study of targeting apoptosis resistance as a potential approach to eliminate malignant HRS cells and dismantle inflammatory lesion formation in pediatric HL.

Yap Induces A Prorenewal Metabolic State In Cardiomyocytes, Lin Liu, Jeffrey D Steimle, Chang-Ru Tsai, Fansen Meng, Yuka Morikawa, Yi Zhao, Sandra Carmichael, Xiao Li, James F Martin

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Cardiomyocytes, as highly specialized and differentiated somatic cells, possess a limited capacity for renewal. Neonatal rodents possess the ability to regenerate cardiomyocytes after injury; however, this regenerative capacity declines rapidly with cardiomyocyte maturation, suggesting an inhibitory network between cellular maturation and cardiomyocyte proliferation. Maturing cardiomyocytes undergo a metabolic shift from predominantly glycolysis in the neonatal state to increased fatty acid oxidation in the mature state, which poses a barrier to cardiomyocyte proliferation and cardiac regenerative repair. YAP, a transcriptional cofactor regulated by the Hippo signaling pathway, promotes cardiac regenerative repair. We investigated the role of YAP in mediating metabolic …

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention And Vascular Access Complications: A Contemporary Review, Tanawat Attachaipanich, Muzamil Khawaja, Edwin A Takahashi, Hafeez Ul Hassan Virk, Mahboob Alam, Ian C Gilchrist, Chayakrit Krittanawong

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Transradial approach (TRA) is preferred over transfemoral approach (TFA) for percutaneous coronary interventions due to lower bleeding, vascular complications, and mortality, particularly in acute coronary syndrome. Radial access complications included intraprocedural events (spasm, dissection, and perforation) and postprocedural events (radial artery occlusion, hematoma, pseudoaneurysm, arteriovenous fistula, nerve injury, and infection). TFA remains necessary in certain settings but carries higher complication risk. Optimizing patient selection and procedural planning is essential to minimize vascular complications.

Age-Associated Hematopoietic Variants In The Rhesus Macaque, Josephine De La Fuente, Chiraag D Kapadia, R Alan Harris, Muthuswamy Raveendran, Giovanne B Diniz, John H Morrison, Jeffrey Rogers, Margaret A Goodell

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Any One & Every One, Sarah V. Dumitrascu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

With a predictable job, a rent-stabilized apartment, and stellar dental insurance, still, Ever E. Whan does not like her office job any more than she did on day one. Nothing about it suits her—not the work, the hours, the team, not the break-room coffee machine. She thinks of quitting every day, but something she can’t name, but feels overwhelmingly, keeps her there. While she fantasizes about her grand resignation, she isn’t moved to act until a tragedy occurs on the job.

Hoping to do just about anything else, Ever isn’t quite prepared for the offer she’s given: to work as …

Beyond Symptoms: A Narrative Counseling Interpretation Of First-Year Student Anxiety In Indonesian Higher Education, Azizah Abdullah, Rizky Andana Pohan, Ramtia Darma Putri, Triyono Triyono, Marimbun Marimbun, Rahmi Dwi Febriani

Buletin Konseling Inovatif

The transition to higher education is a critical period in which first-year students face new academic demands, financial pressures, social adjustment challenges, and uncertainty about the future. However, limited research has examined how freshmen make sense of and narrate their anxiety, particularly in the Indonesian context. This study aimed to explore the main domains of anxiety among first-semester students in Indonesian public universities and to interpret these experiences through a narrative counseling lens. The study employed a qualitative online survey design with an interpretivist orientation. Data were collected from 199 first-semester students through open-ended questions addressing anxiety-provoking situations, sources of …

مبادئ إختيار المفردات العربية وتدريسها: دراسة تحليلية لكتاب الصف الأول في المدارس الحكومية بماليزيا, عبد الحليم محمد, نور الأعلى سيد عبد الله, عبد الرؤوف حسن ووان محمد وان سولونج

Al-Arabi: Journal of Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language

والشائعة، وكثرة التكرار، والمقترضة المعروفة قبل الجديدة، والكلمات القصيرة قبل الطويلة، والمشابهة في النوع قبل المخالفة. وهذه الورقة تهدف أولا إلى بيان مبادئ إختيار المفردات وتحديدها في برنامج تعليم العربية لغير الناطقين بها. وثانيا، تهدف إلى تحليل نوعية المفردات التي تقدم في كتاب الصف الأول الذي يستخدم في المدارس الحكومية بماليزيا الآن، سواء ما هي متماشية مع مبادئ إختيارها الصحيحة أم على عكس ذلك. فهذه الدراسة تجمع بين دراسة مكتبية ونوعية. ونتيجة الدراسة والتحليل تشير إلى أن كثيرا من المفردات التي تقدم في الكتاب الأول تُختار بطريقة عشوائية ولا تنبني على مبادئ تعليمية ونفسية صحيحة. ومن ناحية أخرى نلاحظ أن …

Phenomenological Analysis Of The Interior Space Reconstructed For Post-War Traditional Houses In Old Mosul City, Abdula Alsarraf, Fawzia Irhayyim Hussein

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

This study examines the lived experiences of residents of Mosul’s old city within reconstructed traditional houses following the war, addressing the gap in analyzing post-war residential spaces. It examines how reconstruction influences residents’ perceptions, sensory experiences, and attachment to place by comparing pre- and post-war conditions. Using a phenomenological approach, the study draws on concepts such as familiarity, pleasure, spirituality, human scale, natural lighting, spatial organization, functionality, color harmony, symbolism, nostalgia, decoration, and perceived height. Data were collected through a questionnaire involving 40 residents who were involved in the reconstruction of four traditional houses. Findings indicate that while renovations improve …

The Role Of Aporia In The Production And Reading Of Architectural Texts, Ghusoon Najm Abdulzahra, Abbas Ali Hamza Al Greiza

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

The concept of Aporia has been explored from various perspectives and epistemological frameworks in critical and rhetorical studies, particularly in analyzing and theorizing architectural texts. This research delves into Aporia and its related aspects across various fields of knowledge, examining how it can be employed as an intellectual framework for both producing and interpreting architectural texts. It is closely tied to the concept of the creative text and its perception through a series of semiotic processes aimed at understanding and interpreting meanings, enhancing knowledge, and uncovering latent meanings within the text. The research adopts a qualitative, descriptive, and analytical methodology …

Defining Old Cities: Guardians Of Architectural Heritage And Collective Memory, Hussaen Ali Hasan Kahachi, Mufeed Ehsan Shok, Maria Abreu

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

Old cities serve as testaments of architectural heritage and collective memory, offering unique urban experiences shaped by centuries of gradual evolution. Despite extensive research on physical preservation, limited studies address how old cities maintain their cultural and socio-economic relevance in modern contexts. This study aims to bridge this gap by defining old cities in terms of architecture and urban planning, and by examining their unique characteristics as assets in a modernizing world. Through a mixed-method approach, including a narrative literature review and a survey of experts in architecture and urban planning, this research uncovers the defining attributes of old cities. …

The Role Of Technology In The Environmental And Formal Response To Architecture, Fatimah Jumah Idan, Ibrahim Jawad Kadhim Al-Yousif, Saad F. Al-Nuaimi

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

As a result of what the world witnessed in the emergence of technological developments and their irrational use and the resulting environmental crises that affected life, architects must propose architecture capable of responding to environmental influences in local architecture. Thus, the research goal is to identify the multiple levels of environmental response to architecture based on the correlation with changes in concepts, materials used, and apparent forms. There is a gap in knowledge regarding the correlation with changes in concepts, materials used, and apparent forms in achieving multiple levels of environmental response. A comprehensive theoretical framework was built to achieve …

Efficiency Of Pedestrian Bridges In Urban Area, Khawla Kareem Kawther, Haidar Razzaq Mohammad

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

Pedestrian bridges are important, and they cannot be dispensed. They transport people from one sidewalk to another without obstructing the movement of vehicles and creating congestion, and they are conducive to individuals' lives. This research deals with pedestrian bridges in Baghdad and their use efficiency. So, the researchers did the monitoring and surveying of the site. The researchers also surveyed a random sample to find if they use pedestrian bridges near their work site or housing. Whether they use these pedestrian bridges or not. How do they evaluate the effectiveness of these bridges? If these pedestrian bridges need different types …

Evaluating The Open Design Strategy In Promoting Urban Interconnection Of New City Centers In Baghdad, Inaam Qassem Abdullah, Khansaa Ghazi Rasheed

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

Morphological or typological transformations and changes within cities led to new cities with rules disconnected from the center of the existing city, both intellectually and physically. These rules prevented the master plan areas from interconnecting with each other.  This research aims to achieve urban interconnection between new and existing city centers within a unified and cohesive design by relying on the most important design and planning strategies and mechanisms. The research begins by defining the open design strategy and its importance as a research topic. Then, we reviewed and discussed a group of studies through which the research problem was …

Transformations In Fashion And Architecture (Causes And Mechanisms), Wasan Jawad, Mahdi Saleh A.H. Al-Ataabi

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

Transformation is one of the common characteristics between fashion and architecture, as the transformation is linked to contemporary intellectual trends that call for change and renewal. The research was based on the study of changes in fashion and architecture, and the research problem was identified with (cognitive deficiency about the causes and mechanisms of transformations in fashion and architecture). Accordingly, the aim of the research was determined by studying the indicators of the causes of transformation in both fashion and architecture and the mechanisms of this transformation. On the practical and symbolic uses of clothing, while exploring the role of …

The Role Of Algorithms In The Formation Structure Of Future Architecture, Shahad Alaa Soud, Ali Mohsen Jaafar Al-Khafaji

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

Technological development is an essential element in architectural development. It works to change the perception of how buildings are designed. Also, it leads to future horizons to imagine distinctive architecture based on the rules of the unfamiliar in architectural forms and the trend towards dynamic forms. Moreover, it takes nature as a source of inspiration and, in addition to the possibilities of technology for building materials, resulting in the emergence of unexpected, vibrant, and ever-changing architectural forms. Future architecture depends on using digital generation tools to form its free dynamic structure, and algorithms are one of the digital tools used …

Impact Of Challenges On Architecture, Hadel Saad Razoki Al Murib, Ibrahim Jawad Kadhim Al-Yousif

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

Today's world faces rapid global events that have brought about significant transformations in systems (social, economic, political and environmental). That has led to significant challenges and developments in the twenty-first century, leading to research to find ways to meet today's needs and challenges. And various responses to enable them to meet today's needs and challenges. The study classifies the challenges into three pillars, including the social, economic and environmental pillars towards flexibility to achieve a positive response and undermine it with the negative aspect. As a manifestation, the architecture responds to these challenges to present new ones. Therefore, the research …

Mutualism As A Design Approach In Architectural Formation, Abbas Na’Im Mohsin, Basim Hasan Al Majid

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

Mutualism in various fields of knowledge is a method of life and a necessity of existence imposed by the requirements of survival and continuity to create a state of integration and balance in nature, and that the mutualism based on give and take between opposing and dissimilar architectural entities can establish the correct and useful design principles in architecture and create new architectural formations characterized by creativity and development, hence the problem of the research appeared in the need to reveal the role of mutualism as a symbiotic design approach between opposing and dissimilar architectural entities that works to strengthen …