Digital Commons Network^™

Redefining Online Education: Integrating A Quality Assurance Rubric Process In A Community College Setting, Judy K. Howell

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A capstone submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the Ernst and Sara Lane Volgenau College of Education At Morehead State University by Judy K. Howell on Kentucky March 20, 2026.

Photobiomodulation In Treatment Of Head And Neck Cancer-Related Chronic Lymphedema: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial, Jie Deng, John N. Lukens, Barbara A. Murphy, Erin Mcmenamin, Karthik Rajasekaran, Ryan J. Quinn, Joy C. Cohn, Wendy Schlessinger, Lucy P. Andersen, Bryan A. Spinelli, Alexander Lin

Department of Physical Therapy Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Chronic lymphedema is a common late effect after completion of head and neck cancer (HNC) treatment, contributing to substantial symptom burden and negatively impacting quality of life. No effective approaches are available to treat this progressive condition. This study aimed to evaluate the preliminary efficacy of photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy for chronic lymphedema in HNC survivors.

METHODS: This was a pilot, randomized, wait-list controlled trial. Eligible HNC survivors included those with chronic lymphedema after completion of complete decongestive therapy. Participants were randomized (1:1) to 1 of 2 arms: intervention group (active) or wait-list control group (control). The active group received …

Visual-Physiological Concordance And Target Vessel Outcomes: A Μqfr-Based Real-World Cohort Study, Yanfeng Lu, Abdulrahman Alqazzaz, Jasmine Bao, Gary S Mintz, Jiahao Feng, Yong Zhang, Shanshan Gao, Qiang Song, Feifei Ning, Wangge Ma, Haoyu Wu, Yuejiao Wei, Jiaying Li, Ning Guo, Xin Huang

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Quantitative flow ratio (QFR) offers a non-interventional alternative for evaluating ischemia, yet its concordance with real-world treatment and clinical outcomes remains unclear. This study aimed to assess the alignment between Murray law-based QFR (μQFR) physiological assessment and treatment strategies, evaluate the association between treatment concordance and clinical outcomes, and explore factors influencing concordance.

METHODS: In this retrospective cohort, 242 patients with angiographically intermediate coronary stenosis and μQFR values adjacent to the grey-zone (low: 0.70-0.74; high: 0.86-0.90) were included. Treatment concordance was defined as PCI for low μQFR and medication for high μQFR. The primary endpoint was target …

Comparing The Levels Of Some Biochemical Markers In Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients With And Without Depression, Shnst Ibrahim Mohamed Ali, Israa Ghassan Zainal

Baghdad Science Journal

One of the most common comorbidities of rheumatoid arthritis is depression, which is an independent mood disorder. This study aims to examine the blood levels of some biochemical markers in rheumatoid arthritis patients with and without depression compared to healthy group. This study included three groups: rheumatoid arthritis patients with depression, rheumatoid arthritis patients without depression, and a healthy group. The results showed that patients groups had significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher activity of acetylcholine esterase and ceruloplasmine, carbonyl, ischemic modified albumin (IMA), interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α ), Haptoglobin, and Cupper, and significantly (P ≤ 0.05) …

Una Student Organizations, Student Engagement Center, University Of North Alabama

Documents

No abstract provided.

2026-03-20 Minutes Of The Executive Committee Of The Academic Senate Senate, University Of Dayton. Academic Senate. Executive Committee

ECAS Minutes

Approved minutes of a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Academic Senate of the University of Dayton.

Pre-Operative Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Colonization Increases The Risk Of 90-Day Medical And 2-Year Implant-Related Complications Following Primary Total Shoulder Arthroplasty: A Propensity-Matched Analysis, Muhammad Hamza Ilyas, Tarishi Parmar, Zina Smadi, Viraj A. Deshpande, Akin A. Adio, Joseph A. Abboud, Hafiz F. Kassam

Rothman Institute Papers

BACKGROUND: Pre-operative methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization has been associated with increased risk of post-operative infection and medical complications in lower-extremity arthroplasty; however, its impact on outcomes following total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) remains poorly understood. This study aims to evaluate the association between MRSA colonization and early medical as well as mid-term implant-related complications after primary TSA.

METHODS: The TriNetX US Research Network was queried to identify primary TSA patients. Propensity score matching (1:1) was performed using demographic characteristics and relevant comorbidities. Ninety-day medical complications, including readmission, emergency department utilization, venous thromboembolism, pneumonia, urinary tract infection, stroke, sepsis, respiratory failure, …

Multidisciplinary Care In The Management Of Pleomorphic Dermal Sarcoma: A Single-Center Case Series And Review, Jaanvi Mehta, Leena Wardeh, Jayson Suriano, Rishob Dasgupta, Ramsay Hafer, Alexandra Elder, Safiyyah Bhatti, Jason B. Lee, Atrayee B. Mallick, Neda Nikbakht

Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Epidemiology And Follow-Up Adherence Of Ophthalmic Emergencies: A 10-Year Study At A Tertiary Medical Center In Taiwan, Tsung-Ying Tsai, Chunya Kang, Laura Liu, Nan-Kai Wang, Kuan-Jen Chen, Wei-Chi Wu, Chi-Chun Lai, Sunir J. Garg, Eugene Yu-Chuan Kang, Yih-Shiou Hwang

Wills Eye Hospital Papers

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to evaluate factors influencing outpatient follow-up adherence among patients receiving ophthalmology consultations in the emergency department (ED).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective cohort study collected data from the Chang Gung Research Database. Patients who received ophthalmology consultations at the ED of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Linkou Medical Center from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2019, were included. Patients were divided into two groups based on whether they completed outpatient follow-up within 28 days, a timeframe consistent with our hospital's scheduling policy. Demographics, ED visit timing, triage categories, ophthalmic diagnoses, prior visits, and …

Pressed For Time: The Role Of Time Pressure And Attentional Awareness On The Mental Health Of Employed Informal Dementia Caregivers, Kate Bishop

University Honors Theses

Informal caregivers for individuals with Alzheimer’s and related dementias (ADRD) experience increased time demands and poorer well-being, especially when caregiving is combined with paid employment. Subjective feelings of high time pressure, which include feeling rushed and short on time, relate to poorer self-reported measures of mental health more than objective task load. Attentional awareness is one of the fundamental components of mindfulness alongside nonjudgmental acceptance; it has been linked with more optimal mental health and feelings of having enough time. This cross-sectional study examined whether higher levels of perceived time pressure would relate to poorer self-reported mental health functioning and …

Dartmouth Global Health Equity In Rwanda: An Oral History, Joseph Martinelli

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

After the genocide in Rwanda in 2014, there were as few as 100 physicians left to provide health care for the entire country. The Rwandan Ministry of Health reached out to US academic institutions for assistance in rebuilding capacity and educating Rwanda’s next generation of medical professionals. The Human Resources for Health (HRH) program in Rwanda was instituted and led by the Rwandan Ministry of Health with support from the Clinton Health Access Initiative. The Geisel School of Medicine led by its Center for Global Health Equity, participated in the HRH program in Rwanda, from 2012 to 2019. This oral …

The Plra's Carceral Litigation Penalty, Alexander Afnán

Penn State Law Review (2003 - Present)

No abstract provided.

May Federal Courts Create New Presumptions?, Emile J. Katz

Penn State Law Review (2003 - Present)

No abstract provided.

Limited English Proficiency, Acculturative Stress, And Quality Of Life Among Korean American Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B, Hee-Soon Juon, Gilbert C. Gee, Julia G. Katcher, Daniel Yang, Katherine Smith, Ann C. Klassen

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is one of the most widespread liver diseases in the world and disproportionately affects Asian Americans, who are further impacted by the lower quality of life imposed by the infection. Limited English proficiency (LEP) and acculturative stress play an important role in the study of patients with CHB, but the interrelationships of LEP, acculturative stress, and health outcomes are not well studied in this population. This study aims to explore how acculturative stress mediates the relationship between LEP and health outcomes among Korean American patients with CHB.

METHODS: A total of 365 CHB patients completed …

From Data To Intelligence: A Review Of Recent Technological And Theoretical Advances In Computational Communication Science, Mengxiao Zhu, Zongting Ge, Jiaojiao Ji

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Against the backdrop of a platform society and the rise of multimodal content, communication processes are increasingly mediated by algorithms, while digital traces continue to expand in scale and granularity. Building on the 2009 and 2020 “computational social science” initiatives as an intellectual lineage, open science and testable evidence have gradually become field-wide norms. Building on prior work, this study traces a “actors–content–platforms/algorithms–audience–effects” pathway to clarify what computational communication studies and what its central questions are, and to review how artificial intelligence is used across the 5W elements of the pathway. We further review international institutionalization driven by scholarly societies …

Curricular Changes Proposed For 2025-2027 Morris Catalog, Curriculum Committee

Curriculum Committee Reports

Includes documentation on the discontinuation of Sociology, Geology, German Studies, and Latin American Area Studies (LAAS).

Perceptions Of Black And Hispanic Superintendents In Texas Regarding Their Superintendency Pathways, Maria Faqier

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The lack of diversity in the superintendent workforce in Texas is a significant concern that affects the educational experiences and opportunities of Texas students, teachers, families, and their communities. The problem addressed through this study was the underrepresentation of Black and Hispanic superintendents in Texas school districts. Guided by critical race theory and intersectionality theory, the purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore Black and Hispanic superintendents’ perceptions of their successes, challenges, and recommendations to secure a superintendent position in Texas. Semistructured interviews were conducted with nine Black and Hispanic superintendents (two Black women, two Black men, two …

Multimodality Assessment Of A Culprit Lad Myocardial Bridge In A Patient With Congenital Heart Disease, Som Singh, Goutham Ravipati, Harnoor Mann, Santosh Uppu, Kiran Mallula, Danny Ramzy, Igor D Gregoric, Biswajit Kar, Sukhdeep Singh Basra

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Myocardial bridging is a congenital coronary anomaly in which a segment of an epicardial artery is tunneled within the myocardium. Although many cases remain asymptomatic, hemodynamically significant bridges may require surgical intervention.

Case summary: A 57-year-old man with a history of an unrepaired ventricular septal defect presented with recurrent chest pain. Initial imaging identified a 4.7-cm myocardial bridge in the left anterior descending artery. Functional testing with fractional flow reserve, instantaneous wave-free ratio, and diastolic hyperemia-free ratio confirmed hemodynamic significance. Optical coherence tomography was performed to further visualize the segment. The patient underwent successful surgical unroofing, resulting in complete …

Survival Politics On A Working Waterfront: Rules Change Faster Than Prices In The South Texas Shrimp Fishery, Owen Temby, Anthony R. Lima

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

In 2024–2025, the U.S. and Texas governments raced to save Gulf shrimp. Texas passed a truth-in labeling law for food service in restaurants. Federal agencies added antidumping and countervailing duty orders and new tariffs. This case follows Brownsville and Port Isabel, where dock prices slid while boats and crews aged. We frame the response as survival politics: urgent and improvised moves to keep a livelihood going even when imports set the price. Using legislative hearings, agency notices, local reporting, and port records, we show that rules reset faster than prices. Inventories, contracts, and supplier substitution delay any lift at the …

Integration Of Cross-Species Multi-Omics With In Vivo Experimental Validation Identifies Parkinson’S Disease Therapeutic Targets And Novel Risk Factors Within Endolysosomal Pathway Subnetworks, Justin Moore, Leo Rao, Sara Garcia-Bellido, Fangfei Guo, Jorge Botas, Juan Botas

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

Parkinson's disease (PD), the most common neurodegenerative movement disorder, imposes a growing healthcare and socioeconomic burden worldwide. A defining hallmark of PD is the accumulation of α-synuclein (αSyn) within intracellular inclusions such as Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites. Genomic studies have identified numerous PD risk factors within the endolysosomal pathway (ELP), an essential cellular system for protein and membrane recycling. Concordantly, recurrent transcriptomic and proteomic alterations in ELP components implicate broad ELP dysfunction as a causal contributor to PD and suggest that additional, uncharacterized ELP genes may cooperate in polygenic disease mechanisms. A promising but underexplored therapeutic concept is that …

Effectiveness Of Peace Education And Recommendations For Implementation In The Sultanate Of Oman's School Curriculum, Vision 2040, Mohamed Al Braiki

Dissertations and Theses

This study explores peace education as an institutional process within the Sultanate of Oman's K–12 education system. Currently, Oman Vision 2040 articulates commitments to social cohesion, global citizenship, and holistic development. Existing empirical research indicates constant challenges related to bullying, student well-being, emotional distress, and school-related harm. This study conceptualizes peace education as a structural and relational mechanism embedded within institutional routines, leadership practices, and conflict-management responses. Using a qualitative integrative review design, the study examines peer-reviewed research, policy documents, and institutional analyses relevant to Oman, the Gulf region, and broader peace education scholarship. The analysis is guided by theoretical …

Plant-Based Dietary Patterns Are Associated With Slower Epigenetic Aging, Hyunju Kim, Christina A Castellani, Jiantao Ma, Alexis C Wood, Audrey Ting, Morgan E Grams, Bing Yu, Kelly Ruggles, James S Floyd, Dan E Arking, Casey M Rebholz

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Greater adherence to plant-based diets is associated with health benefits. Dietary intake can modify DNA methylation patterns, but it is unknown whether plant-based diets in a largely non-vegetarian population are associated with DNA methylation-based epigenetic aging measures. We examined the associations between 4 different types of plant-based diets indices (PDI) [overall PDI, provegetarian diet, healthy PDI, and unhealthy PDI] and epigenetic aging. We used data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study (N=2,810) and National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, N=2,056). PDIs negatively scored higher intake of animal products and positively scored higher intake of all or selected …

I Think You Overuse That Word: A Theoretical Examination From Multiple Lenses Of "Why Relational Beings Have Become Hesitant To Commit.", Rafe Karen

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

This paper serves as a companion to a documentary film that explores the shifting landscape of modern relationships. The film presents personal narratives about dating, connection, and commitment, and the paper offers an experiential exploration of these themes, focusing on dating dynamics, social media, online dating, lack of connection, Coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19), video games, and the effects of overwhelming choice. Drawing from existing literature and insights gained during the filmmaking process, the paper analyzes broader societal and psychological patterns shaping modern relationships. Using a combination of filmed interviews and direct observation, the study examines the lived experiences of individuals navigating …

Volume 60-1 Full Issue, Ryan Brown

Journal of STEM Teacher Education

No abstract provided.

A Mixed-Methods Study Of Teacher Collaboration In A Steam Professional Development Program, Katherine B. King, Justina R. Jackson, Talia C. Kessler, Meltem Alemdar

Journal of STEM Teacher Education

Teacher collaboration can be a powerful but challenging practice for K-12 educators. This is particularly true in the context of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) education, in which disciplines are integrated through innovative, student-centered teaching strategies. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach was employed to understand the impacts of a 5-year STEAM professional development program on K-12 teachers’ collaboration efforts. Using quantitative and qualitative methods and social network analysis (SNA), the study explored the nature of STEAM collaboration and identified aspects that supported and hindered successful collaboration. Quantitative analyses demonstrated that, after participating in the program, the teachers engaged …

Culturally Responsive Stem Teaching With Artificial Intelligence, Dr. Eun Kyung Ko

Journal of STEM Teacher Education

This study examines how integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, specifically ChatGPT, into teacher education can enhance culturally responsive teaching (CRT) in STEM education. AI's potential to support lesson planning, streamline administrative tasks, and offer personalized learning paths is explored alongside its challenges, such as ethical concerns and contextual adaptation. The study involved pre-service elementary teachers who used AI modules to design CRT-aligned STEM lessons, reflecting on their experiences through surveys and journals. The findings reveal that AI enhances efficiency, generates creative ideas, and fosters inclusivity by providing culturally relevant materials. However, the study emphasizes that AI cannot replace human expertise …

Navigating Stem Integration: Instructional Strategies Employed By Teachers In High School Classrooms, Yousef Alrashdi, Paul Asunda

Journal of STEM Teacher Education

This study examined the instructional strategies used by high school STEM teachers to incorporate real-world problem solving in their classroom teaching. A qualitative approach was utilized, and data was collected through teacher interviews, classroom observations, and documents. Thematic analysis was used to analyze data, and the following themes emerged: (a) there is no single instructional strategy, but teachers adapt their strategies to the context, (b) the importance of preparation using various sources and building on student’s prior knowledge, (c) a focus on asking "why" questions as a priority, (d) the necessity of making group work tangible, (e) the use of …

“I’M So Hungry”: Assessing Stem Sensemaking Through Data-Informed Writing, Bailey Nafziger, Alesia Mickle Moldavan, Katie Brkich

Journal of STEM Teacher Education

To engage elementary learners in the complex task of STEM sensemaking, teachers must entice and inspire learners to ask questions, explore, and communicate their findings. This article shares a 5E/3D lesson designed and taught in our elementary science methods courses to model how preservice teachers can integrate literacy and mathematics into a science investigation for STEM sensemaking. We modified a traditional lesson on bird beak adaptations to have a differentiated, interdisciplinary writing component justified by data. We discuss why data-supported literacy is a non-negotiable in science education reforms and how teachers can differentiate tasks to make scientific writing more approachable …

Issue 482 March 19-April 2, 2026, The Local Voice

The Local Voice

Featured Articles: "ZZ Top Brings The Big One! to Ole Miss’ Backyard."; "Aimee Nezhukumatathil’s Night Owl Illuminates the Dark. Off Square Books to host book launch for Night Owl on Tuesday, March 24 at 5:30 pm."; "The View Beyond The Balcony: “Conversation” with a Pop-Up."

Perturbations To Horizontal Gnss Position Time Series By Atmospheric Lee Waves In The San Bernardino Valley, California, Walter Szeliga, Logan Grey

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Anomalous systematic position offsets have been noted in GNSS time series from a variety of locations around the globe. In many regions, these time series anomalies coincide with the presence of cloud streets in visible satellite imagery, implicating atmospheric lee waves as the source of the position offsets. We report here on seasonal anomalous position offsets from the San Bernardino Basin of southern California that occur during clear skies. Modeling of the troposphere on days with anomalous positions shows the presence of atmospheric lee waves. Ray tracing through these tropospheric models suggests that atmospheric lee waves create low elevation perturbations …