Digital Commons Network^™

The Power Of The Mind: Exploring The Perceived Benefits Of Spiritual Meditation For Children's Loss And Grief, Shefali Bhalla

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Grief and loss can significantly affect children’s emotional, cognitive, and social development, yet many existing interventions remain difficult to access due to stigma, cost, and limited cultural fit. Meditation has shown promise as a low-cost and adaptable strategy for supporting emotional regulation, but little is known about how children themselves perceive its usefulness in grief-related contexts. The present study explored children’s beliefs about the usefulness of spiritual meditation as a coping strategy across grief, interpersonal conflict, and positive emotional vignettes. Fourteen children between the ages of 8 and 13 participated in individual Zoom sessions in which they listened to three …

Imsa 2027 Profile, Office Of College And Academic Counseling

IMSA Profile

The nationally-ranked Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) develops creative, ethical leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. As a teaching and learning laboratory created by the State of Illinois, IMSA enrolls academically talented Illinois students in its tuition-free residential Academy for grades 10-12. Students are challenged with a rigorous curriculum designed to develop them into problem solvers and critical thinkers.

Notable IMSA students include YouTube Co-Founder Steve Chen, PayPal Co-Creator Yu Pan, Yelp Co-Founder Russell Simmons, SparkNotes and OkCupid Co-Founder Sam Yagan, and Hearsay Social Founder Clara Shih.

Supporting Bibliodiversity And Access Through Library Resource Sharing, J. Silvia Cho

Publications and Research

Librarians, with their core values of access, intellectual freedom, stewardship and democracy, share bibliodiversity advocates’ vision of an eco-social system of diverse cultures and reading as a democratic and emancipatory practice. Librarians bolster bibliodiversity by collecting inclusively, critically reviewing and decolonizing library collections, and centering access. Building on previous discussions on the role of open access in strengthening bibliodiversity, this paper acknowledges and articulates how interlibrary loan and library resource sharing also support bibliodiversity. Doing so is important to augment advocacy and support for these services. Advancing solutions to challenges in resource sharing means also advancing towards bibliodiversity goals, supporting …

Using Randomization To Compare Ai And Expert-Generated Formative Assessment Questions In Medical Education, Akshat Kumar, Katie Stinson, Litao Wang, Elizabeth Nugent, Yongsu Lee, Mark Hormann, Latanya Jones Love, Toufeeq Ahmed Syed

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: AI-generated content is being used across the education spectrum and is beneficial for creating complex multiple-choice questions, such as those used in medical education. However, evaluating AI-generated content is challenging, and existing testing and evaluation methods are falling short. This study uses randomization to compare medical students' performance on and subjective evaluation of AI versus expert-generated questions. We hypothesized that there would be no difference in student performance or subjective evaluation of AI vs expert-generated questions.

Methods: We designed a single-center, randomized study where medical student participants received either one AI- or expert-generated question per day over four weeks. …

Limosilactobacillus Reuteri Promotes Melatonin Release From Human Intestinal Organoids Via 5′Ectonucleotidase Activity, Micah D Forshee, Erika J Nachman, Esha R Shenoy, Heather A Danhof, Ludwig Ermann Lundberg, Stefan Roos, Robert A Britton

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Strains of Limosilactobacillus reuteri have been used to prevent or treat various conditions; however, the mechanisms by which they exert beneficial effects are not completely understood. Infant colic is one example in which L. reuteri DSM 17938 reduces clinical symptoms. While the etiology of colic is unknown, abnormal melatonin levels in infants have been suggested as a possible contributor. L. reuteri DSM 17938 has been shown to produce adenosine from AMP via production of the extracellular enzyme 5′ectonucleotidase (5′NT). Adenosine is a potent signaling molecule that impacts several important aspects of host physiology, including the release of melatonin from the …

When Probiotics Guidelines Differ: A Practical Guide For Clinicians And Researchers, Geoffrey A Preidis, Hania Szajewska, Marla Cunningham, Howard Bauchner, Daniel J Merenstein

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Many professional organizations publish clinical practice guidelines for the use of probiotics in gastrointestinal disorders. Generally, no two guidelines align perfectly, and some differ markedly. These discrepancies occur because clinical practice guidelines are not purely mechanical outputs of data synthesis. They are shaped by structured interpretation, value judgments, and predefined thresholds for uncertainty. These elements become particularly visible when effect sizes are small, heterogeneity is high, and outcomes vary in clinical relevance-as is the case with probiotic research. This article examines why discordance among probiotic guidelines is predictable and provides practical guidance for clinicians who must decide among conflicting recommendations …

Steroid Receptor Coactivator 3-Deficient Regulatory T Cells Eradicate Multiple Solid Tumors In Syngeneic Mouse Models, Nuri Sung, Eunsu Kim, Yosef Gilad, Yuri Park, Adam M Dean, Yan Xia, Jianming Xu, Clifford C Dacso, David M Lonard, Sang Jun Han

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Steroid receptor coactivator 3 (SRC-3) is highly expressed in regulatory T cells (Tregs) and is important for their immunosuppressive activity. Recently, we demonstrated that disrupting SRC-3 expression in Tregs eliminates triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and prostate cancer in syngeneic animal models by generating an anti-tumor immune microenvironment without inducing immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Further analysis of these mice revealed that SRC-3 knockout (KO) Tregs infiltrated breast tumors and facilitated the infiltration of CD8

Reducing Acute Healthcare Services With Self-Management Of Blood Pressure Monitoring Through Remote Patient Monitoring For Hypertensive Patients A Quality Improvement Project, Becky J. Wagner

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Manuscripts

Hypertension (HTN) affects nearly half of U.S. adults and remains a leading cause of preventable emergency department (ED) visits, hospitalizations, and healthcare costs due to poor blood pressure (BP) control (Fryar et al., 2024; Mullins et al., 2019). Traditional care models often lack the continuous monitoring and timely intervention needed for effective chronic disease management. Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) provides an innovative approach by delivering real-time BP data, enabling early clinical intervention, and encouraging patient engagement in self-management (Omboni et al., 2020).

This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project evaluated the effectiveness of an RPM intervention in reducing acute healthcare …

Impact Of Implementing Standard Wound Care Guidelines For Patients In The Home Care Setting On Patient Outcomes, Raymond Anthony Flores Jr

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Wound care is among the most significant public health concerns, affecting millions of people worldwide. Most individuals with wounds end up self-managing their condition from their homes due to being discharged early from the hospital, owing to various reasons, and the costs associated with health care. Although home wound management offers convenience and lower costs for patients, it is also associated with substantial challenges, including limited access to and use of appropriate care protocols, wound management tools, and sufficient education on the topic, as well as limited professional advice. These limitations contribute to poor outcomes, including slow healing rates, infections, …

Gauging Understanding Of Information In Discharge Education In Trauma And Burn Patients, Marissa N. Thibodeaux

Summer Research Program Abstracts

No abstract provided.

Adolescent And Young Adult Cancer Survivorship: Supportive Care Needs, Resources, And Barriers, Allison Bryn Koplos

Master's Projects and Capstones

Background: Adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors experience unique physical, psychosocial, developmental, and healthcare-related challenges that often persist beyond treatment completion. Although survivorship resources have expanded, gaps in supportive care needs persist. This scoping review examined the supportive care needs, survivorship resources, and barriers to accessing supportive care among AYA cancer survivors.

Methods: A scoping review was conducted following the Arksey and O'Malley framework and reported in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Peer-reviewed literature published between 2000 and 2026 was identified through searches in PubMed and Google Scholar. Studies examining supportive care needs, survivorship resources, or supportive care services …

Improving Adherence To The Ticket-To-Test C. Difficile Protocol In A Medical-Surgical Microsystem, Georgette Marie D. Lim

Master's Projects and Capstones

Problem: Poor adherence to the ticket-to-test protocol on the 3 South unit led to unnecessary C. difficile testing, inappropriate isolation, and workflow variation. These issues mirror national concerns about over-testing and misdiagnosis, which can inflate hospital‑onset C. difficile rates and increase costs.

Context: This project was implemented on a medical‑surgical unit, a team with a strong culture of collaboration, education, and engagement in quality improvement. The unit benefits from structured oversight through the C. difficile committee, which reports to the performance improvement team.

Interventions: The Institute for Healthcare Improvement Model for Improvement guided four PDSA cycles, with …

Robust Statistical Methods For Microbiome Abundance Data, Yiming Shi

WUSM Theses and Dissertations – All Programs

Differential abundance analysis in microbiome studies aims to identify taxa whose abundance differs across biological or clinical conditions. The observed data are typically taxon-specific sequencing read counts, representing reads assigned to different taxa within each sample. These counts are indirect measurements of the underlying microbial abundance profile and are constrained by sample-specific library sizes. Microbiome count data are also typically sparse, overdispersed, and heteroscedastic. Together, these characteristics create substantial challenges for differential abundance analysis and make the results highly sensitive to normalization procedures, model specification, and the statistical methods used for inference.

Normalization defines the scale on which samples are …

Investigating The Ability Of Presequences To Influence Mitochondrial Protein Import, Youmian Yan

WUSM Theses and Dissertations – All Programs

Mitochondria are essential organelles housing over 1000 proteins, 99% of which are nuclear-encoded and synthesized in the cytosol. Most mitochondrial proteins are targeted by a positively charged sequence called the presequence, which lacks a common sequence motif and is poorly conserved across evolution. Accumulating evidence suggests that presequences encode meaningful information that influences mitochondrial protein uptake. For instance, multiple stress response models propose that stress sensing proteins contain “weak” presequences which allows them to monitor mitochondrial health. However, there is a lack of systematic examination about how presequences influence import kinetics and what constitutes presequence strength. These gaps in knowledge …

Firms’ Darq Readiness And Marketing Implications: A Systematic Literature Review, Ali N. Tehrani, K. Roy, Richard Gruner

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose – This study aims to systematically review literature across diverse disciplines, including marketing, management and information systems, to synthesise insights on firms’ readiness to adopt and implement DARQ technologies and their marketing implications. DARQ technologies are emerging and cutting-edge technologies, including Distributed Ledger Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Extended Reality and Quantum Computing (hence, DARQ). Design/methodology/approach – Through a systematic review of over 2, 500 papers across three databases, this study distilled a focused sample of 88 papers. It comprehensively explores the reported dimensions, antecedents, outcomes and marketing implications of firms’ readiness for DARQ technologies. Findings – This study identified three …

Knowledge, Attitudes, And Practices (Kap) Of Parents Regarding The Prevention And Control Of Childhood Iron Deficiency Anemia In Egypt: A Cross-Sectional Study, Omnia Soliman

Theses and Dissertations

Childhood Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) remains a major public health challenge in Egypt, where its persistently high and rising prevalence carries substantial consequences for child growth, cognitive development, immunity, and long-term health outcomes. Globally, approximately 40% of children aged 6–59 months are affected by anemia (World Health Organization, 2025), and Egypt mirrors this burden, with national data showing a worsening trend in recent years. In Egypt, national strategies have traditionally focused on biomedical interventions such as iron supplementation and food fortification, while less attention has been directed toward behavioral and household-level determinants, particularly parental knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related …

The Impact Of A Play-Based Nature Camp On Self-Regulation In School-Age Children, Margaret Berkemeyer

Doctoral Dissertations

This study is a program evaluation with a mixed-methods design that evaluated the effectiveness of Y Rangers, a summer camp offered by the YMCA of San Francisco, in increasing the self-regulation abilities of school-age children. A total of 18 caregivers completed the quantitative portion of this study that included pre/post-test analyses of self-regulation measures. There were no statistically significant changes between pre and post assessments of self-regulation. A subset of seven caregivers and three Y Rangers counselors participated in interviews, the transcripts of which were analyzed using interpretive phenomenological analysis. Caregivers experienced Y Rangers as a unique opportunity for their …

The Relationship Between Acculturative Stress, Body Dissatisfaction, And Disordered Eating Behavior Among Latina Women In The United States, Emily Lillian Johnson

Doctoral Dissertations

The majority of research on body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behaviors focuses predominantly on the experiences of white women, neglecting the significant impact of acculturative stress on these issues, especially among understudied groups like Latina women. The present study seeks to address the gap in the literature by obtaining data that explores the extent to which acculturative stress, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating behavior have a relationships. Additionally, it investigates the roles of cultural values and ethnic identification in protecting against body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behavior within this population. To determine whether acculturative stress is predictive of body dissatisfaction …

Understanding Patient Reported Outcome Measures And Perceptions In Trauma, Jerome D. Scott

Summer Research Program Abstracts

No abstract provided.

Taste Of Florence: A Hospitality Student's Guide To Study Abroad In Florence, Emma M. Mcclure

Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

The goal of this creative project is to better prepare hospitality student for studying abroad in Florence, Italy. Studying abroad can be a daunting class, but there’s so many benefits from doing it. For example, you learn a lot about yourself and others around you. It better prepares you for after college because it teaches you life lessons like becoming more aware of the world around you. It also sets you apart from others when you start to apply for internships or jobs, because it shows the companies that you are independent and culturally diverse.

The results that I gathered …

Long Range Battery-Free Wireless Power Transfer Testbed For Underground Mines Iot And Lpwan Devices, Anabi Hilary Kelechi, Samuel Frimpong, Sanjay Madria

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Underground mines are susceptible to occasional roof falls and cave-ins, temporarily destroying the existing wireless communications and telemetry infrastructure. During this temporary outage, intermittent provision of electrical energy wirelessly to the already deployed low-power wireless area networks (LPWAN) and Internet of Things (IoT) devices assumes a fundamental requirement. In this article, we propose and design a long-range far-field radio frequency (RF) wireless power transfer (WPT) testbed to power LPWAN and IoT devices at 35 m in an underground mines facility. Class AB external power amplifier (PA) was introduced to achieve a long-distance RF WPT, in the 880 MHz band. Thus, …

More Than Just Play: The Impact Of Campus Recreation On Retention In Modern Higher Education, Corbin D. Hedges

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Student retention remains a central concern in higher education, particularly as the demographic composition of college populations shifts toward a growing number of contemporary students. While extensive research has examined retention strategies for traditional students, there is a notable gap in understanding how institutional resources, such as Campus Recreation, support contemporary student success. This study explores the impact of Campus Recreation participation on student retention, with a specific focus on contemporary students at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Using a convergent mixed-methods design, this research investigates participation trends, perceived benefits, and barriers to engagement in Campus Recreation programs. Quantitative …

Analysis Of U.S. Army Body Composition Policies: Implementation Effectiveness And Recommendations For Policy Enhancement At Brooke Army Medical Center, Michael L. Rizzo

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Manuscripts

US Army body composition policies (AR 600-9 and recent directives) are essential for military readiness, injury prevention, and force health protection, yet implementation gaps persist, particularly with the 2026 Department of Defense (DoD)-mandated waist-to-height ratio (WHtR < 0.55) transition. This DNP project evaluated policy implementation effectiveness at Brooke Army Medical Center using the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Logic Model and CFIR 2.0 framework. Analysis of 2022–2025 de-identified administrative data and 16 stakeholder questionnaires identified ≥10 implementation gaps, including low awareness of new standards and workload impacts. The project developed 8 evidence-based recommendations and an implementation roadmap to improve compliance, optimize resources, reduce administrative burden, and strengthen military readiness.

Revisiting Ulam Stability For Boundary Value Problems, Martin Bohner, Snezhana Hristova, Agnieszka B. Malinowska, Ewa Girejko

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Research & Creative Works

The main goal of this paper is to apply Ulam stability theory to boundary value problems for dynamic equations, while addressing several common misconceptions found in the existing literature. We identify the key issues that arise when applying Ulam stability to such problems and propose three distinct approaches to overcome them. To enhance clarity and accessibility, we begin with nonlinear ordinary differential equations and subsequently extend the analysis to nonlinear dynamic equations on time scales. Since a time scale is defined as any nonempty closed subset of the real numbers, our results are applicable to dynamic equations on continuous, discrete, …

Implementing Updated Npo Guidelines For Inpatient Procedures, Yasamin Ghanivand

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Background: Nil per os (NPO) guidelines are utilized for patient safety during procedures to reduce the risk of pulmonary aspiration. The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) recommends clear liquids up to 2 hours before non-emergent procedures, although many facilities still implement the outdated practice of ordering NPO after midnight. This practice can lead to prolonged fasting, which may cause increased hunger, thirst, hypotension, nausea, and dizziness, ultimately resulting in patient dissatisfaction and discomfort.

Purpose: To review and assess current ASA NPO guidelines that describe best practice to enhance the patient experience without increasing perioperative risk of pulmonary aspiration.

Methods: A …

Reasserting Congressional Authority In National Security In The Post-Chadha Era, Jacob Shaffer

Hofstra Law Review

No abstract provided.

Perceptions, Attitudes, And Experiences Of Persons Who Work In Forensic Mental Health Systems, Abigail Wiser

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The forensic mental health system serves clients with dual needs —serious mental health concerns like psychosis and suicidality, and management of risk. Experiences and perceptions of professional and direct care staff may impact daily and therapeutic interactions and client success. These experiences may be marked by stigma, such as beliefs about what led to hospitalization, treatability of mental health concerns, and intentionality of behavior. Understanding this stigma, as well as the role of vicarious trauma, workplace burnout, and other relevant individual factors, may help us understand staff experiences and guide training, thus improving client care. 146 staff members across three …

Utilizing The Invasive Fruitwood Pyrus Calleryana As Substrate For Mushroom Cultivation, An Experimental Study In Practical Sustainability, Matthew D. Helton

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study evaluated the feasibility of using woodchips from the invasive Pyrus calleryana (Callery pear) as substrate for mushroom cultivation. Pleurotus ostreatus, Hericium erinaceus, and Ganoderma lucidum were grown on a pear wood substrate and on a conventional oak substrate to compare, yield, sensory attributes, and metabolite production. P. ostreatus showed no significant differences in yield or biological efficiency (p > 0.05), only sweetness (p = 0.022) differed significantly. H. erinaceus yield and efficiency were similar (p > 0.05), with greater second-flush yields in oak controls (p = 0.034) but no sensory differences (p > 0.05). G. lucidum performance was comparable across treatments …

Examination Of Cleveland State Community College's Employee Professional Development Program: Leveraging Employee Learning And Relationship Building Amidst Significant Institutional Change, Ashley T. Raburn

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Within the last decade, Cleveland State Community College has gone through many changes, including transitioning between five different administrations from 2021 to 2025. With this change in administration, there have been many different philosophies of how professional development should be handled at the college. The priority of professional development has shifted between very high and very low, and the ownership of active initiatives was unclear. Recently, college administrators have implemented a program intended to allow PD at the college to have more structure and visibility within the employee community. Literature in both Higher education and other industries discusses the importance …

Representing The Brand: A Study To Examine The Best Practices For Structuring And Operating Communications Teams In Higher Education Institutions, Margaret L. Reisser

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

As higher education institutions increasingly compete for students, faculty, funding, and recognition, academic leaders are recognizing the essential role communications and public relations professionals play in maintaining and promoting the value of their institutional brands. Much has been written about the value of communications professionals in brand management in the corporate arena. However, it appears less attention has been paid to their role in higher education. This mixed-methods study was undertaken to examine the best practices for structuring and operating communications and public relations organizations for optimal success in promoting the higher education institutions they represent. Communications and public relations …