Digital Commons Network^™

Restless Legs Syndrome And Neurological Comorbidities: A Narrative Review, Kyrillos Ghattas, Helen Hernandez, Yongwoon Huh, Zhanna Fast, Zhikui Wei

Department of Sleep Medicine Faculty Papers

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common yet underrecognized neurological disorder characterized by uncomfortable sensations and an irresistible urge to move he legs, typically following a circadian pattern. RLS frequently co-occurs with various other neurological diseases, raising questions about shared mechanisms and clinical consequences. This review synthesizes evidence on the prevalence, outcomes, and pathophysiology of RLS in various neurological disorders, including Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, migraine, dementia, stroke, epilepsy, and peripheral neuropathy. In Parkinson's disease, RLS is linked to disease progression and dopaminergic therapy. In stroke and multiple sclerosis, RLS is associated with structural lesions at specific locations, such as …

Reducing Nurse Burnout In Medical/Surgical Units In South Carolina Acute Care Hospitals, Jessica D. Robinson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Climate Anxiety Shapes Career And Parenthood Decisions In College Students, Minha Hossain, Patrycja Sleboda-Sobolev

Publications and Research

This study examined how climate anxiety influences future-oriented decision-making among college students, with particular attention to four decision-making domains: career planning, parenthood decisions, sustainability behaviors, and geographic mobility. Although climate anxiety has become increasingly common among young adults, less research has explored how it shapes long-term life decisions within diverse U.S. college populations or how psychological and contextual factors influence these relationships. A sample of 257 undergraduate students from Baruch College completed a Qualtrics survey measuring climate anxiety, climate-related emotions, hope, self-efficacy, migration background, and future-oriented decision-making domains. Results indicated that climate anxiety significantly predicted career and parenthood decision-making, but …

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 …

Choosing A Primary Care Provider: A Formative Qualitative Study To Identify Patient Preferences, Chris Gillette, Jan Ostermann, Sarah O'Neal, Aylin A. Aguilar, Kandice Lacci-Reilly, Jessica Valente, Chris Everett, Robin Gibson, Sonia Crandall, Laiton Steele

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: (1) Identify what characteristics patients evaluate when choosing their primary care provider (PCP), (2) characterize how provider characteristics factor into patients’ choice of PCP, and (3) develop a list of features for a quantitative preference study in the form of a discrete choice experiment (DCE).

Methods: We used a cross-sectional, qualitative study to accomplish the objectives. We recruited participants from an internal medicine clinic and the general public in North Carolina. We used convenience and purposive sampling to recruit participants as a single sample. All participants completed a semistructured interview. We then used a reflexive thematic analysis to analyze …

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 …

Investigation Of New Surfaces For Pressure Injury Prevention, Jeremy Choh

Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Independent Study

Pressure injuries remain as a large challenge for the health care industry with hospitals responsible for more than half of the pressure injuries cases. [1] Current methods for pressure injury prevention are labor intensive or expensive. The use of hydrogels and diaelectric materials with reversible mechanical properties were investigated to generate 32 mm Hg pressure relief for pressure injury prevention. However, it was determined that the mechanical properties of these materials were inefficient in mechanical strength, activation time, or activation energy to be suitable for health care purposes. The use of low intensity ultrasound therapy was studied instead. A single …

The Impact Of Trump Administration Immigration Policies On Connecticut Educators And Families, Elena C. Bielesz

Honors Scholar Theses

Anti-immigrant rhetoric, policies, and practices, which have grown increasingly prevalent due to the current national political climate, have adverse effects on the mental health of immigrant families and the teachers that support them in Connecticut. This study seeks to represent the opinions of Connecticut K-12 MLL (Multilingual Learners) Education Teachers and Administrators whose daily lives are impacted by the anti-immigrant and anti-refugee policies and procedures. The study employed a human subjects-based approach supported by a review of related literature. MLL Educators from around the state of Connecticut were interviewed. These interviews found that while immigration-based trauma and stressors are common …

Using An Ai Chatbot To Improve Access To Lake Skaneateles Watershed Regulations, Lucas Colleluori, Tomás Olivier

Center for Policy Design and Governance

This report evaluates whether a retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) chatbot can simplify access to the overlapping state, county, and local regulations governing the Lake Skaneateles watershed.

Automation, Migration, And Development: Geography Of Job Precarity In South Asia And North Africa, Keshav Bhattarai, Ambika P. Adhikari

Himalayan Research Papers Archive

This article examines how accelerating automation and the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in advanced economies reshape labor markets across the Global South through interconnected channels of production, migration, and remittances. Drawing on the theories and practices of economic geography, labor economics, and development studies, the analysis conceptualizes automation as a transnational shock that contracts demand for migrant labor while simultaneously amplifying employment precarity in labor-surplus economies. The article advances a geographically grounded framework linking technology adoption in core industries with labor displacement, youth unemployment, and urban labor saturation in South Asia and North Africa. It further highlights the macroeconomic …

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 …

Volume Electron Microscopy Reveals Heterogeneity Of The Hemostatic Response In Veins And Arteries, Maurizio Tomaiuolo, Meghan E. Roberts, Jenna R. Severa, Christopher D. Mansi, Brenna B. Y. Mathers, Anna Mannix, Trace A Christensen, Lawrence F Brass, Talid Sinno, Timothy J. Stalker

Cardeza Foundation for Hematologic Research

Intravital imaging studies have provided insights into the spatial and temporal variations of platelet activation and thrombin generation that occur during hemostasis; however, these studies are generally limited to small vessels due to the practical limitations of imaging in thicker tissues. Recent advances in cleared tissue fluorescence imaging as well as volume electron microscopy (vEM) coupled with machine learning-based image segmentation provide an opportunity for analysis of the 3-dimensional structure of complex tissues. We utilized these technologies to examine hemostatic plugs from murine jugular veins and carotid arteries to investigate the spatial distribution of platelet activation and biochemical responses in …

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

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Effective Strategies Psychiatric Hospital Leaders Use To Retain Staff To Avoid Turnover Costs, Christian Azuka Obiajulu Ossai

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.

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. …

“Una Vita In Maschera”: Exploring Modern-Day Venetian Carnival Through Photographs, Amy Hecht

Honors College Theses

This project aimed to explore the historical and cultural significance of Carnival in Venice, the festival preceding Lent that is characterized by a temporary breakdown of the social order. The main elements of Carnival include mask-wearing, elaborate costumes, and artistic showcases, especially theater and street performances. In particular, the 16th-century practice of commedia dell’arte is revived during the Carnival, featuring iconic masked characters and humorous storylines. In the current global political climate, where people are more divided than ever, Carnival is an escape from the drags of everyday life. Masses of tourists visit Venice during Carnival to experience the unique …

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 …

Library Advisory Council Bylaws, Central Washington University

Library Advisory Council for CWU Libraries

Bylaws of Library Advisory Council

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."

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 …

Bridging The Language Gap: Enhancing Interpreter Support And Service For The Benefit Of The Lep Community, Morgan Kuchta

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

English is the language of the court, but when it intends to serve a multilingual public, there must be a strong commitment to uphold the rights of limited English proficient (LEP) individuals. LEP individuals, particularly those that speak rare languages, are disadvantaged by various issues impacting interpreters and the courts. When only the interpreter’s words are reflected in the courtroom and the transcript, it is essential that the court ensures the accessibility of qualified interpretation, as any omission or misinterpretation can hinder access to justice. We must protect the interests of LEP individuals trying to navigate the court system, and …

Teachers’ Perspectives And Experiences On Using Assistive Technological Tools To Support Middle School Students With Dyslexia, Crystal Courtner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Nurse-Led Universal Depression And Suicide Risk Screening On Adolescent Mental Health Outcomes In Pediatric Primary Care, Malu-Kanoa Hewitt, Briana Morris, Dolly Ukpong, Lula Teklehaimanot, Preet Kamal Singh, Latasha Scott, Charity Msamalia Chimwala-Selico

General Submissions: Clinical Settings Materials

Background: Adolescent depression and suicide are critical public health concerns in the United States. Approximately 20% of youth aged 12–17 experience a major depressive episode annually, yet fewer than half receive treatment (NIMH, 2023). Suicide is a leading cause of death among adolescents and young adults (CDC, 2023). The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends screening for major depressive disorder (MDD) in adolescents aged 12–18 when adequate systems are in place for diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up, but concludes that evidence is insufficient to recommend routine suicide risk screening in children and adolescents (USPSTF, 2022).

Purpose: This literature review evaluates …

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.

Huebner, Thomas G., San Jose State University

Emeritus and Retired Faculty Biographies

University of Hawai'i, Linguistics, Ph.D. 1982

University of Pittsburgh, Linguistics, M.A. Certificate: TEFL/TESL

University of Wisconsin‑Milwaukee. Majors: English and Secondary Education, B.S.