Digital Commons Network^™

Two-Eyed Seeing Into Shipwrecks: Maritime Microscopy In The South Carolina Lowcountry, Sara A. Rich, Kayla Raimondi, Hannah Herness

Honors College Faculty Publications

By enhancing methods for how archaeology can contribute to the study of multi-species shipwrecks (or shipwreck ecology), this paper reconsiders the function of non-functioning ships and boats from anti-colonial and Native American perspectives. In partnership with the Waccamaw Indian People and the Indigenize SC Education Task Force, wood samples from several submerged wreck sites in a blackwater tidal river in the Lowcountry of South Carolina (USA) were analyzed for their archaeological potentials and for their potential to disclose the performance of individual sites within the underwater ecosystems of which they are a part. In turn, this information offers the opportunity …

Communication Interventions For Families With Parental Cancer With Dependents: Findings From A Scoping Review, Cinzia Caparso, Zoe Bowen, Sung Won Choi

Nursing Faculty Research Publications

Background: Since 2019, invasive cancer diagnoses in people younger than 50-years-old have increased by 12.8%, which impacts people of child-bearing age. Currently, interventions in families of parents with cancer are focused primarily on the parent with cancer communicating with their dependents about the initial cancer diagnosis or at end-of-life through in-person interventions. Limited web-based interventions have been developed to increase communication across all family members (e.g., parents with cancer with coparents; children with their parents) about communicating the impact of cancer on the individual’s and family’s well-being cross the cancer trajectory, a key gap to improved outcomes in this population. …

How Do Selected Biomedical And Health Sciences Journals React To Submissions Of Artificial Intelligence (Ai) Assisted Manuscripts?, Misa Mi, Lin Wu, Yingting Zhang, Wendy Wu

Library Scholarly Publications

Background and Objectives: Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) increasingly impacts research and scholarly communication. Given the evolving application of ChatGPT and other AI tools in scholarly communications, health sciences librarians must become cognizant of any existing journal publishing guidelines for AI-created or assisted manuscripts. The study aims to examine how scholarly biomedical and health sciences journals and publishers respond to submissions of these manuscripts and what requirements or policies have been put in place to guide and instruct authors on AI use.

Methods: We first retrieved and consolidated a list of journals representing disciplines in biomedical and health sciences from four …

App Assisted Depression Self-Management In Integrated Primary Care: A Pilot Study Exploring Patient And Provider Experiences, David J. Johnson, Margaret R. Emerson, Danae Dinkel, Robbin Thomas, Shinobu Watanabe-Galloway, Maria S. Mickles, Carli Culjat

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

The integrated primary care (IPC) setting is currently the de facto institution for accessing mental healthcare among underserved populations. However, many barriers exist for these populations when seeking regular and adequate mental healthcare, including provider availability and transportation challenges. This study piloted the incorporation of mindLAMP, a mHealth app, into IPC treatment to offer a low-resource intervention designed to improve and expand access to mental healthcare for underserved patients between face-to-face visits. This study gathered data from a sample of both behavioral health providers and patients (N = 6) in IPC settings to pilot the use of the mindLAMP app …

Surveying New Battlegrounds: Ukraine And The Future Of Cognitive Warfare, Chad M. Briggs, Anita Tusor

Journal of Strategic Security

Cognitive warfare (CW) has emerged as a decisive battlespace in modern conflict, shifting the focus from physical terrain to the perceptions and resilience of societies. This article analyzes the Russian Federation's application of CW in Ukraine since 2013, contrasting it with the strategic concepts developed by the People's Republic of China (PRC). Russia's approach, rooted in Soviet-era maskirovka and reflexive control, integrates cyber operations, disinformation, and the use of non-state proxies, including private military companies, organized crime, and the Russian Orthodox Church, to destabilize adversaries and manufacture uncertainty. In response, Ukraine has demonstrated remarkable resilience through a whole-of-society mobilization, effectively …

Introduction, Kevin S. Jobe

Philosophy Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Right Attributions To Rivers: From Bio-Cultural Rights To The Rights Of Future Generations, Danny Marrero

Philosophy Faculty Publications

The research shows how the movement of the rights of rivers has open new spaces for subjugated people in Latin America such as Afro-decendent communities, indigenous communities, or the future generations to inject radically different legal and philosophical traditions. The research explores two pioneer cases of right attributions to rivers: Comunidades Afrodescendientes del Rio Atrato v. Presidencia de la Republica de Colombia (Afro-Colombian Indigenous Communities of the Atrato river v. Presidency of the Republic of Colombia) and Las Generaciones Futuras v. Ministerio del Medio Ambiente y Desarollo Sostenible (Future Generations v. The Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development). These cases …

Laryngeal Hypersensitivity From The Perspective Of Pain Science: An Integrative Review Of Empirical Studies On Associated Factors And Processes, William Saint-Jules, Hugo Massé-Alarie, Nicole Y. K. Li-Jessen, Maude Desjardins

Revues de littérature, synthèses de connaissances

Objective

Laryngeal hypersensitivity (LHS) is a state of heightened sensorimotor response to stimuli in the upper airway. Although its clinical picture is becoming progressively clearer with recent research progress, specificities about its associated factors and processes remain to be clarified. The aim of this integrative review was to synthesize published empirical data from human studies on LHS, focusing on related factors and pathophysiology.

Study Design and Data Sources

Integrative review of the literature; Pubmed, EMBASE, and Web of Science.

Methods

Keywords associated with the following three main concepts were used to query databases: (1) manifestations potentially associated with an irritable …

Gene Expression And Dna Methylation Changes In Response To Hypoxia In Toxicant-Adapted Atlantic Killifish (Fundulus Heteroclitus), Neelakanteswar Aluru, Yaamini R. Venkataraman, Christopher S. Murray, Veronica Depascuale

Biology

Coastal fish populations are threatened by multiple anthropogenic impacts, including the accumulation of industrial contaminants and the increasing frequency of hypoxia. Some populations of the Atlantic killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus), like those in New Bedford Harbor (NBH), Massachusetts, USA, have evolved a resistance to dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) that may influence their ability to cope with secondary stressors. To address this question, we compared hepatic gene expression and DNA methylation patterns in response to mild or severe hypoxia in killifish from NBH and Scorton Creek (SC), a reference population from a relatively pristine environment. We hypothesized that NBH fish would show …

Pediatric Caregiver Interventions: A Scoping Review, Venisa Rodriguez

Student Research Design & Innovation Symposium

Caregivers are an integral component in pediatric healthcare service delivery. Caregiver education/interventions and health beliefs vary greatly, as do barriers and facilitators, including their accessibility, quality, and effectiveness. A family-centered care approach, defined as utilizing the family as a formal member, resource, and collaborator in the care team, has been found to be beneficial and contribute to positive health and wellbeing outcomes for caregivers, their child, and the family unit as a whole. A scoping review was conducted to investigate the utilization and impacts of caregiver education/interventions on their engagement in the therapeutic process. The results of this review will …

The Genetic Role Of Cerebral Palsy, Samantha Bruno

Student Research Design & Innovation Symposium

Cerebral palsy is a group of various disorders that impact a person's mobility, posture, and balance. It affects muscle control and can be caused by abnormal development of the brain or by brain damage. This condition can develop before birth, during birth, within a month postpartum, or during the child's first year of life while the brain is still in the developmental process. Studying the genetic role of cerebral palsy is crucial to ensure an early diagnosis and proper treatment moving forward. In this research study, genes were explored that have been known to play a role in the development …

Impacts Of Ramadan Fasting During Pregnancy On Pregnancy And Birth Outcomes: An Umbrella Review, Abdullah Al-Taiar, Md Estiar Rahman, May Salama, Ali H. Ziyab, Wilfried Karmaus

Epidemiology, Biostatistics, & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background

Despite a large number of primary research studies, and systematic and narrative reviews, there is no consensus on the impact of fasting during Ramadan while pregnant on pregnancy and birth outcomes. Currently, there is no evidence-based guideline for Muslim women regarding Ramadan fasting during pregnancy and clinicians cannot provide firm recommendations.

Objectives

To review the current evidence regarding the impact of Ramadan fasting during pregnancy on pregnancy and birth outcomes.

Search Strategy

We conducted an umbrella review of all systematic and narrative reviews examining the impacts of fasting during Ramadan while pregnant on pregnancy and birth outcomes by searching …

Politics In Public Health: Growing Partisan Divides In Covid-19 Vaccine Attitudes And Uptake Post-2021 Presidential Inauguration, Hongbin Fan, Zhongliang Zhou, Guanping Liu, Chi Shen, Qi Zhang

Epidemiology, Biostatistics, & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Objectives: To investigate whether the 2021 U.S. presidential inauguration contributed to a widening of partisan divides in COVID-19 vaccine attitudes and uptake. Methods: We leverage the presidential inauguration as a natural experiment and analyze data from the Household Pulse Survey and CDC vaccination records. Using a difference-in-differences framework with continuous treatment, we examine how the transition differentially affected state-level vaccine refusal rates and county-level vaccination rates, based on varying levels of partisanship as measured by the Trump-Biden vote gap. Results: Following Biden's inauguration, vaccine refusal declined more in pro-Biden states. Distrust in government and vaccines accounted for approximately 80% of …

Machine Learning Models For Pancreatic Cancer Survival Prediction: A Multi-Model Analysis Across Stages And Treatments Using The Surveillance, Epidemiology, And End Results (Seer) Database, Aditya Chakraborty, Mohan D. Pant

Epidemiology, Biostatistics, & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background: Pancreatic cancer is among the most lethal malignancies, with poor prognosis and limited survival despite treatment advances. Accurate survival modeling is critical for prognostication and clinical decision-making. This study had three primary aims: (1) to determine the best-fitting survival distribution among patients diagnosed and deceased from pancreatic cancer across stages and treatment types; (2) to construct and compare predictive risk classification models; and (3) to evaluate survival probabilities using parametric, semi-parametric, non-parametric, machine learning, and deep learning methods for Stage IV patients receiving both chemotherapy and radiation. Methods: Using data from the SEER database, parametric models (Generalized Extreme Value, …

Multi-Attribute Characterization Of Polymeric And Lipid-Based Drug Delivery Systems By Column Switching Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, Brady W. Drennan

Chemistry & Biochemistry Dissertations - Archive

Drug delivery systems (DDS) are an increasingly relevant technology, owing to their ability to provide controlled release and to enable the use of otherwise toxic or labile therapeutics. However, these modalities are complex, containing a multitude of species with diverse chemical and physical properties. Their characterization, which involves the assessment of critical quality attributes (CQAs), requires numerous analytical techniques. The high-throughput demands of the biopharmaceutical industry have driven the need to consolidate these characterizations into a single analytical method. Consequently, novel analytical technologies are needed to support multi-attribute characterization. A multimodal liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) system was developed to facilitate …

Challenge Based Learning For Social Entrepreneurship Education, Koen Depryck, Ilse Wambacq

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Challenge Based Learning (CBL) provides a promising educational framework for teaching social entrepreneurship, addressing the persistent gap between theoretical knowledge and practical implementation. Through a comprehensive analysis of existing literature and theoretical frameworks, this paper demonstrates how CBL’s seven key elements-authentic challenges, stakeholder involvement, interdisciplinary approaches, student agency, work and life skills development, entrepreneurial mindset cultivation, and impact focus-directly align with and support core social entrepreneurship competencies. The integration of Kolb’s experiential learning theory, Santos’ social entrepreneurship framework, and Rogers’ innovation diffusion theory provide a basis for understanding how CBL can enhance social entrepreneurship education. Evidence suggests that CBL particularly …

Pediatric Hearing Loss: Screening For Developmental Delays Among Children With Hearing Aids, Kelsey Wallace

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Doctoral Capstone Symposium

Children with hearing impairments are at risk for developmental delay, and research has shown that children born with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) are at a higher risk for delays in motor, sensory, and social skills development. The literature points to an obvious impact of hearing loss on development, but also a lack of screening for this phenomenon beyond language development skills. A doctoral capstone project was conducted to pilot a process for the implementation of developmental screening for children with hearing aids (HAs), as well as subsequent therapy referrals and parent education, in collaboration with a hospital-based pediatric audiology department. …

Toward A More Accountable And Inclusive Vision Of Health Ethics: Navigating Complexity In Contemporary Clinical Practice, Peter A. Depergola Ii

Journal of Health Ethics

Editor's introduction to Vol. 21, No. 1 of the Journal of Health Ethics.

The Ethics Of Student Attrition In Healthcare Education Programs, Kent Haina Jr, Peter A. Depergola Ii

Journal of Health Ethics

Student attrition is a problem in healthcare education programs, but there is little in the literature regarding the organizational ethics of lowering it. Some argue that lowering attrition is unethical, because it would lower academic and professional standards, potentially impacting patient care. Others say students deserve to make decisions about when to leave a course of study. However, these arguments ignore inequities in attrition, as well as the conflicts of interest in, and moral obligations of colleges and universities. Lowering attrition rates in healthcare education programs is inherently ethical because it levels the playing field for underrepresented minorities that disproportionately …

The Ethical Impermissibility Of Implanting Embryos That Carry The Genetic Markers For Deafness, Cat Mastalerz

Journal of Health Ethics

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis is a reproductive procedure that involves testing embryos conceived by in vitro fertilization for genetic conditions, including cystic fibrosis, Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy, and controversially deafness. This paper examines the ethical dilemma surrounding parents using this technology to select for and choose to implant an embryo that carries the genetic markers for deafness. Disability and impairment are discussed, followed by an in-depth analysis of the role of Deaf culture, including the perspective of hearing children of deaf adults. The effect of deafness on life opportunities is then viewed through the lens of the child’s right to an open …

Characterization Of Cancer Cell Migration Through Brain Vascular Endothelium Model, Malak Taysser Al-Noubani

2025 Fall Honors Capstones Projects - Archive

One of the hallmarks of cancer is increased vessel growth to feed the tumor’s rapid expansion. The newly formed blood vessels are immature and often leaky due to structural and functional abnormalities. This leads to ineffective anti-cancer drug delivery and provides tumor cells with additional opportunities to metastasize. We propose to develop an in vitro vascular endothelium model and introduce aggressive triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells to mimic the tumor environment, utilizing a Transwell migration assay. The impact of TNBC cells on vessel permeability will be assessed by staining for tight junction proteins, and the migratory capabilities of TNBC cells …

Enhancing Wellbeing Through Caregiver Support: Improving Quality Of Life For Individuals With Special Needs And Complex Medical Diagnoses In Nicaragua, Jenna K. Devchand

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Doctoral Capstone Symposium

Individuals with disabilities living all over the world are constantly faced with additional barriers. In low-income countries, such as Nicaragua, there is often a gap in access to resources and education, for both individuals living with disabilities and their caregivers. Access is essential to provide high quality care to meet unique needs. This occupational therapy doctoral capstone project was created to support individuals providing care to children with special needs and complex medical diagnoses in Nicaragua by providing community-based education and sustainable resources to caregivers to enhance wellbeing in daily life. The deliverable was presented in country in Nicaragua to …

Cal Poly Humboldt Sea Level Rise Institute Bi-Annual Report June 2023 - June 2025, Adam Canter, Laurie Richmond, Kristen Orth-Gordinier

Local Reports and Publications

Executive Summary: As a core vision, the Cal Poly Humboldt Sea Level Rise Institute (SLRI) “envisions a diverse network of collaborators working together across disciplines, sectors, and ways of knowing to develop sea-level rise research and planning that informs equitable, sustainable, and community-centered local climate action.” The SLRI had two productive academic years from Fall 2023 - Spring 2025 in service of this vision. Key accomplishments included: ● Participation - Over the course of the past two years, participation in the SLRI more nearly doubled from 48 in August 2023 to 84 in July 2025. ○ Participation includes representatives from …

Nurturing Potential: Building Teacher Capacity To Support Infant Developmentin Low Income Daycares, Jeanae A. Williams

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Doctoral Capstone Symposium

Nurturing Potential: Building Teacher Capacity to Support Infant Development in Low Income Daycares

Jeanae Williams, OTDS

Faculty Mentor: Kelly McGloon, PhD, OTR/L

ABRSTRACT:

Early childcare centers play a critical role in fostering young children’s learning and development. Each year, approximately 600,000 infants are born at risk for developmental delays, yet less than 50% are identified early. Early detection and support are crucial in reducing long-term developmental challenges and improving outcomes for reaching milestones. This capstone project aims to enhance the capacity of infant classroom teachers in low-income daycare settings by providing education on typical development and increasing awareness of resources …

Enhancing Caregiver Understanding Of Pediatric Spasticity Through Multimodal Educational Resources, Maia Grams

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Doctoral Capstone Symposium

Spasticity is a highly complex neuromuscular impairment, which can make it a particularly difficult topic for caregivers to fully understand and manage without appropriate support and education. This capstone project was completed at a pediatric outpatient therapy clinic under the mentorship of an occupational therapist who specializes in neuro-related conditions. Following a clinical needs analysis, this project was designed to address a specific need: the limited availability of clear, accessible educational resources related to spasticity for caregivers.

The purpose of the project was to increase access to spasticity-related education by developing multimodal resources that rehabilitation therapists could easily distribute to …

Safe & Steady: A Toolkit For Injury Prevention In Pickleball For Older Adults With Parkinson’S Disease, Morgan T. Shires

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Doctoral Capstone Symposium

Abstract

Title: Safe & Steady: A Toolkit for Injury Prevention in Pickleball for Older Adults with Parkinson’s Disease

Background: Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a movement disorder that affects balance, walking, posture, coordination, cognition, and more that can increase the risk of falling. Around 60% of people with Parkinson’s Disease (PwPD) fall every year for a variety of reasons (Parkinson’s Foundation, 2025). Studies have shown that physical activity not only has a positive impact on symptoms, but exercise has an integral impact on overall wellbeing and quality of life for PwPD (Bispo, et. al, 2024). There are many types of physical …

Improving Home Exercise Program Adherence In Stroke Survivors: Examining Influencing Factors And Developing Educational Resources For A Behavioral Intervention, Megan E. Thompson

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Doctoral Capstone Symposium

Improving Home Exercise Program Adherence in Stroke Survivors: Examining Influencing Factors and Developing Educational Resources for a Behavioral Intervention

Nearly 800,000 individuals experience a stroke annually in the United States and stroke often results in upper extremity functional limitation which can impact the individual’s ability to perform their activities of daily living. Because of this, home exercise programs are prescribed to facilitate rehabilitation; however, adherence is inadequate which ultimately impacts overall functional recovery. The purpose of this capstone is to enhance understanding of factors that influence home exercise program adherence and to improve upper extremity functional recovery post stroke through …

Occupational Therapy In Oncology: Enhancing Quality Of Life For Head And Neck Cancer Survivors, Anna C. Hildebrand

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Doctoral Capstone Symposium

This occupational therapy capstone project was completed through collaboration with a site that aims to eradicate cancer through multidisciplinary patient care, innovative research, and education and training. The purpose of the project is to improve the quality of life (QoL) in Head and Neck Cancer survivors through resources created to enhance self-efficacy, symptom management, and overall well-being throughout the cancer trajectory. The project included the goal of furthering the health care team’s understanding of occupational therapy’s role within the cancer population, specifically HNC, by providing these supportive resources. Educational patient handouts were distributed to HNC care providers to then distribute …

The Key Revolutionary Element: The Development Of Russia’S Military And The Vitality Of The Russian Soldier To Revolution, Max C. Jones

Tenor of Our Times

This paper looks at the substantial role the Russian Military played in the events leading up to and during the February Revolution in 1917 in Russia. It looks at the military history of Russia prior to the February Revolution (from Peter the Great-Nicholas II) and how certain decisions and events in that timespan created a military that was completely unprepared for the total war of WWI. The paper takes closer looks at the Crimean War and the Russo-Japanese War/1905 Revolution, in which significant changes in the military occurred but, as is seen in the outcome of WWI, were not enough …

Non-Enzymatic Glycoxidation Reports On Society, Environment And Biology To Inform On Enduring Cancer Disparities, Fariha Imtiaz, Boxiao Ding, Bradley A. Krisanits, Katherine A. Walter, Lindsay L. Peterson, Susan Steck, Marvella E. Ford, Gayenell Magwood, Victoria J. Findlay, David Turner

Annual Research Day

Background: Despite advancements in cancer treatment, disparities in incidence and mortality persist among different races and ethnicities. These disparities are influenced by an intricate interplay between environmental, biological and social factors that underscore the need for a multifaceted approach to understand this relationship. Objective/Aim: To show that advanced glycation end products (AGEs) due to non-enzymatic glycoxidation represent informative and functional markers that report on the combined impact of environmental, biological and social factors on enduring cancer disparities. Methods: To address this objective, a more holistic approach to disparities research was used ranging from basic research, population-based investigations, preclinical and clinical …