Digital Commons Network^™

Advancing Drug Discovery With Structural And Representation Learning Of Biological Systems, Mehdi Yazdani-Jahromi

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The rapid emergence of global health crises, exemplified by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, underscores the profound limitations of conventional drug discovery methods, which are inherently protracted and resource-intensive. A robust, accelerated response framework demands the sophisticated deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) across the entire therapeutic pipeline. We propose a unified approach centered on \textbf{Structural and Representation Learning} to capture the intricate topological and chemical nuances of biological systems, thereby transforming complex molecular and genomic data into effective vector embeddings suitable for deep learning, enhancing predictive power, and crucially, interpretability. This dissertation details advancements across …

Investigating Algal Toxin Occurrence And Water Quality Correlations In A Freshwater–Estuarine System, Sunday Sam Egon

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Cyanobacterial toxins, particularly microcystin-LR (MC-LR), present persistent risks in freshwater and estuarine environments, especially under flow-regulated system where hydrodynamics and biology interact complexly. This study investigates the occurrence of MC-LR across a lake–estuary water matrixes, sampling 13 sites from Lake Okeechobee through Caloosahatchee canal, river, and estuarine zones from March to September. Water quality parameters including conductivity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll-a, and phycocyanin were measured in situ. The concentration of MC-LR, and nutrients (ammonium, orthophosphate, and nitrite concentrations) were measured in the laboratory. Multivariate correlation, principal component analysis, and multiple regression were employed to determine dominant drivers of toxin occurrence. …

High-Efficiency Dual Active Bridge Converter With Stacked Secondary Phase For Next-Generation Ai Data Center Power Delivery, Anirudh Ashok Pise

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The rapid electrification of hyperscale AI data centers is accelerating a shift from legacy 48 V distribution ladders to ±400 V high-voltage DC backbones, concentrating residual loss and dynamic stress on a single isolated bidirectional interface. This work presents a high-density Dual Active Bridge with Stacked Secondary Phasing (DAB-SSP) architecture as a scalable GaN-based solution for 48 V–800 V rack-level power conversion. By stacking 400 V secondaries, the topology leverages 650 V GaN devices while satisfying 800 V system requirements, reducing clearance and creepage distances, minimizing magnetic path lengths, and embedding leakage inductance necessary for wide-range zero-voltage switching.

A rigorous …

Mems-Based Airflow Sensor For Apnea Detection Using Time-Of-Flight Technique, Parvin Akhkandi

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Sleep is essential for overall human health, influencing cognitive, emotional, and physical well-being. Respiratory-related sleep disorders, particularly obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), require early detection and effective treatment to prevent serious health complications. This dissertation explores innovative advancements in respiratory monitoring sensor development techniques, aiming to improve the diagnosis and management of sleep disorders. The sensor in this work incorporates a pair of Thin-film Piezoelectric on Substrate (TPoS) MEMS resonators operating at ~25 MHz, embedded in two oscillator circuits where frequency variations reflect changes in temperature and humidity caused by respiratory airflow. By precisely measuring airflow travel time between the resonators, …

Characterizing Muscle Control As An Emg Visual Matrix, Peter W. Makary

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Evaluating electrical muscle activity patterns using surface electromyography (EMG) is a widely used technique to assess movement in research settings, but its use has not been translated to clinical settings. This study aims to investigate the potential of evaluating muscle activity control through a visual matrix display. EMG data from older and younger adults collected in a previous seated locomotor perturbation study was used to generate visual matrices representing their lower-limb ankle muscle activity. Visual matrices from each condition consist of 20x20 grids, where each axis represents activity from an individual muscle of muscle pairs, such as the tibialis anterior …

Increasing Bystander And Environmental Awareness Through Haptic Feedback, Jose-Valentin T. Sera-Josef

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The Chariot System is a bystander and environmental awareness system that uses vibrotactile haptic feedback delivered via a wearable. It was designed with the goal of using a subject's haptic channel to keep them aware of their surroundings thus freeing their visual channel to focus on and enjoy a virtual reality (VR) experience. This work contributes to the space of VR research that aims to keep users aware of the outside world while in VR, an area that typically focuses on using visual notifications but rarely applies haptics. A user study involving 24 participants was conducted comparing the Chariot System …

Down By The Tracks, Ova ‘Cross The Trussle: Exploring Systemic And Structural Barriers To Perinatal Healthcare Access For Black Women In Rural Alabama, Trinity C. Johnson

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This dissertation uses semi-structured interviews (n=42), participant observation, archival research, and storytelling, it employs frameworks of structural violence, intersectionality, and reproductive justice to situate Black women’s maternal health within broader histories of racialized medical neglect and reproductive governance. The study explores two questions: (1) What obstacles do Black women in rural Alabama face in accessing perinatal healthcare? (2) How do they navigate these barriers, and what strategies do they employ? A mixed-methods approach—including ethnography, quantitative analysis, and GIS—guides this research, with storytelling serving as both a methodological intervention and a challenge to dominant anthropological narratives. Findings highlight three major themes: …

Long Term Trends In The Reproductive Output And Phenology Of Three Marine Turtle Species, Jeena Prasertlum

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The UCF Marine Turtle Research Group (MTRG) has monitored sea turtle nesting along the Brevard County, Florida coastline for over 40 years, yielding one of the world's longest continuous sea turtle reproductive datasets. These data offer key demographic insights for conservation and species recovery assessments. Given climate change’s worsening effects, it is critical to analyze long-term trends in hatchling emergence success and phenology, which impact reproductive output, population growth, and hatchling dispersal. Here I compare the long-term reproductive output trends of loggerhead (Caretta caretta), green (Chelonia mydas), and leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) sea turtles from …

Securitization Of African Migrants In Europe And North America, Chick Edmond

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

The securitization of African migrants in Europe and North America refers to the framing of immigrants as an existential security threat rather than a socioeconomic or humanitarian concerns. This discourse driven by political rhetoric, media narratives, and policy measures, often depict African migrants as risks to national security, cultural identity, and economic stability. Governments in host countries employ stringent border controls, detention and deportation policies often justified by counterterrorism and crime prevention frameworks. However, critics argue that securitization exacerbates xenophobia, violates human rights, and fails to address root causes of migration, such as conflict, poverty, and climate change. This paper …

Rethinking Trust In The Refugee Resettlement Process: How Service Providers Can Enable Refugee Agency Through Diasporic Connections, Mahfoudha Sidelemine, Emily D. Campion

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

Current guidance for refugee resettlement agency workers encourages the simultaneous pursuit of trust-building and administrative tasks (e.g., housing, transportation and employment). This dual goal is resource-intensive, and focusing on the former may come at a cost to the latter. The purpose of the current research is to challenge the importance of trust-building by resettlement agencies. Drawing from our qualitative data from in-depth interviews with resettled refugees (N = 20) and agency workers (N = 15), we adopt a grounded theory approach and find that the burden of responsibility for both caregiving and administrative responsibilities can overtax agency workers …

Manifesting A Shift In The "Overton Window": The Threat Of Project 2025 On The Lgbtq+ Community In Higher Education, Athena M. King, Sara Sanatkar

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

Since the first Trump administration, historically marginalized groups in the United States have been subjected to greater instances of bigotry and discrimination due to conservative influence on sociopolitical institutions. These actions suggest a shift in the "Overton Window," whereby policy preferences previously deemed "unacceptable" are given consideration in the mainstream, especially by conservative policy actors. "Project 2025" is a comprehensive plan to restructure the federal government according to conservative dictates in the second Trump administration. This article is an examination of how higher education may be impacted by this plan, especially as it relates to LGBTQ+ faculty, administration, staff, and …

Dordt University 2025-26 Catalog, Dordt University. Registrar's Office

Academic Catalogs

Academic Catalog for 2025-26

Respiratory Monitoring With Textile Inductive Electrodes In Driving Applications: Effect Of Electrode's Positioning And Form Factor On Signal Quality, James Elber Duverger, Victor Bellemin, Geordi-Gabriel Renaud Dumoulin, Patricia Forcier, Justine Decaens, Ghyslain Gagnon, Alireza Saidi

Études primaires

This paper provides insights into where and how to integrate textile inductive electrodes into a car to record optimal-quality respiratory signals. Electrodes of various shapes and sizes were integrated into the seat belt and the seat back of a driving simulator car seat. The electrodes covered various parts of the body: upper back, middle back, lower back, chest, and waist. Three subjects completed driving circuits with their breathing signals being recorded. In general, signal quality while driving versus sitting still was similar, compared to a previous study of ours with no body movements. In terms of positioning, electrodes on seat …

Discontinuing Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists And Body Habitus: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Sara Berg, Hannah Stickle, Suzanne J. Rose, Eric C. Nemec

Physician Associate Studies Faculty Publications

Research on Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) has mainly focused on the efficacy of weight loss and not the long-term efficacy of weight loss maintenance. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to evaluate the sustainability of weight loss of patients taking GLP-1RAs following the discontinuation of the drug. EBSCOhost was used to simultaneously search Academic Search Premier, CINHAL Ultimate, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE with full text, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and separate PubMed search was systematically investigated using a predetermined search strategy from inception to February 1st, 2024. The authors extracted data regarding body weight …

De/Reconstructing Delinquency, Eduardo R. Ferrer

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Hundreds of thousands of children are brought under the jurisdiction of delinquency courts every year in the United States. Despite the reality that most children engage in delinquent behavior during their adolescence, poor children, children of color, children with disabilities, and children who identify as LGBTQIA+ comprise a disproportionate number of those who become delinquency system-involved. These disparities exist by design. Their origins can be traced back to the flawed first principles upon which the juvenile court was built and, specifically, to the unduly expansive legal definition of delinquency that has undergirded the jurisdiction and power of the juvenile court …

Meta-Narrative Review Of Cancer Of Unknown Primary Patient Outcomes In Response To Advanced Molecular Technique Driven Diagnostics And Treatment Modalities, David A. Figueroa, Ariana D. Harding, Vanessa Mendoza, Adam K. Walston, Mary I. Coolbaugh-Murphy, Denise M. Juroske, Brandon C. Greer

Research Methods Poster Session 2025

No abstract provided.

Front Matter

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

No abstract provided.

The Method Is The Message: Movement Law And The Social Change Commons, Raymond H. Brescia

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

Legal scholars have long sought to understand the relationship between social movements and the law. A new group of such scholars has argued that to better understand this relationship, and to advance social change that is effective, sustainable, equitable, and just, they must engage in dialogue with such movements to generate ideas that will catalyze that change. For those interested in generating ideas that can spark meaningful and lasting social change, such developments in legal scholarship represent an exciting evolution in the relationship between legal scholarship, legal scholars, and social movements: a relationship that appears to be growing stronger, deeper, …

Lewd, Rude, Obscene, And… Violent? Analyzing Student Clothing Depicting Firearms Under The First Amendment’S Obscenity Test, Luke Gorman

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

Today’s national news and social media have repeatedly exposed our school-age children to the effects of shootings occurring within their schools and communities. Each shooting brings with it commentary, sometimes from the students themselves. While in-school student speech is more limited than speech levied in the outside world, students do not shed their speech rights at the “schoolhouse gate.” As a result, courts have failed to outline a consistent approach for when a student will be punished for wearing a shirt depicting a firearm to school. This Comment addresses this delicate balance by proposing a consistent three-part test framed by …

Internet Search Engines’ Privacy Violations And The Lack Of Federal Regulation To Protect Consumers Rights, Elsa M. G. Rodriguez Ogando

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

The United States’ current legal framework regarding internet search engines is disadvantageous to consumers. Federal privacy laws (although not encompassing search engines) grant businesses a strong legal basis in privacy claims and alibies for arbitrary behavior; these laws favor businesses over consumers. Moreover, state privacy laws empower nonspecific agencies to oversee privacy matters and enforce consumers’ rights. Thus, the U.S. privacy legal framework is in need of a new federal law that establishes consumers’ rights, as well as a federal agency dedicated solely to privacy matters. This Article proposes a federal law recommendation based on the standards of the California …

Under New Management?: Sovereign Wealth Funds And Their Ownership Of U.S. Sports Teams, Benjamin K. Moyer

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

In October 2021, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund (“SWF”) successfully purchased the English Premier League soccer team Newcastle United F.C. for $400 million. With this transaction, Saudi Arabia joined fellow Gulf countries, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, in owning a major European soccer team through one of its state’s SWF. States have long used their SWFs to invest in foreign markets, but recent trends have transformed these originally strictly financial vehicles into political tools. Since the 2007–2008 financial crisis, many states have used their SWFs not only to produce financial gains but also to generate soft power through political …

Dobbs V. Brown, Benjamin H. Barton

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization1is the most important and impactful Supreme Court decision since at least Roe v. Wade, and potentially since Brown v. Board of Education. Past survey data show that most Americans can only name two Supreme Court opinions: Roe and Brown. Dobbs will surely join that list. This Article compares the history, drafting, and opinions of Dobbs and Brown to show what a missed opportunity Dobbs represents. Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with the opinion, it should be clear that Dobbs was one of those unique times (like that of Brown) where the Court …

Iere Annual Report 2025, Erin Largo-Wight, Heather Barnes Truelove, Kelly Rhoden, Nicole Lowe, Ruby Cox

Annual Reports

2025 Annual Report of the Institute for Environmental Research and Education

Bullying As A Public Health Crisis: Linking Aces To Long-Term Health Consequences, Doreen Ugwu, Dziyana Nazaruk

Eagles Talking About the Public’s Health

No abstract provided.

Leveling The Playing Field: The Critical Role Of Ada Compliance In Graduate Education, Victoria Davis, Katie M. Mercer, Amber J. Culpepper

Eagles Talking About the Public’s Health

No abstract provided.

The State Of Maternal Health In Georgia: Updates, Evidence, And Practice Implications, Alba Kuqi, Sarah Sejoro, Christabel Uti, Doreen Ugwu, Adra Muntaha, Logan T. Cowan, Joanne Chopak-Foss

Eagles Talking About the Public’s Health

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Machine Learning On Public Health: A Walk From Data To Decision-Making, Keya Rani Das, Jacob O. Gakpo, Jing X. Kersey

Eagles Talking About the Public’s Health

No abstract provided.

Health Disparities In Iowa: Lessons From Place, Access, And Equity, Ahmad (Adra) S. Muntaha, Hadeer Hegazy Hegazy, Ho-Jui Tung

Eagles Talking About the Public’s Health

No abstract provided.

Air Pollution Exposure During Pregnancy And Its Association With Postpartum Depression: A Crucial Public Health Concern Demanding Immediate Attention, Jacob O. Gakpo, Padde Musa, Atin Adhikari

Eagles Talking About the Public’s Health

No abstract provided.

Beyond The Latch: Supporting Maternal Health During Breastfeeding, Emmanuela Nwaonumah, Amenah Qotineh, Hadeer Hegazy, Logan Cowan, Joanne Chopak-Foss

Eagles Talking About the Public’s Health

No abstract provided.