Digital Commons Network^™

The Final Beat: A Case Report On Recurrent Endocarditis And The Ethical Dilemmas Of Surgical Futility, Jenie Yeh, Marek Solomianko, Robert Sanchez

West Florida Division GME Research Day 2025

No abstract provided.

Implementation Of Formalized Education Of Ultrasound-Guided Intravenous Peripheral Line Placement In A Family Medicine Residency, Lucas Zadan, Gloria Travieso-Zadan, Sean Quinonez

West Florida Division GME Research Day 2025

No abstract provided.

Communiqué: College Of Humanities, Arts & Sciences Alumni Magazine, Volume 11, 2025, University Of Northern Iowa. College Of Humanities, Arts, And Sciences.

Communiqué: College of Humanities, Arts & Sciences Alumni Magazine

Contents:

EVERY ISSUE
Message from the Dean --- 4
Donor Feature --- 5
CHAS Briefs --- 36
Class Notes --- 38

FEATURES
Engineering Advances --- 6
Japan Water Quality Trip --- 10
Theatre Outreach --- 14
A Future in Physics --- 18
International Teaching --- 24

STORIES
SLP Community Partnership --- 22
Professional Readiness --- 28
Syndaver Lab --- 30
Art Teaching Sisters --- 32
Math Alum Now NBA Coach --- 34

Radiobiological And Dosimetric Comparison Of Imrt And Sbrt For Prostate Cancer Treatment Planning, Najmun Naher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Radiation therapy is one of the most effective and widely utilized methods for treating prostate cancer, employing high energy rays or particles to eradicate cancer cells. Among the available techniques, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) are commonly used approaches that enable the delivery of a conformal radiation dose to the target tumor while minimizing exposure to surrounding healthy tissues. This study presents a comparative analysis of these two treatment plans for prostate cancer based on radiobiological and dosimetric parameters. IMRT treatment plans for prostate cancer patients were collected, and corresponding SBRT plans were developed using …

Analyzing Asthma And Allergy Effects Of Immigrant Children In South Florida, Uma Roy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Through my research study, I have analyzed the waiting, suffering, and struggle of Hindu immigrants to access quality healthcare treatment in South Florida. I wanted to explore immigrant parents' perceptions and beliefs associated with specific Hindu cultural meanings as well as exercising specific rules and norms of behavior for treating asthma and allergies in their children. My ethnographic study reveals the immigrants' perspectives on their traditional healing system and the healthcare system in South Florida for their children's wellness, as they incorporate "plural medical systems". My research findings show how immigrants adapt to the healthcare system in a "highly stratified …

A Small Price To Pay For Better Mental Health Crisis Care: Why States Should Be Funding The New 988 Hotline Through Phone Fees, Katherine Menello

Law Student Publications

Mental health care in the United States is uncoordinated, underresourced, and overall insufficient. Mental health crisis care is much the same, but with much higher stakes. The lack of a comprehensive mental health crisis care system across the country has led to law enforcement involvement becoming the default system in most communities. Yet, an overwhelming majority of Americans want a better way; in a survey conducted in summer 2023, “85% of people sa[id] they want a mental health response to someone experiencing a mental health, drug or suicide crisis, not a police response.”...

The Discord Dilemma: Section 230'S Free Pass For Internet Providers Sanctioning Online Extremism, Claira L. Cooper

Law Student Publications

This Article examines the relationship between the blanket immunity for internet providers guaranteed by Section 230 of the Communication Decency Act and the rise of online extremism on gaming adjacent platforms. This Article analyzes multiple recent events incited by extremists on the gaming platform, Discord, and the real-life consequences that arise when extremism is allowed run rampant on platforms. This Article argues that Section 230, in its current form, enables platforms to turn a blind eye to illegal conduct on their website by avoiding moderation, thus making it clear that Section 230 is in dire need of an update to …

Statistical Investigation Of Gypsum Crystallization Kinetics, Azmain A. Akash

LSU Master's Theses

Gypsum, a naturally occurring mineral salt, is frequently encountered in industrial processes such as seawater desalination and power plant cooling. Over the years, significant effort has been devoted to controlling the crystallization of gypsum through various chemical approaches, including acidification, chelating agents, and antiscalant polymers. Nevertheless, the cost associated with chemical treatments may be reduced by incorporating physical operational strategies to complement chemical methods in regulating gypsum crystallization.

This study systematically examines the comparative roles of chemical and physical entropy in the gypsum crystallization process to elucidate their respective influences on gypsum growth kinetics. Chemical entropy is manipulated by adjusting …

Effect Of Traditional Versus Fenceline Weaning On Lamb Stress, Emma N. Sutton, Kenneth P. Coffey, Eva Wray, Derico Setyabrata, Bryan Kutz, Shawna Weimer

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Stress in sheep can negatively affect productivity and increase their susceptibility to illness and parasites. The traditional method of weaning lambs is the abrupt separation of lambs from their dams. An alternative method of weaning, fenceline weaning, where offspring are separated from their dams by a single fence but retain visual and auditory contact, has been found to reduce stress in cattle and may also reduce stress in sheep. The objectives of this study were to evaluate body weights, fecal egg counts, and behavior to determine if traditional or fenceline weaning has lower stress associated with weaning in lambs. The …

Cochlear Implantation With Sporadic Inner Ear Schwannomas: Outcomes In 106 Patients From An International Multi-Institutional Study, John P. Marinelli, Torsten Rahne, James R. Dornhoffer, Christine M. Lohse, Justin Cottrell, J. Thomas Roland, Nicholas J. Thompson, Kevin D. Brown, Jacob C. Lucas, Seilesh C. Babu, Nathan R. Lindquist, Elizabeth L. Perkins, Donald Tan, John I. Lane, Jacob B. Hunter, Erin Harvey, Nicholas L. Deep, Samantha Y. Cerasiello, Matthew L. Kircher, Mana Espahbodi, Evan L. Tooker, Niels Cramer West, Per Caye-Thomasen, Matthew L. Carlson, Stefan K. Plontke

Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate cochlear implant speech perception among patients with sporadic inner ear schwannoma who underwent ipsilateral implantation.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective multi-institutional cohort study.

SETTING: Eleven tertiary academic medical centers across Germany, Denmark, and the United States.

PATIENTS: One hundred six patients with sporadic inner ear schwannoma who received an ipsilateral cochlear implant from 2011 to 2022.

INTERVENTIONS: Ipsilateral cochlear implantation with observation, stereotactic radiosurgery, or microsurgery for tumor management.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Monosyllabic speech perception testing scores and rates of open-set speech perception.

RESULTS: Among 106 patients studied, 101 (95%) achieved open-set speech perception with a median of 24 …

Mind The Gap(S): Mitigating Harassment In A Post-#Metoo Workplace, Jamillah Bowman Williams, Elizabeth C. Tippett, Anu Ramdin

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

In a post-#MeToo workplace, harassment remains pervasive, and harassment law still fails to provide protection for the harms experienced by many workers—particularly those in the most vulnerable jobs. Even when reform efforts are introduced through legislation, courts, and agency guidance, it often does not provide greater power, autonomy, and dignity to women in ways that would more meaningfully protect them from workplace abuse. We are the first to create a database of state legislation, including over three thousand bills, that allows us to empirically analyze the extent to which lawmakers comprehensively address harassment following the rise of the #MeToo movement. …

Cross-Facility Reliable Deep Learning Based Beef Marbling Assessment Via Unsupervised Domain Adaptation Regression, Samuel Vinson, Dongyi Wang

2025 Research Poster Competition

Beef is one of the most important sources of animal protein and plays a crucial role in daily diets to support muscle growth, energy production and overall health. Historically, each beef carcass was evaluated by 3-5 skilled United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) meat graders, which are still considered as the gold standard for grading. Since 2009, electronic imaging grading systems have been approved by the USDA and have been gradually adopted in the grading facilities. Accurate and consistent beef grading plays a critical role in maintaining the quality, market value, and consumer trust in U.S. beef products. The USDA …

The Hidden Verdict: Measuring Implicit Bias In Juror Decision-Making, Gina Dudley

Psychology | Senior Theses

This experiment examines the influence of implicit bias awareness on juror decision-making in cases involving Hispanic defendants. Explicitly, it tests three hypotheses: (1) bias-educated jurors will demonstrate lower conviction rates for Hispanic defendants, (2) these jurors will report higher confidence in their verdicts, and (3) they will show greater awareness of how their previous experiences influence their decision-making. This experiment uses a mock jury paradigm to investigate whether bias awareness interventions affect verdict decisions and juror confidence levels in cases with Hispanic defendants. Ninety participants were randomly assigned to receive or not receive implicit bias education before reviewing a case …

Community-Led Design Thinking Facilitators Guide, Jacqueline Roebuck Sakho

Books

This guide helps facilitate community planning sessions centering your neighbors’ voices, experiences, and solutions.

Multidisciplinary Lethal Means Safety Counseling Design And Implementation: Training And Identifying Barriers In A Children's Hospital, Cassandra L. Stegall, Brendon Carnell, Jaime M. Golden, Rupa Kapoor, John H. Fanton, Paul C. Mullan, Alexandra P. Leader

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Background

Access to lethal means contributes significantly to suicide completion. Lethal means safety counseling (LMSC) is an injury prevention strategy to limit access to firearms, medications, and other means of injury. Not previously evaluated in the trauma setting, this study aims to design and implement a standardized LMSC protocol for pediatric patient discharge education in emergency (ED), trauma, and inpatient psychiatry settings.

Methods

A single-center quality improvement study at an academic pediatric urban tertiary Level-one trauma center was performed from July 2023 to February 2024. Protocol was implemented for pediatric patients discharged from three departments: ED, surgery trauma service, and …

Detection Of Tetrahydrozoline In Alcoholic Beverage Residue Related To Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault Using Gc-Ms, Alyssa Simone Hampton

All ETDs from UAB

Drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) is an ongoing issue that remains significant in the United States and the World. DFSA can be either proactive or opportunistic, where a victim becomes impaired and is unable to provide consent. Common drugs found in DFSA cases are ethanol and cannabis. However, alternative drugs are increasingly being used to incapacitate a victim and enable a sexual assault. These include tetrahydrozoline (THZ), commonly found in over-the-counter eye drops, such as Visine®. Minimal research surrounds THZ, in which agencies may process case samples with a general drug screen, which may only detect common drugs, while THZ goes …

The Antiviral Treatment Of Bk Polyomavirus, Peter Alexander Kaul

All ETDs from UAB

A kidney transplant is the most common form of organ transplant in the United States. The waitlist of patients waiting for a kidney transplant totals over 80,000. In recent years, kidney transplants have been performed more than ever before, but the waitlist continues to grow. This is due to the constant addition of new patients being added, as well as, patients who obtained a kidney transplant, but their transplant failed and were added back to the waitlist. While the development of more specific and effective immunosuppressive drugs given to transplant recipients have reduced the cases of acute rejection, it has …

An Examination Of Psycho-Behavioral Risk And Resilence Profiles In People With Chronically Painful Knee Osteoarthritis, Daniel Kusko

All ETDs from UAB

The prevalence and impact of chronic pain are far-reaching and costly to our society. Chronic pain conditions are affecting many people in the US and abroad. Osteoarthritis (OA) is commonly referred to as a slow progressing degenerative disease that tends to develop over 10 to 15 years and can result in functional limitations and pain. Chronic knee OA is a common form of OA pain that affects many adults across the globe. Biopsychosocial factors are theorized to play an important role in how people with chronic pain may develop, exacerbate, or cope with pain. The goal of this project was …

Guts, Glory, And Gain: Exploring The Multifaceted Influences Of Physical Activity Behavior Among Adults With Crohn's Disease, Whitney Neal

All ETDs from UAB

Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract, affecting approximately 1 million individuals in the United States. In addition to gastrointestinal symptoms, complications such as arthralgia, sacroiliitis, and osteopenia may diminish physical fitness and exacerbate disease burden. Physical activity is a promising complementary, non-invasive strategy for managing Crohn’s disease, yet few studies have examined outcomes across the entire activity continuum from sedentary behavior to vigorous exercise. This study sought to provide a nuanced understanding of activity patterns in adults with Crohn’s disease (n=47) by comparing them with age-, socioeconomic status-, and sex-matched healthy controls (n=45), exploring Social …

Adapting The Minority Stress Model Among Middle-Aged And Older Adults With And Without Hiv: Understanding The Interplay Between Minority Stress, Mental Health, And Sexual Risk Behaviors, Alexis R Long Thompson

All ETDs from UAB

This dissertation aims to adapt Meyer’s Minority Stress Model to understand the interplay between minority stress, mental health, and sexual risk behaviors among middle-aged and older adults with and without HIV. The study utilizes data from the MACS WIHS Combined Cohort Study, focusing on adults aged 40 and older. It examines the relationships between perceived stress, psychosocial factors (depression, substance use, social support), and sexual risk behaviors, considering the impact of minority identities such as race, gender, sexual orientation, and HIV status. The findings highlight significant differences in perceived stress, depressive symptoms, substance use, and social support across different intersectional …

Improved Survival With Phosphodiesterase-5 Inhibitor Use In Men With Male-Predominant Cancers: Real-World Large Database Study, Daniel Uralov, Sarah R. Harrington, Hani Samarah, Anika S. Walia, Marina Aweeda, Manal U. Mustafa, Parvesh Kumar, Andrew Briskin, Julian Jackson, Eric Mastrolonardo, Adam J. Luginbuhl

Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: Phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) inhibitors, commonly prescribed for erectile dysfunction, may exhibit immunomodulatory properties by reducing myeloid-derived suppressor cell activity and enhancing T-cell responses. This study evaluated the association between PDE5 inhibitor use and overall survival (OS) in male-predominant solid organ malignancies.

METHODS: Male-predominant solid tumors were identified using male-to-female incidence ratio ≥3:1 in SEER database: prostate, bladder, colon, esophageal, hypopharyngeal, laryngeal, tonsillar, and testicular cancers. Using the TriNetX Research Network, we compared male patients prescribed PDE5 inhibitors within 6 months of cancer diagnosis to those without PDE5 exposure. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed on demographic, clinical, and oncologic variables. …

Social Science In Early Childhood Education Open Syllabus, Denise Farrelly

Open Educational Resources

This syllabus provides a week-by-week outline of resources for teaching early childhood social studies for preservice teachers at the associate's level.

Promoting Parent-Child Connectedness: Insights From A Parent Education Training., Bisola E. Duyile, Robyn Becker, Kate Papas, Shanta K. Pamphile

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Purpose: This study explores the interrelationship of speech, language, and literacy development, parentchild connectedness, and children’s mental health when viewed as social determinants of health, specifically among families of children with developmental disabilities. Through interprofessional collaboration, researchers aim to identify effective strategies that parents can use to enhance their children’s communication skills and emotional well-being.

Methods: A mixed methods design was employed, involving a post-workshop survey completed by five mothers. The quantitative component included Likert scale items to measure satisfaction with social support. We also evaluated satisfaction with the workshop. The qualitative component comprised openended questions about newly learned tools …

A Systematic Review Of Reading Comprehension Assessment And Intervention In Minimally And Nonspeaking Autistic Children, Grace T. Clark, Madison Skibicki, Gabriella Pesantes

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Up to 25% of autistic individuals are minimally or nonspeaking and require augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). While literacy instruction for this group is increasing, limited research has examined their reading comprehension. This systematic review examined assessment and intervention practices targeting reading comprehension in autistic children who use AAC. A search of five databases yielded 586 articles, of which 6 studies met inclusion criteria. Studies were included if they featured autistic participants under 18 who were minimally or nonspeaking and addressed reading comprehension beyond single-word decoding. Findings varied widely in participant profiles, comprehension targets, and methodological rigor. There is a …

Orthographic Support For Verb Identification In Typically Developing Three-Year-Old Children, Grace T. Clark, Christina Reuterskiold

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Children, as young as four years of age, have demonstrated enhanced noun learning when presented with orthographic representations during word learning tasks. This study sought to determine if three-year-old typically developing children would demonstrate an orthographic facilitation effect during an asynchronous computer-based verb learning task. One-hundred ten children were taught 8 novel verbs by presenting videos of novel actions paired with novel labels in sentence frames. Four novel verbs were taught with orthographic support present and four were taught without orthographic support. Participants were exposed to the words a total of two times and then given a post-test to assess …

Verbs Are Tricky: Does Orthography Support Verb Identification In Typically Developing Children Ages 3–8?, Grace T. Clark, Gabriella Pesantes, Madison Skibicki

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Purpose:
This study examined whether orthographic representations—seeing a printed word while hearing it—facilitate verb identification accuracy in typically developing children and whether developmental or literacy factors modulate this effect.

Method:
One hundred eight English-speaking children ages 3–8 years (M = 5.86) completed a web-based verb learning task through Children Helping Science. Participants were randomly assigned to an orthography-present or orthography-absent condition while learning six novel verbs paired with dynamic action videos. Accuracy during a two-alternative forced-choice test was coded from parent-verified pointing responses. Caregivers completed a literacy interest questionnaire, and children completed a letter–sound correspondence task. Multilevel logistic regression …

Town Of Lempster, New Hampshire, Incorporated 1767, Annual Reports For The Year Ending December 31, 2024, Lempster Town Representatives

Lempster, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

Broader Consequences Of 17Α-Methyltestosterone-Induced Masculinization In Betta Splendens: Toxicological, Behavioral, And Morphometric Outcomes, Imee Rose E. Felipe, Alexandra May R. Rosario, Vijay Hanz A. Tuason

Journal Article

The 17α-methyltestosterone (MT) is a synthetic androgen widely applied in aquaculture, particularly in fish species like Betta splendens, where males have higher commercial value. While MT is effective for sex reversal, the broader physiological and behavioral consequences of MT exposure remain insufficiently characterized. This study evaluated toxicological, behavioral, and morphometric endpoints in B. splendens to provide an integrated assessment of the impacts of MT exposure. Immersion assays in fry (2 days post- hatch, dph) demonstrated clear dose- and exposure-dependent toxicity, with cumulative toxicity under continuous 48 h immersion while greater tolerance under discrete immersion (two 3 h immersion at 2 …

Isolation And Identification Of Lactic Acid Bacteria From Bee Body Parts Surviving High Temperature Exposure, Sean Derrick M. Oliquiano, Noel G. Sabino, Renard M. Zamora

Journal Article

Temperature stress can influence the composition and stability of microbial communities associated with bees; however, some lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains demonstrate tolerance to such environmental stresses, allowing them to persist and remain functionally active under challenging conditions. This study aimed to isolate and identify LAB associated with honeybees that are capable of surviving exposure to high temperatures. A total of 196 bee samples were processed under unheated and heat-treated conditions (80 °C for 10 min) to selectively recover thermotolerant bacteria. Cultivation on Yeast Glucose Starch Agar supplemented with nalidixic and pipemidic acid favored the growth of LAB under oxygen-limited …

Evaluation Of Bacterial Contamination On Flush Levers And Faucet Tap Handles In The Institute Of Biological Sciences Building Restrooms, University Of The Philippines Los Baños, Jan Patricia S. Estillore, Ronilo Jose D. Flores, Renard M. Jamora

Journal Article

Public restrooms provide convenience outside the home but are frequented by many users daily, creating a risk of microbial contamination on commonly touched surfaces such as flush levers and faucet handles. This study assessed microbial loads on these surfaces across genders and floors and aimed to isolate antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus species and characterize Enterobacteriaceae. Samples were collected from flush levers and faucet handles across three floors of Wing C, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines. Results showed that faucet handles (7.9 × 109CFU/cm2) harbored higher microbial loads than flush levers (5.3 × 109CFU/cm2), and female …