Digital Commons Network^™

Reexamining The Croton Aqueduct: A Ward-Level Microhistorical Analysis Of Infrastructure And Cholera Mortality In 1849 New York City, Alexandria R. Toothman

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This work reexamines the Croton Aqueduct’s role in public health by shifting analysis from the citywide level to the ward level, revealing that infrastructure expansion did not produce uniform benefits across New York City. When the Croton Aqueduct opened in 1842, it was celebrated as an achievement that would deliver pure water and eliminate disease. However, only seven years after its opening, in 1849, cholera returned with greater force in the Sixth Ward. This work shows that the uneven distribution of Croton infrastructure corresponded with uneven cholera mortality rates, challenging narratives that present Croton as a singular triumph of urban …

Identifying Textual Predictors Of Early Termination In Clinical Trials In Medicine: An Explainable Machine-Learning Study, Rohan Ramnarain

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

About one in five clinical trials in medicine ends early, wasting valuable resources and reducing the evidence available for developing life-saving medical treatments. This project uses a method called Trial2Vec, which is a self-supervised machine-learning method that converts clinical trial documents into dense numerical representations that capture their key design and clinical characteristics, to turn each proposed clinical trial’s written protocol into a compact numerical profile (a process referred to as embedding). These profiles are then paired with a predictive machine learning models to identify the words and phrases in the trial documents that can signal a higher risk of …

A Machine Learning Approach To Disentangling Developmental Language Disorder From Typical Development In Russian-Speaking Children, Katsiaryna Aharodnik

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study investigated a machine learning (ML) approach to identifying Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) in Russian-speaking children using narrative data. ML methods can capture subtle linguistic patterns that distinguish typical and atypical development, which is especially important in cross-linguistic contexts where morphosyntactic variation affects the manifestation of DLD. Diagnosis remains challenging in less-studied languages due to limited knowledge of language-specific deficits and a lack of validated assessment tools. This study evaluated whether ML algorithms can provide a more efficient alternative to traditional screening methods.

Two binary classification studies were conducted using corpus data: 1) classification of narratives told by Russian …

Visible Lives, Invisible Strands: Critical Consciousness And Civic Engagement Among Muslim Sa/Swana College Students, Firdevs Yigiter

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In recent years, young people have navigated an increasingly polarized sociopolitical climate marked by racism, Islamophobia, and heightened racial violence (Cureton, 2023; Wegemer et al., 2025). These tensions have intensified in the current moment, shaped by the aftermath of October 7, activism for Palestinian rights, and the political climate of the Trump Administration. College campuses, which historically are sites of political activism and social transformation, are not neutral spaces. For SA/SWANA Muslim college students, these dynamics are intensified by systematic marginalization and a polarized political climate (Khamis, 2023).  In this dissertation, I examine how SA/SWANA Muslim students experience ethnic-racial discrimination, …

School Just Wasn't For Me: Investigating The Intersections Of Education, Incarceration, And Improvisation, Kelly L. Brady

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

New York City is the largest city in the United States and home to the nation's largest school system.  NYC public schools are also the country's most segregated, according to a 2021 report from the UCLA Civil Rights Project.  This qualitative, Arts-Based Research study follows the development and performance of an applied theater piece created by formerly incarcerated and court-involved youth exploring their early educational experiences before encountering the juvenile justice system. Using Disability/Critical Race Theory (DisCrit) and Critical Performance Ethnography this project investigates how structural systems of education and incarceration intersect to construct youth as "others," including special education, …

Jurisdictional Waters, Jamison E. Colburn

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Wayfindr: Investigating Feedback In Biological Pathways, Polina Bombina, Reginald L Mcgee Ii, Jake Reed, Zachary B Abrams, Lynne V Abruzzo, Kevin R Coombes

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Understanding biological pathways requires more than static diagrams. We present WayFindR, an R package that converts pathway data from WikiPathways and KEGG into graph structures using igraph, enabling computational analysis of regulatory features such as negative feedback loops. Rooted in control theory, negative feedback is essential for system stability, yet it is often underrepresented in curated pathway data. In this study, we systematically analyzed pathway information from both databases across multiple species and found that feedback loops-particularly negative ones-are rarely captured. This gap likely reflects both biological and technical challenges. Biologically, feedback mechanisms are inherently complex and often remain uncharted …

Artelon Graft Augmentation In Revision Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: Surgical Technique Guide., Taylor Manes, Morgan Turnow, Trent Davis, Anthony Perugini, Michael Anderson, Benjamin Taylor

Surgery Articles

INTRODUCTION: Revision anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) procedures are becoming more prevalent. Variable grafts for ACL reconstruction are available, including autograft, allograft, and synthetic graft options. Various augmentation techniques are also available and typically consist of synthetic material such as Artelon graft. This type of synthetic material has been used and shown to produce safe and reliable augmentation in ligament injuries. The purpose of this study was to describe our unique revision ACL reconstruction technique utilizing Artelon graft augmentation and report our short-term results.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed patients undergoing revision ACL reconstruction with Artelon graft augmentation, a Flexband …

Neuroenvironmental Footprint: Integrating Air Quality Into Neuroarchitectural Research In Educational Spaces, María Beltrán Rodríguez, Ivette Caldelas

Congresos y Conferencias

Environmental quality is widely recognised as one of the most decisive factors in public health. Its relevance is particularly critical in the case of children, as it directly affects both their physical and cognitive development. Indeed, different researches showed how the exposure to inadequate environmental conditions during early life stages may compromise health outcomes, learning capacity, and overall well-being. Consequently, improving environmental quality in educational settings is not only a matter of comfort, but an essential public health priority. In this context, the International Symposium of Environmental Quality in Educational Spaces (inSiEqES) emerges as a necessary initiative to foster dialogue, …

Content Warning, Editorial Board

Intertidal

No abstract provided.

Emerging Biomaterials For Next-Generation Wound Healing: From Infection Control To Tissue Regeneration, Unqa Mustafa, Aiman Kaleem, Syeda Zunaira Bukhari, Hamna Riaz, Maryam Iftikhar, Muhammad Usman Munir, Xianghao Xiao, Mingwu Shen, Xiangyang Shi, Mostafa Yazdi, Ayesha Ihsan

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Wound healing is a multifactorial biological process that regenerates damaged tissues through a series of molecular and cellular events in a coordinated manner. An interruption in this cascade can lead to impaired healing, especially in diabetic complications, where effective treatment is crucial for controlling infections and promoting tissue regeneration. Recent advances in bioengineering and digital health have catalyzed the development of next-generation wound therapies capable of actively modulating the wound microenvironment, promoting regeneration, and enabling real-time clinical assessment. This review summarizes the fundamentals of physiological wound healing and highlights the significant developments in biomaterial dressings and scaffolds, 3D bioprinting, as …

Bridgette Jastrzebski: Elementary English Teacher Of The Year Award Recipient

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

No abstract provided.

Clinical Presentations Of Pemphigus Vulgaris In Patients With Skin Of Color: A Systematic Literature Review, Haya Alkiswani, Simona Alomary, Jared Boetes, Nicole J. Baker, Susan C. Taylor

SKMC Student Presentations and Publications

Background: Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a rare, often severe autoimmune disease affecting skin and mucous membranes. Despite the scarce literature on PV in skin of color (SOC) populations (Fitzpatrick III-VI), existing studies suggest that there are misdiagnosis, delayed treatment, and recurrence of symptoms in SOC patients with PV. Objective: This review explores the clinical presentations of PV reported in patients with SOC, diagnostic challenges and delays, treatments, and patient outcomes to allow for an improved understanding of how PV manifests clinically in darker skin. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted using articles found in PubMed and Embase. Two independent …

Sexual Communications, Digital Intimacy, And The Extremely Limited Admissibility Of Evidence Of A Complainant’S Intention To Consent, Elaine Craig

Dalhousie Law Journal

Research indicates that women are less likely than men to have any intention of actually engaging in the sexual activities they communicate about digitally, and men are more likely than women to assume that sexual text messages indicate an intention to engage in sex “in real life.” Sexting often reflects a highly stylized, performance-based, uninhibited and sometimes disinhibited form of discourse that distinguishes it from in-person communications. It is frequently open to interpretation and only rarely can these communications reasonably be said to reveal a reliable and non-discriminatory inference about a complainant’s actual sexual intentions for the future, let alone …

Beyond The Generations: Building A High-Quality Workplace For An Age-Diverse Workforce, Cal J. Halvorsen, Bruna C. Lopez, Erika Sabbath

Brown School Faculty Publications

At a time when the U.S. is more age diverse than ever before, Americans are extending their careers for financial stability, social connection, and purpose. This article provides a brief background on the history of aging and work, from the late 1800s to present, illustrating the influence that public and organizational policies, as well as personal needs and interests, have on labor force participation. It then provides examples for how employers can create better workplaces for people of all ages, concluding with the case for why more age-inclusive workplaces lead to better results for employees, their families, and their employers.

Community Programs That Build Connection, Jihye Baek, Cal J. Halvorsen

Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging

Social connection is a fundamental human need and a critical driver of individual health and well-being. When older adults maintain stable, supportive relationships, they experience significantly better physical, mental, and cognitive health outcomes. In response to growing evidence of its public health impact, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated social connection as a global public health priority, and the U.S. Surgeon General issued an Advisory calling for action to address the loneliness epidemic.

Evaluation Of The Effect Of Vibration On Signal Reflection In Coaxial Cable Connectors For Vibration Sensing In Aircraft Structures And Systems, Saidanvar Esanjonovich Valiev, Anthony C. Okafor, Jeremiah J. Rittenhouse, Daniel S. Stutts, Jie Huang

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper investigates the effects of vibration on signal reflection (S11) in aerospace data transmission line (ADTL) and commercial data transmission line (DTL) connectors for their alternative use as vibration sensors. The impact of vibration on the S11 signal was investigated on five ADTL and four DTL connectors at six vibration frequencies (20 Hz, 40 Hz, 80 Hz, 160 Hz, 320 Hz, and 640 Hz) and four vibration accelerations (0.5G, 1 G, 2 G, and 4G). The experiment was conducted using a split-plot design with a cable type assigned as the main-plot factor, with vibration frequency and acceleration as subplot …

A Gateway Right Under Strain: Inclusive Education For Ukrainian Refugee Children With Disabilities In Poland, Carly M. Toepke

Southern Illinois University Law Journal

Between 2022 and 2025, Poland has granted temporary protection to almost 1,000,000 refugees from Ukraine fleeing conflict. Of those refugees, 32% are school-age minors. Poland has the responsibility of integrating these refugee children into the public-school systems, including the children with disabilities (likely around 15% based on worldwide average) into what should be an inclusive education system. However, Poland’s largely decentralized, city-by-city governance when it comes to refugee resource distribution risks segregation of refugee children with disabilities or de facto exclusion from learning.

The Article will argue that avoiding segregation and exclusion requires treating inclusive education as requirement for all …

Metabolic Mechanisms Underlying Obesity In Children Exposed In Utero To Maternal Obesity Or Gestational Diabetes Mellitus, Alysha B. Everett

ETDs from 2020-2029

Background: Childhood obesity increases risk for diseases including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The in utero environment plays an important role in the metabolic programming of offspring, with children exposed to maternal obesity or gestational diabetes (GDM) having high risk for obesity. In adults, metabolic mechanisms such as leptin resistance, energy expenditure, and substrate oxidation are associated with prospective weight and adiposity gain, but less is known in children. Thus, the purpose of this study is to identify metabolic mechanisms associated with risk for obesity following in utero exposure to maternal obesity, with or without exposure to GDM. Methods: …

Inverse Modeling The Geo-Spread Of Covid-19 In Brazil, Cameron Keith Mills

ETDs from 2020-2029

In 2021 Fitzgibbon, Morgan, Webb, and Wu used a modified SEIR (susceptible, exposed, infected, and recovered) model to predict how COVID-19 spread through Brazil [12]. For their model, six constant coefficients were used that were fitted, referenced, or assumed. In this thesis, we geo-spatially modify their SEIR model and formulate an inverse problem to recover the now spatial coefficients of the model. We first show there exists a unique solution to the modified model. To solve the inverse problem, we modify an inverse method [17] that focused on minimizing convex functionals. These recovered spatial coefficients can be used with Matlab’s …

Neuroinflammation And Neuropathology In A Novel Tau, Amyloid-Beta And Alpha-Synuclein Co-Pathology Model, Jhodi Mickayla Webster

ETDs from 2020-2029

Neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson disease (PD) often present with overlapping proteinopathies rather than aggregated proteins in isolation. Amyloid-β (Aβ) and phosphorylated tau are found in a substantial proportion of idiopathic PD cases, while α-synuclein (α-syn) pathology is present in over half of AD cases. The presence of these co-pathologies is associated with accelerated cognitive decline and increase mortality in these patients. In parallel, neurodegenerative diseases are increasingly recognized as being shaped by interactions between central nervous system (CNS) pathology and the immune system. Despite this, most experimental animal models of neurodegenerative disease examine single pathologies in …

Heart And Blood, Nasreen Zankawah

ETDs from 2020-2029

Heart and Blood is a historical fiction, set in the 1890s colonial era in present-day Ghana, focusing on the royal family and two rival clans of the Dagbon Kingdom. At its center is Chentiwuni, the protagonist who shares a strained relationship with her father and king of Dagbon, Naa Dawuni Zulandi. She navigates life, barely conforming to traditions and rules and associates with people her father disapproves of. The rift between them deepens when Chenti falls in love with Yumzaa, a sub-chief from a rival clan and a prospective heir to the skin of Dagbon after Naa Dawuni. Chenti’s relationship …

Phosphogypsum-Based Road Materials: A Review Of Practicality, Longevity, And Safety In The United States, Catesby Elisabeth Mallard

ETDs from 2020-2029

The development of the phosphate fertilizer industry, while integral to the success of modern-day agriculture, continues to produce staggering amounts of phosphogypsum (PG), an acidic and hazardous waste byproduct concentrated with heavy metals, technologically enhanced naturally occurring materials (TENORM), and other toxic elements. Due to the potentially harmful emission of radon from PG, the United States (US) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has regulated the disposal of PG in engineered stacks under the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for nearly four decades. However, with roughly five tons of PG produced per single ton of phosphoric acid, and a …

Dock7 Is A Novel Modifier Of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Pathology, Katherine English

ETDs from 2020-2029

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a progressive, x-linked neuromuscular disorder affecting 1/5000 male births every year. DMD results from mutations in DMD, a critical structural protein within the muscle. In the absence of Dystrophin, the muscle degrades, increasing inflammation, destabilizing the cell membrane and going through constant cycles of regeneration which depletes the stem cell population. Over time, muscle tissue is replaced by fibrosis and adipose tissue, leading to loss of ambulation, respiratory and cardiac failure leading to death by early 20s. The standard of care for DMD patients is corticosteroid treatment. However, gene therapies have recently emerged which present …

Minding The Body: A Mixed Methods Analysis Of Somatic Experiences During Therapeutic Psychedelic Use, Daniel Grossman

ETDs from 2020-2029

Somatic phenomena, including shaking, spontaneous movement, vocalization, and purging, are commonly reported during psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT). However, despite their perceived importance to some users, their role in the therapeutic process has remained largely unexamined. This mixed-methods study provides the first systematic investigation of these experiences during therapeutic psychedelic use, with particular attention to observable bodily responses (OBRs) and release-like somatic experiences (RLSEs), defined as a subset characterized by sensations of physical discharge. An online retrospective survey (N = 286) assessed the prevalence of OBRs and RLSEs, and their relationships with body awareness, bodily dissociation, emotional breakthrough, and perceived therapeutic benefit. …

Finite Element Analysis Of Post Vs Threaded-Post Glenoid Baseplates In Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty: A Comparative Study, Christopher Morgan

ETDs from 2020-2029

This study compared a standard‑post baseplate with a threaded‑post baseplate in reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (rTSA) to determine whether threaded central fixation improves micromotion and stress distribution. A finite element model of a left scapula with a commercially available rTSA system was created; the two designs differed only by the central post (standard press‑fit versus threaded). A 756 N physiological load was applied at 60°, 90°, and 120° of abduction. Outcomes included total and directional relative micromotion at the bone–implant interface and von Mises stress in the glenoid and baseplate. Total micromotion remained below the 150 µm osseointegration threshold for …

The Healthcare Transition Experiences Of Emerging Adults With Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia, Leslie Noojin Pitts

ETDs from 2020-2029

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is a group of disorders characterized by enzyme deficiencies impairing adrenal hormone production and requiring lifelong management. Individuals with CAH experience increased morbidity and mortality due to the underlying condition, steroid exposure, and inadequate preventative care. Despite clinical guidelines recommending a structured healthcare transition (HCT), little is known about the HCT experiences of emerging adults with CAH. Understanding these experiences is critical for identifying practice gaps and developing interventions to improve health outcomes. This qualitative descriptive study explored the HCT experiences, challenges, and outcomes of emerging adults with CAH, as guided by the refined Social Ecological …

Threats And Political Violence, J. Richard Broughton

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Textualism, The Fourteenth Amendment’S Citizenship Clause, “Subject To The Jurisdiction Thereof,” And Whether Article Iii’S Treason Clause Could Be The Answer, Christian Ketter

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Sex On Trial, Nathalie Greenfield, Sandra L. Babcock

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

On January 21, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court recognized in Andrew v. White that the State’s introduction of sexualizing evidence in a woman’s capital trial may violate due process. In Brenda Andrew’s case, prosecutors presented evidence about her sexual relationships, clothing, and style of underwear as proof that she was guilty of capital murder. Our research, supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation, reveals for the first time that the prosecution’s tactics in Brenda Andrew’s case were far from unique. Based on a systematic review of the trial transcripts of every woman currently on death row in the …