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Contributors - Mend V.4, Project Mend

Mend

No abstract provided.

History Does Not Repeat Itself, But It Often Rhymes: Comparing The Messaging Of Adolf Hitler And Donald Trump, Elaina Varney

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

With the growing divide between the left and right, many on the left have raised alarms that Donald Trump is a fascist. My research paper compares Donald Trump’s messaging to Adolf Hitler’s messaging to find any similarities between the two in order to determine if Trumpism is a precursor to fascism. This study begins by looking at previous scholars’ research into whether or not Trumpism is a precursor to fascism and then I proceed to draw on primary sources such as speeches, Mein Kampf, and Trump’s TruthSocial posts, particularly those related to immigration and minorities, attacks on and suppression …

Handwritten Histories: Exploring Identity Through Personal Correspondence, Savana Hauck

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

This project examines handwritten correspondence as a site of gendered and sexual self-discovery, intimacy, and historical continuity. Developed for HIST 2708W - Gender, Women, and Sexuality in Modern Europe - , it centers on a collection of contemporary “snail mail” letters written in response to reflective prompts about participants’ lived experiences of gender and sexuality. These personal narratives are presented in a physical, scrapbook-style format that emphasizes slowness, care, and trust as methodological and ethical practices.

By placing these contemporary letters in dialogue with historical examples of correspondence—including an 1882 letter sent to German psychiatrist Richard von Krafft-Ebing, the intimate …

How Laws And Systems Contributed To The Masking And Expansion Of The Verdingkinder System And Targeted Jenisch People, Max Gmuender

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

Did Switzerland have slavery? What did it look like? These were the questions that led me investigate the history of “Verdingkinder,” or contract children, who were placed as indentured laborers primarily on Swiss farms from 1850 to 1950. As I dug deeper, I discovered a more targeted campaign within this broader system: the “Kinder der Landstrasse” (Children of the Road) program, which ran from 1926 to 1973 and specifically removed children of the Jenisch ethnic community from their families.

This discovery raised a critical question that has driven my research: How did legal frameworks and institutional systems in Switzerland facilitate …

Asia Pacific Perspectives Vol. 18 No. 2, 2025, University Of San Francisco

Asia Pacific Perspectives

Article

Developmentalism, Christianity, and Population Decline in East Asia by Elizabeth LaCouture

Photo Essay

Photo Essay: Japan’s Demographic Changes and Opportunities: A Tale of Two Cities by Ryoko Yamamoto

Graduate Student Paper

Graduate Student Paper: Aging in a Changing Japan: Gendered Adaptation to Changing Family Structure by Miki Izu and Clayton Chalmers

Book Reviews

Book Review: Wombs of Empire: Population Discourse and Biopolitics in Modern Japan, by Sujin Lee by Bonnie Tilland

Book Review: Gietel-Basten, Stuart. The “Population Problem” in Pacific Asia. by Yang Jixi

Policy-Bound Governance For Privacy-Preserving Multi-Agent Ai Systems Across Multiple Service Providers, Niranjan M M

Defensive Publications Series

In modern agentic AI environments, autonomous agents dynamically exchange prompts, embeddings, intermediate reasoning states, tool outputs, and memory artifacts, often across geographic regions and infrastructure owned by different providers. Existing solutions govern data primarily at storage boundaries or API entry points, leaving significant gaps during agent reasoning, delegation, and cross-provider execution.

The proposed solution addresses this challenge by binding privacy and governance policies directly to AI artifacts and enforcing those policies at runtime, before any agent action is executed. Each AI artifact carries immutable policy metadata that specifies permitted regions, providers, agent roles, purposes of use, and retention constraints. Autonomous …

Method And System For Adaptive Routing Of Machine Learning Inference Requests Based On Health Scores, Hao Qin

Defensive Publications Series

The present disclosure relates to a method and system for adaptive routing of machine learning inference requests using composite health scores. The method involves maintaining a dynamic health score for each inference engine instance based on multiple performance factors including latency, success rate, timeout occurrence, error rate, saturation, and staleness. Instances are organized in a priority queue according to their health scores, with the instance having the lowest score selected for processing requests. A fairness adjustment is applied to prevent overloading any single instance. Instances that meet specific quarantine criteria are isolated and subject to periodic health assessments, while successfully …

Proceedings Of The 24th Annual Urban Ecology & Conservation Symposium March 16, 2026, Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium Of Portland/Vancouver

Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium of Portland/Vancouver

These proceedings document the agenda and abstracts for presentations and posters from the 24th annual conference organized by the Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium of Portland/Vancouver (UERC) which occurred on March 16, 2026. The UERC is a consortium of people from various universities and colleges, state and federal agencies, local governments, non-profit organizations and independent professionals interested in supporting urban ecosystem research and creating an information-sharing network of people that collect and use ecological data in the Portland/Vancouver area. The annual conference has an open call for abstracts. The UERC organizing committee selects the final oral and poster presentations, along with …

Momentum, 2007 Nov 15, Advocate Health - Midwest

Historical Documents - Combined

Advocate Christ Medical Center, Oak Lawn, IL: This is the first issue of the  bi-weekly Momentum newsletter. This associate newsletter delivers the latest news and information from Christ Medical Center and Hope Children's Hospital. Sections of the newsletter include: Open Letter from the President, Site News and Information, System News, Benefit Updates, Accolades and Leadership Changes.

Experimental Study Of Dimpled Serpentine Reactors For Hydrogen Production Via Methanol Steam Reforming, Mohamed I. Zeid, Mahmoud A. Shouman, Osama Abdelrehim, Ahmed M. Hamed

Mansoura Engineering Journal

Hydrogen is widely regarded as a clean energy carrier, with methanol steam reforming (MSR) emerging as a promising route for portable and on-board applications due to its favorable operating conditions and high hydrogen yield. Reactor geometry plays a decisive role in hydrogen productivity, pressure drop, and energy efficiency, yet the balance among these factors remains insufficiently addressed. In this study, three serpentine aluminum microreactors: a plain serpentine reactor (PSR), a rhombusdimple reactor (RDR), and a hemispherical-dimple reactor (HDR) were fabricated and coated with a copper (II) oxide, zinc oxide, aluminum oxide (CuO/ZnO/Al₂O₃) catalyst to experimentally investigate the effect of dimple …

Improving Properties Of Titanium Alloy Substrate By Composite Coatings Using Electrostatic Dry Spray, Rusul S. Hadi, Mohanad N. Al-Shroofy, Hanaa A. Al-Kaisy

Engineering and Technology Journal

This work investigates the development of polymer-based bio-composite-coated layers on a Ti-6Al-4V substrate via electrostatic spray deposition. The coatings were created using varying compositions, including (Pure PLA, 3, 6, and 9) wt.% of silver(Ag) combined with (100,97, 94, and 91) wt.% of PLA powder. Additionally, similar percentages of zirconium oxide (ZrO₂) were mixed with (3 and 6) wt.% of silver powder(97 and 94)wt.% of Polylactic acid (PLA) powder. The surface morphology of the coated layers was analyzed using FTIR and SEM/EDS techniques, ion-releasethese show the release of Ti, Al, and V ions decreased, representing a significant enhancement in …

Quality Improvement Project To Implement An Interdisciplinary Nutritional Rehabilitation Protocol For Pediatric Anorexia Nervosa, Grace Mueller, Jonathan Fanburg, Brock Libby, Lorraine Mcelwain, Kristine Kittredge, Alexandra Fierros, Roslyn Gerwin

Journal of Maine Medical Center

Introduction: Patients with anorexia nervosa have a mortality rate more than 5 times higher than the general population. Medical stabilization through nutritional rehabilitation is essential, yet institutional practices vary widely. Nasogastric tube (NGT) feeding has been the standard in pediatric inpatient settings, despite evidence suggesting similar outcomes with oral refeeding and potential for psychological trauma. Methods: An interdisciplinary work group representing adolescent medicine, pediatrics, nursing, nutrition, psychiatry, and social work developed a standardized, evidence-based pediatric nutritional rehabilitation protocol. Existing clinical pathways from other institutions were reviewed, and the protocol was adapted for existing resources. Educational modules and a protocol-specific order …

A Retrospective Case Series Of Kratom-Related Deaths Reported By Medical Examiners In Select New England States, Matthew R Narlesky, Corneliu N Stanciu, Jennie V Duval

Journal of Maine Medical Center

Introduction: We investigated the characteristics and contributing factors of overdose fatalities associated with kratom by examining descriptive data and toxicology findings from medical examiners in select New England states. Methods: We contacted medical examiner offices in 6 New England states to request forensic data on overdose deaths attributed to kratom from January 2015 through July 2024. Primary outcomes were postmortem toxicology and autopsy findings, and secondary outcomes were descriptive case details. Results: In 2 cases for which toxicology findings were available, concurrent substances were detected in the deceased individuals. Postmortem mitragynine amounts were 890 ng/mL and 23 ng/mL. Autopsy findings …

Examining Undergraduate Nursing Faculty’S Job Satisfaction Related To Workload, Work-Life Balance, And Student Incivility, Melissa Walch

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Exploring nursing faculty job satisfaction is important for retaining faculty in undergraduate nursing programs because they are vital to training future bedside nurses. There is a nursing faculty shortage in the United States, and retaining faculty is critical to addressing it. The purpose of this study, guided by Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory, was to (a) understand the relationship between workload, work-life balance, and nursing faculty job satisfaction and (b) the relationship between student incivility and nursing faculty job satisfaction in undergraduate nursing programs. Undergraduate nursing faculty in Ohio and Florida with at least 2 years of teaching experience were recruited via …

Intouch Week Of March 16, 2026, New York Medical College

InTouch

• Class of 2029 Medical Student Leaders Bring Wellness Into Focus at NYMedTalks
• North Carolina A&T Pre-Health Students Visit NYMC on Northeast Medical School Tour
• New Diagnostic Tool Could Transform Detection of Dangerous Fungus
• NYMC Students, Faculty, and Staff "Paws" for a Moment
• In the Land of Deserts, Health Care Shouldn't Be One; Touro Dental Health Campus in New Mexico
• In the Community: Graduate Student Association Hosts 5K to Benefit Feeding Westchester

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Minutes March 16, 2026, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes
• University Business
• Faculty Senate Business
• Reports
• Budget and Faculty Welfare
• Faculty Development and Educational Leadership
• Sustainability Council
• Information
• EPC Report
• Center for Civic Excellence
• Employee Benefits
• Task Force Report
• Additional Business
• 2026-2027 Faculty Senate Calendar
• Adjourn: 4:41 PM

The Impact Of The Legalization Of Marijuana On The Under 21 In New Jersey, Sharon Mesmer

Child and Family Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Integrative Multiomic Classification Reveals Distinct Origins And Evolutionary Trajectories Of Thymic Epithelial Tumors., Seongyeol Park, Kijong Yi, Jieun Lee, Myung Jin Yang, Joo-Hye Song, Joonoh Lim, Taewoo Kim, Seokhwi Kim, Su Yeon Kim, Hyung-Don Kim, Yoon Ho Kim, Sae Bom Lee, Yoo Jin Jung, Hansol Park, Jake June-Koo Lee, Yohan An, Jeonghwan Youk, Kwon Joong Na, Samina Park, Hyun Joo Lee, In Kyu Park, Chang Hyun Kang, Eui-Cheol Shin, Tae Min Kim, Won Do Heo, Charles Lee, Gou Young Koh, Sung-Yup Cho, Young Seok Ju, Young Tae Kim

Faculty Research 2026

Thymic epithelial tumors (TET), comprising various histologic types of thymomas and thymic carcinomas, originate from thymic epithelial cells (TEC). Each histologic type is typically associated with a distinct immune cell composition and clinical manifestation. A better understanding of the cellular origins and molecular pathways underlying this heterogeneity is needed to improve patient stratification and treatment. In this study, we conducted an integrated genomic and transcriptomic analysis of 124 thymomas and 13 thymic carcinomas, including 20 newly sequenced cases, combined with 117 cases from publicly available datasets. Single-cell transcriptomic data from murine thymic tissues across developmental stages were incorporated to further …

Short-Term Sleep Restriction In Humans Alters Diurnal Circulating Metabolite Profiles, Including Those Of Microbial Origin., Vanessa A Leone, Katya Frazier, Manpreet Kaur, Evan A Chrisler, Ashley M Sidebottom, Ethan Tai, Vilinh Tran, Shuzhao Li, Eugene B Chang, Dean P Jones, Eve Van Cauter, Erin C Hanlon

Faculty Research 2026

BACKGROUND. Gut microbes and their metabolites contribute to the host circulating metabolome and exhibit diurnal variation influenced by sleep-wake cycles and meal timing. Sleep deprivation alters the rhythmic circulating metabolome, but its impact on microbial metabolites remains unclear. We tested whether 24-hour circulating metabolite profiles, including those of microbial origin, differ under normal (habitual) versus short-term restricted sleep.

METHODS. In a randomized crossover design, 9 healthy adults completed 2 in-lab 24-hour blood sampling sessions (q120): one following 3 nights of normal sleep (8.5 hours/night), the other following 3 nights of sleep restriction (4.5 hours/night). Meal timing and caloric intake were …

Using Deep Learning To Increase Eye-Tracking Robustness, Accuracy, And Precision In Virtual Reality, Kevin Barkevich

Theses

Algorithms for the estimation of gaze direction from mobile and videobased eye trackers typically involve tracking a feature of the eye that moves through the eye camera image in a way that covaries with the shifting gaze direction, such as the center or boundaries of the pupil. Tracking these features using traditional computer vision techniques can be difficult due to partial occlusion and environmental reflections. Although recent efforts to use machine learning (ML) for pupil tracking have demonstrated superior results when evaluated using standard measures of segmentation performance, little is known of how these networks may affect the quality of …

Short-Term Sleep Restriction In Humans Alters Diurnal Circulating Metabolite Profiles, Including Those Of Microbial Origin., Vanessa A Leone, Katya Frazier, Manpreet Kaur, Evan A Chrisler, Ashley M Sidebottom, Ethan Tai, Vilinh Tran, Shuzhao Li, Eugene B Chang, Dean P Jones, Eve Van Cauter, Erin C Hanlon

Faculty Research 2026

BACKGROUNDGut microbes and their metabolites contribute to the host circulating metabolome and exhibit diurnal variation influenced by sleep-wake cycles and meal timing. Sleep deprivation alters the rhythmic circulating metabolome, but its impact on microbial metabolites remains unclear. We tested whether 24-hour circulating metabolite profiles, including those of microbial origin, differ under normal (habitual) versus short-term restricted sleep.METHODSIn a randomized crossover design, 9 healthy adults completed 2 in-lab 24-hour blood sampling sessions (q120): one following 3 nights of normal sleep (8.5 hours/night), the other following 3 nights of sleep restriction (4.5 hours/night). Meal timing and caloric intake were held constant. Serum …

Integrative Multiomic Classification Reveals Distinct Origins And Evolutionary Trajectories Of Thymic Epithelial Tumors., Seongyeol Park, Kijong Yi, Jieun Lee, Myung Jin Yang, Joo-Hye Song, Joonoh Lim, Taewoo Kim, Seokhwi Kim, Su Yeon Kim, Hyung-Don Kim, Yoon Ho Kim, Sae Bom Lee, Yoo Jin Jung, Hansol Park, Jake June-Koo Lee, Yohan An, Jeonghwan Youk, Kwon Joong Na, Samina Park, Hyun Joo Lee, In Kyu Park, Chang Hyun Kang, Eui-Cheol Shin, Tae Min Kim, Won Do Heo, Charles Lee, Gou Young Koh, Sung-Yup Cho, Young Seok Ju, Young Tae Kim

Faculty Research 2026

Thymic epithelial tumors (TET), comprising various histologic types of thymomas and thymic carcinomas, originate from thymic epithelial cells (TEC). Each histologic type is typically associated with a distinct immune cell composition and clinical manifestation. A better understanding of the cellular origins and molecular pathways underlying this heterogeneity is needed to improve patient stratification and treatment. In this study, we conducted an integrated genomic and transcriptomic analysis of 124 thymomas and 13 thymic carcinomas, including 20 newly sequenced cases, combined with 117 cases from publicly available datasets. Single-cell transcriptomic data from murine thymic tissues across developmental stages were incorporated to further …

Crepe Myrtle Bark Scale (Acanthococcus Lagerstroemiae) And Sooty Mold (Capnodium Sp.) Decrease Bloom And Fruit Number In ‘Natchez’ Crepe Myrtle (Lagerstroemia Xfauriei ‘Natchez’), Derald A. Harp, Beatriz Ruiz, Kara Bailey, Pedro Castillo, Phoebe Alvarez

Faculty Publications

Crepe myrtle bark scale (CMBS) (Acanthococcus lagerstroemiae) is an important pest of crepe myrtle in Texas, and infestations are accompanied by excessive growth of sooty mold (SM) that will cover stems, and, in severe cases, leaves. These combine to create significant stress on the plant, and anecdotal evidence suggests a decrease in bloom number under heavy infestation. In an existing planting of 24 ‘Natchez’ crepe myrtle in four blocks, three trees were randomly chosen in each block and treated with either a dinotefuran (year 1) or imidicloprid (year 2) drench. The three remaining trees were untreated. In February of year …

Pandemic Challenges: Resource-Based Strategies In The Black Belt Region, Valencia D. Winston

College of Business

From 2019 to 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected rural small businesses in Alabama and Mississippi's Black Belt Region. Rural communities in the Black Belt face a number of significant economic and structural barriers, such as historic lending inequities, generational poverty, and a lack of access to capital and mentorship, compounded by unreliable broadband and fiber optic connectivity. This study utilizes the resource-based view (RBV) to explore how businesses leverage their assets for success. The research has three main objectives: to determine if the distribution of the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loan was equitable across demographics, to investigate whether demographic …

How Recruitment And Retention Of Staff Affect Behavioral Health Care Facilities, Teresa A. Rodriguez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

ABC Organization identified the barriers of how recruitment and retention of staff affect a behavioral health care agency. The goal of the study was to determine how these barriers affect behavioral health care organizations. The framework used for the study was the Baldridge framework. The research questions that guided the study addressed how recruitment of staff affects an organization and how retention of staff affect an organization. The methodology was a qualitative case study with 10 participants. Data was analyzed by coding and identifying themes. The results showed that when an organization invests in the leaders and offers benefit packages, …

"That Others Might Be Free”: Pride, Prejudice, And Paternalism In The Imperial Period, Bridget Goguen

History & Classics Student Scholarship

The goddess of wisdom and war models intellect without complacency, valor without rashness. Claiming this duality—a civilized militancy—from their patron goddess Athena, an ancient Athenian citizenry could rationalize imperial conquest as democratic goodwill. Millennia later, the United States, seeking subtle proclamation of classical succession, crafted their national personification Columbia from the mold of Athena. Amidst the politics of territorial expansion in the aftermath of the 1898 Spanish-American War, the Americans called on Columbia to symbolically marshal and disguise their own imperial ascent. This paper explores the American adaptation of Greco-Roman rhetoric through the mediums of cartoons, sculptures, and paintings in …

Optimizing Sacrificial Core Formation In The Fabrication Of Nanopore Biosensors, Ephraim Ong

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study is part of an ongoing project to create a universal diagnostic tool using nanopore technology. Diagnosis of disease and other conditions of the body can often be linked to biomarkers such as the RNA sequence of a disease-causing virus.

The nanopore method for detecting biomarkers requires a microfluidic device designed to concentrate a large quantity of biomarker carrier beads near the detecting nanopore. Hollow channels which can conduct fluid and small particles are well used in the field of microfluidics. Many methods exist to fabricate microfluidic channels, however the nanopore method requires a channel with a thin solid-state …

The Capitol’S Punishment: A Disability Theory Reading And Analysis Of The Hunger Games Series, Brynne Farnsworth

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper analyzes how disability is treated in The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. Through a close analysis of the variety of perspectives on disability, Collins presents the Capitol as having an othering, dehumanizing approach to disability, while District Thirteen makes some accommodations but ultimately reveals itself to have a similar point of view as the Capitol. While not perfect, the perspective of the Districts prevails through its approach of empathy and connection and implies a hope for a society that draws on those connections over divisions. Collins also overarchingly promotes hope for those with disabilities throughout the series …

Buffered Strength: A Narrative Review Of Beta-Alanine Supplementation In Weightlifting And Resistance Training, Ian Brunson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Beta-alanine is a non-essential amino acid synthesized endogenously through hepatic metabolism of uracil and obtained in small amounts from dietary sources. In skeletal muscle, beta-alanine combines with histidine to form carnosine, a dipeptide that functions as an intracellular buffer. Beta-alanine is commonly used as a dietary supplement and is frequently included in pre-workout formulations as an ergogenic aid for high-intensity exercise. Beta-alanine supplementation increases intramuscular carnosine concentrations, which may enhance intracellular buffering capacity by regulating hydrogen ion accumulation and delaying fatigue during intense activity.^1,2 Although much research has examined beta-alanine supplementation in endurance, sprinting, and repeated high-intensity exercise contexts …

Ozone Pollution Reduction Partially Offsets The Negative Impact Of Climate Change Mitigation Efforts On Global Hunger, Shujuan Xia, Tomoko Hasegawa, Thanapat Jansakoo, Daniel Mason-D’Croz, Kazuaki Tsuchiya, Shinichiro Fujimori, Maksym Chepeliev, Marta Kozicka, Abhijeet Mishra, Willem-Jan Van Zeist, Xin Zhao, Thijs De Lange, Thais Diniz Oliveira, Jonathan C. Doelman, Matthew Gibson, Petr Havlík, Mario Herrero, Ipsita Kumar, Yuki Ochi, Timothy B. Sulser, Marina Sundiang, Kiyoshi Takahashi, Jun’Ya Takakura, Keith Wiebe

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

Studies warning of the potential negative effects of climate mitigation on food security through the competing use of land for bioenergy and afforestation have overlooked the impact of reduced ozone and its potential enhancement of crop yields. Here we use six global agro-economic models to compare the impacts of climate change with climate mitigation policy and ozone reduction on agriculture. We find that ozone reduction could reduce the negative impact of a 1.5 °C-consistent climate change mitigation policy on global hunger by 15% in 2050. Sub-Saharan Africa and India, where hunger is most severe, account for 56% of this global …