Digital Commons Network^™

A Holistic Modelling Framework For Functionally Safe Software Architectures In Embedded Control Systems, Thomas Barth

Doctoral

Embedded control systems are integral to most modern electrified products and an essential backbone of ongoing digitalisation [1]. In this context, these systems increasingly perform safety-critical functions where failures can lead to severe personal injury, environmental damage, or significant economic loss [2]. Consequently, they fall more often within the scope of regulation such as IEC 61508 and its derivatives [3]. At the same time, driven by hardware evolution and market demands, embedded control systems continue to grow in both integration density and functional complexity [4]. These demands necessitate structured development methods that balance compliance with cost-efficiency and development agility. A …

Sustaining A Healthy Work Environment With Leadership Staff Rounds, Sarojini V. Seemungal

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Background: Globally, HCWs have reported worsened mental health since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has threatened the well-being of 51% of healthcare workers (HCWs). In 2020, Mental Health America reported that 93% of HCWs experienced stress, 86% experienced anxiety, 76% reported feeling burned out, and 75% felt overwhelmed.

Problem: A 2023 employee engagement survey, conducted at a Certified Home Health Agency, revealed 72% overall favorability among HCWs. The lowest favorability rating was related to managing work and personal life (52.3%), feeling supported to do the job (60%), and receiving recognition from one’s manager at (61.2%).

Methods: …

Really Thrilling Location System (Rtls Real-Time Location System) Adds Value To Hospital Nurses, Linda R. Dicarlo, Deirdre O'Flaherty, Gregg Husk, Tammy Ng, Maureen Dennis, Royce Varghese

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Learning Outcomes: The learner will be able to: understand the usage of an RTLS system in asset management, and how nursing engagement, interdisciplinary collaboration drive value, increase satisfaction and safety, save time and money.

Identify the Pertinent Desired Outcome/Objectives: The learner will be able to understand the functions of RTLS.

While this application may not be feasible for all organizations, empowering nurses to engage with other disciplines, focus on identifying issues, propose workflows, implement, and evaluate solutions to make the best use of their valued time.is.

Methods: Literature review. RTLS pilot at a 450-bed hospital, created a training …

The Important Context Of The Nurse Manager Practice Environment And The Link To Outcomes, Martha L. Grubaugh

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

PURPOSE/AIM: The purpose of this research study was to test the relationships between the Nurse Manager Practice Environment (NMPE) and Nurse Manager (NM) outcomes such as job satisfaction (JS), reason for leaving (RFL), and career recommendation (CR).

BACKGROUND: The NM is in a pivotal role and their leadership helps cultivate a positive practice environment that ultimately impacts patient safety and quality patient outcomes. The healthcare system has become increasingly complex, and consequently the role of the NM has become more stressful and demanding; only exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many NMs will leave or have left their positions because …

Exploring Moral Distress In Icu Nurse Practitioners: A Descriptive Phenomenological Study, Steven L. Bocchese

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Nurse Practitioners (NPs) working in the intensive care environment experience clinical and operational anxiety, such as moral distress. Moral distress occurs when an individual knows the ethically correct action but cannot take it due to internal or external constraints or violation of their professional core values. Causal factors of moral distress in nursing include inadequate staffing, prolonged patient pain and suffering, ethical conflicts in end-of-life care, lack of transparency and false hope, disruptive or aggressive family, and ineffective leadership. Historically, nurses have experienced moral distress at higher levels than other healthcare professionals, especially those in intensive care units (ICU). Because …

Journey To A Heart Safe Community, Mary Mccormack, Carole Zarcone, Kendra Hoepper, Dorothy Veron

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

The sudden loss of life is a traumatic event inflicting devastating and lasting impacts on families and communities. It has been estimated that more than 350,000 episodes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) occur annually in the United States (Virani et al., 2021); however, being that there is no nationwide mandatory reporting system, this number may be a gross underrepresentation of reality. The majority of OHCA occur residential homes and in the community setting. Survival rates are heavily dependent upon provision of immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation with neurologic damage occurring within 5 minutes (Brooks et al., 2022).

Unfortunately, the …

Human Microglia In Brain Assembloids Display Region-Specific Diversity And Respond To Hyperexcitable Neurons Carrying Scn2a Mutation, Jiaxiang Wu, Xiaoling Chen, Jingliang Zhang, Kyle Wettschurack, Morgan Robinson, Weihao Li, Yuanrui Zhao, Ye-Eun Yoo, Brody A Deming, Yue Shu, Akila D Abeyaratna, Zhefu Que, Dongshu Du, Matthew Tegtmeyer, Chongli Yuan, William C Skarnes, Zhong-Yin Zhang, Jean-Christophe Rochet, Long-Jun Wu, Yang Yang

The Brown Foundation: Institute of Molecular Medicine

Microglia critically shape neuronal circuit development and function, yet their region-specific properties and roles in distinct circuits of the human brain remain poorly understood. In this study, we generated region-specific brain organoids (cortical, striatal, and midbrain), each integrated with human microglia, to fill this critical gap. Single-cell RNA sequencing uncovered six distinct microglial subtypes exhibiting unique regional signatures, including a subtype highly enriched for the GABAB receptor gene within striatal organoids. To investigate the contributions of microglia to neural circuitry, we created microglia-incorporated midbrain-striatal assembloids, modeling a core circuit node for many neuropsychiatric disorders, including autism. Using chemogenetics to activate …

Mid-Level Perceptual Features, And Not Ambiguity, Accelerate Access To Awareness, Nadav Amir, Uri Maoz, Liad Mudrik

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Current theoretical accounts of perception and high-level cognition suggest that awareness plays an active role in disambiguating incoming sensory information. However, the relationship between ambiguity resolution and conscious access remains unclear, partially due to a lack of quantifiable measures of ambiguity. Here, we describe a novel paradigm designed for testing whether more ambiguous stimuli would enjoy preferential access to awareness, as indexed by the time it takes them to break interocular suppression in the breaking continuous flash suppression paradigm. In a series of three experiments, we found that stimuli’s mid-level perceptual features (most likely, visual symmetry levels), rather than their …

Association Between Children’S Secondhand Co-Exposure To Tobacco And Cannabis Smoke And Elevated Urinary Cotinine Levels: A Cross-Sectional Analysis, Bradley N. Collins, Stephen J. Lepore, Vincent Berardi, Renee D. Goodwin, Karen Wilson, Mona Baishya

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Background Cannabis use is far more common among adults who smoke tobacco than adults who do not, and its use is increasing among people who smoke tobacco with children living in the home. Given the well-established evidence that caregiver smoking is the primary source of children’s secondhand exposures to these products, the increasing trend in caregiver co-use is raising public health concerns about children’s co-exposure. Emerging data indicates that adult co-use is linked to additive health consequences, such as elevated nicotine and other tobacco-related toxicant blood levels, relative to use of only tobacco. It is unknown whether children’s co-exposure leads …

From Waitlist To Activation: Exploring Patient Barriers And Team Interactions In Kidney Transplant Readiness, Judith I. Eguzoikpe

Harrisburg University Dissertations and Theses

Kidney transplant candidates frequently experience prolonged inactive waitlist status due to incomplete readiness requirements, yet limited understanding exists regarding how patient barriers and team interactions intersect to influence activation timelines. This transcendental-phenomenological study explored how patient barriers and team dynamics contribute to delays in kidney transplant readiness, guided by Team Theory. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 participants (8 patients, 8 healthcare professionals) between December 2025 and February 2026. Data were analyzed using systematic phenomenological methods to identify patterns that address patient barriers, team interaction effects, and the teamwork improvements needed for earlier activation. Five interconnected themes emerged: Navigating a …

Improving Stakeholder Communications Practices: A Quantitative Study On The Relational Communication Between Clinical Research Coordinators And Research, Oreofeoluwa F. Adeniji

Harrisburg University Dissertations and Theses

Communication plays an essential part in the responsibilities of the clinical research coordinator’s position. Challenges in communicating with stakeholders during clinical trials can disrupt the study timeline, its outcomes, and the success of the trial. Clinical research coordinators often experience these challenges when interacting with internal stakeholders, such as principal investigators, and external stakeholders, including sponsors. This quantitative correlational study will examine whether clinical research coordinators can utilize project management communication practices to improve their stakeholder interactions. Data from 32 clinical research coordinators will be collected using SurveyMonkey and analyzed. The study results will fill gaps in the literature on …

Sga 57 Senate 2026-02-20 Minutes, Niu Student Government Association Senate

Student Government Association Archives

No abstract provided.

Sga 57 Senate 2026-02-20 Agenda, Niu Student Government Association Senate

Student Government Association Archives

No abstract provided.

Bank Finance And Private Sector Development: A Comparative Study Of Sub- Saharan Africa And The Oecd Economies, Raymond Asamoah

Doctoral Dissertations (DBA)

The study examines bank credits to the private sector and the factors driving bank decisions in 25 Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries and 25 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, which are considered both developing and developed countries by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, with comparative stabilized economies. It focuses on the factors that influence banks to offer credit to the private sector. Domestic credit to the private sector as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) is used as the dependent variable. 8 determinants or explanatory variables are used to explain Bank credit decisions. …

The George-Anne Inkwell Edition, Georgia Southern University

The Inkwell

No abstract provided.

Perinatal And Maternal Outcomes By Indication For Delivery In The Second Trimester, Kristen A Cagino, Paula L Mcgee, Maged M Costantine, Michael W Varner, Alan T N Tita, Monica Longo, Barbara J Stoll, John M Thorp, Uma M Reddy, William A Grobman, Dwight J Rouse, Hyagriv N Simhan, Jennifer L Bailit, Lorraine Dugoff, George R Saade, Baha M Sibai

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Perinatal and maternal morbidity in the setting of preterm birth may differ by delivery indication. We compared perinatal and maternal outcomes of second-trimester (240/7-276/7 weeks of gestation) deliveries indicated for preeclampsia with severe features (PE-SF), with those following preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM).Secondary analysis of an observational cohort study of singleton and twin preterm deliveries before 35 weeks' gestation at 33 hospitals across the United States. Singletons without congenital anomalies who were delivered due to PE-SF or PPROM from 240/7 to 276/7 weeks of gestation were included. The primary outcome was a composite of perinatal morbidity or death, defined …

Dasatinib Resensitizes Braf/Mek Inhibitor Efficacy In Patient-Derived Xenografts From Patients With Progression On Braf/Mek Inhibitor Treatment, Vito W Rebecca, Min Xiao, Andrew Kossenkov, Tetiana Godok, Gregory Schuyler Brown, Dylan Fingerman, Gretchen M Alicea, Meihan Wei, Hongkai Ji, Marie Portuallo, Jeremy Bravo, Vissy Elad, Yeqing Chen, Eneda Toska, Mitchell E Fane, Kasey L Couts, Jessie Villanueva, Katherine Nathanson, Keerthana M Arun, Govind Warrier, Xiangfan Yin, Jianyi Ding, Qin Liu, Yogesh Goyal, Y N Vashisht Gopal, Michael A Davies, Meenhard Herlyn

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Although BRAF/MEK inhibitor (BRAFi/MEKi) therapy initially shows high efficacy in patients with BRAFV600 E/K cutaneous melanoma, resistance develops in over 75% of cases. We tested robustness of the umbrella trial strategy in this population by analyzing relationships between genomic status of a gene and associated downstream consequences at the protein level. The results revealed weak relationships among mutations, copy-number amplification, and protein expression and activation. An in vivo compound repurposing screen using 11 clinically relevant agents from an NCI-portfolio with pan-RTK, non-RTK, and/or PI3K-mTOR specificity identified dasatinib as most capable of restoring sensitivity to BRAFi/MEKi in patient-derived xenograft (PDX) …

External Validation Of The Proliferation Saturation Index Model In Predicting Tumour Volume Regression In Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Undergoing Radiation Therapy, Sarah Barrett, Mohammad Zahid, Conor K Mcgarry, Heiko Enderling, Gerard M Walls, Laure Marignol

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: The Proliferation Saturation Index (PSI) model is a patient-specific mathematical model designed to simulate and predict tumour volume regression (TVR) during radiation therapy (RT) using early treatment response dynamics. This study validates the PSI model in an independent external cohort of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) using previously derived model parameters.

Methods: In a cohort of 71 patients, treated with definitive RT alone (55Gy/20#) tumour volume measurements extracted from 6 Cone Beam CT (CBCT) scans acquired on days 1, 2 and 3 and weekly thereafter. Model predictions of TVR at final CBCT (CBCT6) were made using tumour …

Hp1Β Recruits Ring1a To Ubiquitinate Histone H2a For Brca1-Mediated Resection Of Double-Stand Breaks, Vijaya Charaka, Raj K Pandita, Chi-Lin Tsai, Xiaoyan Wang, Sharmista Chakraborty, Kenneth S Ramos, Sandhik Nandi, Fransisca Leonard, Vipin Singh, Partha S Sarkar, Clayton R Hunt, John A Tainer, Chandrima Das, Tej K Pandita

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Efficient DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair by homologous recombination (HR), as initiated by BRCA1 recruitment orchestrated by histone and non-histone proteins, is critical to genome stability, replication, transcription, and cancer avoidance. Here we reveal Heterochromatin Protein1 beta (HP1β) promotes BRCA1 enrichment at DNA DSB sites in gene-rich regions, and this is impaired by HP1β depletion. We find that HP1β is specifically enriched at DSBs within gene-rich regions via its Chromo Shadow Domain (CSD) that interacts with both Chromatin Assembly Factor 1 and the RING1A ubiquitinase component of Polycomb Repressor Complex 1. The resulting protein complex facilitates BRCA1 recruitment by promoting …

Nci9673 (Part B): Etctn Randomized Phase Ii Study Of Nivolumab With Or Without Ipilimumab In Refractory, Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma Of The Anal Canal, Van K Morris, Kristen K Ciombor, Lianchun Xiao, Joshua K Ochieng, Enrica Marmonti, Blase Polite, Benjamin A Weinberg, John C Krauss, John Hays, Sarbajit Mukherjee, Olivia Aranha, Syma Iqbal, Tony Shields, Al B Benson, Syed Kazmi, Christopher Lieu, Howard Hochster, Jennifer Whisenant, Cara Haymaker, Cathy Eng

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: In the previously completed NCI9673 (part A) single-arm study, the antiprogrammed death (PD)-ligand-1 antibody nivolumab demonstrated efficacy for patients with metastatic anal cancer. In NCI9673 (Part B), we evaluated the anticytotoxic T-cell lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) antibody ipilimumab in combination with nivolumab for patients with incurable anal cancer.

Methods: In this phase II NCI ETCTN trial, 100 patients with refractory, incurable anal cancer were randomly assigned to receive nivolumab (480 mg IV once every 4 weeks) alone or with ipilimumab (1 mg/kg IV once every 8 weeks). The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS). Secondary endpoints included radiographic response, …

2025 And 2026 - Faculty & Staff Research Symposium - Mini, Elizabeth Outka, Lidia Radi

Faculty and Staff Research Symposium Programs

September 26, 2025; November 7, 2025; January 20, 2026; and, February 20, 2026

[Excerpt from the "Welcome"]

"Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to the Faculty and Staff Mini-Symposia Series!

As we gather for the fourth and final installment of this year’s Mini-Symposia Series, we are delighted to continue this new chapter of the Faculty and Staff Research Symposium, building on the extraordinary enthusiasm of the past two years. What began as a single day of conversation and exchange has grown into a cycle of events designed to highlight the intellectual and creative work of our community in even more accessible and collaborative …

Improving Structured Handoff Documentation In A Pediatric Emergency Department, Deborah Hammett, Rebecca Matta, Jody Kieffer, Jillian Savage, Courtney Nelson

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: The I-PASS handoff tool guides provider handoffs and reduces adverse events in the inpatient setting. Transitions of care occur frequently in the emergency department (ED), and the unpredictable environment can lead to less structured handoffs. Our goal was to increase the percentage of handoff notes that include all 4 I-PASS components by 20% within 6 months.

METHODS: We developed a handoff note template for the pediatric ED that included 4 key I-PASS elements: illness severity, patient care summary, action list, and situational awareness/contingency planning. Our primary outcome measure was the percentage of handoff notes that contained all 4 I-PASS …

Steroid Receptor Coactivators - From Basic Research To Translational Opportunities, Yosef Gilad, Sang Jun Han, David M Lonard

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The concept of nuclear receptor (NR) coregulation was proposed nearly two decades before it was experimentally validated. According to this model, NRs - executors of a vast array of transcriptional programs - do not act independently but are governed by a network of regulatory proteins that either activate or repress their biological function. NRs identify the genes to be regulated. However, coregulators ultimately serve as the true controllers of transcriptional outcomes. They recruit cofactors and coordinate the activity of transcriptional complexes, thereby shaping NR-mediated gene expression beyond NRs' intrinsic functionality. The Steroid Receptor Coactivator (SRC) family is the most extensively …

Promoting Water Security Of South-To-North Water Diversion Project For National Water Network, Quanfa Zhang, Guihua Liu, Chesheng Zhan, Xiaobo Ren

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The South-to-North Water Diversion Project is a crucial infrastructure initiative aiming at optimizing nation-wide distribution of water resources, meanwhile fostering sustainable economic and social development, and ensuring the well-being of the people. The project, with its extensive scope and high technical complexity, particularly in the middle and west routes located in biodiversity hotspots such as the Qinling Mountains and the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, may alter local microclimates, potentially triggering meteorological disasters such as droughts, thunderstorms, and hail, along with secondary hazards. The implementation of the project may also disrupt the local hydrological conditions, disturb the balance of the existing atmospheric-vegetation-soil system, …

Addressing Population Aging: Innovative Approaches To Aging Research In China, Jingyi Li, Jinghui Lei, Qun Chu, Weiqi Zhang, Moshi Song, Yaojin Peng, Guanghui Liu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The increasing prevalence of aging and associated diseases poses a substantial challenge worldwide. In recent years, the field of aging research has achieved numerous breakthroughs. Nevertheless, challenges still persist. This study offers a comprehensive analysis of the advancements within China’s aging research, highlighting current challenges and proposing strategy and policy recommendations. These suggestions draw from various areas, including research paradigms and key issues, efficient resource management, development of essential technological research and innovation ecosystems, international collaboration, and considerations of ethics and governance. The aim is to provide valuable insights and guidance for enhancing the quality and impact of aging research …

Https://Digitalcommons.Mtech.Edu/Superfund_Silverbowbutte/1787/, Josh Bryson

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Standing In The Shadows: Member Anonymity In Associational Standing Cases, Mitchell Brost

Pepperdine Law Review

Associational standing serves several benefits for plaintiff members: associations often have expertise in a certain field that guides the representation of their members, they have greater resources that allow them to bring lawsuits in the first place, and they can serve as the public face of the lawsuit to shield the plaintiff member from serious retaliation that may result from bringing the claim. But due to some imprecise language in Justice Scalia’s majority opinion in Summers v. Earth Island Institute, circuit courts are divided over whether associational members can remain anonymous at all. Thus, individuals who have legitimate legal claims, …

Jealously Guarded: The Right To Trial By Jury In Federal Court Under California’S Unruh Civil Rights Act, Denis Bogatin

Pepperdine Law Review

Since California adopted heightened pleading standards for high-frequency litigants alleging violations of the Unruh Act in state court, federal district courts have seen a surge of ADA and Unruh Act claims filed together to secure subject matter jurisdiction. Most courts dismissed the Unruh claims under their discretionary authority under 28 U.S.C. § 1367, but they remained divided on whether plaintiffs in these cases have a right to jury trial—statutory or constitutional. In 2025, the Ninth Circuit resolved part of the split in In re Tsay, holding that the Unruh Act provides a constitutional right to a jury trial because it …

Pragmatist Ethics: A Problem-Based Approach To What Matters, By James Jakób Liszka, Myron Moses Jackson

Dewey Studies

No abstract provided.

A Decolonial Approach To International Education: Insights From A Cal Poly Global Program In Palermo, Sicily, Elvira Pulitano, Iyad Jamaly

csuglobalaction

This article presents a critical intervention in the current debates about decolonizing international education. It is based on a Global Program in Palermo, Sicily, offered by Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in summer 2023. As both program creator/director and student participant in the program, the authors rely on their personal experience and insights along with expertise in coloniality and decolonial theories. The article focuses on a series of pedagogical activities led by a young group of migrants and refugees who, in the city of Palermo, have come together to form two associations designed and structured to offer new contemporary models …