Digital Commons Network^™

Drawn For A Brighter Tomorrow: A Functional Art Workshop As A Path To Livelihood And Skills Development Under The Pasay Social Welfare And Development Department (Pswdd), Liane Oxana V. Estuesta, Giana Margaux D. Bustos, Anne Kirsten Cerish S. Gamayo, Julia Patrish P. Go

DLSU Arts Congress Conference Proceedings

This study examines how functional art workshops, where creativity results in usable, real-world objects, can be a tool for livelihood and skills development among children in need of special protection aged 7-17 under the Pasay Social Welfare and Development Department (PSWDD). Specifically, grounded in arts-based and qualitative research, the study seeks to understand how exposure to functional art-making can support participants’ confidence, agency, and practical competencies. Data was gathered through primary sources, including a needs assessment survey, semi-structured interviews with youth participants and administrators after the program, and visual documentation of completed artworks. Secondary sources were also used, including published …

Atomos Komiks - Making Learning Fun With Science Entertainment, Jerome Aizpuro Suplemento Ii, Julius Noah Hernandez Sempio

DLSU Arts Congress Conference Proceedings

With portable digital devices imposing themselves on the already precarious attention span of the Filipino youth, and with raising concerns about degrading literacy of schoolchildren, it is imperative to find creative and entertaining means to inspire the young studentry to engage in dedicated educational materials. This paper explains the methods being used by a small group of artists, scientists and writers to create content for “science entertainment” in comics format. By combining principles of conceptual compression, knowledge indexing and low-elaboration persuasion techniques to develop knowledge “anchors”, the team aims to generate participatory engagement among readers and stimulate their cognitive innovation. …

Urinary Antimony As A Biomarker For Differentiating Heroin And Brown Mixture Use, Shu-Mei Tsai, Yu-Han Hsiao, Yan-Zin Chang, Sai-Wai Ho

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Heroin is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance with severe legal consequences for its use, whereas liquid Brown Mixture (BM) is a legally available and commonly prescribed cough remedy in Taiwan. However, numerous cases of BM ingestion have been misinterpreted as heroin use because BM contains opium tincture, leading to similar urine test results. Owing to the rapid metabolism of heroin, detection of the parent drug and its primary metabolite, 6-acetylmorphine, in urine is difficult; thus, interpretation often relies on morphine concentration and the morphine-to-codeine (M/C) ratio, which can be inconclusive. In our BM analysis, the M/C ratio was …

Effectiveness Of The Smart Me-De Digital Program On Health Literacy And Glycemic Control In Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes, Nongnaphat Rungnoei, Siriporn Kruttakart, Natthapan Phianthanyakam, Pakaporn Klinhom, Umaporn Nokpaet, Jintipa Sirikunwiwat, Burong Jaitham

Journal of Health Research

Background: Individuals newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes often have limited knowledge and self-management skills, leading to poor glycemic control and increased complications. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Smart ME-DE Digital Program in improving health literacy and glycated hemoglobin levels among newly diagnosed individuals with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted with seventy participants recruited from diabetes clinics at three hospitals in a central province of Thailand. They were selected using simple random sampling and matched by gender, age, and baseline HbA1c levels, and allocated to an experimental or comparison group. The experimental group received …

Pharmacy Professor Uses Grant To Improve Rural Healthcare Access, James Dowd

University of Mississippi News

OXFORD, Miss. – University of Mississippi pharmacy professor Kylie Futrell is leading a partnership working to improve access to healthcare services in rural Mississippi communities, while helping residents manage their chronic health conditions.

Reply To “Comment On Primary Care Providers' Perspectives On Telehealth Medicare Annual Wellness Visits For Older Adults In Midwestern Health System”, Vaibhavi Mone, Jungyoon Kim

Health Services and Informatics Research

No abstract provided.

Vetiver Phytoremediation Of Nitrate-Rich Munition Wastewater: Biomass Valorization Within A Circular Economy Framework, Arash Aliasghar, Rupali Datta, Zhiming Zhang, Christos Christodoulatos, Dibyendu Sarkar

Michigan Tech Publications

Industrial munition facilities generate nitrate-rich wastewater that requires effective and sustainable treatment before discharge. While vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides)-based phytoremediation has shown promise in nitrogen removal, most studies have been limited to small-scale experiments under low nitrogen concentrations, providing limited guidance for system-level design under elevated loading. This study evaluates a greenhouse-scale phytoremediation system using vetiver grass to treat wastewater containing 1000 mg N/L nitrate and 50 mg/L COD. Plant coverage densities of 2%, 4%, and 6% (w/v) were assessed to quantify optimum density as a design parameter for optimizing nitrate removal. A 6% coverage achieved the highest efficiency, reducing …

Ábreme La Puerta Y Entraré: Utilizing Hip Hop Pedagogy To Build Community For English Learners With Disabilities, Ebony Nicole Perez, Georgina Rivera-Singletary

Journal of the Arts and Special Education

English Language Learners (ELL) with disabilities face complex educational experiences due to their limited English-speaking ability, coupled with their unique learning challenges. Often, they are viewed from a deficit rather than an asset perspective, leading them to feelings of isolation and marginalization. Providing opportunities to engage in transformative learning experiences, ELL students with disabilities can experience a sense of belonging and empowerment in educational endeavors. Hip-hop can offer dynamic opportunities for ELL students with disabilities by creating an inclusive, affirming space that validates diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Through Hip-hop cyphers, rap battles, and collaborative songwriting, students can grasp new …

We Are All In This Together Now: Exploring Community Based Partnerships Focusing On Hip-Hop Based Education, William C. Hunter, Tarol Page Clements, Gregory Washington

Journal of the Arts and Special Education

This article explores a community-based collaborative partnership between three Hip-Hop educational nonprofits, Upward Light Community Cyphers, Project STAND (Social-Emotional, Transition, Academic and Network Developing), and the Center for the Advancement of Youth Development (CAYD), all focused on mental health support for youth, and a public-school program that has serves students with and without exceptionalities. The goal shared by all organizations involved is enhanced educational access and engagement for students with and without exceptionalities. Rooted in the core elements of Hip-Hop — emceeing, DJing/music production, breakdancing, and graffiti art, the collaborative partnership has offered culturally sustaining, arts-integrated instruction that supports both …

Developing Flow Theory For Black Girl Genius: A Conceptual Framework Grounded In Discrit, Endarkened Feminist Epistemology, And Hip-Hop Pedagogy, Keishana L. Barnes, William C. Hunter

Journal of the Arts and Special Education

Twice exceptional Black girls, those who are both intellectually gifted and identified with a disability, navigate classrooms shaped by racism, ableism, and sexism. These overlapping systems often render their brilliance illegible, leading to misidentification, exclusion, and under-support in both gifted and special education. This conceptual essay introduces Flow Theory for Black Girl Genius, a liberatory framework that considers Disability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit), Endarkened Feminist Epistemology, and Hip-Hop Pedagogy. DisCrit helps uncover the structural barriers that marginalize students at the intersection of race and disability. Endarkened Feminist Epistemology centers ancestral, embodied, and spiritual ways of knowing rooted in Black …

Ai And The Music Industry: Its Current Status And A Speculative Projection Of Its Evolutionary Trajectory, Rhett D. Morris, Clayton Rosati, Stefan Fritsch

Honors Projects

Music serves as one of society's biggest cultural outlets, allowing millions to share in what used to be a uniquely human form of expression. The commodification of music has built a huge industry full of companies and platforms that have used technology and property laws to shape music's relationship with the public. This study aims to look into the future to see how AI and its implementation could affect the structure of the music industry. To look into the future, this piece establishes two of the most pressing kinds of AI technology for the music industry and looks to contextualize …

Ai In Arbitration: A Chance To Lead, Not Only A Risk To Manage, Barry Appleton

Other Publications

No abstract provided.

Quality Improvement Project: Advancing Personalized Depression Care In Outpatient Psychiatry, Jillian K. Benoit

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide, yet inconsistent use of evidence-based assessment and treatment strategies contributes to gaps in the quality of psychiatric care. A needs assessment at a community outpatient psychiatric clinic identified inconsistent documentation of measurement-based care (MBC), shared decision-making (SDM), and patient education during depression treatment. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to evaluate whether implementation of MBC and SDM improved depression treatment documentation among psychiatric providers over a 4-week period. Guided by Lewin’s Change Theory and implemented using the Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice as the implementation framework, this quantitative one-group pretest-posttest …

Quality Improvement Project Simulating Ethics: Improving Ethical Decision-Making In Nursing Undergraduates Through Simulation And Faculty Training, Shannon Brown

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Nursing faculty often report limited confidence in teaching ethical principles, despite the essential role ethics plays in preparing students for complex clinical decision-making. This quantitative, quasi-experimental pre/post quality improvement project evaluated whether a structured ethics education module incorporating simulation could impact faculty confidence in teaching ethical principles. Guided by Lewin’s Change Theory and the Jeffries Simulation Framework, the project examined how organizational readiness for change and structured simulation design influence faculty development outcomes. Nursing faculty in a baccalaureate program participated in a single simulation-enhanced ethics session. Data were collected through anonymous pre/post Qualtrics surveys, and faculty confidence was measured using …

Improving Exam Scores: Alternative Next Generation Questions In Curriculum, April Morgan

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Evidence identifies clinical judgment deficits among newly licensed nurses, supporting the integration of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) Clinical Judgment Measurement Model (NCJMM) and Next Generation NCLEX (NGN) strategies. Inconsistent NGN implementation and Assessment Technologies Institute (ATI) Comprehensive Predictor performance established the local problem. This quality improvement project evaluated the impact of implementing NCJMM-aligned NGN instructional strategies, including unfolding case studies and bow-tie questions, on students’ first-attempt achievement of the ATI Comprehensive Predictor benchmark and faculty outcomes. The primary aim was to increase the percentage of students achieving the ATI Comprehensive Predictor benchmark of 76.2% on …

Hypothermia Management In Adult Trauma Patients: Enhancing Nursing Knowledge And Self-Efficacy In The Emergency Department, Shannon M. Rapert

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Trauma-induced hypothermia is a significant, preventable condition that contributes to increased mortality. Evidence suggests that inconsistent recognition and management of hypothermia persist in the emergency department (ED), highlighting the need to strengthen ED nurses’ knowledge and self-efficacy in evidence-based warming strategies. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to evaluate the impact of an educational intervention on ED nurses’ knowledge and self-efficacy in managing trauma-induced hypothermia. Guided by the Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice, the ADKAR Change Model, and the Plan-Do-Study-Act framework, this quantitative, quasi-experimental, pretest–posttest project evaluated the effect of an instructor-led educational intervention in ED nurses at …

Christopher Reyes-Recalde V. Attorney General United States Of America

2026 Decisions

Agency

Journal Of The Arts And Special Education: Volume 6, Issue 2

Journal of the Arts and Special Education

No abstract provided.

Towards The Synthesis Of Dragonamide E And Analogs Thereof, Dante Glover

Chemistry Theses

Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by a parasite spread through the female sand fly. It is categorized as a Neglected Tropical Disease and can cause very severe symptoms, even death, if left untreated. Symptoms include skin lesions that can cause permanent scarring, and mucosal membrane infections that can cause facial deformities. More aggressive forms of leishmaniasis can lead to infections of internal organs like the liver and/or spleen and can lead to death. Drug resistance of these parasites has rendered treatment limited and the side effects of which can be harmful as well.

Scientists looking towards new treatments for tropical …

Changes In Water Quality And Microbiota Over Two Years In Florida Hard Clam (Mercenaria Mercenaria) Hatcheries, Bonnie Getter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis characterized the water quality and bacterial communities in nine hard clam hatcheries over two production years through weekly or biweekly water quality and chemistry monitoring, monthly bacterial plating in the second year of production, and select 16S microbiome sampling at select hatcheries to address production bottlenecks and support the reliable production of high-quality seed for Florida’s growing hard clam aquaculture industry. Logistic regression models showed that water source was distinguished by pH, salinity, alkalinity, and nitrite, whereas geographic location was distinguished by temperature, salinity, nitrate, and calcium; temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity, and alkalinity distinguished seasons. Vibrio bacteria differed …

Sex-Aware Causal Inference Assessment Of The Immune System In Complex Neurodegenerative Diseases, Frida Lona-Durazo, Ross P Byrne, Marc-Olivier Pilon, Michael D Greicius, Marie-Pierre Dubé, Michael E Belloy, Russell L Mclaughlin, Sarah A Gagliano Taliun

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Sex differences, in terms of prevalence, symptoms and disease progression, are established in the aetiology of complex neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, but the underlying biology driving these differences remains poorly understood. There is emerging evidence from genetic and functional analyses affirming the role of the immune system in such diseases, but a thorough assessment of sex differences in the link between the immune system and neurodegenerative diseases remains lacking. Here, we applied a robust causal inference approach, two-sample Mendelian randomization, to evaluate the causal effect of immune-related protein levels on three neurodegenerative diseases …

Nextlongiso: A Comprehensive Nextflow Pipeline For Multi-Dimensional Long-Read Rna-Seq Analysis, Jiang Tan, Yuqing Wu, Yidan Sun

2020-Current year OA Pubs

SUMMARY: Long-read RNA sequencing technologies, including Pacific Biosciences (PacBio) and Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT), enable direct characterization of full-length transcripts and transcriptome complexity. However, analysis of long-read RNA-seq data remains fragmented across multiple tools, limiting the ability to obtain a unified view of transcript structure, expression, and regulatory variation in long-read transcriptomes. We present NextLongIso, a scalable and reproducible Nextflow pipeline that enables coordinated analysis of multiple layers of transcript regulation. Rather than focusing solely on transcript reconstruction, NextLongIso integrates transcript discovery with downstream regulatory analyses to jointly characterize alternative splicing, isoform switching, transcript boundary dynamics (including alternative promoters and …

Ensemble Learning Framework For Predicting Close Proximity Tire–Pavement Noise On Expressways, Woo Young Cho, Jin Hwan Kim, Guk Gon Song, Kyungnam Kim, Youngguk Seo

Faculty Articles

Traffic noise is a critical public health concern affecting millions of highway users and adjacent residents worldwide. In response, many transportation agencies have adopted functional surface materials to reduce noise at the source on pavement, but assessing their effectiveness remains expensive and logistically challenging. Close Proximity (CPX) testing quantifies tire-pavement noise but requires specialized equipment costing $50,000-$126,000 and is limited to existing pavement, preventing proactive noise assessment during pavement design. This study develops machine learning models to predict CPX noise levels from readily available pavement characteristics, eliminating the need for costly tests during design and planning phases. To train and …

Reimagining Access In Nursing Research Methodologies, Elizabeth Straus

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Dismantling structural and systemic ableism in nursing research is essential to the promotion of equity with disability communities; however, issues of access and ableism rarely find their way into dialogues about equity-oriented and anti-oppressive research in nursing. We think with disabled scholars of colour, such as Campbell (2001) and Lewis (2022), who define ableism as a system of beliefs and values that “assigns value to people's bodies and minds based on societally constructed ideas of normalcy, productivity, desirability, intelligence, excellence, and fitness” (Lewis, 2022). Nursing research methodologies and practices tend to be enacted under an assumption that people move, think, …

Reducing The Readmission Rate In Adult Psychiatric Patients With Bipolar Disorder, Jessica Nwokocha

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Purpose: 

The goal of this project was to reduce the readmission rate among patients by improving attendance to the post-hospitalization program through phone call reminders.

Background: 

Review of baseline data at the project site showed a 60% increase in the readmission rate among adult patients with bipolar disorder in May 2025. This analysis demonstrates that the readmission rate in psychiatric hospitals continues to be an issue.

Methodology: 

The project utilized the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) framework to guide implementation over a six-week period, with readmission rates monitored for a 30-day period. Data collected and tracked included patient attendance, completed phone calls, and …

Influence Of Transboundary Wildfire Smoke On Fine Particulate Matter Concentrations At South Texas Border Schools, Sai Deepak Pinakana, Kabir Bahadur Shah, Owen Temby, Dawid K. Wladyka, Juan L. Gonzalez, Md Saydur Rahman, Katarzyna Sepielak, Amit U. Raysoni

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Exposure to air pollutants in indoor and outdoor school environments poses significant health risks to children due to their heightened vulnerability. Increasing wildfire frequency has intensified transboundary smoke transport, with border communities among the first to experience associated air quality impacts. While the impacts of wildfires on air quality are increasingly recognized through satellite observations and modeling, ground-based observations remain scarce in under-monitored regions. Low-cost air sensors were deployed across schools in the Roma and Rio Grande City areas of Starr County, along the U.S.–Mexico border, for 146-days from November 2023 to April 2024. The raw sensor measurements were corrected …

Standardizing Hypertension Care In An Occupational Medicine Clinic: A Quality Improvement Project, Carolyn Duncan

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Hypertension remains a leading modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and inconsistent implementation of evidence-based hypertension management may contribute to variability in patient education, documentation, and follow-up care. This quality improvement project evaluated an evidence-based educational program and a standardized hypertension management workflow, based on the 2025 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) hypertension guidelines, in an occupational medicine clinic. Guided by the Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice, Kotter's 8-Step Change Model, and the Plan-Do-Study-Act framework, the intervention aimed to impact staff self-efficacy, documentation of lifestyle education, and follow-up appointment scheduling. A quantitative quasi-experimental pre-post design was used with …

Recognition Of Autism Characteristics In Females: An Examination Of Stakeholders, Laurel Lyn Bishop

Theses and Dissertations

Autism is a neurodevelopmental communication disorder, characterized by differences in social communication, attention, interests, and sensory perception. Diagnostic criteria have historically applied to males, but clinical diagnostic criteria beginning in 2022 now include slight differences in traits comprising the female phenotype. Until recently, autistic females may be missed by the professional and education community or diagnosed later than males. Like their autistic male counterparts, they face an increased risk of suicidal ideation, but they also face more difficulties in peer relationships, academic problems, and increased anxiety and depressive symptoms, but may not get supports. School-age girls spend their days with …

Multi-Omic Analysis Of Molecular Changes In Haloferax Volcanii Biofilm Development, Joshua Koller

Theses

Biofilms are the predominant lifestyle of microorganisms and offer protection against environmental stress. Archaeal biofilm development remains poorly understood relative to its bacterial counterpart, and the fundamental differences between these two domains prevent direct extrapolation from bacterial models. To address this gap, we used quantitative proteomics and transcriptomics to characterize the molecular changes accompanying biofilm formation and maturation in the model archaeon Haloferax volcanii. Protein and transcript abundance were measured across seven conditions spanning both lifestyles and multiple timepoints, with glycosylated proteoforms quantified as entities distinct from their unmodified counterparts, covering both established biofilm-associated structures and newly identified candidates. Known …

Evaluation Of Mechanical Properties And Seal Strength Of Medical Packaging Materials Before And After Supercritical Co₂ Sterilization, Camila Madriz Pizarro

Theses

The sterilization of medical devices is critical in the prevention of infections in healthcare settings. Ethylene oxide (EtO), gamma irradiation, and steam sterilization have been the standard sterilization processes in healthcare settings, where the packaging system remains the most important barrier between the sterilized instrument/device. Safety concerns and regulatory pushback on conventional sterilization methods have pushed for further research on new sterilization techniques. Among the emerging sterilization technologies, one candidate that has garnered considerable attention is Supercritical CO2 sterilization. However, there is a lack of literature to support the compatibility between scCO2 and common medical packaging materials. The present study …