Digital Commons Network^™

Probation Officers’ Perspectives Of Outside Services In Reducing Recidivism, Karla Murguia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research has underscored the critical role of probation officers in improving rates of recidivism. However, the literature on the comprehensive impact of outside services on recidivism was sparse and underdeveloped. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how probation officers in court services and a community corrections agency in Garden City, Kansas perceived the utility of outside services in reducing adult recidivism for probationers. Ecological systems theory was used to guide the study. Eight probation officers recruited via purposive sampling participated in semistructured interviews. Transcribed data were analyzed using a six-step thematic analysis protocol. Findings revealed that probationers …

Core State Injury Prevention Program Listening Sessions Report June 2025 Report, Camille Velarde, Yvonnie Baik, Elena Martinez, Theresa Cruz

Reports & Documents

Background: Injury and violence remain pressing public health challenges in New Mexico, particularly in rural and underserved communities. To inform prevention strategies, the University of New Mexico Prevention Research Center partnered with the New Mexico Department of Health and local organizations to conduct community listening sessions focused on upstream approaches addressing shared risk and protective factors.

Methods: Four listening sessions were conducted in 2025 with stakeholders from county health councils and community organizations. Using a rapid qualitative analysis approach, researchers analyzed participant perspectives on local injury and violence concerns, familiarity with upstream frameworks, and communication preferences.

Results: Participants identified overlapping …

The Role Of Langmuir Circulation In Coastal Flows Driven By Wind, Waves And Tides, Thathsarani Dilini Herath Herath Mudiyanselage

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Langmuir Circulation (LC) is a wind and wave-driven process and is a key driver of vertical mixing and transport in the ocean. In coastal shelf regions, LC can span the entire water column, linking surface and bottom boundary layers and amplifying turbulent mixing. However, the influence of LC on vertical mixing and cross-shelf transport in shallow, tidally forced coastal waters remains poorly understood. This dissertation addresses this knowledge gap by developing a novel modeling framework based on the Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations, offering a computationally efficient alternative to more resource-intensive Large Eddy Simulations (LES).

The proposed RANS-based approach is first …

Democracy, Expertise, And The Disinformation Problem, Richard Randall Frohock Iv

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Experts are an essential part of our social epistemology. They grant us access to knowledge that would otherwise be inaccessible. Because of this, experts are also typically seen as invaluable political contributors. Without expert contributions, public policy risks being ill-informed and therefore incapable of addressing society’s needs. Recently, however, the extent to which expertise should inform public policy has come into question. Fueled largely by disinformation, there is a growing movement against traditional experts. Those within this movement argue that experts have overstepped their bounds and are working against the societies they are meant to be helping. Fearing that that …

Does Practice Make Perfect? Examining The Impact Of Text-Based Reminders On Adherence In The Helping Our Toddlers, Developing Our Children’S Skills Program, Lauren Patrusky

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs) are prevalent in approximately 17% of children ages birth to 5 years (CDC, 2023). DBDs can significantly impact a child’s learning, social-emotional wellbeing, and ability to develop and maintain healthy relationship (CDC, 2023). Behavioral parent training (BPT) has been proven effective in reducing disruptive behavior and improving parent-child relationships. However, many families do not fully engage in treatment, leading to poor outcomes for both the child and the family. Chacko (2016) describes BPT engagement as enrolling in treatment, attending weekly sessions, participating in group discussions or role plays in sessions, practicing skills between sessions, and completing …

A Review Of Plant–Microbe Interactions In The Rhizosphere And The Role Of Root Exudates In Microbiome Engineering, Anagha Wankhade, Emma Wilkinson, David W. Britt, Amita Kaundal

Biological Engineering Student Research

Microbial interactions within the rhizosphere are fundamental to plant health, influencing nutrient availability, stress tolerance, and pathogen resistance. Beneficial microbes, such as plant growth-promoting microbes (PGPMs), including bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi, enhance plant resilience through mechanisms like nutrient solubilization, phytohormone production, and pathogen suppression via antimicrobial compounds and siderophores. Root exudates, composed of sugars, organic acids, and secondary metabolites, act as chemoattractants that shape the rhizosphere microbiome by recruiting beneficial microbes. Microbial metabolites can, in turn, modulate plant physiology and exudate profiles, thereby reinforcing mutualistic interactions. Stress conditions alter exudate composition, enabling plants to attract specific microbes that aid in …

Selecting An Internal Carbon Price For Academic Institutions, Alexander R. Barron, Dimitra Prassa

Environmental Science and Policy: Faculty Publications

Many businesses have adopted internal carbon prices (ICPs) to help drive smarter business decisions, innovation, and emissions reductions. The objective of this white paper is to provide a framework that institutions, particularly those in higher education, can use as they think about selecting a price in the context of their own goals for an ICP.

Second Nature’s recent 2025 Carbon Markets and Offsets guidance recommends that: “colleges and universities develop a climate action strategy that includes some type of internal carbon pricing, either as a mechanism to inform climate-positive decision-making or as a mechanism for generating revenue estimates for decarbonization …

Correction: Identification Of A Fusobacterial Rna-Binding Protein Involved In Host Small Rna-Mediated Growth Inhibition, Pu-Ting Dong, Mengdi Yang, Jie Hu, Lujia Cen, Peng Zhou, Difei Xu, Peng Xiong, Jiahe Li, Xuesong He

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

A Conditional Point Cloud Diffusion Model For Deformable Liver Motion Tracking Via A Single Arbitrarily-Angled X-Ray Projection, Jiacheng Xie, Hua-Chieh Shao, Yunxiang Li, Shunyu Yan, Chenyang Shen, Jing Wang, You Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective. Deformable liver motion tracking using a single x-ray projection enables real-time motion monitoring and treatment intervention. We introduce a conditional point cloud diffusion (PCD) model-based framework for accurate and robust liver motion tracking from arbitrarily angled single x-ray projections. Approach. We propose a conditional PCD model for liver motion tracking (PCD-Liver), which estimates volumetric liver motion by solving deformable vector fields (DVFs) of a prior liver surface point cloud, based on a single x-ray image. It is a patient-specific model of two main components: a rigid alignment model to estimate the liver’s overall shifts, and a conditional PCD …

Porous Calcium Carbonate-Poly-2-Acrylamido-2-Methylpropanesulfonic Acid Microspheres Embedded With Silver-Based Nanoparticles As Potential Antibacterial Carriers For Bone Infections, Novi Dwi Widya Rini, Adinda Asmoro, Systi Adi Rachmawati, Husaini Ardy, Akfiny Hasdi Aimon, Akihiro Kishimura, Yoshiki Katayama, Arie Wibowo

Makara Journal of Science

Implant-associated infections (IAIs) are a significant complication following orthopedic surgeries and are mainly caused by Staphylococcus aureus. In this study, microspheres based on hybrid calcium carbonate–poly-2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid (CaCO₃-PAMPS) embedded with silver-based nanoparticles (AgNPs) were developed as potential antibacterial drug carriers for IAIs. AgNPs were prepared via a green synthesis approach, which employed Indonesian wild honey as a reducing and capping agent. PAMPS concentrations (0.025%, 0.050%, and 0.075% w/v) and silver ion (Ag⁺) concentrations in solution (0%, 2.5%, and 4% w/v) were varied. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that samples with 0.050% w/v PAMPS and …

Phylogenetic Analysis Of Ftsz In Wolbachia: Implications For Host Specificity, Anwar Rovik, Ayu Rahayu

Makara Journal of Science

Wolbachia are the most prevalent and successful endosymbiont in invertebrates and are categorized into 21 supergroups based on genetic phylogeny. The filamenting temperature-sensitive Z (FtsZ) protein is essential for bacterial cell division and is hypothesized to play a role in Wolbachia's control of host reproduction. However, despite FtsZ's importance, little is known about its diversity and function within Wolbachia. This study investigated the variability of the FtsZ-encoding gene among Wolbachia strains and their hosts. FtsZ gene sequences were retrieved from the National Center for Biotechnology Information database, and representative sequences were randomly selected from each host species and analyzed …

Pharmaceutical Innovation Through Computational Drug Design: A Comprehensive Exploration, Manasa Chandramouli, Madhusudhan Heggadadevanakote Surendra

Makara Journal of Science

Chemical biology and computer-aided drug design (CADD) are crucial for identifying and optimizing lead molecules in drug development. Chemical biology is employed to determine the biological function of the target and the mode of action of a chemical modulator. At the same time, in CADD, promising candidate medications are identified based on the structure of the target or known bioactive ligands. Structure-based and ligand-based drug designs should be used in tandem, and their integration with experimental methods can considerably accelerate drug design. Furthermore, the use of CADD along with conventional experimental approaches increases the efficiency and accuracy of the discovery …

Synthesis Of Carboxymethyl Cellulose From Nypa Fruticans For Coating Metformin On Zn-Based Metal-Organic Framework Nanohybrid As A Bionanocomposite Drug Delivery System, Delviani Delviani, Viola Giary Rizkillah Maharani, Putri Nur Shadrina, Tri Warni, Regina Wan Azizah, Indra Lasmana Tarigan, Madyawati Latief

Makara Journal of Science

Diabetes is a common and rapidly spreading disease that affects 6.6% of the world’s population. Metformin hydrochloride (HCl) is an effective oral pharmacological treatment for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients because of its capability to reduce glucose levels and the risk of hypoglycaemia. However, gastrointestinal sensitivities to this drug can cause diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting and stomach ache. An alternative is controlled release technology by coating metformin with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and zinc-metal-organic framework (Zn-MOF) through the encapsulation method. Therefore, this study aimed to coat metformin formulations using CMC in a Zn-MOF to control release into the body and minimise …

Isolation And Selection Of Bacillus Spp. As Candidate Probiotics For Use In Chickens, Adilah Adawiah, Komang Gede Wiryawan, Anja Meryandini

Makara Journal of Science

The growth rate of chickens can be improved by using probiotics as alternatives to antibiotics. Bacillus spp. as probiotics are particularly beneficial due to ability to form spores, which remain stable as commercial products over extended periods. This study aimed to isolate and select Bacillus spp. from Jasinga soil as probiotic candidates for chickens. A total of 15 isolates obtained of these, 12 were identified as Bacillus spp based on microscopic observations and screening test including ascertaining hemolysis, protease, amylase, and cellulase activities. Only six isolates exhibited gamma hemolysis and the ability to hydrolyze proteins, starch, and cellulose. Isolates BTJ1.1, …

Removal Of Heavy Metals From Motorcycle Washing Wastewater Using A Zeolite-Embedded Sheet, Noverita Dian Takarina, Hanies Ambarsari, Sekar Arum Pramudyawardhani, Maria Fatima Niken Kris Rahmawati, Erni Johan, Naoto Matsue, Mohammad Afdhal Adidharma

Makara Journal of Science

The increased use of motorcycles for transportation has heightened environmental challenges related to their washing, particularly the discharge of untreated wastewater containing heavy metals, such as copper (Cu) and lead (Pb), into drainage systems. This study explored the effectiveness of zeolite-embedded sheets (ZESs) in the removal of these pollutants from motorcycle washing wastewater. ZESs were prepared through treatment of nonwoven sheets with Linder Type A (LTA Zeolite) powder and heat treatment, washing, and drying. Characterization was performed via scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Over a 60 min adsorption period, the ZES achieved removal …

Relationships Between Guanxi Of Mega Individuals, Social Support, And Dual Innovation Performance: The Moderating Effect Of Interpersonal Capitalization Competence, Beilei Huang, Jinhua Zhang, Xiyuan Li

Plymouth Business School

The purpose of this research is to explore the mechanism by which strong or weak guanxi constructed by mega individuals with interpersonal skills affect incremental or breakthrough innovation performance. Based on the questionnaire of 525 mega individuals, this study has verified that strong guanxi cannot directly affect the incremental innovation performance, but the intermediary variables need Indirect effects of emotional, instrumental, and information support). In addition, the affection support obtained by mega individuals has no positive impact on breakthrough innovation performance. Meanwhile, it is also verified that information support plays a mediating role in weak guanxi and breakthrough innovation performance, …

Standing Up For Medical Microbiology, L.T. Joshi, Timothy J.J. Inglis

Peninsula Dental School

No abstract provided.

Multimodal Imaging Directs Decision Making In Intraseptal L-Aaoca, Joseph Burns, Lindsay F Eilers, Stephen J Dolgner, Edward J Hickey, Silvana Molossi

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Congenital coronary artery abnormalities represent an uncommon class of congenital heart disease with an associated risk of sudden cardiac death. There is a paucity of data for the evaluation and management of affected patients with an intraseptal course.

Case summary: A 27-year-old woman was found to have a single coronary trunk arising from the right sinus with a 2.7 cm intraseptal course of the left main coronary artery. She underwent stress cardiac magnetic resonance and catheterization, to assess for inducible ischemia before surgical repair with transconal unroofing. Her recovery was uneventful, and she remains free of symptoms.

Discussion: Management …

Phytoremediation Of Lead Heavy Metals In The Mangrove Ecosystem Of The Lembar Harbor Area, West Lombok Regency, Indonesia, Firman Ali Rahman/Firman, Muhammad Shohibul Ihsan, Dwi Agustini, Ervina Titi Jayanti

Makara Journal of Science

Mangroves play a vital role as bioindicator plants in port areas with the potential for non-essential heavy metal contamination. This study aimed to determine the potential for phytoremediation of lead heavy metal in mangrove vegetation resulting from port operations. The research was conducted in the mangrove ecosystem of Lembar Harbor, West Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Substrate, leaf, and root samples were collected using a purposive random sampling technique and analysis for testing the lead heavy metal content using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The results showed that the average heavy metal content of lead accumulated in the substrate in each …

Thai Elderly’S Working Needs During 2007–2021: Empirical Findings On Aging Health Status And Impact From Thai Elderly Financial Support Policy, Ratchaphon Amsuk

Asia-Pacific Social Science Review

Thailand has implemented many initiatives in response to the growing older population. One of the objectives was to increase revenue through employment. This study examines the employment demands of the elderly population by considering their health status, eyesight, and hearing capacity, with the aim of improving the provision of employment support for the elderly. The data from the survey of older persons during 2007–2021 were examined. The results revealed that the Thai elderly’s working needs are likely to continually increase. However, their health status, eyesight capability, and hearing ability significantly affected the elderly’s working opportunities. One intriguing discovery pertained to …

Chemotype- And Target-Driven Genome Mining For A New Natural Product Inhibitor Of Bacterial Peptide Deformylase, Jonas H Costa-Martini, Eva E Adams, Chad W Johnston

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Antibiotics are essential for modern medicine, but their use drives the evolution of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) that limits the long-term efficacy of any one drug. To keep pace with AMR and preserve our ability to treat bacterial infections, it is essential that we identify antibiotics with new structures and targets that are not affected by clinical resistance. Historically, most developmental candidates for antibiotics have come from microbial natural products, as they feature chemical structures and biological activities that have been honed over millions of years of evolution. Unfortunately, as classical bioactivity screens for natural product discovery are blind to the …

Author Correction: Beta Activity In Human Anterior Cingulate Cortex Mediates Reward Biases, Jiayang Xiao, Joshua A Adkinson, John Myers, Anusha B Allawala, Raissa K Mathura, Victoria Pirtle, Ricardo Najera, Nicole R Provenza, Eleonora Bartoli, Andrew J Watrous, Denise Oswalt, Ron Gadot, Adrish Anand, Ben Shofty, Sanjay J Mathew, Wayne K Goodman, Nader Pouratian, Xaq Pitkow, Kelly R Bijanki, Benjamin Hayden, Sameer A Sheth

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Mapping Mave Data For Use In Human Genomics Applications, Jeremy A Arbesfeld, Estelle Y Da, James S Stevenson, Kori Kuzma, Anika Paul, Tierra Farris, Benjamin J Capodanno, Sally B Grindstaff, Kevin Riehle, Nuno Saraiva-Agostinho, Jordan F Safer, Jonathan Casper, Maximilian Haeussler, Aleksandar Milosavljevic, Julia Foreman, Helen V Firth, Sarah E Hunt, Sumaiya Iqbal, Melissa S Cline, Alan F Rubin, Alex H Wagner

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Experimental data from functional assays have a critical role in interpreting the impact of genetic variants. Assay data must be unambiguously mapped to a reference genome to make it accessible, but it is often reported relative to assay-specific sequences, complicating downstream use and integration of variant data across resources. To make multiplexed assays of variant effect (MAVE) data more broadly available to the research and clinical communities, the Atlas of Variant Effects Alliance mapped MAVE data from the MaveDB community database to human reference sequences, creating an extensive set of machine-readable homology mappings that are incorporated into widely used …

Anti-Transforming Growth Factor-Β Treatment Shows Increased Bone Mass And Strength In A Novel Mouse Model For Osteogenesis Imperfecta Type I, Ellen Busschers, Yuqing Chen-Everson, Mary Adeyeye, I-Wen Song, Emily Busse, Alexis Castellon, Oscar Ruiz, Nicole Meyers, Yangjin Bae, Catherine Ambrose, Brendan Lee

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Anti-transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) is a promising approach for the treatment of osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). To date, preclinical and clinical studies for the use of anti-TGF-β therapy have focused on moderate to severe OI caused by qualitative defects in collagen. However, the majority of OI patients are represented by type I OI. Mutations resulting in the haploinsufficiency of type I collagen is the cause of OI type I in the majority of patients. To study the effect of anti-TGF-β therapy in type I OI, we generated a novel mouse model for OI type I. CMV-CRE mice were crossed to …

Cannabis Use In Women And Sexual Dysfunction, Becky K. Lynn, Julia D. López, Morgan E. Link, E C. Campian

2020-Current year OA Pubs

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Artificial Intelligence On Ecojustice And Ethics, Vishnu S. Pendyala

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has attained human-level performance in tasks like text summarization, machine translation, and code generation while handling multimodal data. Despite these advances, AI poses challenges such as generating false or biased outputs, causing discrimination, and exhibiting opaque decision-making processes that hinder bias mitigation. Additionally, training large language models (LLMs) for AI consumes substantial energy and can enable autonomous warfare, posing a threat to eco-justice, and raising sustainability concerns. Their ability to create realistic content poses the risk of misuse and perpetuating misinformation. This article addresses these ethical issues and presents solutions through regulation and technology, with examples of …

Dynamics Of Development Of The Main Areas Of Cooperation Between Kazakhstan And Japan: Comparative Analysis And Assessment Of Prospects, Laila Nurseitova, Zhanar Ashinova, Shioya Akifumi, Aliya Rymbekova

Asia-Pacific Social Science Review

The importance of the study is defined by the need for a complete assessment of the existing situation and the potential for further growth of major sectors of cooperation between Kazakhstan and Japan in the context of increasing global instability. The purpose of the study is to assess the current state and outline prospects for further intensification of political dialogue, trade, economic ties, and humanitarian contacts, considering the national interests of the parties. Historical-genetic and comparative-historical methods, methods of typologisation, analysis, and comparative and statistical analysis are used to assess the dynamics of the development of bilateral relations. The steady …

Medical Populism And Epistemic Rights, Kurt Christian B. Tubera, Mark Anthony Dacela

Asia-Pacific Social Science Review

Medical populism, a performance-based political style that orchestrates antagonistic relations between the people and medical establishments, has served as a concept for analyzing the politicization of healthcare. With its four fundamental features, that is, invoking knowledge claims contrary to medical experts’ advice, simplifying discourse, dramatizing responses to public health crises, and forging divisions, medical populism compromises our access to accurate medical or public health information. Populist leaders abuse their epistemic authority and betray public trust when they propagate false information, medical or otherwise. And insofar as accurate medical or public health information is an epistemic good that we have the …

Penyalahgunaan Kekuasaan Dan Viktimisasi Proyek Strategis Nasional Di Pulau Rempang, Dandi Jayusman, Annarentika Faajra Shakhila, Benedikta Wewieta Li Pena, Elly Saskia, Esterlita Nova Yaser Rantung, Heni Nur Febriyanti, Athifah Danika Pramesti

Jurnal Hukum & Pembangunan

Implementing the National Strategic Project (PSN) on Rempang Island caused controversy over the abuse of power that harmed some local communities. This research aims to analyze the conception of victims of abuse of power in the implementation of PSN, the structural victimization of PSN, the impact of PSN victimization, and the regulation of the rights of people affected by PSN. The research method used is doctrinal research with statutory regulations, victimology, and case approaches. The study shows that communities who experienced repression and violence during the implementation of PSN on Rempang Island are victims of abuse of power. Structural victimization …

The Gift Shop - Celebrates (A Journey Just Begun)

University anniversary celebration materials

No abstract provided.