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Estimating Radiation Dose And Proposing Institutional Diagnostic Reference Levels For Paediatric Fluoroscopy Of Micturating Cystourethrogram: Age- And Weight - Specific Comparisons, Khalid M. Aloufi

Saudi Medical Journal

Objective: To compare age- and weight-specific methods used to estimate radiation doses and to propose institutional diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) for paediatric fluoroscopy of micturating cystourethrogram (MCUG).
Methods: In this retrospective study, MCUG fluoroscopy parameters were gathered for 100 paediatric patients from July 2025 to January 2026. The data included the MCUG paediatric procedures for patients aged 0–15 years. The data were categorized into paediatric weight- and age-specific groups. Paediatric weight-specific groups were ≤ 5, 5 < – 10, 10 < – 20, and >20 kg, and paediatric age-specific groups were ≤ 1, 1 < – 5, 5 < – 10, and < 10 – 15 years old.
Results: Differences were observed in dose area product (DAP) and DRL results for age- …

Potential Drug–Drug Interactions In Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis: A Retrospective Observational Study, Buthainah B. Al-Ammash, Fawaz A. Alharbi, Omar D. Al-Hejaili, Mansour A. Mahmoud, Mazin A. A. Abdelaziz, Alaa I. Alrais, Shahad A. Albakri, Ibrahim F. Alharbi, Sara A. Felemban, Abdullah H. Almatrafi, Salman A. Alabdali, Yaser M. Alahmadi

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To evaluate the prevalence, characteristics, and determinants of potential drug–drug interactions (pDDIs) among patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) undergoing hemodialysis (HD) at a tertiary care hospital in Al-Madinah Al-Monawara, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Methods: Data for this retrospective observational study were extracted from the electronic medical records of adult patients (≥ 18 years) diagnosed with ESRD and receiving hemodialysis (HD) between October 2022 and March 2023. The pDDIs were identified and classified using Lexicomp® (Wolters Kluwer, Alphen aan den Rijn, Netherlands). Descriptive statistics summarized patient characteristics and pDDIs, and univariate logistic regression was implemented to investigate the determinants …

Drooling In Children With Cerebral Palsy: A Narrative Review Of The Current Management Landscape, Kamel A. Alenazi

Saudi Medical Journal

Children with developmental or neurological disorders, such as cerebral palsy, present with impaired motor function, resulting in impaired swallowing, feeding, and drooling. The prevalence of chronic drooling radically changes from 0.5% in children >4 years to 60% in children with neurological ailments. Drooling can have a serious impact on the quality of life of affected children, which can create a sense of isolation and refusal by peers. In addition, drooling results in not only financial but also considerable emotional turmoil for caregivers of affected children, who are frequently confronted with difficulty managing the underlying neurological impairment of their child. In …

Scoping Review Of Mental Health Outcomes Of Cosmetic Procedures Among The Saudi Population, Hessah Alzahrani

Saudi Medical Journal

Objective: To comprehensively examine the mental health outcomes associated with cosmetic procedures among the Saudi population, with a particular focus on psychological well-being, self-esteem, anxiety, body image, and quality of life.
Methods: This scoping review was conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology and reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines. A structured search was performed across international databases, including PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, in addition to national Arabic databases. Studies investigating the psychological outcomes of both surgical (rhinoplasty and body contouring) and …

Quality, Patient Experience, And Service Gaps In Home Healthcare In Saudi Arabia: A Systematic Review Aligned With Vision 2030, Eman Alawad, Rasha M. Mahrous, Lubna A. Elshaib

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To assess the quality of home healthcare (HHC) services, patient experience, and existing service gaps in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Methods: This systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA 2020) statement. PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, and Google Scholar were searched for studies published between January 2011 and January 2025. Eligible studies included observational, qualitative, mixed-methods, and interventional studies conducted in Saudi Arabia that examined home healthcare quality, patient or caregiver experience, or service delivery gaps. Two reviewers independently screened studies, extracted data, and assessed methodological quality …

Implementing Diagnosis-Related Groups For Value-Based Healthcare In Saudi Arabia: A Systematic Review Of Evidence On Barriers And Facilitators, Racha M. Naim, Michelle A. Badore, Justin J. Needle

Saudi Medical Journal

Objective: To examine the barriers and facilitators to implementing Diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, aiming to identify actionable insights for policymakers and stakeholders to advance value-based healthcare (VBHC) adoption effectively.
Methods: A systematic search of bibliographic databases and relevant grey literature was conducted. Data were synthesized using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to categorize barriers and facilitators across 5 domains.
Results: A total of 10 studies met the eligibility criteria. Key facilitators included the adoption of patient classification systems, standardized data sets, government policy support, and the availability of advanced health information systems. Barriers included …

From Bench To Bedside: Evolving Definitions Of Translational Research, Hana A. Alhumud, Fars K. Alanazi, Edward B. Devol

Saudi Medical Journal

Objective: To synthesize current evidence on the evolution, frameworks, and methodological approaches used to define and operationalize translational research, which serves as a bridge between scientific discovery and its application in clinical medicine, public health, and policy.
Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science for peer-reviewed studies published up to 2023. Search terms combined translational research–related keywords (such as ``bench-to-bedside,'' ``implementation science,'' ``precision medicine'') and relevant MeSH terms. Eligible studies focused on conceptual models, frameworks, or methodological approaches related to translational research and were published in English. After duplicate removal and PRISMA-guided screening, 33 publications were included. …

Benchmarking Two Saudi Ba English Programs: Accreditation Alignment, Exit Points, And Cefr Proficiency Targets, Abdullah Ali Altamimi

University of Bisha Journal for Educational Sciences

The Bachelor of Arts in English degree program at the University of Tabuk was benchmarked against both national accreditation requirements and those of a similar institution within the country: Imam Mohammad ibn Saud Islamic University. Through a comparative analysis of the curricula and degree requirements of both universities, including two degree plans and 38 course specifications across five dimensions, the alignment between the two universities’ English department requirements was determined. The alignment of each degree plan was calculated through the use of a 25-point rubric, and each alignment category was summarized within the report. Results indicated that the two-degree programs …

God Save The Keen: Designing For Authentic Over Artificial Learning, Heather J. Leslie Phd

Learning Design Center: Staff Scholarship

While AI has put the transactional model of schooling on steroids, I argue that AI is not the only artificial aspect of education. Grades are an artificial barrier towards authentic learning which decades of research have shown negatively impact intrinsic motivation, intellectual risk-taking, and depth of thinking. In this article, I explore what instructors can do to design authentic learning to center the human learner, not the AI.

God's Not Neutral: Narrative Tropes, Spiritual Warfare, And The Construction Of Evangelical Political Identity In American Christian Fiction, Evelyn L. Mccullough

Dissertations and Theses

Evangelical Christian fiction has reached tens of millions of readers and viewers during the most sustained period of evangelical political mobilization in American history, yet its narrative construction remains largely unexamined. This study asks how recurrent tropes in this genre build the attitudinal and emotional preconditions for political engagement. Combining systematic qualitative content analysis of eight texts spanning four decades (1986–2024) with Critical Discourse Analysis grounded in van Dijk's sociocognitive framework, it traces how storytelling devices connect theological belief to political behavior. The analysis reveals a single organizing logic: the corpus holds one regressive heroic disposition constant while making it …

Kanmultisign: Multi-Scale Sequence-Based Pose Animation From Sign Language Notation With Kolmogorov-Arnold Networks, Guanyi Du, Lintao Wang, Kun Hu, Ziyang Wang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Sign language production from symbolic notation offers a scalable route to accessible sign animation. We present KANMultiSign, a multi-scale sequence generator that translates HamNoSys notation into two-dimensional human pose sequences. Our framework makes two complementary contributions. First, we introduce a coarse-to-fine generation strategy with multi-scale supervision: the model is first guided by an intermediate body–hand–face scaffold to encourage global structural coherence, and then refines fine-grained hand articulation to improve finger-level detail. Second, we investigate integrating Kolmogorov–Arnold Network modules into a Transformer backbone, using learnable univariate function primitives to model the highly non-linear mapping from discrete phonological symbols to continuous body …

Interrupting The First Story: A Lonerganian Claim Audit For Visual Analytics, Ajaya K. Swain

San Jose - Lonergan Chair in Catholic Philosophy

Visualizations can create an impression of immediacy: a pattern appears, an explanation follows, and managerial action can seem warranted before the transitions among observation, interpretation, judgment, and decision have been examined. This conceptual and pedagogical paper develops a Lonerganian Claim Audit for visual analytics, a discipline-specific adaptation of Bernard Lonergan's account of experience, understanding, judgment, and decision. It conceptualizes visual inferential compression as diminished differentiation among these operations, such that confidence generated by a visible pattern transfers to an explanation, an evidential claim, and an action without the distinct warrant required at each transition. The Claim Audit interrupts that movement …

Using Lonergan’S Method To Instruct For The Scholar: St. Mary’S Law Review On Race And Social Justice, Mike Martinez Jr

San Jose - Lonergan Chair in Catholic Philosophy

The Scholar began in the 2000s to bring light to the social justice issues of the day: Hopwood, Proposition 187 in California, Amendment 2 in Colorado, and the aggressive assault on civil rights laws, immigrants’ rights, and bilingual education. The origins of this publication began as a grassroots effort of six law students working to make a difference and contribute to the legal conversation by advocating for traditionally marginalized groups. The vision of the founding editors provided a voice for ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+, immigrants, racial minorities, women, and other disenfranchised groups often silenced in our legal discourse. The concept and …

From Literary Encounter To Responsible Action: Adapting Lonergan's Transcendental Method To En2375, Bonita Pfleiger

San Jose - Lonergan Chair in Catholic Philosophy

Bernard Lonergan characterizes the transcendental method as the “concrete and dynamic unfolding” of human knowing (Lonergan, 1997, p. 454). This unfolding involves the operations of experience, understanding, judgment, and decision. The operations describe the structure of human knowing, while the transcendental precepts express the standards by which they should be carried out: “Be attentive, Be intelligent, Be reasonable, and Be responsible” (p. 450). Together, they provide a cognitive framework for examining how students come to understand, make warranted judgments, and act responsibly. Within philosophical hermeneutics, Hans-Georg Gadamer and Paul Ricoeur describe understanding as an ongoing interpretive process rather than a …

From Consumer Experience To Brand Meaning: Teaching Brand Management Through Lonergan’S Generalized Empirical Method (Gem), Nicole Kirpalani

San Jose - Lonergan Chair in Catholic Philosophy

Teaching marketing involves more than helping students learn disciplinary concepts and frameworks. It also involves developing processes of inquiry that prepare students to analyze complex situations, interpret evidence, exercise judgment, and make thoughtful professional decisions. As marketing practice continues to evolve, marketing education must similarly reconsider how courses, assignments, and learning experiences prepare students for professional practice (Grewal et al., 2025). Lonergan’s Generalized Empirical Method (GEM) offers one framework for structuring this process of inquiry. Lonergan, writing as a philosopher, theologian, and educator, initially described the underlying pattern of conscious operations as the transcendental method. In his later work, he …

Mentorship As A Catalyst For Change Readiness: A Qualitative Study Of How Effective Mentoring Mitigates Burnout And Turnover During Organizational Transformation, Jeffery M. Camp

Journal of Online Mentoring

This qualitative study examined how effective mentorship mitigates burnout and attenuates turnover intention during organizational change, foregrounding the perspectives of experienced mentors. Drawing on Biggs’s presage–process–product (PPP) model, data were collected through semi-structured interviews (n = 12) and two focus group discussions (n = 6 each), engaging 18 unique mentors employed in organizations with 1,000 or more employees. Thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke’s six-phase protocol yielded four themes: (1) mentorship as strategic facilitation of organizational change; (2) mentorship as provision of emotional and psychological support; (3) empowering mentees through relationship-building; and (4) applying adaptive and reflective strategies. …

Pediatric Transthoracic Echocardiography, Mohamed Elsisy, Prerna Bansal

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Since cardiac sonography was introduced in the 1950s, echocardiography has become the first-line noninvasive imaging modality for evaluating cardiac anatomy, physiology, and hemodynamic abnormalities in neonates, infants, and children. Echocardiography is indispensable for diagnosing congenital heart disease (CHD) because of its widespread availability, real-time capability, and minimal adverse effects. Unlike adult echocardiography, pediatric echocardiography often requires a detailed understanding of congenital heart defects and specialized techniques for obtaining high-quality images in small children who may have difficulty remaining still. The reliability of a transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) depends on the performer’s skills and knowledge, adherence to standardized pediatric echocardiography protocols, optimal …

Sudden Death In Athletes, Khashayar Farzam, Venkat Rajasurya, Mohamed Elsisy, Thaer Ahmad

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Sudden death in athletes is a tragic occurrence in sports medicine, cardiology, primary care, and pediatrics. By far, the most common cause of unexpected death in younger athletes during competition is cardiac disease, usually of congenital origin. However, the use of anabolic steroids, peptide hormones, and stimulants has led to the emergence of acquired heart disease in younger and middle-aged athletes. In contrast, sudden death in an older athlete is typically due to atherosclerotic coronary artery disease.

Various congenital cardiac disorders occur in the general population. Most can be categorized as structural or nonstructural. Congenital structural heart disease generally affects …

The Role Of Nurses In Interprofessional Pharmaceutical Care: A Qualitative Descriptive Study Of International Expert Perspectives, Marko Petrovic, Mirko Prosen

Individual Open Access Articles

Introduction: Pharmaceutical care has evolved from a pharmacist-led model to an interprofessional approach involving doctors, pharmacists, and nurses. Effective collaboration is key to patient safety and treatment optimisation, yet it is often hindered by hierarchical systems, unclear roles, and poor communication. A lack of formalised frameworks further limits collaboration.

Aim: This study explores interprofessional collaboration in pharmaceutical care, focusing on the role of nurses, their involvement in collaborative practice, and the competencies essential for effective teamwork as identified by international experts.

Methods: A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews was conducted with five international experts, selected through purposive sampling. Data were …

Recent Advances In Bioethanol Production From Water Hyacinth: A Critical Review, Umuamina A. Matola, Mahir Mohammed Said, Olga-Ioanna Kalantzi, Abraham K. Temu

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Water hyacinth (WH) is a highly invasive tropical aquatic weed with high holocellulose and low lignin content, making it a promising lignocellulosic feedstock for second-generation bioethanol production. Producing bioethanol from WH offers a sustainable approach to simultaneously managing invasive biomass and producing renewable energy. This review critically evaluates recent advancements in bioethanol production from WH by examining pretreatment, hydrolysis, and fermentation technologies reported between 2014 and 2024. A PRISMA-guided literature search was conducted using the Scopus and Web of Science databases, and fifty-nine original research articles were selected for analysis. The reviewed studies were comparatively assessed based on pretreatment strategies, …

Reducing Nurse Burnout Within A Pediatric Specialty Unit At A Midwest Hospital By Incorporating A Peer Mentor Program, Amanda Ortmeier, Gina Crudden

Group: Nebraska Methodist College

Problem: Burnout among nurses continues to negatively impact staff well-being, patient safety, and job satisfaction. Pediatric specialty units face unique stressors related to high patient acuity, emotional demands, complex interdisciplinary collaboration, and family interactions. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to implement and evaluate a structured peer mentorship program aimed at reducing nurse burnout within a pediatric specialty unit at a Midwestern hospital and to provide mentor education designed to improve mentor self-efficacy and preparedness.

Intervention: Maslach’s Burnout Theory served as the guiding framework for this project, which implemented a 45-day structured peer mentorship program in which experienced …

Co-Prescribing Naloxone With Opioids In The Emergency Department, Autumn K. Boyd, Gina Crudden, Shelley Hultman

Group: Nebraska Methodist College

Problem: The opioid epidemic continues to contribute to significant morbidity and mortality in the United States, with inconsistent naloxone access among high-risk patients discharged with opioid prescriptions. The purpose of this project was to implement and evaluate a naloxone co-prescribing process for high-risk adult patients discharged from the emergency department (ED) while enhancing staff knowledge and confidence in naloxone co-prescribing practices over a 30-day period.

Intervention: Guided by the Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice, this project implemented the Opioid Risk Tool (ORT) to identify ED patients at increased risk for opioid misuse and provided a structured educational program for ED …

Bridging The Gap: Enhancing Adult Cancer Survivors’ Self-Efficacy To Spark Activation Through Evidence-Based Community Support, Julie L. Chytil

Group: Nebraska Methodist College

Problem: The number of cancer survivors in the United States is continuing to grow and yet cancer survivors often lack the knowledge of community resources available to them. Survivors must not only know that resources and programs exist but also trust that these tools are relevant and beneficial to them.

Intervention: The purpose of this project was to implement evidence-based strategies in a community setting to improve self-efficacy among adults who are transitioning from frontline cancer treatment to the next phase of survivorship. Strengthening self-efficacy is an important step toward increasing potential future patient activation and supporting long-term survivorship outcomes. …

Martinelli, Kathleen A (1956-2024), San Jose State University

Emeritus and Retired Faculty Biographies

Stanford University, Communication Theory & Research, Special Area–Political Science, 1993 Ph.D.

Ball State University, Public Relations, Economics concentration, 1985 M.A.

Ball State University, Journalism (Public Relations Sequence) & English (double major), 1979 B.S.

Exploring Consultancy-Related Variations In Public Building Projects: A Review Towards A Management Framework, Grayson Bambaza, Ismail W. R. Taifa, George S, Mwaluko

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Consultancy-related variations remain one of the leading causes of cost overruns, schedule delays, quality deficiencies, and contractual disputes in public building projects. Although various studies have been undertaken to document the causes of variations in construction works, the same level of interest has not been shown for consulting services variations across the consulting services spectrum and their consequences for effective management. This study explores variations in consulting services for public works by systematically reviewing the existing literature using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta Analyses) guidelines. Relevant articles published from 2020 to 2026 were retrieved from …

Urban Spatial Development Control In Tanzania: Analysis Of Factors Influencing Gis Application Using Structural Equation Modelling (Sem)., Happiness Protas Mmanda, Nestory Yamungu

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Rapid urbanization in developing countries has intensified urban expansion, creating challenges for sustainable development. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) enhance spatial planning, but empirical evidence on factors influencing their effectiveness remains limited. This study examines determinants of GIS application in Urban Spatial Development Control (USDC). The objectives are to (1) identify and categorize factors affecting GIS use, (2) assess relative strength, and (3) develop a validated structural model explaining GIS adoption in USDC. Data were collected from 103 LGAs by a mixed sampling method. Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis classified influencing factors into technology-related (α = 0.869, CR = 0.881), process-related …

Decision Support Tool For The Maintenance Of Meter Gauge Railway Permanent-Way Infrastructures: A Concept Paper, Hamisi J. Maulid, Beatus A.T Kundi, Juma M. Matindana, Ismail W. R. Taifa Dr

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

A Decision Support Tool (DST) represents a transformative way of modernising maintenance practice on the permanent-way infrastructure of Meter Gauge Railway (MGR). Maintenance practice remains largely reactive, as the MGR plays a strategic role in transporting both freight and passengers, resulting in inefficient resource allocation, high operational risk, and growing Lifecycle expenses. This concept paper explores the potential and the design challenges for a DST that combines fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (Fuzzy-AHP) modelling, multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA), Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and predictive machine learning (ML) analytics for evidence-based, future-oriented maintenance management. The paper draws on peer-reviewed studies from …

Toward A Polyvocal Semantic Infrastructure For Tabletop Role-Playing Game Research: A Scoping Review Of Multimedia Play Data, Cristo Leon, Julian Marcone

STEM for Success Resources

This article presents a scoping review of 35 studies examining multimedia data in tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) research and proposes a Polyvocal Semantic Infrastructure (PSI) for organizing, connecting, retrieving, and reusing multimodal evidence. The framework emphasizes provenance, interpretive plurality, and future AI-assisted analysis while preserving the contextual richness of TTRPG scholarship.

Shu World Review- September 14th 2026, Diplolab, Seton Hall University

SHU World Review

No abstract provided.

Chimes: September 14, 2026, Calvin University

Chimes

French Film Festival running through October 7 by Ava Roush

International students to face new DHS rule, starting Tuesday by Ian Tjoelker

Calvin Soccer “kicks off” season the with 6-0 shutout at home by Alex Parker

Intentionality in small numbers: 2026 IMPACT retreat for students of color by Jorie Cho

Journaling as an act of resistance by Maia Peterson

What is green space and why does it matter? by Lucas Phelps