Digital Commons Network^™

Toward Sustainable Water Security: A Novel Assessment And Recharge Strategy For North Bekaa Plain, Rida Tadmouri, Amin Shaban, Mohamad Soliman

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

The demand for water in the northern Bekaa Plain is of utmost significance, especially given the substantial portion of land dedicated to irrigated agriculture. Additionally, the region experiences population growth, further exacerbating the water supply challenge. Understanding the groundwater potential zones and identifying appropriate recharge areas are crucial steps towards sustainable water resource management. The study focuses on reaching the best solutions for the study area, by utilizing advanced Geographic Information System (GIS) tools, including overlying slope, rainfall, lithology, attitude, soil, fracture, and stream maps, a Groundwater Potential (GWP) map was generated using ArcGIS. This map serves as a valuable …

Numerical Investigation Of Heat Transfer And Aero-Acoustic Response In Deep Cavity Flows Using Urans Simulations, Abdul Hamid Jabado, Ali Hammoud, Bilal El Zohbi, Bilal Taher, Hassan Assoum

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

This paper presents a numerical study to investigate a deep cavity flow, in order to better understand the underlying mechanisms involved in it, such as flow dynamics, heat transfer, and aeroacoustics. A 2-D Unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes model (URANS) was implemented using an SST k-ω turbulence closure simulated over a rectangular deep cavity. Previous experimental results were used to validate the numerical results, to confirm the accuracy of the flow field patterns reproduced. Both controlled and uncontrolled cases were analyzed. Heat transfer was also investigated on both configurations, showing the effect of cavity geometry and inlet conditions on heat …

Assessment Of Outdoor Thermal Human Comfort Over Houche Al-Oumara, North Lebanon, Ali Adnan Shaar, Ismail Ibrahim Abbas, Mahmoud Ahmed Hewehy, El-Sayed Mohamed Abdel-Hamid Robaa, Mohammed Salah El-Din Mostafa

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

This study examined thermal discomfort in Houche Al-Oumara between 1994 and 2021 using several discomfort indices and analyzing temperature, relative humidity, and rainfall data. The results showed that July and August recorded markedly higher mean temperatures than all other months, with July having the highest temperature overall. In contrast, January was identified as the coldest month. The study found a steady rise in mean air temperature from January to July, followed by a steady decline from July to December. Relative humidity showed the same pattern but in the opposite direction. Fewer than half of the residents experienced thermal discomfort during …

Ai In Society: A Regulatory Framework For Responsible Integration, Ziad Doughan, Sari Itani, Hadi Al Mubasher

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

This review paper studies the influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) on society in various categories in detail. AI and ML have developed rapidly in the past two decades, thus changing our lifestyles. These developments have various positive and negative impacts on society. This paper explores the many societal impacts of AI and ML, in economics, social aspects, ethics, and policy, shedding light on the opportunities and challenges that arise. An interdisciplinary insight is capable of understanding the challenges society faces when it uses AI and ML, locking opportunities that lie ahead and identifying promising paths towards …

Prevalence Of Sexual Harassment Among Nurses And Nursing Students In A Culturally Conservative Country, Hanadi Mohamad Nur Steitiyeh, Fatin Ahmad Safa, Jana Daoud Al Hajj Daoud, Adam Tarek Ikkawi, Sahed Ali Fawaz, Hiba Deek

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

The prevalence of sexual harassment among nurses and nursing students in Lebanon is an unidentified social concern. This study aims to identify this prevalence and assess the related factors. Using a self-administered questionnaire the sociodemographic characteristics, workplace variables, physical appearance, and the Sexual Experience Questionnaire (SEQ) were assessed, the data was analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25. A total of 380 participated with 71.8% being female and 63.9% aged between 18 and 25. Sexual harassment was experienced by 91 participants (23.9%) and occurred mainly in the patients’ rooms and during procedures. Policies were absent or …

Teacher-Implemented Scaffolding, Sara Dominguez, Vanessa Svihla

Organization, Information and Learning Sciences ETDs

Teacher-implementing scaffolding is fundamental in teaching that was disrupted by the sudden move to emergency remote teaching during the pandemic.  A review of research found trends based on grade and subject and that teacher’s responsiveness was the main contingent processes reported.  Based on this a survey was developed and an exploratory factor analysis was completed.  An analysis of the survey results found differences in teacher agency, self-efficacy, and the supports used when comparing in-person and online teacher-implemented scaffolding.  Qualitative results further support findings and describe teachers’ perspective on the change to the environment, adaptations made, and hinderances noted while supporting …

Making Sense: Envy In Libanius' Declamation 30, Andrew Scholtz

Middle Eastern and Ancient Mediterranean Studies (MEAMS) Faculty Scholarship

Declamation, a genre famous for its sometimes extravagant fictions, has lately been approached as a vehicle for declaimers to reflect on realities familiar to them and their audiences. Reading Libanius' rarely discussed Declamation 30 in just such a self-reflective key, I argue that it explores the mindset of the phthoneros, the "envious man," as a way to make sense of risks posed by unscrupulous rivals. To shed light on this sense-making, I analyze High- and Late-Imperial emotion scripts foregrounding envy’s power to catalyze the formation of dysfunctional networks within and around competitive situations.

Pacs Viewbook 2026-2027, Program In Audiology And Communication Sciences

PACS News

No abstract provided.

Size Discrimination In Goldfish (Carassius Auratus), Johnna Patrick

Theses & ETDs

Quantitative abilities in fish have been previously observed, including in natural behaviors such as shoaling and various laboratory tasks. Two-choice visual discrimination tasks require individuals to differentiate between stimuli, and when conditioned, individuals can demonstrate learning of stimulus value. The concept of understanding ordinal relationships has been reported in goldfish (Carassius auratus) before, although no studies have explicitly tested primarily size discrimination. The current study tested four goldfish on their ability to perceive and swim through large vs. small holes, using an adapted methodology and expansion of similar literature. It also tested what the goldfish were learning during the discrimination …

Nova Law Review Full Issue Volume 50, Issue 1

Nova Law Review

No abstract provided.

Monkeywrenching The Curriculum: Curricular Subversion As An Act Of Care, Matthew Clay Ph.D., Paul Parkison

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

This conceptual analysis suggests that the practice of monkeywrenching, borrowed from environmental activism, can serve as an action by teachers to address this challenge. Monkeywrenching consists of direct action subversion, applied to curricula for the sake of specific students, and is constituted as an act of care as described by Nel Noddings. Specific consideration of sustainability education indicates that curriculum subversion through monkeywrenching can be a powerful tool in demonstrating care for place and students.

Brambles: Place-Based Learning Plan For The Msum Regional Science Center, Drew Vogt

OER Materials

The goal of this assignment was to design an immersive, place-based learning experience that helps preservice teachers engage with their region’s environment of the MSUM Regional Science Center. This lesson uses inquiry-based learning through exploration of bramble plants. Students' activity engages in their learning through hands-on exploration, observation, and curiosity. Students observe the structure and function of bramble plants and their relationship with the surrounding environment. This lesson encourages curiosity and critical thinking skills to drive learning to better understand how plants interact with their environment.

Mechanistic Auditing Of Privacy Retention In Llm Summarization, Samreen Begum

Computer Science and Engineering Theses - Archive

Anonymized summarization aims to produce useful summaries while replacing person names with placeholders such as [PERSON]. In practice, privacy is often evaluated by checking that no real names appear in the generated text. However, suppressing a name in the output does not guarantee that the model has removed identity information from its internal computation. This gap is critical in collaborative inference frameworks, where intermediate internal states (ISs) are exposed for safety auditing. We study this question in a controlled setting where a language model reads a document containing a real name and is required to generate a summary that replaces …

An Introduction To Oral Traditions And Poetry Of The Baloches, Emran Dorrazehi

English Dissertations - Archive

There is not much known about the history and literature of the Baloches besides the translation and transliteration of Mansel Longworth Dames. Dames while serving as an official in the region wrote a book, Popular Poetry of the Baloches (1907) in two volumes. Dames translated a series of oral poetry of his subjects. This dissertation utilized 13 poems from Dames’ transliterations and employed a compensatory, creative and restorative translation to recreate their earlier states.  It is the assertion of this dissertation that the poems given to Dames by minstrels were already heavily censored to reflect Islamic, Mongol and Mughal identities. …

Confronting The “Green” Discourse Of Librarianship, Michael Kirby

Publications and Research

Set against the backdrop of resurgent right-wing populism and drawing on Sam Popowich’s critique of democratic discourse in librarianship, this article outlines a crisis of imagination within liberal climate activism—particularly its essentially unquestioned commitment to “green growth,” or the notion that economic expansion can continue indefinitely alongside ecological sustainability. The American Library Association (ALA), despite its progressive public image, uncritically promotes these same market-oriented solutions to climate change and aligns itself with international treaties such as the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement, both of which are grounded in growth-centric frameworks and market mechanisms like carbon credits. These frameworks and …

Enhancing Resilience And Reducing Burnout In Oncology Nurse Practitioners Through The “Three Good Things” Intervention, Ernestine A. Muanya

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects - Archive

Background: Burnout among oncology nurse practitioners (NPs) threatens clinician well-being, care quality, and workforce retention. The World Health Organization (2019) defines burnout as a workplace condition caused by chronic unmanaged stress. Nationally, over half of healthcare professionals report burnout symptoms, with high rates in oncology (Deriglazov et al., 2025). In Texas, nearly 48% of advanced practice providers report emotional exhaustion and job-related stress (Patel et al., 2024). Objective: This single-group pre–post quality improvement project evaluated an eight-week, app-based Three Good Things (3GT) intervention to reduce burnout and enhance resilience among 19 breast medical oncology nurse practitioners at a comprehensive …

A Structured Discharge Bundle To Reduce Heart Failure Readmissions, Carolyn Hudson

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects - Archive

Background: Heart failure (HF) remains a major contributor to 30-day hospital readmissions, placing strain on patients, healthcare systems, and reimbursement structures tied to quality metrics. Inconsistent discharge practices and gaps in transitional care coordination increase the likelihood of preventable rehospitalizations.

Purpose: This project examined whether implementing a standardized, nurse-driven discharge bundle would improve transitional care outcomes and decrease 30-day readmissions among adults hospitalized with HF.

Methods: A practice-based quality improvement initiative was conducted in a 465-bed regional hospital over a 8-week period. Using iterative Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles, a structured discharge bundle was introduced for eligible HF patients discharged from medical-surgical and …

Nurse-Led Interventions To Reduce Occupational Hand Injuries In Manufacturing, Patti Harter

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects - Archive

Occupational hand injuries cause preventable morbidity, lost productivity, and workers’ compensation costs in manufacturing. Although safety policies and personal protective equipment (PPE) are in place, inconsistent glove use, slow hazard identification, and delayed response still cause injuries. This quality improvement (QI) project evaluated an eight-week, nurse-led injury-prevention bundle at a Texas heavy-vehicle manufacturing facility. The intervention required daily glove inspections, Safety Champion participation, real-time electronic hazard reporting, and corrective action within the shift. Injury outcomes were measured using Occupational Safety and Administration (OSHA) rates per 200,000 work hours and percentage change from baseline. After implementation, hand injury rates fell from …

Sexually Transmitted Infections And Screening: An Educational, Evidence-Based, Quality Improvement Bundle, Misty D. White

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects - Archive

Background: With sexually transmitted diseases on the rise in central Texas, advance practice providers were not following evidence-based practice recommendations for sexually transmitted infection screening, treatment, and follow-up. Screening for sexually transmitted diseases occurred at a rate of less than one patient every 7.75 days.

Objective: The objective of this project was to develop and implement an advanced practice provider training tool to educate the clinic providers on sexually transmitted infections, collect pre- and post-data for the educational sexually transmitted infection bundle, and collect sexually transmitted infection screening, identification, treatment, and follow-up data generated by the clinic advanced practice providers …

Implementing An Antibiotic Stewardship Bundle In An Urgent Care Center, Christianah Ogunleye

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects - Archive

Inappropriate antibiotic prescribing for upper respiratory infections (URIs) remains a major contributor to antimicrobial resistance, adverse drug events, and unnecessary healthcare costs, particularly in urgent care settings characterized by high patient volume and rapid clinical decision-making. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to implement and evaluate a multifaceted antibiotic stewardship program aimed at improving evidence-based antibiotic prescribing practices for URIs in an urgent care setting. A bundled intervention was implemented that included provider education, evidence-based clinical decision guidelines, patient education materials, and audit-and-feedback strategies. Pre- and post-intervention data were collected and analyzed to assess changes in antibiotic prescribing …

Improving Colorectal Cancer Screening Adherence, Albin Abraham

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects - Archive

Background

As the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, colorectal cancer (CRC) is a prevalent but highly preventable form of cancer (American Cancer Society National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable [ACSNCCR], 2026; Maratt et al., 2024). Screening for CRC is fundamental to prevention and early detection. Despite advances in screening measures, CRC screenings remain suboptimal (Tonini & Zanni, 2024). In the US, more than one in three adults 45 years or older are not screened as recommended (ACSNCCR, 2026).

Purpose

As a safety-net county health network primarily serving the under-resourced population, the organization is uniquely positioned to impact …

Implementing A Nurse-Led Multimodal Pain Management Toolkit To Enhance Recovery After Outpatient Urologic Surgery, Danielle Cirlos-Valles

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects - Archive

Purpose To evaluate the impact of a nurse-led multimodal postoperative pain management toolkit on recovery outcomes among adults undergoing same-day urologic surgery.

Design Quality improvement project using a pre–post implementation design in an outpatient perioperative setting.

Methods An evidence-based toolkit grounded in Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) principles was implemented over eight weeks, incorporating scheduled non-opioid analgesics, nonpharmacologic strategies (thermal therapy, guided breathing, early mobilization), standardized patient education, and 24-hour follow-up calls. Outcomes included Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain scores at discharge and 24 hours, escalation pathway utilization, and nurse knowledge competency. Descriptive statistics and paired t tests were used. …

Implementing An Anxiety Management Bundle In Long-Term Nursing Facilities, Sundan G. Bryson

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects - Archive

There is currently a gap in accurate screening and treatment of anxiety in Long-Term Care (LTC) nursing facilities. The question for this quality improvement project was: Will implementing interventions for long-term care residents aged 65 and older improve anxiety screening, non-pharmacological interventions, and mental health referrals by 10% compared to current practices? Interventions to enhance anxiety screening included the Geriatric Anxiety Scale-Long Term Care (GAS-LTC) tool to assess and score anxiety. In addition, a Non-Pharmacological Intervention (Non-PI) tool was created to evaluate interventions performed by facility staff. Referrals to the mental health care provider were submitted if a resident scored …

Tiny Heart Bundle Qi Project: 3d Modeling To Improve Care Of Cardiac Nicu Patients, Stacy Ranee Harris

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects - Archive

Background—Infants with congenital heart disease (CHD) are being care for in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) by increasing numbers of novice nurses. Understanding complex cardiac anatomy is imperative to novice nurses’ readiness to care. Parents of infants with CHD may not understand their child’s anatomy, which impacts many facets of their care.

Purpose— The purpose of this quality improvement (QI) project was to determine if education, including 3D heart models improved novice nurse readiness to care for NICU patients with CHD and if parental understanding improves after receiving education with 3D heart models.

Methods— This was a plan-do-study-act (PDSA) …

The Evolution Of News Language In The Digital Age: A Comparative Analysis Of 1996-97 And 2023-24, Keenan Wallace

Theses & ETDs

This paper examines linguistic changes in mainstream written news media in the United States. We compare subjectivity, formality, lexical diversity, and reading complexity from 1996- 97 to 2023-24 across five local and national news publications; the New York Times, LA Times, Washington Post, Hartford Courant, and Chicago Tribune, to determine if there has been a shift towards simpler, more subjective, and less formal language in accordance with the familiarization and potential preference of the audience to shorter, more casual forms of news media prevailing online. We use comparative tests, linear models, and linear mixed models to examine changes in the …

Library E-Book Licensing And State Law Reform, Kincaid Brown

Law Librarian Scholarship

Libraries don’t “buy” most e-books the way they buy print books; they license them. That reality is at the crossroads of budgetary constraints and patron satisfaction in modern libraries. With print, a library typically pays once, owns the copy, and lends it until it wears out. With e-books, publishers and intermediaries, like platforms such as OverDrive, commonly offer time-limited or loan-limit-ed terms (for example, a license that expires after a set number of checkouts or after a set period), can impose embargoes, and can set prices far above consumer retail. Libraries argue these terms frustrate their public mission and make …

When Analgesia Is Contraindicated: Non-Pharmacologic Resolution Of Pain Enabling Rehabilitation Participation, Zane Shah, Anand Allam

Gulf Coast Division GME Research Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Advancements In Treating Stretch Marks In People Of Color: A Comprehensive Review Of Therapeutic Modalities, Hannah Chaudhury, Nicole York, Helen Chen, Michelle Tarbox

Gulf Coast Division GME Research Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Headaches, Hydrocephalus And Helminths: A Rare Case Of Neurocysticercosis, Tate Higgins, Nikita Zanko, Austin Meyer, Cameron Banning, Sarah Hendee, Andrew Le, Arjun Saradna, Erik Klingbeil, Mary Elizabeth Hicks

Continental and Mountain Divisions GME Resarch Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Spontaneous Pneumoperitoneum Presenting As An Acute Abdomen, Madison Mcinnis, Megan Tierney, Kaysie Banton

Continental and Mountain Divisions GME Resarch Day 2026

No abstract provided.