Digital Commons Network^™

Categorizing Weight Growth Of Infants Born Before 32 Weeks' Gestation Using The 2023 Postnatal Growth Charts For Preterm Infants., Fu-Sheng Chou, Hung-Wen Yeh, Crystal Hsueh, Jing Zhang, Maria Fe B. Villosis, Karine Barseghyan, Ashwini Lakshmanan, Reese H. Clark

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

OBJECTIVE: To categorize growth and correlate growth categories with morbidities in infants born before 32 weeks of gestation.

STUDY DESIGN: This retrospective study categorized weight growth by correlating mean growth velocity (GV) with growth trajectory z-score changes (ΔGTZ ), as measured using 2023 Postnatal Growth Charts for Preterm Infants. The associations between weight categories and morbidities were assessed.

RESULTS: Weight gain of infants without morbidities was categorized into three groups based on correlating ΔGTZ with mean GV: slower ( ΔGTZ < -0.1), in-parallel ( ΔGTZ -0.1 to 0.3), and faster ( ΔGTZ > 0.3). The proportions of infants with and without morbidities in these categories were evaluated across two distinct cohorts, revealing similar …

Aku Research 2025, Office Of Research And Graduate Studies

Office of Research and Graduate Studies

• With dementia surging, BMI seeks tools for prevention
• The past, present and future of teaching in Pakistan
• Transforming educations with evidence
• Research influences national teacher development programme
• Redefining the migrant experience
• Study finds women are underrepresented in East Africa’s media
• Study identifies targets for treating drug-resistant tuberculosis
• Addressing extreme heat’s impacts on the vulnerable
• Colorectal cancer detection gets an AI boost
• Addressing the quiet crisis of women’s mental health
• The pandemic was especially hard for female health workers
• Advancing reproductive health in Pakistan
• A push for advanced practice nursing and midwifery
• Major study yields essential data on maternal health
• Saving …

A Learning‑Augmented Dynamic Programming Approach For Orienteering Problem With Time Windows, Guansheng Peng, Lining Xing, Fuyan Song Ma, Aldy Gunawan, Aldy Gunawan

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Recent years have witnessed a surge of interest in solving combinatorial optimization problems (COPs) using machine learning techniques. Motivated by this trend, we propose a learning-augmented exact approach for tackling an NP-hard COP, the Orienteering Problem with Time Windows, which aims to maximize the total score collected by visiting a subset of vertices in a graph within their time windows. Traditional exact algorithms rely heavily on domain expertise and meticulous design, making it hard to achieve further improvements. By leveraging deep learning models to learn effective relaxations of problem restrictions from data, our approach enables significant performance gains in an …

Semi‑Supervised Graph Anomaly Detection Via Robust Homophily Learning, Guoguo Ai, Hezhe Qiao, Hui Yan, Guansong Pang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Current semi-supervised graph anomaly detection (GAD) methods utilizes a small set of labeled normal nodes to identify abnormal nodes from a large set of unlabeled nodes in a graph. These methods posit that 1) normal nodes share a similar level of homophily and 2) the labeled normal nodes can well represent the homophily patterns in the entire normal class. However, this assumption often does not hold well since normal nodes in a graph can exhibit diverse homophily in real-world GAD datasets. In this paper, we propose RHO, namely Robust Homophily Learning, to adaptively learn such homophily patterns. RHO consists of …

Modular And Combined Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithms For Extraterrestrial Resource Prospecting, Gregory Hatfield

Master's Theses and Capstones

The success of future crewed and autonomous space missions hinges on effectively utilizing in-situ resources available in the extraterrestrial environment to sustain missions and habitation. Prior to extraction of resources, such missions will require robust and efficient methods for extraterrestrial resource prospecting. However, traditional global optimization techniques struggle with the complex and non-convex search spaces inherent to mapping and identifying resource deposits on extraterrestrial surfaces.

This research addresses the resource prospecting problem by developing and evaluating novel variants of the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). Here, four novel algorithms, their variants, and four combined algorithms are rigorously tested and confirmed. The …

Suspending The Truancy Paradigm, Barbara Fedders, Lucy Carlson, Max Parker

Buffalo Law Review

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, school absences have skyrocketed. While racially minoritized, disabled, and low-income students have historically been, and remain, most likely to experience absence, white and affluent students’ rates of attendance have also declined. To respond to this new universality of student absenteeism, some policymakers have begun to seek alternatives to what we term “the truancy paradigm.”

We define the truancy paradigm as the range of coercive and often punitive interventions deployed by states and school districts to enforce compulsory attendance statutes. This paradigm, we argue, wrongly assumes (a) that strict enforcement of compulsory attendance laws …

Modelling The Balance Axiom In Flow Theory: A Physiological And Computational Approach In Steam Education, David Antonio Rosas, Natalia Padilla-Zea, Daniel Burgos

Artículos científicos

This paper addresses the axiom of balance in Flow Theory from a physiological-and-groupbased approach by a quasi-experimental study using mixed methods across two action– research cycles, each divided into pre-test, intervention, and post-test phases. The study involved 56 students in two control and two experimental groups attending robotics and design STEAM courses in natural settings, wearing Polar H10 bands. Each group participated in nine one-hour sessions, with the same instructor. While flow in control groups was measured with intuition-based teacher actions, in experimental groups the teacher received support from a synchronous physiological flow advisory system. Data from these groups were …

Issue 477 December 2025, The Local Voice

The Local Voice

Featured Articles: "Proud Larry’s Owners Support Southern Culture."; "Families Anonymous Established in Water Valley."; "The View From The Balcony: The Worst Christmas Ever."

The Hunga Volcanic Eruption Atmospheric Impacts Report, Simon Carn

Michigan Tech Publications

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Thermodynamic Factors And Intrinsic Properties On Crystallization Behavior And Physical Properties Of Edible Fats, Nabila Anjum

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Crystallization behavior of three edible fats: interesterified soybean oil (IESBO), interesterified palm olein (IEPO), and fully hydrogenated palm kernel oil (FHPKO) were explored to understand how this process is affected by different factors. The study focused on how the chemical composition of these fats affects their behavior like how much time they require to be crystallized at a certain temperature. By using different scientific methods, how quickly each fat began to crystallize and how much energy it took to start the process was measured. Among the methods used, Gompertz equation, a mathematical model, gave the most consistent and reliable results …

Implications Of The Attenuated Allee Effect On Population Dynamics, Dana Strong

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The Allee effect is an ecological phenomenon characterized by a per capita growth rate that increases as the population size increases in the context of low population density. The Allee effect can lead to rapid extinction events. Consequently, ecologists can attempt to control the strength of the Allee effect to help increase the population (in the case of endangered species) or decrease the population (in the case of parasites or pests).

This research aimed to study not the strength of the Allee effect, but the intensity of the Allee effect, or how rapidly cooperation between individuals causes the per capita …

Re: Approval Letter For The Final Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Butte Treatment Lagoons (Btl) Groundwater Treatment System Quarterly Operation And Maintenance Report – Quarter 1 2024 (Dated August 14, 2025), Emma Rott

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Revised Draft Final 2022 Unreclaimed Sites Sampling: Ur-22 Site Evaluation Summary Report, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Revised Draft Final 2022 Unreclaimed Sites Sampling: Ur-12 Site Evaluation Summary Report, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Quantifying Nuanced Differences In Hand Dexterity Between The Dominant And Nondominant Hands Of Healthy, Right-Handed, Young Adults, Brian J. Conway, Léon Taquet, Timothy F. Boerger, Kaitlin Goetschel, Kate B. Krucoff, Sergey Tarima, Brian D. Schmit, Max O. Krucoff

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

When individuals present with hand injuries, clinicians often use the contralateral hand as an internal control. However, subtle differences in baseline dexterous abilities between the dominant and nondominant hands are poorly understood. To address this gap, here we quantified such differences, measured as independence (individuation) and smoothness of finger movements. A cohort of 47 right-hand-dominant healthy adults (22 males and 25 females) moved each finger independently 10 times, while joint angle data were tracked with a dataglove (CyberGlove III, CyberGlove Systems, San Jose, CA). Each finger’s performance was compared with its counterpart on the opposite hand using Wilcoxon-signed rank tests. …

Bridging The Digital Divide: Enhancing Digital Literacy In Florida's Ged® Education Program, Nicole Howard-Rice

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

This dissertation addressed the critical need for mandated digital literacy courses in Florida's General Educational Development (GED®) programs. As digital skills become increasingly essential for success in education, employment, and daily life, GED® recipients often face significant disadvantages due to a lack of digital proficiency. The findings revealed positive results between digital literacy and employability, emphasizing the transformative potential of integrating digital skills training into GED® curricula. The research highlighted the barriers to acquiring digital skills faced by adult learners, including limited access to technology, varying skill levels, and insufficient instructional support. This study advocated for curriculum updates that align …

Exploring The Perceived Impact Of Instructional Coaching On K-12 Staff In A Midwestern State Region, Viloshinee Murugan

Dissertations

This study looked at how K–12 educators in one Midwestern state region perceived the impact of instructional coaching on their instructional practices. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine how the type and frequency of coaching predicted the educators’ self-reported improvements in instruction. 307 educators who had participated in instructional coaching within the past five years completed the survey measuring three coaching types, content-focused, pedagogical-focused, and data-focused, and the frequency of one-on-one coaching interactions. Descriptive analyses identified the prevalence of each coaching type and the ways that the educators rated their growth, while a multiple regression tested the …

An Analytical Assessment Of Sentiment Analysis Trends And Methods Through Systematic Review And Topic Modeling, Chelsey Hill, Fatima Irshaidat, Marina Johnson, Jorge Fresneda

Department of Information Management and Business Analytics Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Sentiment Analysis (SA) applies Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) techniques to identify and interpret opinions, emotions, and sentiment polarity in text data. This study presents a systematic literature review of SA research published between 2012 and 2024 using a dataset of 14,482 journal articles indexed in Scopus. The primary objective of this research is to provide a data-driven overview of the evolution of SA research, offering insights into methodological evolutions, emerging application areas, and the growing influence of AI in the field. The research findings reveal a multidisciplinary growth of SA research, with increasing contributions from Health Sciences …

Alaska Native Disparities In Alaska Jails And Prisons. An Exploratory Study And Descriptive Analysis, Brad A. Myrstol, Cheryl Jones, Rus'sel Sampson, Bri Moffat

AJiC Reports

This report presents an exploratory study of racial disparities in Alaska’s correctional system, combining a review of national research with an analysis of Alaska Department of Corrections (ADOC) booking data.

Factors Shaping Data-Based Decision-Making: The Role Of Self-Efficacy, Anxiety, And School Culture In Mississippi’S State Tested Subjects, Cymone E. Bradford

Dissertations

This quantitative study examined the factors influencing Mississippi state-tested teachers’ engagement in data-based decision-making (DBDM). The purpose of the study was to explore how self-efficacy, anxiety, and school culture shape teachers’ experiences using data to guide instruction. A researcher-developed instrument measuring four constructs self-efficacy in data interpretation, anxiety related to DBDM, self-efficacy and engagement in DBDM, and school culture and DBDM was administered to Mississippi teachers of state-tested subjects. Descriptive statistics, a one-way ANOVA, correlation analysis, and multiple regression were used to analyze the data.

Results revealed significant differences in demographic characteristics of age and frequency of data use when …

Exploring Internship’S Role In Non-Virtual Social Capital Development: A Gen Z Student Perspective, Christina M. Galli

Dissertations

Gen Z students often complete internships as they prepare to enter the workforce (Maloni et al., 2019; Shtembari & Elgün, 2023). However, because the population relies heavily on digital technology to develop social relationships, Gen Z students may not have the social skills to develop non-virtual social capital (Fernandez et al., 2023; Henry & Shannon, 2023; Osorio & Madero, 2024). Existing research focuses on Gen Z individuals as students (Maloni et al., 2019; Pichler et al., 2021; Shtembari & Elgün, 2023). However, existing literature lacks specifications about Gen Z students’ strategies for gaining non-virtual social capital through internship experiences. This …

Institutional Sustainability In Ai Governance: Comparing Paths In The Eu, Japan, And Taiwan, Kuan-Wei Chen

Yearbook of Antitrust and Regulatory Studies

This article explores the concept of institutional sustainability in AI governance by comparing the approaches in the European Union, Japan, and Taiwan. It begins by arguing that the relationship between AI and sustainability extends beyond environmental concerns, encompassing the sustainability of governance institutions themselves. The article posits that institutional sustainability, referring to the capacity of governance frameworks to remain effective over time, is essential in the context of rapidly evolving and future-oriented AI governance. The analysis proceeds by examining the EU’s strategy of normative anchoring through legal codification, Japan’s agile governance model based on collaboration and coordination, and Taiwan’s digital …

Development And Optimization Of Moxifloxacin Solid Lipid Nanoparticles Via Double Emulsion Organic Solvent Free Technique Applying Box–Behnken Experimental Design, Esraa M. Elshazly, Mona G. Arafa, Samia A. Nour

Pharmacy

The current research proposes the preparation of Moxifloxacin-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles through a solvent-free double emulsion technique, to overcome chronic wound healing limitation. The independent variables: stearic acid, Span 80, and Tween 80 were optimized via Box–Behnken design, based on entrapment efficiency (EE%), zeta potential (ZP), and particle size (PS). To statistically optimize the formulation variables, a three-factor, three-level (3³) design involving 15 runs was employed and optimization was carried out to attain maximum EE% and ZP and minimum PS yielding an overall desirability of 0.851. Results indicated that increasing stearic acid enhanced EE%, Span 80 increase PS, and Tween …

Deterministic Methods To Improve The Field-Of-View For Direction Finding Using Sparse Digital Arrays, Nolan J. Egging

Master's Theses

Direction finding algorithms are used with digital phased arrays to determine the incoming angle of arrival (AoA) of an incident signal. These algorithms, and direction finding as a whole, have a wide range of civilian and military applications from radar, electronic reconnaissance, mobile communication, et cetera. However, for situations where the spacing between antenna elements needs to be large, gating lobes appear in the radiation pattern of analog arrays. This work demonstrates that for digital beamforming algorithms, the field of view (FoV) of a uniform linear digital array matches the grating lobe free range of a similarly spaced analog array. …

Development And Test Of An Automatic Mass Balancing System For Cal Poly's Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics Simulator, Cameron B. Zorio

Master's Theses

The Cal Poly Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics Simulator (SADS) is an ongoing project to develop an air-bearing platform capable of recreating on-orbit rotational dynamics with near frictionless and torque-free rotations. However, any offset between the platform's center of rotation and its center of mass will introduce a torque due to gravity.

This thesis presents the design, implementation, and experimental evaluation of a low-cost, automatic mass balancing system for the SADS to address this challenge. A new modular sliding mass system was developed that overcomes issues faced in previous iterations of the SADS, providing real-time positional control of the masses and a …

Marsanywhere: Dataset And Cross-View Diffusion Model For Satellite-To-Ground View Synthesis With Mars Data, Benjamin T. Hinchliff

Master's Theses

Satellite-to-ground view synthesis aims to create a realistic ground view image from a corresponding satellite view image. This is a well-studied problem for street level imagery, with good results being achieved by using modern image synthesis techniques such as diffusion models. However, despite the public availability of satellite and ground level imagery on Mars, these techniques have yet to be applied to the domain due to difficulties in collating and processing the data into a usable form. We address this deficiency by creating a dataset consisting of ground view panorama imagery from the Perseverance rover, along with associated satellite view …

Signature-Based Attribution Of Images Generated By Stable Diffusion, Bella White

Master's Theses

Generative AI is powerful yet controversial technology capable of spreading misinformation, non-consensual imagery, and offensive materials when not properly safeguarded against such abuse. Synthetic image alteration and generation have always been abused, from photo editing software to Generative Adversarial Nets, and now Diffusion Models. The Internet Watch Foundation and the National Center for Missing and Endangered Children have reported a consistent increase in reported AI generated child sexual assault materials (CSAM) and sextortion scams since the introduction of DMs. New digital forensics tools must evolve to adapt to the ever-changing landscape of AIG CSAM abuse. This work provides a comprehensive …

Why The Long Face? The Distribution And Niche Of The Imperiled Narrow-Faced Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys Venustus), Garrett L. Gimbel

Master's Theses

Distribution models provide a practical use case of connecting ecological niche theory with species’ occurrence and assemblages. By explicitly linking Hutchinson’s “niche space” with geographic space researchers can gain valuable information on a species’ niche characteristics and interactions, thereby informing conservation and management practices. The narrow-faced kangaroo rat (Dipodomys venustus) is a highly understudied kangaroo rat species endemic to the central coast of California and is an ideal species to explore niche theory in distribution modeling. Three subspecies are currently recognized: The Santa Cruz kangaroo rat (D. v. venustus), the elephant-eared kangaroo rat (D. v. …

Using Hydraulic And Hydrologic Modeling To Determine Scour At Toro Creek Under Climate Change Conditions, Gabriel E. Alaniz

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

This study evaluates bridge scour at the Toro Creek crossing of Highway 1 in Morro Bay, California, under present conditions and future climate conditions with more frequent extreme rainfall events. California infrastructure is becoming increasingly vulnerable to extreme storm events and increased intense precipitation events brought by climate change. This analysis focuses on the calculation of scour for both the northbound and southbound spans. Highway 1 plays a vital role in California’s coastal transportation infrastructure by carrying more than 20,000 vehicles daily (Caltrans, 2017). In this thesis, a hydrological model (HEC-HMS) is used to simulate runoff under present-day and …

The Moderating Effect Of Income Inequality On The Income–Emissions Relationship In G20 Countries, Zahra Rizky Fadilah, Budiasih Budiasih

Economics and Finance in Indonesia

This study analyzes the moderating effect of income inequality on the income–emissions relationship in the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) framework. Findings indicate that the relationship is inverted U-shaped in middle-income G20 countries, but monotonically increasing in high-income G20 countries. Interestingly, income inequality moderates this relationship only in the latter group. These findings suggest that middle-income G20 countries should focus on raising income per capita to mitigate environmental degradation, while their high-income counterparts need to prioritize reducing income inequality to effectively decouple income from emissions.