Digital Commons Network^™

The Cellular Mechanisms Of Alzheimer's Disease Protection By The Pilra G78r Variant, Wenhan Cheng

Theses and Dissertations

Microglial dysfunction is increasingly linked to Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Immune receptors like TREM2 and CD33 play opposing roles in microglial activity. TREM2 activation triggers immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif (ITAM) signaling to promote microglial activities, including amyloid-β clearance, but variants in TREM2 such as R47H that impair its function increase AD risk. In contrast, CD33 is an inhibitory receptor that contains an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif (ITIM) which transmits signals that suppress microglial function. An AD-protective variant in CD33 alters CD33 activity, potentially enhancing TREM2 function. PILRA is another inhibitory immune receptor expressed by microglia that contains an ITIM. A naturally …

Texture Classification Through Deep Residual Networks And Feature Interpretability, Ankit Kumar

Master’s Dissertations

Texture classification plays a critical role in various real-world and industrial applications such as material recognition in manufacturing, medical image diagnostics, surface defect detection, and agricultural monitoring. The ability to distinguish textures reliably enables automation and enhances the precision of intelligent systems. Traditional methods like Local Binary Patterns (LBP), Gabor filters, and wavelet-based descriptors have been used extensively for texture analysis. While these techniques are effective under controlled conditions, they suffer from limited robustness to changes in illumination, scale, and viewpoint. Moreover, handcrafted features often fail to capture the intricate texture structures present in real-world surfaces. The KTH-TIPS2a dataset introduces …

Strategic Narratives To Counter Global Threats, Jerry E. Landrum, Chase Metcalf, Michael M. Posey

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

This article argues that the current National Security Strategy lacks the necessary coherence and fidelity to mobilize collective action against the emerging Russia-China axis. It merges multiple theoretical concepts to assert that the “rules-based order” theme is insufficient for mobilizing public support. Using textual analysis of the strategy compared with publicly available polling to determine levels of popular resonance, the authors find that the “rules-based order emphasis” does not resonate. This study’s conclusions will assist practitioners as they develop an updated National Security Strategy in the new presidential administration.

The Enduring Lessons Of Vietnam: Implications For Us Strategy And Policy, Martin G. Clemis

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

This article argues that the Vietnam War is a useful case study for assessing an enduring flaw in America’s approach to war. The United States suffered defeat in Vietnam because it privileged military strength and the pursuit of victory on the battlefield over other elements of national power. As in Vietnam, the wars America will likely face in the future will blend conventional and unconventional methods and use a carefully calibrated mixture of military and non-military means. The United States must situate its demonstrated strengths in conventional war fighting within a holistic framework or face similar strategic outcomes.

Self-Assessment In Educational Makerspaces: Exploring Self-Regulated Learning As A Formative Assessment Tool, Sarah Margalus

Theses and Dissertations from DePaul University

This study explores the role of self-assessment in makerspaces, examining how students engage in metacognitive reflection and self-regulation within these creative environments. Although self-assessment is the most popular assessment strategy in educational makerspaces, little research has been done on how to best support teachers and students in their attempts at self-assessment. Self-regulated learning was chosen as a theoretical framework since it is well-researched in educational psychology, leads to positive learning outcomes, and is one example of self-assessment. This study employed a qualitative approach, using concept content analysis to evaluate the presence of self-regulated learning phases in blogs written as part …

Bitcoin As A Currency: A Theoretical Framework Of Bitcoin’S Supply Effect On Consumption And Inflation, Begad Amr Hassan

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the macroeconomic effects of Bitcoin's fixed money supply within a dynamic general equilibrium context. Traditional Keynesian economics proposes that central banks regulate the money supply through interest rate manipulation and monetary interventions to promote economic stability within the market. However, cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin, present a challenge due to their algorithmically predetermined supply, which halves every four years, removing discretionary monetary policy. By adapting Calvo's (1983) staggered-price model to a closed economy, supposing Bitcoin is the only medium of exchange, it is deduced that Bitcoin's deflationary nature causes a persistent consumption collapse and hyper deflationary spirals. Furthermore, calibrations …

Implications Of The Mind’S Active Participation In The Formation Of Perception, Maikel Adel Samy Michael

Theses and Dissertations

The mind-body problem, particularly the issue of qualia, remains a fundamental challenge in understanding the nature of the mind and its relation to the body. In this thesis I argue that the problem is epistemic, stemming from how we perceive and know ourselves as physical and mental beings. This argument will be explored through the respective of idealisms proposed by George Berkeley and Immanuel Kant. Berkeley's idealism suggests that reality is rooted in perception, offering a major steppingstone by demonstrating the major role perception plays in understanding and acquiring knowledge. Kant contributes by asserting that the "thing-in-itself" is beyond our …

Evaluating The Chemical Composition And Sensory Attributes Of Japanese And U.S. Sake, Rahul Sen, Katie Hope, Ben Bell, Scott Robert Lafontaine

Food Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Sake, a traditional rice beverage from Japan, is brewed using four key ingredients: rice, water, a koji mold, and yeast. While sake is gaining popularity in the US market, there remains a significant knowledge gap regarding the best practices for sake production and how different methods impact the chemical and sensory aspects of American sake as well as its resemblance to traditional Japanese sake. This study compared 21 sake samples from Japan and the U.S., covering grades such as ginjo, diaginjo, junmai, and nigori. Out of total 209 features, 120 were significant aromatic compounds with esters (e.g., ethyl decanoate, hexyl …

Examining The Impact Of Single-Case Design Graph Characteristics On Decision-Making For School-Based Professionals Within An Mtss Context, Jessica L. Andrews

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research investigating the display of single-case design (SCD) data has demonstrated that graphing characteristics can influence visual analysis and rater interpretations regarding the effect of an intervention. Data-based decision making within school settings, particularly within the framework of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), commonly includes the use of SCD’s to support this process. Despite the push for adherence to a standard assembly for linear graphs, there is no requirement as to how these graphs should be constructed. MTSS team members are often required to make decisions about whether an intervention should be continued (or not), and thus it is important …

Final 2025 Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) Quality Assurance Project Plan (Qapp) Annual Update (Non-Residential Parcels And Residential Daycares), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Diversifying Cybersecurity: Evaluation Of An Internet Of Things (Iot)-Based Cybersecurity Training Course Designed To Bridge The Diversity Gap, Maureen Namukasa, Bhoomin B. Chauhan, Carlie Swords, Curtice Gough, Weronika Dymanus, Catherine Diresta, John Vitali, Vivek Sharma, Tj Oconnor, Meredith Carroll

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an eight-module Cybersecurity course at increasing the learning outcomes of middle and high school students with little to no experience, including underrepresented minorities (URMs) in Cybersecurity. Twice we administered and evaluated the Cybersecurity course, which included hands-on IoT-based activities, utilizing collaborative learning, scaffolding, and representation-based learning strategies. Using a quasi-experimental, within-subjects, repeated measures design, each participant experienced a pretest, the course, and a post-test to evaluate the impact on learners’ self-efficacy, interest, and knowledge. The results revealed that (1) at pre-test, female (p = .001) and in one course administration minority …

Final 2025 Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) Quality Assurance Project Plan (Qapp) Annual Update (Residential Parcels), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Final Unreclaimed Sites Quality Assurance Project Plan (Qapp), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Re: Approval Letter For The Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Revised Draft Final Unreclaimed Sites (Ur-05) Remedial Action Work Plan (Rawp) (Dated June 10, 2025), Molly Roby

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Learning To Support Science: Gender Differences In How Scientific Literacy Mediates Formal Education's Effect On Us Adults' Public Support For Science, Kevin Mark Roessger, Arie Todd Greenleaf

Counseling, Leadership, and Research Methods Faculty Publications and Presentations

Introduction Scientific literacy is targeted by the knowledge deficit model, which predicts that increased scientific literacy improves public support for science. The model, in part, assumes formal education drives scientific knowledge, which, in turn, drives support for science. To date, though, this relationship is unclear, and research shows that, while formal education is associated with adults' public support for science, scientific literacy maintains only a small relationship with support for science, one that may differ by gender.Methods Using a conditional process analysis, we drew on 2018 General Social Survey data to examine whether scientific literacy mediates education's effects on support …

Quantifying Wellbore Effects During Co2 Sequestration In A Saline Aquifer, Uzoma Johnpaul Ajugwe

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a strategy for mitigating climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from large stationary sources like fossil-fuel-fired power stations. One method of CCS involves carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration in deep saline aquifers, where supercritical CO2 is injected into an aquifer. The success of such projects depends on accurate predictions of CO2 behavior within the subsurface, which are obtained through numerical simulations.

TOUGHREACT, a renowned simulation tool, models subsurface fluid flow, geochemical interactions, and solute transport, providing insights into the feasibility of CO2 sequestration projects. A critical aspect of these simulations is the apportioning of …

Phosphatase-Substrate Prediction Using Heterogeneous Knowledge Graph, Jannatul Ferdaus, Marzieh Ayati, Hansapani Rodrigo

Research Symposium

Background: Phosphatase-substrate interactions may serve as biomarkers for diseases, offering crucial insights to support early diagnosis. Analyzing these substrate-specific interactions is also crucial in recommending different drugs. In our research, we constructed a knowledge graph that provides a comprehensive network representation, capturing diverse relationships among biological entities relevant to phosphatases.

Methods: Our knowledge graph represents 5 unique nodes- kinase, phosphatase, substrate, drug, and disease. The connections between the nodes are obtained from DrugMap (drug and their target proteins; disease and their associated proteins), STRING protein-protein interaction, DEPOD 2019 (phosphatase and their substrate), PhosphoSitePLUS (kinases and their substrate), and UniProt. As …

It's Time To Bring Block Play Back To Kindergarten Classrooms, Davia Brown-Franklyn

Bank Street Education Center

Originally published on Medium, this Op-Ed describes the necessity of block play in kindergarten classrooms for the development of essential skills, such as spacial awareness and abstract thinking, language and literacy skills, mathematical reasoning, and critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Library Resources @ The D'Azzo Research Library, Sara Craycraft

AFIT Library Knowledge Base

No abstract provided.

Bilingual Buddy, Adian Alvarado, Farhaan Pishori, Luis Villalta, Andrea Yao, Ekam Singh

Computer Science and Engineering Senior Theses

Bilingual students often face challenges in mathematics not due to a lack of ability, but because of linguistic barriers that hinder their understanding of math-specific terminology and consequently their problem-solving language ability. This project addresses that issue through the development of a mobile application designed to support English language acquisition in the context of mathematics for Spanish-speaking students. Rather than teaching mathematical concepts directly, the app focuses on vocabulary, syntax, and contextual comprehension through scaffolded lessons, gamified elements, and an integrated AI chatbot.

Built using Flutter for cross-platform compatibility, the app prioritizes accessibility, simplicity, and engagement for young users. Ethical …

Predicting Secondary Mathematics-For-Teaching Knowledge Using Beliefs, Experience, And School Culture: A Hierarchical Regression Analysis, Adam R. Brulhardt

Theses and Dissertations

Research in recent decades has supported the notion that practice-based mathematical knowledge is crucial for effective teaching, playing an important role in enacting reform-oriented instruction required for improving student achievement. Despite its importance, teachers—especially novices—require more support in acquiring such knowledge, an ongoing challenge exacerbated by teacher shortages. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine whether collaborative school culture (CSC) explained variance in knowledge of algebra for teaching (KAT) beyond variance explained by mathematics-related beliefs and years of teaching experience for U.S. secondary teachers. Measures within an online Qualtrics survey included the Beliefs About Mathematics and Teaching Scale …

Quantum-Chemical Modeling Of Mechanisms And Selectivity In Open-Shell Organometallic Reactions, Michael T. Davenport

Theses and Dissertations

Quantum mechanical calculations have emerged as a powerful approach for directly evaluating reaction mechanisms and selectivity in transition metal-ligand complexes involving organometallic intermediates. Density functional theory (DFT) quantum mechanical methods enable the generation of potential energy surfaces and structures that define reaction mechanisms and allow for the evaluation of selectivity through statistical transition state theory. However, in certain cases, it is necessary to go beyond statistical treatments and incorporate atomic motion through molecular dynamics simulations. Additionally, many transition metal-mediated reactions involve unpaired electrons and spin state crossings. This dissertation focuses on the application of DFT-derived potential energy surfaces and molecular …

Association Between Dietary Inflammatory And Antioxidant Potential And Systemic Inflammatory And Oxidative Status With The Risk And Severity Of Coronary Artery Disease, Zahara Namkhah, Elham Alipoor, Manhnaz Salmani, Negar Ebrahimi, Monireh Ahmadpanahi, Ali Vasheghani-Farahani, Mehdi Yaseri, Michael David Wirth, Longgang Zhao, James Hébert Scd, Javad Hosseinzadeh-Attar

Faculty Publications

Background and aims

Unhealthy diets have pro-inflammatory properties that have been shown to contribute to coronary artery disease (CAD). The dietary inflammatory index (DII®) and the dietary antioxidant quality score (DAQS) quantify the anti-/pro-inflammatory and antioxidant potential of a diet. This study aims to investigate the association between the energy-adjusted DII (E-DIITM), DAQS, oxidant/anti-oxidant biomarkers, and CAD risk and severity.

Methods and results

This cross-sectional study investigated 158 participants for the presence and severity of CAD based on coronary angiography. E-DII and DAQS scores, malondialdehyde (MDA), total oxidant status (TOS), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activity, total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and conventional …

Harboring Change: Legacy Contamination, Plant-Metal Dynamics, And The Fate Of A Boston Marsh, Emma Brooks

Graduate Masters Theses

Coastal wetlands within the Boston Harbor watershed provide numerous ecosystem services and community benefits but are challenged by anthropogenic influence including a legacy of pollution and increasing mean sea level. In this thesis, I will consider the historic and present sources of contamination in Boston Harbor, the role an individual salt marsh species (Salicornia depressa) plays in the movement of heavy metals, and how projected sea level rise and urbanization may affect future marsh viability. These complex issues are explored through a case study of Pattens Cove, a 9.6-acre parcel of state-managed land in Dorchester, MA home to …

Complementarities In High School And College Investments, John Eric Humphries, Juanna Schrøter Joensen, Gregory Veramendi

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

This paper examines how high school specialization shapes college investment decisions and their subsequent returns through dynamic complementarities. Using Swedish administrative data, we estimate a dynamic Roy model that accounts for selection on multidimensional skills, family background, prior investments, and unobserved heterogeneity. We identify the model using rich skill measures and quasi-experimental variation in program popularity. For marginal students, STEM specialization in high school increases wages by 9%, with more than half this return attributed to dynamic complementarities that enhance the productivity of subsequent college investments. Consequently, we find that counterfactual policies encouraging high school STEM specialization generate twice the …

A Systematic Evaluation Of Threaded Internode Communication In Hpc, William Pepper Marts

Computer Science ETDs

High Performance Computing (HPC) applications increasingly rely on both process and thread-level parallelism to maximize performance across complex, multi-node systems. However, conventional bulk synchronous communication strategies often leave both compute and network resources underutilized due to synchronization delays. This dissertation systematically evaluates the potential of fine-grained, threaded inter-node communication as a strategy for reducing these inefficiencies. To this end, I design and develop two tools: the MiniMod modular application framework and the Configurable Messaging Benchmark (CMB), which together enable empirical, reproducible assessment of communication performance across varying application behaviors, threading models, and communication granularities. Through experiments across multiple systems and …

Self-Initiated Police Activity, Crime, And Complaints Against Police, Vincent Joseph Schaan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This quantitative study aimed to examine the statistical relationship between self-initiated police activity, citizen complaints against police officers, sustained findings of misconduct, and crime within three police agencies located in the southwest United States. Prevailing law enforcement perception fueled by protests and riots infers that reducing proactive policing will decrease complaints. Using chi-square and binary logistic regression, this study analyzed 53,585 police and public contacts to answer three core questions. The statistical tests found a statistically significant inverse relationship between self-initiated police activity and complaints against police, with an odds ratio of 2.386 (95% CI: 1.62,3.50; p<.001). The findings indicate that officers who engage in self-initiated police activity have a 35.95% lower statistical probability of facing a citizen complaint. This study also found no statistically significant relationship between actual police misconduct and self-initiated police activity. The findings advocate for evidence-based decision-making based on statistical data, which found a reduced probability of complaints when law enforcement officers initiate public and police interactions. These findings contribute to positive social change by providing critical knowledge and information, and creating the potential for law enforcement officers and agencies to improve their relationships with the public by reducing complaints. Increasing self-initiated police activity provides a gateway to a reduction in crime and fewer complaints against police; therefore, data and information may motivate agencies and officers to increase self-initiated police activity to help reduce complaints and reduce crime.

Topic Shift Detection And Triggering In Natural Dialogue Systems: A Lightweight Approach, Rohith Perumandla

College of Computing and Digital Media Dissertations

This research address a key challenge in dialogue system: enabling the proactive, human-like shifting using lightweight approaching using MobileBERT (~25M) model was proposed and fine-tuned for topic shift detection, augmented with liguistic featuers for for topic trigger detection. Despite its smaller size (~25M parameters), the MobileBERT-based system achieved competitive results (F1 = 74.16%,) compared to the much larger XLNet model (~110M parameters, F1 = 79.95%), while offering greater efficiency. The topic trigger module, combining MobileBERT with linguistic features, further demonstrated effective performance (F1 = 71.61%).

Implications Of Neural Compression To Scientific Images, João Phillipe Cardenuto, Joshua Krinsky, Lucas Nogueira, Aparna Bharati, Daniel Moreira

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

While neural compression has the potential to revolutionize image compression, recent studies have emphasized its ability to introduce subtle artifacts that could alter the image content. Concerned about the impact of such modifications on scientific images, this work explores the potential effects of neural compression on these images, focusing on two critical aspects: semantic understanding and forensic integrity. We use scientific image datasets to assess the performance of neural compression techniques on Visual Question Answering (VQA) and copy-move forgery detection tasks. Our findings indicate that the subtle changes introduced by neural ] compression do not significantly degrade the performance of …

Synthesis, Antibacterial Evaluation, And Prediction Of The Ability Of Corrosion Inhibition By Density Functional Theory Of Azo-Dyes Of Folic Acid, Athra G. Sager, Jawad Kadhim Abaies, Aseel F. Abdullah

Baghdad Science Journal

In this study, new folic acid (B9) derivatives (a–d) were synthesized by reacting diazonium salt (of folic acid) with different aromatic compounds including 1-naphthol, 2-naphthol, pyrocatechol, or resorcinol. One of Schiff bases (I) was prepared by reacting folic acid with 4-amino benzaldehyde. Then, azo compound (e) was synthesized by coupling Schiff base with 1-naphthol. The new azo compounds (a–e) were identified by FTIR, ¹HNMR spectroscopy, and by measurements of some physical properties. The current work investigated the physical characteristics of compounds (a–e) in order to select the best corrosion inhibitor. 6-311G⁺/(d, p) base set and Density Functional …