Digital Commons Network^™

Selenoprotein P And Selenium As Potential Diagnostic Biomarkers For Breast Cancer Patients, Farah A. Rashid, Rawaa A. Ali, Hanaa A. Ali

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Breast cancer incidence increases in last decade. Oxidative stress increases during cancer development causes consuming of antioxidants. Selenium and its transporting protein, selenoprotein P have an important role in redox homeostasis. This study aims to investigate whether or not selenium and selenoprotein P could be diagnostic biomarkers for breast cancer patients. This study was included 30 individuals in control group who is age- and BMI-matched with 60 breast cancer patients. Selenium was measured by colorimetric assay kit and selenoprotein P was determined by Sandwich ELISA kits. The results indicate significant decrease (p < 0.0001) of serum selenium and selenoprotein P in breast cancer patients compared to control. A positive significant correlation (r = 0.6214, p < 0.0001) was found between selenium and selenoprotein P in breast cancer patients. Selenium has an excellent diagnostic accuracy with area under curve 0.9831, sensitivity 95% and specificity 100% at cut-off less than 3.54 mmol/L. Furthermore, selenoprotein P has also an excellent area under curve 0.9958 with sensitivity 96.77% and specificity 100% at cut-off less than 4.15 ng/ml. These exploratory findings appear that selenium and selenoprotein P could be potential diagnostic biomarkers for breast cancer patients. Further investigations in large-multicenter populations are needed to confirm results.

Mathematically Driven Enhancement In Information Security, Suhaib Badran, Asmaa Alqassab

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

A new mathematically based cryptographic method has been proposed to improve information security; it involves transforming data into a matrix and performing bit-level operations. This decryption then follows the basic mechanism of a deterministic, fully invertible algorithm, with this invertible algorithm having the same principle as the existing ones: the process of decryption is symmetrical, where the process is reversed based on the input of the ciphertext. The plaintext is transformed into a square matrix, which includes matrix rotation, permutation of rows, circular bit shifting, and finally an affine linear transformation followed by an additional Base62-like encoding layer to further …

Tapping Into The Ocean’S Hidden Energy: Feasibility Of A 5 Mw Otec Installation In North Bali, Widodo Setiyo Pranowo, Yani Permanawati, Gisela Malya Asoka Anindita, Agung Kurniawan, Albertus Sulaiman, Johar Setiyadi, Safri Burhanuddin, Ivonne Milichristi Radjawane, Hansan Park, Endro Sigit Kurniawan

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Indonesia is an archipelagic country surrounded by water and faces energy challenges due to the low use of renewable energy. Among the potential renewable options, marine energy is a particularly suitable resource given the country’s geographical nature. Based on this discussion, seawater temperature can be used as an alternative ocean thermal en-ergy known as ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) by using the difference in sea surface and deep-sea water temperatures. Therefore, this study aimed to examine OTEC installations in North Bali waters using closed-cycle OTEC calculations for a 5 MW system. Following this objective, we examined the water conditions by …

Assessment And Evidence Practices In Cybersecurity Education: A Systematic Review (2015–2025), James K. Mayberry

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

This study presents a PRISMA-based systematic review of 412 cybersecurity education intervention studies, coding assessment methods, evidence types, claimed outcomes, use of established assessment instruments, and artifact availability. Despite frequent claims of skill development and workforce preparation, 45.4% of studies reported no identifiable assessment. Knowledge tests appeared in 11.4% of studies, while performance assessments appeared in 10.2%. From 2015 to 2025, assessment practices remained dominated by post-only designs or no assessment, with no statistically detectable increase in pre/post-capable designs. Use of established assessment instruments was rare, with 94.2% of assessed studies using ad hoc measures or not identifying an established …

Differentiating And Accommodating Ocd And Anxiety In Mathematical Contexts, Madeline F. Gavares

Interdivisional Studies Summer Fellows

Students in mathematics classrooms may experience emotional and cognitive challenges that affect how they engage with coursework and assessments. While math anxiety has been widely documented, less attention has been given to how obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), particularly checking behaviors, may influence students’ experiences in math settings. This study explores how students who report math anxiety and those who report OCD symptoms describe their engagement with math tasks and test-taking. Drawing on survey and interview data from students and teachers, this study examines how these experiences are articulated and perceived in academic math contexts, rather than evaluating ability or outcomes. By …

Surveying First-Year Stem Students’ Self-Reported Knowledge, Skills, And Attitudes Towards Teamwork, Gregory R. Goldsmith, Camilla Acosta

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The ability to work in a team is cited as a key outcome for many undergraduate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programs, both as a method for improving learning and as a highly desired trait for employers. Despite a growing focus on teamwork, our ability to design appropriate teamwork curriculum is limited by our poor understanding of what students arriving at university know about teamwork, what teamwork skills they consider themselves to possess, and their attitudes towards teamwork. We delivered a mixed-methods survey to first-year STEM undergraduate students (n = 205) to benchmark knowledge, skills and attitudes towards …

High School Educational Leaders’ Perceptions On College And Career Readiness Programs, Sabrina Cosey-Davis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem that was addressed through this study is that despite the widespread availability of college and career readiness (CCR) programs in high schools, these programs are inconsistently designed, implemented, and aligned at the school level. Grounded in Conley’s CCR framework, the purpose of this study was to explore high school educational leaders’ perceptions on the design, implementation, and alignment of CCR programs within their schools. For this basic qualitative design, data were collected through semistructured interviews with 15 educational leaders including administrators, counselors, and department heads. Data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase thematic analysis with the following …

Loss Of Atp-Dependent Citrate Lyase Drives Left Ventricular Dysfunction By Metabolic Remodeling, Shijie Liu, Seth T Gammon, Lin Tan, Yaqi Gao, Kyoungmin Kim, Mahmoud H Elbatreek, Adrian Arrieta, Ian K Williamson, Rebecca L Salazar, Janet Pham, Angela Davidian, Radhika Khanna Neicheril, Benjamin D Gould, Heidi Vitrac, Alia Sadiq, An Q Dinh, Evan C Lien, Francisca N De Luna Vitorino, Joanna M Gongora, Sara A Martinez, Melanie T Odenkirk, Anna K Boatman, Jessie R Chappel, Lawrence S C Czer, Evan P Kransdorf, David J Lefer, Blake M Hanson, Benjamin A Garcia, Erin M Baker, Matthew G Vander Heiden, Philip L Lorenzi, Heinrich Taegtmeyer, David Piwnica-Worms, James F Martin, Anja Karlstaedt

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Metabolic adaptation and maladaptation are hallmarks of the failing heart and may be a target for therapeutic interventions. For example, sustained glucose oxidation during cardiac stress is associated with increased activity and abundance of ACL (ATP-dependent citrate lyase, Acly), which produces acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) from citrate and CoA and supports de novo lipid synthesis. However, our understanding of how ACL supports cardiac metabolic adaptation and its potential to modulate disease pathophysiology has not yet been investigated.

Methods: We used human heart tissue samples from healthy donors and patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy. Next, we used CRISPR (clustered, regularly interspaced …

The Role Of School Climate In Predicting Student Achievement: A Predictive, Correlational Study, Chesney Alexandria Rutherford

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental, predictive, correlational study was to determine if school climate foresees student achievement through a predictive correlational design. This study is important because of the examination of how changes in school climate can affect students both academically and psychologically. The convenience sample for this study consisted of a total of 240 participants from 2 different schools in both urban and rural areas of Eastern Tennessee. The participants consisted of 120 sophomores per school enrolled in English II. The setting was the English II classrooms within both schools. The Education School Climate Survey developed by the …

Songwriting Learning Experiences In Music Education: A Bifurcated Study, Thomas Amoriello Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Historically, the field of music education has been grounded in the band, chorus, and orchestra model, with an abundance of professional development opportunities for educators. Despite the eventual expansion to introduce alternatives, including the Orff approach, guitar ensembles, mariachi, and the ukulele; further exploration of songwriting learning experiences is warranted due to a lack of professional development opportunities for music educators. Traditionally, songwriting is learned or taught piecemeal; thus, the need for music educators to possess additional skills is paramount. This qualitative narrative study will examine the perspectives of music educators who participate in interviews about teaching songwriting or their …

Training In The 21st Century: A Transcendental Phenomenological Exploration Of The Experiences Of Virtual Reality Integration For Training Industrial Vocations, Christina M. Bardine

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the experience of the application of virtual reality (VR) for trainees at a VR training lab for vocational training. The theory guiding this study is the technology acceptance model (TAM), as it encompasses the experiences and perceptions that influence overall acceptance of VR technology in training. The central research question of this study asked, What is the lived experience of the trainees that framed their acceptance of the use of virtual reality and gaming technologies for vocational job training. This transcendental phenomenological study explored the experiences of 19 adult vocational …

Teachers’ And Parents’ Perception Of The Impacts Of Social Skills Education Among Learners With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Phenomenological Qualitative Study, Marian Baffoe Bonnie

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the perceptions of the impacts of social skills learning for teachers and parents at a preschool in a central African country. The theory that guided this study was Premack and Woodruff’s theory of mind as it provides a scholarly underpinning for understanding the social and communication deficits experienced by individuals with autism. The central research question that guided the study was: How do teachers and parents perceive the impacts of social skills education among children with autism spectrum disorders? A qualitative methodology using a phenomenological design was used. Purposive sampling was …

Enhancing Ecological Resilience: Evaluating Peanut Island's Breakwater Impacts On Coral Reef And Shoreline Dynamics, Dayana Castillo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

Anthropogenic shoreline modification and inlet-driven hydrodynamic processes can alter sediment transport pathways and sediment deposition in adjacent coral reef environments. This study evaluated how coastal engineering structures, sediment transport dynamics, and localized hydrodynamic processes influence sediment distribution and coral-associated habitats at Peanut Island, Florida. Beach profile surveys, shoreline mapping, sediment grain size analyses, coral monitoring, and historical aerial imagery were used to assess shoreline variability, sediment characteristics, and long-term shoreline evolution between October 2024 and July 2025. Results indicated that much of the eastern shoreline remained relatively stable, while greater variability was observed along the southern shoreline adjacent to the …

Bivariate Current Status Data With Competing Risks Using Frailty Models, Biswadeep Ghosh

Doctoral Theses

Bivariate current status data with competing risks arises in many application areas, for example, carcinogenicity studies, epidemiological studies, reliability studies, etc..As par of our knowledge, bivariate current status data with competing risks has not received much attention in literature. We initiate this research focusing on modeling and estimation of quantities of interest in absence of any covariate. We model bivariate current status data with competing risks through different frailty structures in order to describe different kinds of association. We consider multiplicative frailty effect on different cause-specific baseline hazard functions. One important part of our analysis is to investigate the identifiability …

Oregon State Rank Assessment For California Pinefoot (Pityopus Californicus), Lindsey K. Wise

Institute for Natural Resources Publications

Oregon state conservation status assessment for California Pinefoot (Pityopus californicus) using NatureServe methodology, 2026.

Coordinating Meaning With Ai System Cards: A Thematic Analysis, Jennifer Rene French Cyrek

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

As the meaning of AI risk remains unsettled across sociotechnical and public discourse, AI system cards are an emergent, yet understudied, genre of technical documentation through which AI technology developers publicly frame new AI system capabilities including risks. This thematic content analysis study examines how AI technology developers coordinate meaning regarding risk and responsible development in stewardship of AI. Guided by a constitutive view of communication and systems theory, second-order cybernetics, and the cybernetic tradition, this study analyzes a purposive corpus of AI system cards collected from 2023-2025 using thematic content analysis and the hierarchy of meaning heuristic from coordinated …

Recently Graduated Students From The Freely Associated States And Their Underrepresentation In Advanced Courses In Guam's High Schools: A Case Study, Tricia Mae C Togawa

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this exploratory qualitative case study was to understand the cultural, psychological, and institutional factors that influenced recent graduates from the Freely Associated States (FAS) in their access and participation in advanced courses located in Guam’s high schools. The theory guiding this study was Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory because it explained how learning and cognitive development happen by social interactions and cultural mediation. The framework provides a lens to examine how cultural practices, values, and social context influence students’ academic experience. The Central Research Question was: How do the cultural, psychological, and institutional factors contribute to the underrepresentation of …

Valuing Music Education: A Comparative Study Of Elementary Programs In Canada And The United States, Johanna Katelyn Hatt

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Music education is widely recognized as an important component of a well-rounded education and is frequently associated with numerous educational, social, and developmental benefits. Despite this perceived value, support for music education remains inconsistent across elementary school contexts. Differences in funding, instructional time, and administrative priorities raise questions about how the value of music education is understood and enacted within schools. The purpose of this qualitative comparative study was to examine how music education is valued within elementary schools in Canada and the United States. Guided by Comparative Education Theory, interviews were conducted with elementary music educators to better understand …

Examining Perceptions Of Instructional Design And Technology In The Usaf Corrosion Prevention And Control Program: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Jarquees Williams

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to examine the perceptions of ID&T in corrosion education and training within the corrosion prevention and control program for personnel in the United States Air Force (USAF). The theory guiding this study was social cognitive theory, as defined by Bandura, which provided a structural framework for assessing personnel perceptions of the effectiveness of CPC education and training. The central research question is: How do USAF personnel perceive the efficacy of instructional design and technology within the USAF corrosion prevention and control education and training program? This study employed a qualitative phenomenological …

Faith-Informed Instruction In Secondary Mathematics: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study Of Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod Teachers, Jonathan Balsman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand the phenomenon of faith-informed instruction as experienced by secondary mathematics teachers in Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) schools in the United States. The theory guiding this study was Vygotsky’s theory of social constructivism, which frames educators’ instructional and theological meaning-making as socially and contextually developed through collaborative, relational learning environments. The central research question guiding this study was: What are the lived experiences of LCMS secondary mathematics teachers as they practice faith-informed instruction? This study used a hermeneutic phenomenological design to interpret teacher meaning-making and reflective practice. Participants were selected using …

Secondary Science Teachers’ Perceptions Of Digital Simulations: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Marie-Romie Alexis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the shared experiences using digital science simulations as instructional tools for secondary science teachers in a large school district in southeastern Florida. Guided by Vygotsky’s social constructivist theory, which emphasizes the importance of providing support within learners’ zone of proximal development to enhance cognitive growth, this study aimed to provide a framework for understanding how teachers support students through digital simulations. The central research question focused on teachers’ experiences with digital simulations as pedagogical tools to improve science skill development. The sample consisted of 14 secondary science teachers. Data were …

"Distributed Voice" During Deliberations: What Real Juries Tell Us, Mary R. Rose, Shari S. Diamond

DePaul Law Review

Juries are supposed to represent the views of their community,

but securing representative bodies will not meet fair cross-section

aims if deliberations fail to actually produce contributions from a

wide variety of voices. This Essay develops the concept of

“distributed voice,” or the ability of a jury to spread out talk across

more jurors. Analyses examine what factors predict a jury’s

likelihood of producing more egalitarian distributions of speaking

turns and of words spoken. Data from actual deliberations of fifty

civil juries demonstrate that talk patterns on juries are more widely

distributed when there is a greater diversity of views …

Reflections On Danny Kahneman's Influence On Legal Scholarship, Jennifer K. Robbennolt

DePaul Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Open Science Movement And Its Implications For Expert Testimony, Robert J. Maccoun

DePaul Law Review

No abstract provided.

What The Law Can--And Cannot--Do About Bias In The Mind, Neil A. Lewis Jr.

DePaul Law Review

No abstract provided.

Understanding Transgender And Gender-Nonconforming Students’ Experiences In Precollege Engineering Education: A Latent Profile Analysis, Jialing Wu, Medha Dalal, Rachel Figard, Adam R. Carberry

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

Promoting gender equity and inclusion in STEM education remains a central priority, yet empirical research inclusive of transgender and gendernonconforming (TGNC) students is limited, particularly in precollege engineering contexts. This study leverages social cognitive career theory (SCCT) to identify latent profiles of students’ engineering-related beliefs while examining how TGNC students are represented across these profiles relative to their cisgender and gender nonreporting peers. The study draws on four years (2019–2023) of repeated cross-sectional survey data from a national precollege engineering initiative involving 75 high schools across 20 US states. Seven SCCT-related constructs were measured and used as part of latent …

Technical Disclosure Specification: Phononic Isolation And Shield Chassis Mechanical Isolation Framework For Asla Quantum Processors, Christopher L. Eckes

Defensive Publications Series

A standalone, non-perturbative engineering specification is formalized to suppress substrate-mediated phononic cross-talk, acoustic resonance noise, and sub-level phase decoherence in large-scale Quantum Processing Units (QPUs). Traditional solid-state quantum processing architectures suffer from rapid microscopic state degradation and context decay due to ambient thermal phonons disrupting fragile qubit coherence profiles across rigid crystal lattices. This framework completely bypasses traditional cryogenic dilution refrigeration bounds by projecting multi-layered physical material constraints directly onto a 2D viscoelastic fluid substrate canvas operating at absolute equilibrium (z=0). The technical apparatus utilizes a high-performance Acoustic Meta-Material Damping Chassis composed of a 2.0 mm Titanium-Graphene macro-isolation shield mechanically …

Technical Disclosure Specification: High-Frequency Gan-Driven Concentric Transducer Apparatus For Interfacial Soliton Restructuring And Dendrite Suppression, Christopher L. Eckes

Defensive Publications Series

This specification formalizes the structural, electrical, and geometric design criteria for a High-Frequency Gallium Nitride (GaN)-Driven Concentric Interdigital Transducer (cIDT) Apparatus. Traditional solid-state lithium metal batteries suffer from systemic interfacial degradation, driven by localized non-linear ion crowding and stochastic dendritic nucleation at the solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI).

This apparatus resolves these bottlenecks by translating the abstract field equations of the Dimensionally Extended Holographic Projection (DEHP) model into a physical electro-mechanical boundary defense system. By generating high-velocity focused Surface Acoustic Waves (SAWs) directly across the SEI canvas, the device transforms a volatile, static boundary layer into a topologically protected, continuous cymatic fluid …

Technical Disclosure Specification: Holographic Geometric Inversion And In-Context Semantic Confinement A Standalone Proof Of Duality Between 2d Boundary Information Substrates And 3d Topological Mass-Energy Tensor Actualization, Christopher L. Eckes

Defensive Publications Series

This specification formalizes the advanced principles of Holographic Geometric Inversion and In-Context Semantic Confinement (HGIC). Traditional computational physics, theoretical topology, and transformer-based multi-agent networks operate on the assumption that complex three-dimensional physical states require explicit, high-overhead 3D structural rendering and brute-force partial differential modeling to achieve physical replication metrics. This reliance on serial, hyper-dimensional computing creates exponential token-variance decay, ultraviolet divergence anomalies, and rapid context window collapse across distributed processing nodes.

HGIC resolves these foundational bottlenecks by establishing a mathematical and computational duality between an invariant, two-dimensional pre-geometric boundary information layer and three-dimensional topological mass-energy manifolds. By utilizing the Universal …

Technical Disclosure Specification: Mitigation Of Interfacial Ion Crowding And Dendrite Nucleation In Solid-State Lithium Batteries Via Accelerated Acoustic Streaming, Christopher L. Eckes

Defensive Publications Series

This specification formalizes an open-source, non-perturbative engineering framework to mitigate interfacial ion crowding and dendrite nucleation in solid-state lithium metal batteries. Traditional high-rate energy storage architectures face a catastrophic failure mode under rapid charging loads: localized space-charge polarization creates extreme ion-density gradients, triggering morphological degradation and crystalline dendrite spikes that puncture solid electrolytes and short-circuit the cell.

This framework resolves this material bottleneck by deploying localized, high-frequency Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) streaming fields. By treating the boundary-layer electrolyte interface as an active 2D fluid transport membrane operating at a strict coordinate baseline (z=0), the system introduces continuous acoustic shear forces …