Digital Commons Network^™

Effectiveness Of The Smart Me-De Digital Program On Health Literacy And Glycemic Control In Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes, Nongnaphat Rungnoei, Siriporn Kruttakart, Natthapan Phianthanyakam, Pakaporn Klinhom, Umaporn Nokpaet, Jintipa Sirikunwiwat, Burong Jaitham

Journal of Health Research

Background: Individuals newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes often have limited knowledge and self-management skills, leading to poor glycemic control and increased complications. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Smart ME-DE Digital Program in improving health literacy and glycated hemoglobin levels among newly diagnosed individuals with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted with seventy participants recruited from diabetes clinics at three hospitals in a central province of Thailand. They were selected using simple random sampling and matched by gender, age, and baseline HbA1c levels, and allocated to an experimental or comparison group. The experimental group received …

The Effect Of Spin Polarization On Ion-Acoustic Solitary Waves In Quantum Plasmas, Amirhosein Rezvani, Sedigheh Miraboutalebi, Leila Rajaei, Mahmoodreza Sharifian

Turkish Journal of Physics

The exchange interaction, a fundamentally quantum-mechanical phenomenon, can significantly modify the classical description of cold, overdense plasmas. These quantum effects can be systematically analyzed within the framework of quantum magnetohydrodynamic (QMHD) theory, which enables the use of separate momentum equations for spin-up and spin-down electron populations. In this study, we adopt this approach to incorporate exchange interactions for both spin species and investigate the excitation of ion-acoustic wave (IAW) solitons in the plasma system. Using a perturbative expansion method, the governing equations are reduced to a nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE), which admits solitonic wave solutions. The stability of these solitons …

On Cosmological Equation Of State From The First Law Of Thermodynamics, Ch'ng Han Siong

Turkish Journal of Physics

We derive several equations of state for different types of energy from the first law of thermodynamics. We derive the equation of state of a Machian universe from the well-known energy formulaE=mc2. This equation of state is consistent with previously reported results. We then propose hypothetical forms of energy that lead to the equations of state of the Chaplygin gas, generalized Chaplygin gas, and modified Chaplygin gas. We also obtain the energy density of the Chaplygin gas by dividing the hypothetical energy by the volume of the universe, and find that it is consistent with previously reported results. Finally, we …

Design And Fabrication Of Petri Dish Optimized For High-Frequency Acoustic Microscopy Using 3d Printing, Tuna Pesen, Beyza Ceren Eren, Arda İnanç, Bora Akgün

Turkish Journal of Physics

High-frequency imaging in acoustic microscopy requires the use of Petri dishes with thin and acoustically transparent bottoms to minimize signal attenuation and distortion. Commercially available options suitable for this purpose are often expensive or limited in compatibility with custom setups. Here, we present a cost-effective and easily customizable alternative developed in our laboratory, consisting of a 3D-printed frame combined with commercially available stretch film. The stretch film serves as an ultrathin (8 µm thickness) base that supports efficient high-frequency acoustic transmission, enabling clear and reliable imaging. Beyond acoustic microscopy, the adaptable design is also compatible with other modalities such as …

Properties Of Enjoyable Mathematical Contexts From The Student Perspective, Emilie Nadine Hendrickson

Theses and Dissertations

Researchers continue to grapple with how to meaningfully engage students in mathematical content. Many students report disengagement due to perceptions that mathematics is difficult, irrelevant, boring, or anxiety-inducing. This study sought to understand how students interpret and respond to different mathematical problem contexts, with particular attention to the reasons students describe certain problems as enjoyable or unenjoyable. Using semi-structured interviews, this research examined student responses to a variety of mathematical problem types primarily across affective engagement. Students reflected on specific problem contexts and explained which features supported or hindered their enjoyment and engagement. Students described that contexts were enjoyable have …

Comparing Principal Component Analysis And Sequential Fusion Deeponet With Varying Dataset Size For Design Space Exploration Of Hypersonic Flow, J. Dallan Trentman

Theses and Dissertations

Design space exploration and optimization of hypersonic vehicles is costly due to the difficulty of producing high fidelity CFD simulations in the hypersonic domain. Reduced order modeling can allow for design optimization at a fraction of the computational cost. This paper investigates the amount of training data required to produce an accurate Reduced Order Model. A PCA based ROM is developed and compared to a Sequential Fusion DeepONet by comparing model prediction accuracy, training time, and prediction time, across dataset sizes from 25 samples to 1024 samples. These models are applied to 2D hypersonic CFD simulations of the Orion reentry …

Resonant Shock Plate Simulation And Prediction Using Modal Substructuring, Harrison C. Denning

Theses and Dissertations

Aerospace structures such as rockets can experience various shock events during flight, such as stage separation or impacts. These shock events can expose components inside the rocket to large accelerations and stresses which in turn can damage the parts. Shocks are often simulated in the lab using a resonant shock plate test. Resonant shock plate testing is often used to qualify aerospace parts, as it can mimic the shocks experienced during launch and stage separations. However, during the course of development, both the definition of the shock environment and the design of the subcomponent tend to change, so that multiple …

Rfsoc Based Ground Penetrating Radar For Detection And Avoidance Of Underground Utilities, Brady Bowerbank

Theses and Dissertations

Preexisting underground utilities present a considerable danger to underground boring projects. Gas and electrical lines can be damaged, leading to major economic impact and even loss of life. While maps of underground utilities exist, they are not always accurate and gas and electrical lines can shift over time, necessitating tools to accurately detect utilities so that crews can steer the machines away from any possible danger. In this thesis, the design of a new frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) ground penetrating radar (GPR) is outlined. The design of a lightweight, flexible radar is demonstrated using the CASPER FPGA framework with an operating …

Isoperimetric Soft Robots, Mihai Stanciu

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents two advances in isoperimetric soft robotic trusses that improve their performance, modularity, and configurability. The first contribution introduces a large-scale modular robotic truss designed as a lightweight, reconfigurable structure for lunar applications. The system consists of inflatable fabric tubes routed through motorized roller units and interconnected by a newly developed spherical joint that enables multiple robotic triangles to connect at a common vertex. The resulting truss can be assembled into structures beyond a single octahedron while retaining compact stowage when deflated and untethered operation after initial inflation. Experimental validation demonstrates modular assembly, long-term pressure retention, load-bearing capabilities …

Using Hip Hop Pedagogy To Bridge The Culture Of Black Children Identified With Behavioral Disorders In The Curriculum, Monique Matute-Chavarria, Pricella Morris, Monica R. Brown

Journal of the Arts and Special Education

Black and other minoritized children have listened to hip hop in the streets, in clubs, in basements, and anywhere else that they could create a space to enjoy this art form. However, hip hop has not always been welcomed in school spaces because of the lyrical content. Despite the objections to hip hop (specifically rap), minoritized children often look to it as representative of who they are and the communities they come from. Therefore, in this paper, we propose the use of hip hop strategies in the schools, utilizing its pillars (i.e., rap, DJing, breakdancing, graffiti art, and knowledge of …

Flows That Teach: Multimodal Hip-Hop Pedagogy For Equity In Special Education, Camille O'Quin, Sara Jozwik

Journal of the Arts and Special Education

Hip-Hop can be more than a soundtrack played at home, it can be a bridge between culture, language, and learning at school. This article shows how Hip-Hop pedagogy, translanguaging, and code-meshing can support students with disabilities, especially those who speak African American Vernacular English (AAVE), in the classroom setting. Grounded in culturally relevant pedagogy and translanguaging theory, the approach uses rhythm, storytelling, and performance to build narrative fluency, language awareness, and confidence. Examples include students drafting rap verses about personal experiences, holding structured cypher circles to practice turn-taking and self-expression, and blending AAVE with Mainstream American English in writing for …

We Are All In This Together Now: Exploring Community Based Partnerships Focusing On Hip-Hop Based Education, William C. Hunter, Tarol Page Clements, Gregory Washington

Journal of the Arts and Special Education

This article explores a community-based collaborative partnership between three Hip-Hop educational nonprofits, Upward Light Community Cyphers, Project STAND (Social-Emotional, Transition, Academic and Network Developing), and the Center for the Advancement of Youth Development (CAYD), all focused on mental health support for youth, and a public-school program that has serves students with and without exceptionalities. The goal shared by all organizations involved is enhanced educational access and engagement for students with and without exceptionalities. Rooted in the core elements of Hip-Hop — emceeing, DJing/music production, breakdancing, and graffiti art, the collaborative partnership has offered culturally sustaining, arts-integrated instruction that supports both …

Developing Flow Theory For Black Girl Genius: A Conceptual Framework Grounded In Discrit, Endarkened Feminist Epistemology, And Hip-Hop Pedagogy, Keishana L. Barnes, William C. Hunter

Journal of the Arts and Special Education

Twice exceptional Black girls, those who are both intellectually gifted and identified with a disability, navigate classrooms shaped by racism, ableism, and sexism. These overlapping systems often render their brilliance illegible, leading to misidentification, exclusion, and under-support in both gifted and special education. This conceptual essay introduces Flow Theory for Black Girl Genius, a liberatory framework that considers Disability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit), Endarkened Feminist Epistemology, and Hip-Hop Pedagogy. DisCrit helps uncover the structural barriers that marginalize students at the intersection of race and disability. Endarkened Feminist Epistemology centers ancestral, embodied, and spiritual ways of knowing rooted in Black …

Ai And The Music Industry: Its Current Status And A Speculative Projection Of Its Evolutionary Trajectory, Rhett D. Morris, Clayton Rosati, Stefan Fritsch

Honors Projects

Music serves as one of society's biggest cultural outlets, allowing millions to share in what used to be a uniquely human form of expression. The commodification of music has built a huge industry full of companies and platforms that have used technology and property laws to shape music's relationship with the public. This study aims to look into the future to see how AI and its implementation could affect the structure of the music industry. To look into the future, this piece establishes two of the most pressing kinds of AI technology for the music industry and looks to contextualize …

Unphazed And Phogo: Complete Genome Sequences Of Two Ek1 Cluster Podoviridae Microbacterium Phages Containing Putative Purple Acid Phosphatase Genes, Brett M. Condon, Jacob D. Ariel, Saundra L. Godshall, Drithi Patel, Matthew T. Mcdonald, Susan M. R. Gurney

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

We report two EK1 cluster bacteriophages isolated from soil samples using the host Microbacterium foliorum. EM imaging showed that both exhibit the podovirus morphology. Genome sequencing and annotation showed similarity with many EK1 phage genomes. Our phages contain a putative PAP gene, also expressed in plants.

Journal Of The Arts And Special Education: Volume 6, Issue 2

Journal of the Arts and Special Education

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Using Hip-Hop Song Lyrics During Instruction For Students With Emotional And Behavioral Disorders, Jonte C. Taylor, Millie Rodriguez

Journal of the Arts and Special Education

Hip-hop pedagogy has emerged as a culturally responsive instructional framework designed to increase student engagement, identity affirmation, and academic achievement by incorporating elements of hip-hop culture into classroom instruction. Despite growing interest in hip-hop-based education, limited empirical research has examined its effectiveness for students with disabilities, particularly students identified with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). This study investigated the effects of using hip-hop song lyrics during English language arts instruction to teach literary devices to three secondary students with EBD using a single-case multiple-baseline-across-participants probe design. Three comparison students receiving traditional textbook-based instruction were also included. Dependent variables included instructional …

Research Nexus : Volume 40 – 2026, Office Of Research And Graduate Studies

Office of Research and Graduate Studies

• Researcher Spotlight
• Research Milestones & News
• Capacity Building Initiatives
• NIH Updates and Other Resources
• Explore New Grant Opportunities

Thermophysical Property Studies: 1. Thermodynamic Consistency For Associating Compounds 2. Autoignition Temperature, Cassandra Jane Guffey

Theses and Dissertations

Accurate thermophysical property data are essential for the design, optimization, and safe operation of chemical processes. Properties such as vapor pressure, enthalpy of vaporization, heat capacity, density, and autoignition temperature--which are among the properties studied in this work--are required for equipment sizing, process simulation, hazard assessment, and economic evaluation. A major focus of this dissertation is the application of multi-property thermodynamic consistency techniques to compounds that exhibit strong vapor-phase association. These methods improve confidence in recommended property values by enforcing rigorous thermodynamic relationships among ideal-gas heat capacity, liquid heat capacity, vapor and liquid densities, vapor pressure, and enthalpy of vaporization. …

Recognition Of Autism Characteristics In Females: An Examination Of Stakeholders, Laurel Lyn Bishop

Theses and Dissertations

Autism is a neurodevelopmental communication disorder, characterized by differences in social communication, attention, interests, and sensory perception. Diagnostic criteria have historically applied to males, but clinical diagnostic criteria beginning in 2022 now include slight differences in traits comprising the female phenotype. Until recently, autistic females may be missed by the professional and education community or diagnosed later than males. Like their autistic male counterparts, they face an increased risk of suicidal ideation, but they also face more difficulties in peer relationships, academic problems, and increased anxiety and depressive symptoms, but may not get supports. School-age girls spend their days with …

When The Road Leads You Home: A Self-Study Of An Appalachian Return Migrant Educator, Brianna Gerstner

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores one Appalachian educator's beliefs and judgments about her students' literacy practices after returning to her Appalachian hometown to teach at her alma mater. Upon her return, she experienced discomfort with the thoughts she had about her Appalachian students, recognizing that they reinforced stereotypes. Through the S-STEP process, the educator identifies her beliefs and judgments of her students, the teaching practice she engaged in over time, and the changes in her beliefs and judgments during a community literacy project. This period of critical self-study lasted 3 months, and the educator intentionally engaged in culturally sustaining pedagogy. Findings revealed …

Evaluating Fall Prevention Implementation Approaches Through Natural Language Processing, Shanoja Naik, Hasitha Wimalarathna, Doris Grinspun

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background: Falls are leading causes of injury, hospitalization, and reduced quality of life among older adults in long-term care (LTC) settings(2,8) .This study explores the use of Natural Language Processing (NLP) to evaluate the uptake and impact of Preventing Falls and Reducing Injury from Falls (2017) best practice guideline (BPG)(4,5,6) in Ontario LTC homes.

Methods: A retrospective qualitative content analysis design was employed, and data were collected from 153 LTC reports submitted between 2015 to 2022 to a qualitative nursing data reporting system(3,4). Unstructured narrative text was processed through tokenization, part-of-speech tagging, stop-word removal, stemming/lemmatization, and keyword extraction via Rapid …

Toroidal Plasmonic Nanodimers For Enhanced Near-Infrared Emission In Heterostructured Inp Quantum Dots, Arda Gülücü, Emre Ozan Polat

Turkish Journal of Physics

Near-infrared (NIR) emitters operating in the 650--900 nm spectral range are highly attractive for imaging and sensing in turbid media. However, cadmium-free InP-based quantum dots (QDs) often exhibit limited brightness owing to nonradiative recombination pathways and inefficient photon outcoupling. In particular, heterostructured InP QDs may possess band alignments that induce partial spatial separation of charge carriers, thereby reducing the electron-hole wavefunction overlap. This characteristic modifies the intrinsic recombination dynamics and increases the sensitivity of their emission to the surrounding photonic environment. Here, we investigate silver toroidal plasmonic nanoantenna dimers (Ag TPNDs) using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations as a geometry-tunable platform …

Radiation Pressure And Membrane Dynamics In Cavity Optomechanics: Interaction Hamiltonian And Quantization, Mahmut Can Özuygur

Turkish Journal of Physics

Cavity optomechanics explores the interaction between light confined in optical cavities and mechanical oscillators, primarily driven by radiation pressure forces. These interactions enable significant advances in precision measurements, quantum information processing, and tests of fundamental quantum mechanics. This paper presents a detailed analysis of membrane vibration and radiation pressure force within a cavity optomechanical system. The membrane's equation of motion is derived, the radiation pressure force is evaluated within the Lorentz force formalism, and the corresponding interaction Hamiltonian is formulated. Quantization of the resulting Hamiltonian enables the investigation of quantum phenomena, including entanglement generation and quantum state transfer, and provides …

Observational Constraints On The Structure-Induced Dark Energy Model, Ali̇ Kazim Çamlibel

Turkish Journal of Physics

A new phenomenological dark energy model, originally associated with large-scale structure formation and proposed as a solution to the fine-tuning and coincidence problems related to the cosmological constant, was analyzed within the framework of General Relativity in a Friedmann-Robertson-Walker spacetime and its model parameters were estimated using cosmic chronometers and recent DESI data. It turns out that the proposed model can serve as an alternative evolving dark energy model with a novel equation of state function. Given the form of this phenomenological energy density ansatz, which rises with the nonlinear structure growth in the universe and declines as cosmic voids …

From Fragmented Services To Integrated Support: A Proposal For A Centralized Adult Learner Center, Paul Cullen

Masters Projects

Research shows that higher education institutions provide a wide range of resources to their students. However, limitations in availability, accessibility, and navigation create a fragmented experience for adult learners. This fragmented experience often exacerbates barriers experienced by adult learners, such as difficulty navigating decentralized services and lack of availability outside standard business hours, that negatively impact the learner experience and outcomes, resulting in reduced persistence and retention. This project proposes a solution to this fragmentation and shows how the digital transformation in higher education can be utilized as an enabling approach to improve availability, accessibility, and navigation of services for …

Education And Inequality:: Shaping Conflict And Peace In Broken Socio-Economic Structures, Anna Zherdeva, Daniel Kamphambale, Lucía Morales

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

This study engages in a critical literature review that offers insights into systemic and structural problems that immigrants face. Being forced, in many cases, to flee from their countries of origin, migrants face many challenges due to a lack of clear educational pathways, cultural integration and social lifts within the world's most advanced countries. For instance, migrants often experience labour-market resistance, as evidenced by consistent, stagnant rates of advancement into higher positions in their host countries and by their limited integration into communities and society. An additional problem is that segregation by country of origin matters significantly, as migrants face …

Samsondeen Goloba V. Attorney General United States Of America

2026 Decisions

Agency

Tubuh Yang Mengingat (The Body Remembers): Ecology, Ritual, And Embodied Memory In Contemporary Cirebon Mask Performance, Prameswari Mrajabwana

Theses and Dissertations

Tubuh yang Mengingat (The Body Remembers) is a single-channel, site-specific performance film set across coastal and extractive landscapes in Cirebon, West Java, Indonesia. Reinterpreting the five transformations of Cirebonese mask dance—Panji, Pamindo, Rumyang, Tumenggung, and Kelana—the project examines how colonial extraction, ecological deterioration, and systems of social regulation continue to shape embodied experience materially and somatically. Drawing from Karen Barad’s concept of intra-action and Stacy Alaimo’s notion of trans-corporeality, the work approaches body, land, technology, and history as relationally entangled rather than separate entities. Through live biodata sonification generated from environmental sensors and bodily movement, the film establishes …

Queer Postsecular Conocimiento: Anzaldúan Readings Of Time, Spirituality, And Transformation In Nugent, Vuong, And Herrera, Joshua A. Swem

Theses and Dissertations

An overreliance on secularism within the field of queer theory and a denial of spiritual epistemologies prevent deep, alternative, and transformative strategies of analyzing literature. It can regurgitate oppressive ideology in academia. In this work, I synthesize Gloria Anzaldúa’s theoretical concepts of mestiza consciousness, nepantla, la facultad, and el cenote with José Esteban Muñoz’s queer temporality and futurity as a framework to engage with literary texts in queer, postsecular ways, freeing up fresh insights and polysemic perspectives. I argue that in  "Smoke, Lilies, and Jade" by Richard Bruce Nugent, Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri …