Digital Commons Network^™

Clinical Features, Laboratory Characteristics, And Outcomes Of Covid-19 Patients In A Tertiary Care Reference Hospital In Panama City, Panama. A Retrospective Observational Study, Santiago E. Hernandez Bojorge

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Latin America experienced some of the world’s highest COVID-19 mortality rates, yet data on in-hospital outcomes and their social and geographic determinants remain limited. This dissertation investigated multilevel baseline factors associated with in-hospital mortality among adults with COVID-19 at Panama’s largest public tertiary hospital (Hospital Santo Tomás), integrating survival, mediation, and spatial-temporal modeling within a causal-inference framework.

A retrospective cohort of 1,526 RT-PCR–confirmed COVID-19 hospitalizations (May 2020–November 2021) was analyzed using multivariable Cox proportional-hazards, Fine–Gray competing-risk, mediation, and Bayesian spatial models. Directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) pre-specified causal relationships and minimally sufficient adjustment sets. DAG-guided models quantified total effects without conditioning …

New Identities In The Character Table Of Symmetric Groups Involving Riordan Numbers, David J. Hemmer, Armin Straub, Karlee J. Westrem

Michigan Tech Publications

Amdeberhan recently proposed certain equalities between sums in the character table of symmetric groups. These equalities are between signed column sums in the character table, summing over the rows labeled by partitions in Ev(λ), where λ is a partition of n with r nonzero parts and Ev(λ) is a multiset containing 2r partitions of 2n. While we observe that these equalities are not true in general, we prove that they do hold in interesting special cases. These lead to new equalities between sums of degrees of irreducible characters for the symmetric group and a new combinatorial interpretation for the Riordan …

Changes In Land, Ocean, Atmospheric Parameters Associated With The 2025 Myanmar (Mw 7.7) Earthquake, Feng Jing, Akshansa Chauhan, Ashwani Raju, Ramesh P. Singh

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Multiple parameters associated with the land, atmosphere, and ocean were analyzed to study short-term and immediate pre-earthquake changes associated with the 28 March 2025 Myanmar earthquake (Mw 7.7). Anomalous clear-sky outgoing longwave radiation (ClrOLR) and trace gases (CH₄, CO, and O₃) were detected within two months prior to the mainshock. Vertical changes at different pressure levels suggest a possible underground source. High-temporal-resolution observations of the infrared brightness temperature and surface air pressure revealed short-lived fluctuations shortly before the earthquake, which may reflect localized stress adjustments and surface latent heat flux release during the final stage of earthquake preparation. In the …

Inclusive Education Of Indigenous Belief Communities In Indonesia: Perspective Of Independent Learning, Muhammad Ghafar, Nunu Ahmad An Nahidl, Muhammad Thoyib, Rihab Wit Daryono Jr., Edi Junaedi, Neneng Habibah

The Qualitative Report

Indigenous belief communities in Indonesia continue to face marginalization in the national education system, limiting their access to education that aligns with their spiritual and cultural values. Our study investigates how the Sapta Darma community members perceive inclusive education and how their socio-cultural traditions can support educational practices rooted in independent learning. Using a qualitative phenomenological approach and a multi-site design, data were collected from 30 participants, including community leaders, parents, and youth in Banyuwangi, Kediri, and Yogyakarta through in-depth interviews, observations, and documentation. The results show that inclusive education in the Sapta Darma community, grounded in the spirit of …

Strain Gauge Analysis And Deformation Detection Of Maxillary Denture Bases Reinforced By Cad/Cam Milled Zirconia And Cobalt Chromium (Co-Cr) Frameworks: An In-Vitro Study, Maha Nagy Kamal, Marwa Ezzat Sabet, Ghada Mahmoud Elgindy, Hebatallah Tarek Mohamed

Dentistry

Background A lot of studies have demonstrated the increased hardness of the reinforced maxillary dentures. However, the amount of stress induced by different reinforcement materials under the reinforcement dentures and their effect on the underlying supporting tissues and on the deformation of the denture bases were questionable. This study was conducted to compare the stresses induced within the supporting oral tissues from maxillary denture bases reinforced with computer-aided designing/computer-aided manufacturing CAD/CAM zirconia framework or cobalt chrome (Co-Cr) framework, and to detect the deformation that occurred to these bases. Materials and methods Twenty-six maxillary complete dentures were fabricated and divided into …

A Pretraining-Based Framework For On-Device Training Of Imu-Based Locomotion Mode Detection For Wearable Active Exoskeletons, Muhammad Tahir Khan

LSU Master's Theses

Active exoskeletons are being developed to support human movement in physically demanding industries such as construction. For these systems to work effectively, they must be able to correctly identify the user’s current activity. This process is known as locomotion mode detection and plays an important role in selecting the appropriate control parameters for exoskeletons. Many existing approaches use inertial measurement units (IMUs) to recognize these activities and have shown strong performance. However, most of these methods depend on large amounts of labeled data collected under specific conditions. As a result, they often do not perform well when applied to new …

Some Modal Insights From A Defense Of The Principle Of Sufficient Reason, Daniel Kim

LSU Master's Theses

The Principle of Sufficient Reason has a long history, but basically put, states that everything that exists has a reason or explanation for its existence. This principle has been a controversial one as it has been used to argue for the existence of God and have been accused of entailing determinism. In this thesis, I will be defending a version of the PSR advocated by Alexander Pruss, that all true contingent propositions need an explanation. I will also argue that the principle of sufficient reason should be restricted to our phenomenal experiences, just like Kant does.

This is in response …

The Living Archive: Photography, Social Media, And The New Frontier Of Activism, Lundyn C. Herring

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis seeks to analyze the discursive field and technology of photography and its multi-faceted role in the oppression of colonized people under Western imperialism. Among the main collection highlights of many established state-run archival institutions are photographic records consisting of surveillance images, mugshots, and other visual media as representations of the political hegemony that is exerted over governed peoples. From the mid-19th century to 2026, much has shifted in the realm of photography with the introduction of smartphones, accessible technology, and social media platforms during the beginning of the twenty-first century. As states and powerholders apply the technology of …

Wearable Sensor System Used To Measure Linear And Angular Acceleration Of The Head Of American Football Players, David A. Emerson

LSU Master's Theses

American football players are repeatedly subject to high-velocity impacts; collisions can exceed 100 g in the NFL [1]. Rotational accelerations of the head caused by high-velocity collisions have been proven to be extremely damaging to the highly organized brain fibers at the brain-skull interface [2]. The sensor system (SS) measures the nonplanar acceleration at four locations on a chin strap using ADXL314 accelerometers and utilizes rigid-body kinematics to estimate the head rotational state from the measured acceleration of the SS [3]. The SS was validated through progressive testing, including steady-state, linear impact, and rotational impact testing. The ADLX314 sensor exhibited …

Theory, Experiments, And Image Recovery Algorithms For X-Ray Interferometry, Hunter C. Meyer

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Purpose: X-ray grating interferometry is a form of X-ray phase contrast imaging capable of simultaneously measuring attenuation, differential-phase, and dark-field images arising from X-ray absorption, refraction, and small-angle scattering, respectively. These additional contrast mechanisms have potential clinical and industrial applications, particularly for lung tissue characterization and disease identification. As grating interferometers approach clinical viability, key challenges include reducing X-ray dose, mitigating mechanical instability, and correcting spectral artifacts resulting from beam hardening.

Methods: The modulated phase grating interferometer (MPGI) is a potential solution for reducing X-ray dose by eliminating the analyzer grating used in alternative interferometer designs, including the Talbot-Lau interferometer …

The Power Of Beliefs: Cognitive Pathways Linking Mental Health Literacy To Psychological Distress, Katherine Elise Kirsch

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Mental health disorders are prevalent in children and adolescents, and they are accompanied by challenges throughout the lifespan. Mental health literacy (MHL) provides a flexible framework to address child and adolescent mental health. Identifying significant relationships between MHL and mental health outcomes has the potential to inform successful interventions. This study uses a secondary analysis of data gathered for the Study on Attitudes of Adolescents and Young Adults Toward Relevant Health Issues to isolate MHL belief domains that significantly effect psychological distress levels in adolescents.

The Swiss Youth Mental Health Literacy and Stigma Survey was used to assess the MHL, …

“Where All Is Playtime And Pleasure”: Feeling The Otherworldly In Late Medieval Literature, Anna K. Mcgill

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation, I present intra-, inter-, and extra-textual felt responses to encounters with the otherworldly as described in Late Medieval texts as a lens through which to consider personal, social, and national imaginative potential surrounding contemporary issues across genres and disciplines. I argue that the use of otherworlds and otherworldly agents as both personally and rhetorically compelling analogues through which contemporary issues can be explored. I start my discussion of the felt impacts of encounters with the Arthurian otherworldly, with a particular focus on Glastonbury and Arthur’s alleged grave there, and how they transmit affects of sovereign authority. Next, …

In The Realm Of Dreams: The Feminine Imagination In Music, Katie Scarlett Ellender

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This project examines selected works by Clara Schumann, Rebecca Clarke, and Lili Boulanger that contain representations of night, dream, and mythology. These composers were influenced by the prevailing artistic movements during their lives, including German Romanticism, Impressionism, and Symbolism, which emphasized nocturnal landscapes, supernatural beings, and liminal states. Descriptive analysis and performance recommendations are provided for selected Lieder by Clara Schumann, Rebecca Clarke’s Morpheus, and Lili Boulanger’s Nocturne. Particular emphasis is given to how each composer uses night, dream, and myth imagery as expressive frameworks that inform decisions on harmonic language, level of cadential resolution, motivic repetition and transformation, texture, …

A Study Of Transients From Ground-Based Surveys Reveals New Ultra-Compact Accreting White Dwarf Binaries, Jan Kára, Liliana E. Rivera Sandoval, Wendy Mendoza, Thomas J. Maccarone, Manuel Pichardo Marcano, Luis Salazar Manzano, Ryan J. Oelkers, Jan Van Roestel

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

AM CVn stars are ultra-compact semi-detached binaries consisting of a white dwarf primary and a hydrogen-depleted secondary. In this paper, we present spectroscopic and photometric results of 15 transient sources pre-classified as AM CVn candidates. Our analysis confirms 9 systems of the type AM CVn, 3 hydrogen-rich cataclysmic variables (accreting white dwarfs with near-main-sequence stars for donors), and 3 systems that could be evolved cataclysmic variables. Eight of the AM CVn stars are analysed spectroscopically for the first time, which increases the number of spectroscopically confirmed AM CVns by about 10%. TESS data revealed the orbital period of the AM …

Collaborative Care For Depression In Chronic Illness: A Narrative Review, Chun Wong, German E. Corso

School of Medicine Publications

Background: Depression commonly coexists with chronic medical illness and is associated with impaired self-management, poor adherence, increased healthcare utilization, and higher mortality.

Objective: To synthesize evidence published between 2000 and late 2025 on the effectiveness of the Collaborative Care Model (CoCM) for depression in adults with chronic medical illness, with particular attention to contemporary U.S. implementation, policy, and equity considerations.

Methods: A narrative review of randomized controlled trials, pragmatic and implementation studies, systematic reviews, and policy analyses was conducted using PubMed, PsycINFO, and Scopus. Evidence addressing collaborative care for depression in adults with chronic medical illness was identified and synthesized …

Using Diffusion Mri To Relate Hippocampal Subfield Microstructure To Delayed Verbal Memory In Cognitively Intact Individuals At Genetic Risk For Developing Alzheimer's Disease, Jennapher Lingo Vangilder, Andrew Hooyman, Sasha Hakhu, Kurt G. Schilling, Leland S. Hu, Yuxiang Zhou, Richard J. Caselli, Leslie C. Baxter, Scott C. Beeman

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Intervention to delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an important treatment strategy but detecting at-risk individuals before significant disease progression remains challenging. This study evaluates the relationship between hippocampal microstructure and verbal cognition in cognitively intact older adults, focusing on the differences between APOΕ ε4 allele carriers and noncarriers. Participants (n = 41 noncarriers, 33 carriers) over 60 years old (mean ± SD: carriers 71 ± 6.6; noncarriers 71 ± 6.4 years) underwent diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) and volumetric assessments. We assessed hippocampal structure, including microstructure, using Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging (NODDI), diffusion tensor …

System For Automated Offer Generation With Transaction Classification And Interactive Guidance, Morgan Robins, Matthew Miceli

Defensive Publications Series

Systems for generating employment offers can involve manual data entry, which may be inefficient and introduce errors that can lead to delays in a hiring process. An automation framework may be integrated within a host platform, for example, an applicant tracking system, to programmatically generate employment offer documents. The system can ingest data from various sources, such as approved requisitions and candidate profiles, and can use configurable schemas to populate offer templates. The framework could also include a logic engine to classify a transaction type, a validation module to audit an offer against business rules, and an interactive interface to …

Selectively Insulated Fastener For Signal Transmission In A Conductive Housing, Josh Cheng, Zoro Chang, Averill Chang

Defensive Publications Series

A system may utilize a structural fastener, such as a screw, as a dual-function component in compact electronic devices (e.g., smartphones, wearables, tablets). The fastener can be constructed from a conductive material and feature a selectively applied insulating coating on certain surfaces, for example, the threaded shank that engages with a conductive housing. The head of the fastener and a portion of its tip may remain uncoated to serve as external and internal electrical contact points, respectively. This configuration can allow the fastener to provide both mechanical fastening and an electrical conduit. This approach may facilitate a space-efficient, hidden wired …

Post-Silicon Performance Prediction, N/A

Defensive Publications Series

The present disclosure is directed to generating architecture-aware voltage-frequency (VF) scaling curves for semiconductor designs utilizing logic depth normalization to predict post-silicon performance across diverse process, voltage, and temperature (PVT) corners. An approach involves ingesting raw library characterization data for representative standard cells and converting target frequencies into a normalized metric based on cell-specific propagation delays. By iterating through multiple critical path compositions, the approach can identify a worst-case stage depth that represents the architectural speed limit of the design across all corners. This limiting constraint is then mapped back to the raw delay data across a full voltage spectrum …

Pearl's Perfect Last Will - Crushed By Infantilism Bias, Edward F. Fogarty Mr

Nebraska Journal on Advancing Justice

No abstract provided.

Dangerous Or Neglected, Amanda Landaverde

Nebraska Journal on Advancing Justice

No abstract provided.

Increasing Implementation Of Intimate Partner Violence Screenings In Patient Care To Improve Patient Outcomes, Emma Webb, Eliza Heinrich, Emma Foran

Scholars Week

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is an issue that affects every patient population, age group, and gender. In order to detect intimate partner violence among patients in a healthcare setting, it is proposed that a standardized screening tool be implemented. A policy was created to implement universal IPV screenings in a healthcare facility.

Reducing Falls Through Innovative Assessment Scales, Emily Oliver, Alisa Helt

Scholars Week

Fall occurrences remain an important issue in hospital settings that contribute to longer hospital stays, higher healthcare costs, and increased health risks for patients. This evidence based practice project evaluates current research that addresses how to reduce the amount of falls that occur in hospitals, specifically through innovative fall risk assessments. Key findings from the studies include the use of the Activity Measure for Post-Acute Care (AM-PAC) and the Modified Dionne’s Egress Test as a means to evaluate patients mobility function, and therefore gain a better understanding of how at risk a patient is for falls.

Implementing Evidence-Based Fall Risk Assessment To Improve Identifying Home Fall Risks, Jade M. Oakley, Ellie Youngblood

Scholars Week

This evidence-based practice project addresses the significant risk of falls among home hospice patients by proposing the implementation of a standardized, multifactorial assessment tool. The project advocates for replacing subjective nursing judgment and the inadequate Morse Fall Risk Assessment with the validated Missouri Alliance for Home Care (MAHC-10) tool, accompanied by a new Fall Prevention Protocol and comprehensive staff education. Utilizing the MAHC-10 will ensure consistent, evidence-based assessment, allowing nurses to proactively implement fall prevention interventions and thereby improve patient safety and quality of life at home.

Reducing Nurse Burnout, Kaylee R. Mofield

Scholars Week

I presented an evidence-based project to a healthcare facility with interventions and a suggested policy change to help reduce nurse burnout. One suggested policy change I made was changing the staffing policy. Within this new policy I suggest that if the patient census was 25 patients it calls for 5 nurses, 17-20 patient calls for 4 nurses, 16 or less patients calls for 3 nurses; along with no calling off staff due to census but rather utilizing this staff as a float or resource nurse. Another suggestion I made was nursing leadership holding monthly “check-in” meetings separate from the monthly …

Decreasing Wound Healing Times By Decreasing Stress Levels, Bayleigh S. Kraus, Colson Burnett, Kelsey Spann

Scholars Week

The relationship between stress levels and delayed wound healing needs to be further investigated, particularly in hospitalized and chronically ill patients. Research shows that psychological stress can impair immune function, reduce tissue regeneration, and prolong inflammation, all of which slow the healing process. It is important to explore how both acute and chronic stress affect different types of wounds, such as surgical incisions, pressure injuries, and diabetic ulcers. Additionally, identifying which stress-reduction interventions are most effective in improving healing outcomes is essential. Understanding these factors can help nurses implement targeted, evidence-based interventions to promote faster recovery.

Lawyers’, Law Professors’ And Law Students’ Free Speech: The Rule Of Law, Civility, And Informed Engagement, Eli Wald

Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development

(Excerpt)

The Article is organized as follows. Part I summarizes the traditional doctrine governing lawyers’ free speech, as well as the related doctrines of free speech, academic freedom, and tenure on college campuses. Part II explores twenty-first century developments that have thrown these old established doctrines into a state of flux.

Part III consists of three sections. The first suggests a new understanding of lawyers’ free speech, arguing that unprecedented twenty-first-century attacks on the rule of law justify recognizing a third, narrowly tailored restriction on lawyers’ free speech. In addition to the traditional restrictions grounded in protecting clients from lawyers’ …

Some Thoughts About Free Speech And Hostile Environment Discrimination On College Campuses, Mark Tushnet

Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development

(Excerpt)

Section I examines which kinds of utterances may be considered in determining whether a hostile environment exists, and how those utterances may be taken into account. After distinguishing between targeted utterances directed at an identifiable individual and general statements that disparage a racial or nation-origin group, this Section focuses on targeted utterances.

Section II then turns to general statements, typically of a more clearly political sort. After describing the quite limited nature under which individuals can be held liable for general statements, the Section argues that such statements can be part of the “dossier” relevant to hostile environment discrimination, …

The First Amendment, Student Protest On Campus And The Law, Gene Policinski

Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development

(Excerpt)

After a brief background on the history of student protest and free expression, this Article examines campus speech policies developed in response to student protests in the 1960s, and present examples of how these codes and regulations recently have been reviewed and revised in light of campus protests and disruptions, with many involving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Next, this Article also examines the ongoing impact of federal legislation—specifically Titles VI and IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964—on campus speech. In addition, this section addresses public attitudes regarding campus protests and related on campus issues, as well as an …

Diversity Is More Than Non-Discrimination: Groupthink In Higher Education, Adam Goldstein, Sean Stevens, Nathan Honeycutt

Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development

(Excerpt)

In this Article, we seek to advance three claims. First, intellectual diversity is an essential bulwark against groupthink. Second, conflating intellectual diversity and non-discrimination undermines both concepts. Third, intellectual diversity should be pursued for its own sake and recognized as a separate and important goal of higher education.

We begin by sharing a set of definitions to identify the problem more precisely. Next, we examine the stakes of groupthink setting in. Then, we will introduce some of FIRE’s research on campus climate, which suggests the presence of an existing monoculture. Through the lens of a case study at Harvard …