Digital Commons Network^™

Improving The Implementation Of Response To Intervention Through Structured Professional Learning Communitiies, Amanda Southerland

Education Theses and Dissertations

This Improvement Science Dissertation in Practice examined how the current Response to Intervention (RTI) framework supported math achievement for fifth-and-sixth grade students at a rural intermediate campus in Northeast Texas. Although Tier 1 and Tier 2 supports were in place, many students continued to struggle to demonstrate meaningful growth in mathematics. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the current RTI framework, identify barriers affecting its implementation, and implement an improvement strategy based on the findings. A mixed-methods approach was used to analyze district benchmark and STAAR data, teacher surveys, and focus group interviews. Findings from the evaluation identified …

State-Mandated Principal Mentoring And Its Relationship To Leadership Efficacy, Working Conditions, And Student Achievement Across Contexts, Ellen Willoughby

Education Theses and Dissertations

Although principal mentoring has been widely studied, far less is known about whether state-level mentoring mandates function as effective policy levers for improving principal or student outcomes. This sequential explanatory mixed-methods study examined the relationship between state mentoring mandates in principal preparation programs and four outcomes: principal leadership efficacy, occupational stress, pay satisfaction, and student achievement. Phase 1 employed multiple linear regression with state-level data from the 2020–2021 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), and 2023 Education Commission of the States mentoring mandate classifications. Phase 2 used semi-structured interviews with four practicing principals …

The Critical Pediatric Obesity Window: Pre-Pubertal Metabolic Disease And The Fallacy Of Delayed Intervention., Matthew Lindquist, Brooke Sweeney

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Despite increasing recognition of pediatric obesity as a chronic disease, many clinicians continue to rely on "watchful waiting," assuming pubertal growth will mitigate excess weight and metabolic risk. Current evidence contradicts this approach. Children under 12 years of age with obesity frequently demonstrate clinically significant metabolic disease, including insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, dysglycemia, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), often before symptoms emerge. Puberty does not reverse these processes; rather, physiologic pubertal insulin resistance amplifies preexisting metabolic dysfunction and accelerates disease progression. Delayed intervention allows potentially irreversible injury during a critical period of metabolic plasticity. This article reviews contemporary biologic …

Cytokine-Based Strategies To Improve Prognostic Enrichment Of Pediatric Ards., E Scott Halstead, Todd M. Umstead, Zissis C. Chroneos, Cainan Riccio-Baum, S Rameeza Allie, Daniel J. Mckeone, Debbie Spear, Ryan A. Nofziger, Ronald C. Sanders, Danielle Ahn, Jasmine C. Dowell, Asdis Finnsdottir Wagner, Neal J. Thomas, Prithvi Sendi, W Joshua Frazier, Courtney M. Rowan, Parag N. Jain, Dalia A. Bashir, Stuart H. Friess, Brian M. Varisco, Jocelyn Grunwell, Aline B. Maddux, Stephen T. Famularo, Nadir Yehya

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Hyper-inflammation is common to multiple critical care syndromes, including acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and sepsis, and is associated with worse outcomes. A signature of hyper-inflammatory ARDS has been described in adults using IL-6, TNFR1, and bicarbonate, and has prognostic utility. We investigated the application of this traditional parsimonious signature to pediatric ARDS patients and tested whether we could improve prognostic enrichment using other cytokines.

METHODS: We leveraged a prospective multicenter cohort study of 500 children with ARDS (Linking Endotypes and Outcomes in Pediatric Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome [LEOPARDS]; NCT04113434) study. Plasma samples were obtained within 24 h of …

Insurance Type And Menopausal Hormone Therapy Use Among Us Women, Arina Chesnokova, Sunni Mumford, Allison Schachter, Rebecca Hamm, Scott Lorch, Matthew Klebanoff, Sarah Lindley, Erika Harness, Makeba Williams, Marilyn Schapira

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

IMPORTANCE: Access to menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) in the US remains low. Understanding whether insurance type is associated with MHT underuse and racial disparities in menopausal care is critical for designing interventions that increase evidence-based and equitable menopause care.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether Medicaid compared with private insurance is associated with lower MHT use among US women. A secondary objective explored the degree that payer type is associated with observed racial differences in MHT use.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cross-sectional study used the 2013-2014, 2015-2016, and 2017-2020 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to identify …

Congenital Heart Disease In Infants Of Diabetic Mothers (Pediatrics Hospital Based Study), Esraa Ali Mathboob Mahdi, Basil M. Hanudi

Iraqi Postgraduate Medical Journal

Background: Infants born to diabetic mothers are at elevated risk for neonatal complications, including metabolic, hematologic, respiratory, cardiac, and neurological disorders. Notably, insulin-dependent diabetes increases the likelihood of congenital heart diseases (CHDs). Aim: This study aimed to determine the incidence and associated factors of cardiac complications among neonates born to diabetic mothers and to identify the prevalent patterns of congenital heart defects in this population. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted over a 10-month period (July 1, 2020 to April 30, 2021) at the Neonatal Care Unit of Child’s Central Teaching Hospital. The study included 100 neonates admitted within …

Association Between Cesarean Scar Niche Characteristics And Menstrual Irregularities: A Cross-Sectional Study, Ridab Ali Saeed, Ahmed R. Shaker

Iraqi Postgraduate Medical Journal

ABSTRACT:Background: Cesarean section is a prevalent obstetric procedure with potential complications, including the formation of uterine niches or isthmoceles. These defects are associated with irregular menstrual cycles and adverse gynecological outcomes.Aim of the Study: To evaluate the association between cesarean scar niches and menstrual irregularities, and examine whether niche size and myometerial thickness are linked to menstrual irregularities.Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional observational study included 200 women with a history of cesarean section. Participants were divided into regular and irregular menstrual cycle groups and further categorized by the presence or absence of uterine niches. Clinical and demographic data were collected, …

The Role Of Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Value Measurement In The Differentiation Of Ischemic Stroke From Multiple Sclerosis In The Brain, Jenan Mohammed Khalid, Amer Murad Gebur

Iraqi Postgraduate Medical Journal

Differentiating acute ischemic stroke from active multiple sclerosis (MS) plaques using conventional MRI can be challenging due to overlapping radiological features. The Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) provides a quantitative measure of water diffusion, potentially offering a solution to this diagnostic dilemma. This study aims to evaluate the role of ADC value measurements in distinguishing between acute ischemic stroke and acute demyelinating MS lesions. This cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary care center in Iraq from November 2024 to July 2025. All participants underwent a standardized brain MRI protocol on a 1.5-T scanner. ADC values were measured by manually placing …

Evaluating The Usefulness Of 24-Hour Video Eeg Monitoring In Dr. Sa’Ad Alwitry’S Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq, Ebtehal Dhiyaa, Akram Mohammad Al-Mahdawi, Muataz Fairooz Abd

Iraqi Postgraduate Medical Journal

Background: Video electroencephalography (VEEG) monitoring, which combines EEG with synchronized video recording, is a valuable but resource-intensive tool for evaluating seizure disorders. While its role in diagnosis and classification is established, its specific impact on altering provisional diagnoses and guiding treatment remains underexplored.Objective: To assess the diagnostic utility of 24-hour inpatient VEEG monitoring in confirming or modifying provisional diagnoses and reducing misdiagnosis in patients with paroxysmal events.Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 192 patients who underwent VEEG monitoring at Dr. Saad Alwitry Hospital between January and December 2018. Patient records were reviewed to assess the impact of VEEG on …

Immunohistochemical Expression Of Estrogen Receptor In Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma With Lymph Node Metastasis, Furqan J. Albderi, Kaswer M. Altoriahi

Iraqi Postgraduate Medical Journal

Background: Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common well-differentiated thyroid malignancy. The female predominance of PTC suggests a potential role for estrogen signaling, mediated through estrogen receptors (ER), in thyroid carcinogenesis and progression.Objective: This study aimed to evaluate estrogen receptor protein expression in papillary thyroid carcinoma with lymph node metastasis and to analyze its association with clinicopathological parameters.Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 50 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded thyroid and corresponding lymph node tissue specimens from Iraqi patients with PTC and lymph node metastasis. ER expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry. Associations between ER expression and clinicopathological variables were analyzed using …

Family Medicine In Iraq: Bridging The Gap Between Training And Practice For Health System Reform, Eman A. Al-Kaseer

Iraqi Postgraduate Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

Air: Improving Agent Safety Through Incident Response, Zibo Xiao, Jun Sun, Junjie Chen

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Large Language Model (LLM) agents are increasingly deployed in practice across a wide range of autonomous applications. Yet current safety mechanisms for LLM agents focus almost exclusively on preventing failures in advance, providing limited capabilities for responding to, containing, or recovering from incidents after they inevitably arise. In this work, we introduce AIR, the first incident response framework for LLM agent systems. AIR defines a domain-specific language for managing the incident response lifecycle autonomously in LLM agent systems, and integrates it into the agent's execution loop to (1) detect incidents via semantic checks grounded in the current environment state and …

Can Laws Be Flexible? Rethinking Legislation For Innovation, Nicholson W. Price Ii, Nick K. Schneider, Ariel Dora Stem, Jochen K. Lennerz

Articles

Agile legislation adapts principles from agile software development to lawmaking, emphasizing iteration, multi-stakeholder feedback, and embedded revision. We outline this learning-oriented governance model using three case studies: Germany’s stepwise digital health legislation, the EU AI Act, and U.S. FDA user-fee reauthorization. These examples highlight legislative designs that enable structured generation of real-world data and evidence during implementation, informing regulatory interpretation and iterative refinement in rapidly evolving technological domains.

Barriers Or Bridges? Analyzing The Role Of Admissions Criteria In Shaping Access To Law School, Meghan Donnelly

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Law school admissions processes play a pivotal role in shaping access to the legal profession, yet their reliance on standardized metrics such as the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and undergraduate grade point averages (GPAs) continues to raise concerns about equity. This study examines how admissions evaluation practices influence access to law school and explores alternative approaches that may better support equitable outcomes.

Using a mixed methods approach, this study draws on the experiences and perspectives of law school applicants and law school admissions professionals to assess perceptions of equity, accessibility, and opportunity within the law school admissions process. Particular …

Strategies For Classroom Teachers Using Generative Artificial Intelligence, Hoang-Kim Nguyen

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated strategies for classroom teachers using generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI), the challenges high school teachers face when integrating Gen AI tools into the classroom, and how teachers address these challenges. Using a qualitative approach, the study surveyed 26 teachers and conducted five interviews with teachers in two suburban school districts. The results indicated that there are leadership and professional development gaps in Gen AI in high schools. The findings suggested that districts need to provide professional development and leadership on Gen AI to help teachers integrate it into the classroom and prepare students for the Gen AI …

The Role Of Mindfulness In Building Sustainable Educational Leadership, Joe Mueller

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Educational leaders work in environments characterized by sustained responsibility, complex decision-making, emotional demands, and persistent stress. While these demands are well documented in the current literature, the question of how educational leadership might remain healthy, effective, and sustainable still remains. Mindfulness has emerged as a potential resource for managing and navigating stress across multiple professional fields. Despite a growing interest in mindfulness, little research has directly examined the connection between dispositional mindfulness and perceived stress among practicing educational leaders. The purpose of this study is the examination of that connection among educational leaders in the state of Minnesota. This research …

The Standardization Of Teaching: Minnesota Elementary Teacher Perceptions Of Academic Standards In 21st-Century Classrooms, Katie Rotvold

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This sequential explanatory mixed methods study examined how Minnesota elementary teachers’ perceptions of academic standards and assessment influence their instructional practices in the context of 21st-century classrooms. Guided by Ajzen’s (1991) Theory of Planned Behavior, the study explored teachers’ attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control related to implementing academic standards. Quantitative data were collected through an online questionnaire completed by 221 Minnesota elementary teachers, followed by qualitative analysis of open-ended survey responses and semi-structured interviews with four teachers. Results indicated that teachers generally held positive attitudes toward academic standards, perceived strong expectations from administrators and state policymakers to implement …

What Leadership And Operational Strategies Should Twin Cities Black-Led Charter Schools Have To Promote School Improvement, Enhance Student Achievement, And Ensure Sustained Organizational Success?, Donald W-R. Allen, Ii

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Allen, D. (2026). What Leadership and Operational Strategies should Twin Cities Black-led Charter Schools have to Promote School Improvement, Enhance Student Achievement, and Ensure Sustained Organizational Success?  

This dissertation examined my story along with the leadership and operational strategies employed by Twin Cities Black-led charter schools to support school improvement, enhance student achievement, and sustain long-term organizational success. Black-led charter schools emerged as community-centered educational alternatives designed to provide culturally responsive learning environments for Black students and families while addressing persistent educational inequities. Despite their important role within Minnesota's educational landscape, limited empirical research has examined the organizational conditions that …

Academic Achievement Of Students In The United States: The Lived Experience Of Being A Black, Hard-Of-Hearing College Learner, Tracy Laneis Ivy

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Black Deaf and Hard of Hearing college students’ current educational experiences are shaped by their lived experiences in high school classrooms. This qualitative study centers the voices and lived experiences of 15 Black Deaf and Hard of Hearing college students. The purpose was to explore how the participants, first-, second-, or third-year college students, made meaning of their high school classroom experiences and how those experiences continued to influence their college experiences. This study was informed by Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality, Disability Studies and Critical Race Theory in Education, and Counter-Narrative.

Data were collected using Seidman’s three-interview series, which required …

Sharing The Voices Of Latine Students: Their Experiences Of Community, Belonging And Joy In A Suburban Public High School, Ashley Acosta-Meyers

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative phenological and ethnographic study explored how seven Latine high school students in a suburban public high school defined and experienced community, belonging, and joy, asking what school spaces, experiences, and practices build or diminish these three concepts. Data was collected through four interview sessions per participant, reflective journaling, and three culturally and linguistically responsive walkthrough observations, and were analyzed through layered linguistic, narrative, and thematic coding. Findings showed that belonging and joy were tied to specific spaces rather than felt evenly across the school day. Institutional fairness shaped belonging as much as any relationship. Latine identity was contested, …

Beyond Casebooks: Law School’S Hidden Curriculum, Nubia Nelly Esparza

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This mixed methods study sought to understand how the hidden curriculum affects first-generation, marginalized, and underrepresented law students and attorneys, what educational and career opportunities they have missed as a result of not knowing these unwritten rules, and what law schools could do to better prepare this population for the realities of legal education and practice. Data were collected through an anonymous online survey and a focus group with first-generation law students and attorneys who have been in the profession for ten years or less. Analysis of the data was mapped against the Conceptual Framework of the Hidden Curriculum in …

The Regulatory Costs Of Wine Production In Napa County, Lynn Hamilton, Michael Mccullough

Agribusiness

Unlike other food products, commercial alcoholic beverage production has been subject to federal regulation and taxation since the founding of the United States, with specific wine taxes being levied during the wartime Emergency Revenue Act of 1914 (Cilluffo and Gravelle, 2024). Since then, taxation and regulations have expanded, with many new laws originating at the state level. Additional regulatory costs, combined with the current decline in consumer demand raise questions regarding the long-term viability of California wine production. Napa County Farm Bureau contacted Cal Poly to assess baseline conditions in the industry by conducting a case study of regulations accruing …

Summer Proceedings 2026, Computational Modeling Serving Portland, The Altreu Program, Portland State University, Teuscher Lab, Portland State University

altREU Projects

The 2026 Summer Proceedings bring together research conducted by undergraduate students participating in three complementary programs at Portland State University: the National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF REU) site, Computational Modeling Serving Portland; the alternative Research Experiences for Undergraduates (altREU) program, Designing, Programming, and Using Computers to Benefit Society; and the Teuscher Lab internship program.

The NSF REU is a fully virtual, 10-week program centered on computational modeling that serves Portland and the greater region. Students begin with two weeks of intensive training in computational modeling, followed by eightweeks of mentored research with faculty, research collaborators, and community …

Nascent Titanium-/Silicon-Containing Particle Formation In Corona-Discharge-Assisted Combustion, Chanakya Bagya Ramesh, Frank Daoru Han, Yang Wang

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Adding plasmas to a flame has been shown to introduce high concentrations of charges, ions, and radicals to the said flame. This technique of adding plasma to a flame is called plasma-assisted combustion (PAC), and this addition has been shown to make a flame more stable and efficient. At the same time, PAC has also been shown to alter particle formation during combustion. Here, we investigate the effect of a high-frequency (∼21 kHz) alternating current (AC) corona discharge on particle formation and growth in a premixed flame, especially at the initial stages (with particle sizes below 10 nm). We first …

Multi-Parametric Nonlinear Programming For Lossy Lmp Sensitivity Analysis Using Outer Progressive Cuts, Yuhan Huang, Tao Ding, Chenggang Mu, Rui Bo, Pengwei Du

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Accurate sensitivity analysis of locational marginal price (LMP) is crucial for risk hedging and market management. This paper proposes multiparametric nonlinear programming for sensitivity analysis of LMP with nonlinear network loss, also known as lossy LMP. Global analytical solutions for lossy LMP and the corresponding critical regions are derived. An outer progressive cut algorithm is developed to constrain the network loss error within a specific range for the whole parametric domain. Case studies show the improved accuracy over methods with lossless or fixed loss factors, and a two-order-of-magnitude online speedup over Monte Carlo methods while maintaining lower total computational time.

Robert B. Ahdieh, Robert B. Ahdieh

Faculty CVs

No abstract provided.

Jenny E. Carroll, Jenny E. Carroll

Faculty CVs

No abstract provided.

Terri L. Helge, Terri Lynn Helge

Faculty CVs

No abstract provided.

Milan Markovic, Milan R. Markovic

Faculty CVs

No abstract provided.

G. Alexander Nunn, G. Alexander Nunn

Faculty CVs

No abstract provided.