Digital Commons Network^™

Dragging The Self: Manifesting Genderqueer Identity As A Drag King Performer And Teacher, Jasmine Mcmasters

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates drag performance as a site of gender identity formation, pedagogical practice, and arts-based inquiry through a critical autoethnographic methodology. Drawing on my lived experience as the drag king, Jas Mania, I investigate how drag functions as a dialogical relationship between performance and self, facilitating an ongoing exploration of my identity as a queer, non-binary artist and educator. Situated within theories of gender performativity, queer phenomenology, queer temporality, and performative pedagogy, this research considers how embodied performance generates knowledge that extends beyond the stage and into everyday life. Using improvisatory arts-based methods of reflective journaling and performance production, …

Purifai: Detecting And Fixing Search-Induced Distortions In Web-Augmented Llms, Guoqing Wang, Zhao Zhang, Zeyu Sun, Xiaofei Xie, Yizhou Chen, Yanchao Tan, Dan Hao

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

As Large Language Models (LLMs) increasingly serve as interfaces for proprietary data (e.g., enterprise knowledge bases, legal statutes), ensuring their fidelity to trusted internal information is paramount. While integrating real-time web search can enhance model utility, it introduces a critical vulnerability: the ingestion of conflicting, misleading, or hallucinated content from the open web can override the model's adherence to its verified internal knowledge. We define this failure mode as search-induced distortion, a significant risk in high-stakes domains where the internal knowledge base serves as the absolute ground truth.To address this challenge, we present PurifAI, a proactive, model-agnostic, cache-level purification system …

Verbalizing Lightgcn: Direct Learning Of Textual Representations From User-Item Interaction Graph Via Llms, Manh-Khanh Ngo Huu, Hady Wirawan Lauw

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this work, we propose VerbaLightGCN, a novel LLM-based recommendation framework that integrates the semantic understanding of LLMs with user-item interaction modeling. Traditional collaborative filtering (CF) models typically embed user and item IDs into a latent space to capture interaction signals. However, pretrained LLMs cannot natively interpret these learned embeddings. To bridge this gap, VerbaLightGCN adopts a CF-as-text paradigm, in which collaborative signals are encoded in textual form and directly learned from the user–item interaction graph, and are then combined with semantic information to construct user and item profiles that function as latent embeddings. Inspired by LightGCN, our method retains …

Collectivist Culture Values And Self-Esteem In Asian Americans With Adhd, Skye Taemi Jieling Sakashita

Doctoral Dissertations

This study is a quantitative correlational analysis that evaluated the relationship between collectivism and self-esteem in Asian American adults diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). A total of 29 Asian American adults with ADHD participated in this study that included a survey of three scales assessing for collectivism, self-esteem, and ADHD symptoms. The results indicated that the correlation between self-esteem and collectivism in participants was not statistically significant. The correlation between self-esteem and ADHD symptoms was also found to be not statistically significant. However, certain correlational analyses regarding collectivism and ADHD symptoms were found to be statistically significant. Specifically, the results …

Procedural Justice And Instructional Alignment In Body-Worn Camera Policies: A Comparative Policy Analysis Of Large U.S. Urban Police Departments, Michael A. O'Connor

Theses and Dissertations from DePaul University

This study examined how written Body-Worn Camera (BWC) policies in large U.S. urban police departments operationalize Procedural Justice (PJ) through instructional alignment and how those policies shape expectations for officer training. Policy analysis showed that all departments required BWC activation during key encounters such as traffic stops and arrests and included some form of supervisory review. However, substantial variation existed in policies governing data retention, citizen notification, pre-report viewing safeguards and documentation requirements, and disciplinary guidance. These inconsistencies were most evident in the PJ dimensions of neutrality and voice, particularly where policies permitted pre-report viewing without consistent documentation requirements and …

Analysis Of Clinical Health Worker Notes With Explainable Artificial Intelligence For A Better Perspective In Preventing Readmission, Christopher Scott Klimp

Theses and Dissertations from DePaul University

Emergency Department (ED) readmissions remain a major challenge for healthcare systems, affecting both patient care quality and financial costs. Most prediction models depend largely on structured data from clinical tools that assign points to a small set of predefined factors – such as comorbidities, previous hospital visits, and behaviors such as smoking and drinking – and then sum those points to produce an overall risk score. These point-based tools leave out important information from Social Determinants of Health and a wealth of information from Community Health Workers (Community health workers (CHWs), trusted members of a community who help connect people …

Using Recommender Systems To Help Revitalize Local News, Payam Pourashraf

Theses and Dissertations from DePaul University

Local news outlets have experienced steep declines in readership as national and global online news sources have expanded and consolidated audience attention. Because many local media companies rely primarily on subscription-based business models, they must increase user engagement and provide clearer value to local subscribers. Personalization and recommender systems offer one promising path toward this goal. However, many recommender systems assume that a user’s past behavior can be summarized in a single unified profile. In practice, preferences are often context-dependent: the same person may prefer different content depending on geography, time, task, or situation. Local news offers a socially important …

Collectivist Culture Values And Self-Esteem In Asian Americans With Adhd, Skye Taemi Jieling Sakashita

Doctoral Dissertations

This study is a quantitative correlational analysis that evaluated the relationship between collectivism and self-esteem in Asian American adults diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). A total of 29 Asian American adults with ADHD participated in this study that included a survey of three scales assessing for collectivism, self-esteem, and ADHD symptoms. The results indicated that the correlation between self-esteem and collectivism in participants was not statistically significant. The correlation between self-esteem and ADHD symptoms was also found to be not statistically significant. However, certain correlational analyses regarding collectivism and ADHD symptoms were found to be statistically significant. Specifically, the results …

Breaking Point: Exploring Side Bets, Support, And Pension Investment As Predictors Of Turnover Intention In Urban Policing, Kenneth M. Quick, Kevin T. Wolff

Publications and Research

Guided by Becker’s side-bet theory, this study examines turnover intentions among officers in the New York City Police Department by assessing pension investment and affective commitment as accumulated organizational “side bets,” alongside job satisfaction, perceived organizational support, and workplace conditions. Data was drawn from an online survey of 1,454 officers. Population weights based on gender, race/ethnicity, and rank were applied to improve representativeness. Weighted multinomial logistic regression models examined predictors of turnover intention, while second-difference tests of average marginal effects (AMEs) assessed whether workplace factors operated differently across tenure groups. Results indicate that perceived organizational attitudes and workplace conditions significantly …

Neuroprotective Effects Of Sorghum Polyphenol In Alzheimer’S Disease: In Vitro And In Silico Analyses, Rasheed A. Abdulraheem, Ralph N. Martins, Rajapandiyan Krishnamoorthy, Mohammad A. Alshuniaber, Prashant Bharadwaj, Zhaoyu Li, Ranil Coorey, Vijay Jayasena, Stuart K. Johnson, W. M.A.D.Binosha Fernando

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background/Objective: Accumulation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) senile plaques in the human brain is a major hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which manifests as progressive decline in memory and cognitive functions and currently lacks effective disease-modifying therapies. Emerging evidence demonstrates that polyphenol-rich plant foods are potential complementary therapies for AD. Methods: In this study, we investigated crude polyphenol extracts (CPEs) and purified polyphenol extracts (PPEs) from three sorghum genotypes for their ability to inhibit Aβ42-induced toxicity in MC-65 cells. Thioflavin T fluorescence, cell viability, mitochondrial function, oxidative stress assays, and Western blotting, along with RNA sequencing and computational analyses, were used to …

Molecular Classification And Association With Survival Outcomes In High-Intermediate And High-Risk Early-Stage Endometrial Cancers: Ancillary Analysis Of Gog-0249., Lindsay M Kuroki, Danielle M Enserro, Heather A Lankes, Kyle C Strickland, Rebecca Previs, Aine Clements, Matthew A Powell, Ann Klopp, Elena Ratner, Paul Disilvestro, Casey Cosgrove, Guilherme Henrique Cantuaria, Nicola M Spirtos, Michael Carney, Mitchell Edelson, Gottfried Konecny, Penny Anderson, Christopher Tarney, Britt K Erickson, Meredith Newton, Krishnansu S Tewari, Premal H Thaker, David Warshal, Amy Armstrong, Xun Clare Zhou, Angeles Alvarez Secord

Women’s Health Articles

OBJECTIVE: Determine whether mismatch repair (MMR) and p53 expression predict recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) in early-stage endometrial cancer (EC) patients treated with vaginal cuff brachytherapy plus chemotherapy (VCB/C) versus pelvic radiation therapy (RT).

METHODS: In the GOG-0249 trial, 601 patients with high-intermediate risk (HIR) early-stage EC were randomized to VCB/C (carboplatin/paclitaxel for 3 cycles) or pelvic RT. Molecular subgroups, deficient MMR (dMMR), p53 wildtype (p53wt), p53 abnormal (p53abn), were determined by immunohistochemistry. Five-year RFS and OS were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards models, adjusting for lymphadenectomy, planned VCB, and treatment group.

RESULTS: Among 315 …

Nursing Students' Evaluation Of Primary Health Care Clinical Placements - A Cross-Sectional Study, Debbie Procter, Megan Lee, Debbie Massey, Kylie Mccullough, Karen Strickland

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Aim: Evaluate quality and satisfaction of nursing students' Primary Health Care clinical placements. Background: There is growing recognition of the need to expand the Primary Health Care nursing workforce, with positive clinical placement experiences considered essential for preparing and inspiring future careers in these settings; however, few graduate nurses choose this career path. Design: A cross-sectional study design using purposive sampling. Participants: Data were sourced from National Placement Evaluation Centre's 2023/2024 dataset using the validated PET–Nursing survey. The tool includes 20 items across two subscales - Clinical Environment and Learning Support, with the final item assessing overall placement satisfaction. Surveys …

Developing A Body Of Knowledge For Sustainability Engineering Using The Delphi Method: A Work In Progress, Ivan J. Baiges-Valentin, Yewande S. Abraham, Sagata Bhawani, Christopher Papadopoulos, Radhika Barua, Amakoe Gbedemah, Sara Hill, Jorge E. Loyo, Victoria Matthew, Noe Vargas Hernandez

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Background: As sustainability becomes increasingly important in engineering education and practice, there is a need to formally define Sustainability Engineering as a distinct discipline. Engineering disciplines, such as Civil Engineering, Industrial Engineering, and Environmental Engineering, have established Bodies of Knowledge (BoKs) that delineate the professional and educational expectations of their respective fields. Sustainability Engineering, as a new and evolving field of study, has yet to develop a unified framework that can facilitate curricular coherence, guide the assessment of learning outcomes, and define professional competencies.

Objectives: The goal of this work is to develop an initial version of a Sustainability Engineering …

Advancing Student Success By Implementing Research-Based Challenges In Capstone Design, Eleazar Marquez, Hiram Moya, Jesus Gonzalez

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

In this study, a team of faculty members from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), participating in a research collaboration with two National Laboratories, created and implemented a set of capstone projects that aligned with the research demands and expectations of the funding entity. The objective of the collaboration effort between the three entities is to: 1) explore innovative manufacturing techniques that support the national security and scientific missions of the laboratories, and 2) prepare UTRGV students to secure internships and employment in high research areas. The capstone projects were implemented on the senior design curriculum and served …

Using Μ-Xrf To Quantify Redox Features In Bottomland Hardwood Forest Soils, Jaslyn Ilene Herold

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Secondary soil iron-manganese concentrations (FMC) form because of soil redox reactions and influence the cycling and availability of key nutrients and toxins in wetland ecosystems. However, the effects of landscape position and soil age on FMC formation are not well understood. This study examines the µ-XRF spectroscopy of FMC from soils sampled along terrace, floodplain, and channel landscapes in a bottomland hardwood forest in the Mississippi Embayment of western Kentucky. We found that FMC area is linked to epi- and endosaturation. The 25 µm resolution µ-XRF chemical maps show decreasing area with depth in episaturated conditions along the terrace and …

Sharksrx Newsletter Summer 2026, Nova Southeastern University

NSU Sharks Rx

No abstract provided.

Mental Health Stigma In Latin American Youth With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Ryan J. Mccarty, Matias Jensen, Elissa Paz Jensen Santa Cruz, Melisa N. Sagarnaga, Pamela Claisse Quiroz, Isabella A. Cruz, Laura D. Seligman, Joseph D. Hovey, Monica E. Ochoa, Nadeen Salhadar

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an impairing mental health condition that affects individuals across the lifespan. Some literature has evaluated mental health stigma in adults with OCD but limited attention has been given to youth, as well as those of Latino ancestry. The present study reported the extent of stigma experiences among Latin American youth with OCD, as well as examined sociodemographic, clinical and psychological correlates. 235 youth with clinician confirmed diagnoses of OCD from 10 North and South American countries completed questionnaires assessing stigma experiences, symptomatology, and functioning. Sociodemographic and clinical variables were also collected. The average OCD stigma response …

Antibiotic Prophylaxis And Surgical Site Infection In Mohs Surgery: A Systematic Review, Jordan Shelestak, Olivia Sheppard, Jared Nichols

Student Publications

Introduction
Mohs micrographic surgery is a highly effective treatment for non-melanoma skin cancers, with low complication rates. Despite a baseline surgical site infection rate of approximately 2%, prophylactic antibiotic use remains common, though its benefit is uncertain. The primary objective of this systematic review is to evaluate whether the benefits of prophylactic antibiotic use in Mohs micrographic surgery outweigh the potential risks, particularly with regard to preventing surgical site infection.

Methods
This systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. A comprehensive PubMed search identified studies published between 2010 and 2025 that investigated antibiotic use before, during, or after …

Association Of Ultra-Processed Food Intake With Insulin Secretion And Sensitivity In Mexican American Children: Results From The Safari Study, Hemant Kulkarni, Rector Arya, Srinivas Mummidi, Sharon P. Fowler, Roy G. Resendez, Juan C. Lopez-Alvarenga, Vidya Farook, John Blangero

Human Genetics Publications

Background/Objectives: There is increasing interest in and evidence for the role of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) in cardiometabolic risk. We tested the hypothesis that UPF intake score derived from dietary history is associated with measures of insulin secretion and sensitivity in a family setting even when the process of type 2 diabetes is still to ensue. Methods: We used data from our well-characterized San Antonio Family Assessment of Metabolic Risk Indicators in Youth (SAFARI) study cohort of nondiabetic children (aged 6–17 years). Dietary history was assessed using the Block Food Frequency Questionnaire. Outcomes of interest were 19 clinically useful indexes of …

Sachi Prasad Ray-Chaudhuri: Drosophila Genetics And Mutagenesis In Indian Science, Rajiva Raman, Awadhesh Jha

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

This article summarizes the scientific contributions of Professor Sachi Prasad Ray-Chaudhuri and his unwavering commitment to advancing research and teaching in mutagenesis and genetics in post-independence India, following his postgraduate training in the United Kingdom under the mentorship of Professor H. J. Muller. His contributions in basic mutagenesis, radiation protection, animal cytogenetics, and population genetics using a range of model and native species laid the foundation of scientific research in India in these contemporary fields. This played a pivotal role in advancing genetics and biological sciences in India at a time when scientific infrastructure and resources were limited. He also …

Skilful Attacking Trades Off With Defensive Ability In Hermit Crabs, Joshua Le Pla, Sarah M. Lane, Mark Briffa

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

The ability to win contests is crucial for securing the valuable resources individuals need to survive and reproduce. Fighting ability can thus be a vital determinant of fitness, and much research has been carried out to characterize the traits that influence fighting ability, or resource-holding potential (RHP). RHP is known to be influenced by a wide range of traits including morphology, physiology, vigour and, more recently, skill. These traits are typically analysed in isolation to identify their individual contributions to winning fights. However, relatively little is known about how different RHP traits may interact and potentially trade off against one …

Weathering In-Beyond Hydro(S)Cenes, Bronwyn Bailey-Charteris, Kathryn Mcmahon, Mary Christina Rapp, Natalie Davey

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This paper examines the cultural, ecological and political dimensions of the contemporary water crisis through a curatorial and environmental humanities lens. Through the watery conceptual epoch of the Hydrocene, it highlights the work of artists and interdisciplinary practitioners whose hydro-Artistic methods propose ways to realign human-water relations. Central to this analysis is the role of curatorial care, here understood as a practice of convening, holding and enabling reciprocal encounters between bodies of water, artists and communities. Bringing these diverse practices into dialogue, the paper proposes water not only as subject matter but as a potential collaborator and leaky agent. It …

Basil Bernstein, Open Concepts, And The Possibility Of Change: Basil Bernstein, Conceptos Abiertos Y La Posibilidad Del Cambio, Brian Barrett, Jim Hordern

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

In this reflection we make the argument that Bernstein’s theory offers an exceptionally powerful resource for analyzing social systems such as education, which critical realists as well as Bernstein have described in similar ways as “open.” Bernstein’s work has two significant features that contribute to this power, namely its capacity to conceptualize deep structures and organizing principles of education, teaching, and learning, as well as the possibilities it opens for imagining and accounting for alternatives and change through “open concepts.” Bernstein’s work is thus especially valuable both for analyzing 10educational inequality as well as for developing and testing measures for …

Ai-Powered Synthetic Biology: Current Situation, Challenges, And Future Perspectives, Izem Olcay Sahin, Nuriye Gokce, Duygu T. Yildirim, A. Baki Yildirim, Hilal Akalın, Donald Martin, Tommaso Beccari, Oscar Vicente, Iza Radecka, Fideline Tchuenbou-Magaia, Robert S. Marks, Ratnesh Lal, Satya Prakash, Adam Mechler, Mario Petrov Milkov, Svetlana Fotkova Georgieva, Ilia Iliev, Kosi Gramatikoff, Ed Judge, Milica Markovic, Radka Kaneva, Galina Aleksieva Yaneva, Nadya Vasileva Agova, Nikoleta Dobromirova Ivanova, Mariya Kiryakova Tsvetkova, Ivelin Rosenov Iliev, Michel Salzet, Kisung Ko, Michele Maffia, Chiara Coppola, Matteo Bertelli

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Synthetic biology has evolved from a set of engineering aspirations to an operationally sophisticated discipline, and artificial intelligence (AI) is its fastest-growing accelerant. This review traces that convergence across six interlocking domains: systems-level biological modeling, de novo protein engineering, metabolic and microbial programming, multi-omics data integration, regulatory element design, and clinical translation. For each domain, we survey established results, integrate findings from 2010–2026 literature, and articulate the trajectories that will define the next decade. Emerging themes include physics-informed neural networks for mechanistically constrained biological modeling, drug design, and federated learning architectures that allow global omics collaboration without centralizing sensitive data, …

Vehicle Autonomy To Ecosystem Intelligence: A Systematic Review Of Dynamic Vision Architectures In Surface Mining Operations, Nana Yaa Damtewaa Anti, Samuel Frimpong, Muhammad Azeem Raza

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Autonomous Haulage Systems (AHS) have significantly transformed surface mining operations by improving safety, productivity, and operational consistency. Currently, AHS predominantly rely on vehicle-centric perception architectures. Onboard LiDAR, radar, cameras, and Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) perform sensing, interpretation, and decision-making within individual systems. These processes enable collision avoidance and path tracking. However, they are limited in their ability to consider the broader, dynamic mining environment characterized by dust, terrain degradation, geotechnical instability, heterogeneous traffic, and rapidly evolving operational conditions. This paper presents a systematic review of dynamic vision systems of AHS in surface mining. It critically analyzes the transition from …

Finite-Temperature Grain-Boundary Segregation In High-Entropy Carbides, Marium M. Mou, Tarek Md Anamul Haque, Samuel E. Daigle, Josiah Roberts, William G. Fahrenholtz, Jon Paul Maria, Douglas E. Wolfe, Eva Zurek, Stefano Curtarolo, Donald W. Brenner

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

High-entropy carbides are promising candidates for extreme-temperature environments, but their grain-boundary chemistry remains difficult to resolve because segregation involves both chemical disorder and finite-temperature configurational sampling. Here, we quantify temperature-dependent grain-boundary segregation in high-entropy carbides using a universal message-passing atomic cluster expansion (MACE) machine learning interatomic potential combined with a hybrid Monte Carlo–molecular dynamics workflow. A 53.1 (Formula presented.) (Formula presented.) symmetric tilt grain boundary was sampled for six representative high-entropy carbide compositions containing group IV, V, and VI transition metals at 300 and 2000 K. Element-resolved metal-sublattice composition profiles reveal composition-dependent segregation modes. Several chemistries exhibit selective near-boundary enrichment …

Itimo: An Llm-Empowered Synthesis Dataset For Travel Itinerary Modification, Zhuoxuan Huang, Yunshan Ma, Hongyu Zhang, Hua Ma, Zhu Sun

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Addressing itinerary modification is crucial for enhancing the travel experience as it is a frequent requirement during traveling. However, existing research mainly focuses on fixed itinerary planning, leaving modification underexplored due to the scarcity of shape need-to-modify itinerary data. To bridge this gap, we formally define the itinerary modification task and propose a general pipeline to construct the corresponding dataset, namely iTIMO. This pipeline frames the generation of shape need-to-modify itinerary data as an intent-driven perturbation task. It instructs large language models to perturb real-world itineraries using three operations: REPLACE, ADD, and DELETE. Each perturbation is grounded in three intents: …

The Accidental Entrepreneur: How Military Spouses Take Their Careers Into Their Own Hands, Jennifer Barnhill, Rosalinda Maury, Jeanette Harvie

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

The Accidental Entrepreneur is the second narrative profile in the Reimagining Military Spouse Employment series, a companion to the initiative's data briefs. Through the story of a mid-career military spouse who builds a business after repeated career disruptions, it examines why many spouses turn to entrepreneurship and what stands in their way. The profile covers the barriers spouses face when starting a business, including access to funding, certifications, and grants, along with the reality that self-employment does not eliminate the military spouse earnings penalty. It offers guidance for military spouses considering entrepreneurship and for the community leaders positioned to support …

Inpatient Versus Outpatient Management Of Bilateral Optic Nerve Head Elevation Presentation To A Tertiary Emergency Department, Mengchen Suo, Johnny Lo, Fred K. Chen

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction: Increased accessibility to fundus cameras has changed the referral pattern for patients with suspected bilateral optic nerve head elevation (BONHE) presenting to emergency departments (EDs). We aim to review the management of these patients to streamline the process. Methods: A retrospective review of patients with suspected BONHE referred to a tertiary centre ED between 2017 and 2022. We collected demographics, referral source, clinical assessment, neuroimaging and retinal imaging results. Final diagnosis and treatment outcomes were compared between those managed as inpatients and those managed as outpatients. Results: 100 patients were referred to the ED with a suspected BONHE. Most …

Semantic Context Improvisational Retrieval-Augmented Generation For Empathic Conversational Ai, Sharjeel Tahir, Judith Johnson, Jumana Abu-Khalaf, Syed Afaq Ali Shah

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

A fundamental limitation of modern conversational AI is its limited capacity to demonstrate sustained empathy in long-form interactions. We propose SCIRAG (Semantic Context Improvisational Retrieval-Augmented Generation), a feedback-driven retrieval framework for adaptive empathic dialogue. It employs a dual-loop retrieval framework, iteratively optimizing a static counseling dataset through user metadata and feedback memory refinement. To enhance contextual alignment, we deploy retrieval adaptation, enabling the model to retain and leverage past conversational cues based on user preferences. When integrated with Mixtral-8x7B, SCIRAG improves human-rated empathic understanding by +1.26 points and empathic response by +1.00 point on the RoPE scale, while increasing acceptability …