Digital Commons Network^™

Three Essays On Social Security Retirement Age Reform And Its Implications For Older Adults, Halim Yoon

Dissertations - ALL

Rising life expectancy and declining fertility rates have led to rapid population aging in many countries. To address the resulting fiscal pressures on social insurance programs and encourage longer labor force participation among older adults, many countries have reformed their public pension systems. In the United States, the Social Security Amendments of 1983 gradually increased the Full Retirement Age (FRA)—the age of eligibility for full, unreduced Social Security benefits—from 65 to 67. While prior research has extensively examined whether this reform delayed Social Security claiming and retirement, much less is known about its broader and longer-term consequences for well-being, including …

Substance Use From Adolescence To Midlife: The Influence Of Religiosity, Childhood Aversity, And Sexual Minority Status, Joshua Glenn Grove

Dissertations - ALL

Substance use is a leading cause of premature mortality in the United States, with overdose and alcohol-related deaths rising sharply in adulthood and midlife. Religiosity is among the most well-documented social factors associated with lower substance use, operating through community ties, behavioral norms, and meaning-making. Yet despite the life course nature of substance use, research has centered primarily on adolescence, relied on cross-sectional data, and typically employed single measures of religiosity. Consequently, it remains unclear whether religiosity functions similarly across its multiple dimensions or among populations exposed to heightened social disadvantage, including individuals with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and sexual …

The Unintended Consequences Of Deregulating Confidential Treatments, Jiahui Han

Dissertations - ALL

This paper examines how the SEC’s deregulation of confidential treatment under the FAST Act affected firms’ material contract redaction behavior and the broader economic consequences associated with disclosure opacity. Using a large sample of SEC filings, I document that confidential treatment is positively associated with both product market competition and lower 10-K readability, suggesting that redaction reflects both proprietary protection incentives and broader disclosure opacity. Further analyses using abnormal file size show that discretionary disclosure complexity remains significantly associated with redaction behavior after controlling for firms’ underlying economic complexity and reporting environment. I further find that the association between redaction …

Marble Bodies: Sculpture, Gender, Race, And Nineteenth-Century U.S. Literature, Madeline Olley

Dissertations - ALL

Marble Bodies reads across both literary texts and sculptures to ask how sculptural logic operates across forms to reveal what sculptors and sculpture offer the field of nineteenth-century U.S. literary studies—formally, theoretically, and methodologically. It argues that sculpture functions not merely as subject matter within nineteenth-century American literature but as an interpretive framework that reveals how bodies are objectified, valued, and assigned cultural meaning. With attention to the formal and material properties of sculpture—stillness, smoothness, and duration—and to the questions of ideality, valuation, and preservation that sculpture generates, this dissertation shows how nineteenth-century writers and artists found in those properties …

Beyond Refusal Or Acceptance: Reformulating Administrative Silence In Indonesia From A Comparative French Model, Dian Utami Mas Bakar, Anna Erliyana, Dian Puji N. Simatupang, Armand Desprairies

Hasanuddin Law Review

The administrative silence is constructed as a legal fiction that originated as a negative (silence as refusal) and has since developed into a positive (silence as acceptance). In European administrative law, no system operates exclusively based on one legal fiction. Both negative and positive fictions are employed with defined limitations, as in France. Conversely, in Indonesia, these fictions are considered conflicting and override each other due to complex regulations and undefined limitations, leading to ambiguity. Therefore, this article aims to reformulate the concept of administrative silence in Indonesia through a comparative doctrinal legal research approach. The findings proved that both …

Aging Alone In Malaysia: Social Challenges And Legal Protections, Jal Zabdi Mohd Yusoff, Zulazhar Tahir, Siti Zaharah Jamaluddin

Hasanuddin Law Review

According to The Japan Times, nearly 28,000 elderly individuals in Japan will die alone in the first half of 2024. This alarming trend is not unique to Japan; many countries, including Malaysia, are facing the challenges of an aging population. As Malaysia approaches becoming an aging nation, issues affecting the elderly, particularly those living alone, demand urgent attention. While not all elderly people face the same circumstances, some enjoy stable finances or live with their family, while others live in isolation due to various factors, such as remaining unmarried, widowhood, or estranged familial ties. Some are simply separated by their …

Neural Feature Crossing For Cross-Domain Recommendation In Knowledge Management Systems, Imran Khaled, Faiez Gargouri

Baghdad Science Journal

Recently, the rapid growth of digital knowledge resources has created an urgent need for advanced recommendation systems that capable to operate across various domains. This paper introduces KnowledgeXRec, a domain-aware hybrid recommendation framework that models both shared and domain-specific user-item interactions within a unified end-to-end architecture. Domain-specific feature crosses capture patterns unique to educational and cultural domains, while shared layers enable cross-domain knowledge transfer. Learnable embedding is represented categorical features such as learning style, age group, and content attributes, and the model is jointly optimized using binary cross-entropy loss with Adam optimizer. Findings provide evidence that KnowledgeXRec consistently outperforms seven …

Predictive Mobility-Aware Analysis Of Controller Overhead In Sdn-Enabled Iot, Abdulrahman Saidu, Kamalrulnizam Bin Abu Bakar, Babangida Isyaku, Muhammad Nura Yusuf, Farkhana Binti Muchtar

Baghdad Science Journal

The rapid growth and increasing mobility of Internet of Things (IoT) mobile devices significantly intensify flow setup requests in Software-Defined Networking (SDN). Frequent movement of mobile devices across access points triggers repeated flow rule installations in data-plane switches, leading to excessive controller overhead under limited flow-table memory capacity. Inaccurate mobility prediction in existing approaches further aggravates this challenge by causing unnecessary rule placement and redundant flow setup requests. This study investigates the impact of mobility-aware prediction on controller overhead with experimental scenarios using different groups of mobile IoT devices, while considering controller CPU and memory utilization. A proactive mobility prediction …

Data Scheduling Using Distance Function With Single-Pass Processing, Mahmood Shakir Hammoodi, Suhad Hatim Jihad, Mithal Hadi Jebur

Baghdad Science Journal

Task scheduling is one of the most fundamental difficulties confronting numerous sectors, including education, healthcare, and industrial management. Scheduling quality has a direct impact on performance efficiency, resource utilization, and end user satisfaction. With the growing volume and diversity of data, there is a greater demand for intelligent systems that can handle the spatial and temporal complexity of jobs and resource allocation. As a result, modern data analysis and decision-making processes have become critical for ensuring workflow optimization while reducing time and space waste. This study proposes an innovative approach to task scheduling that combines multidimensional data analysis using Data …

Optimized Multi-Criteria Routing Algorithm For Durable Wireless Sensor Networks, Ghaihab H. Adday, Maha S. Abdulridha, Hasanain A. Alsreeh, Taj-Aldeen N. Abdali

Baghdad Science Journal

The Internet of Things and the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR 4.0) rely on Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) as their underlying infrastructure. WSNs have recently attracted significant attention due to their crucial applications, such as monitoring applications. Geographic routing algorithms are widely used in WSNs because event location is often more critical than node identification. However, these algorithms still face challenges, such as workload imbalance and high energy consumption. Energy consumption is particularly vital in WSNs due to the sensor nodes' limited power resources. This work proposed an enhanced geographic routing algorithm based on the Technique for Order of Preference by …

Effective Scene Classification In Arabic Films Using Custom And Pre-Trained Cnn Architectures, Asraa Muayed Abdalah

Baghdad Science Journal

Because of their rich visual diversity, unique cinematic styles, and the dearth of expert-annotated datasets devoted to Arab cinema, accurately classifying scenes in Arabic films is still a challenging task. A novel Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) architecture created particularly for Arabic film scene recognition will be discussed in the current research. The main goal of the study is to figure out how well the proposed CNN recognises and classifies Arabic scenes from films when compared with existing pre-trained architectures. According to the findings of six transfer learning models, a comparative analysis was carried out. We developed a new dataset that …

Architecting Reliable Multi-Agent Systems With Large Language Models Through Model-Driven Engineering, Najma Imtiaz Ali, Aadil Jamali, Imtiaz Ali Brohi, Noor Zaman Jhanjhi, Emaliana Kasmuri

Baghdad Science Journal

Multi-agent systems based on large language models (LLM) are said to be able to provide flexible and scalable collaboration, but are often unstable, adversarially active, biased in their representations, and expensive to compute - aspects that hinder their use in safety-critical or resource-sensitive systems. To overcome these deficiencies, a model-driven engineering framework, the MDE-Agentware, has been implemented: a model-based engineering paradigm, which represents multi-agent architectures through a typed domain specific metamodel, and generates executables that are conforming with instrumented runtime monitoring, tool wrappers and energy-conscious invocation policies. The main novelties of the approach include (i) a formal model-to-code transformation, enforcing …

Tlenet-Transformer For Epilepsy Detection With Futuristic Iomt Plans, Jayanthi Vajiram, Sivakumar. S

Baghdad Science Journal

Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE) is the most prevalent subtype of focal epilepsy, often posing diagnostic difficulties due to its complex clinical features. To address these challenges, this study proposes TLENet-Transformer, a novel deep learning architecture tailored for precise TLE identification. The study begins with skull stripping, bias field correction, z-score normalization, and Gaussian filtering; these methods are implemented to enhance image quality. Following this, a segmentation method based on an optimized Fuzzy C-Means clustering algorithm is employed, providing accurate delineation of regions. At this point, the segmented images are subsequently mapped to a pre-labelled Automated Anatomical Labelling (AAL) template to …

Weighted Average Ensemble Learning Model For Improving Brain Tumor Classification, Laith H. Alhasnawy, Hasanain Ali Al Essa, Tahseen A. Wotaifi, Abbas F. Hommadi, Ameer K. Al-Mashanji

Baghdad Science Journal

The detection of Brain Tumors (BTs) is of great benefit in identifying the growth of dangerous cells in the brain that pose a threat to the patient's life. Early detection of BTs remains a significant challenge due to subtle differences among tumor types and the complexity of brain anatomy. Manual diagnosis by radiologists is often time-consuming and subject to variations, which may delay treatment. Among available imaging techniques, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is widely used because of its high-resolution capabilities. Deep Learning (DL) has achieved remarkable success in image classification tasks through Transfer Learning (TL), which utilizes pre-trained models. Therefore, …

Hybrid Patrol–Staging Optimization For Freeway Service Patrols Under Cost Control: A Deterministic Milp With Dynamic Segment Adjustment & Environmental Co-Benefit, Mauricio Micolta

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

Freeway Service Patrol (FSP) programs are central to Traffic Incident Management (TIM), delivering rapid response, clearance, and motorist assistance on high-volume corridors. The prevailing continuous roaming patrol model provides broad coverage but generates substantial non-productive vehicle-miles traveled (VMT), increases responders’ exposure to risk, and treats Service Level Agreement (SLA) compliance as a statistical outcome rather than a fixed operational constraint. Existing literature lacks a framework that simultaneously optimizes corridor segmentation, jointly deploys patrol and staged units across space, time, and direction, and enforces response-time SLA as a binding constraint.

This dissertation introduces the Segmental-Spatio-Temporal Hybrid Service Model (SSTHSM), a two-tier …

An Overlooked Terrestrial Archive: Freshwater Cements And Hydroclimate Signals In Quaternary Glaciogenic Deposits, Owen F. Mccaffrey, Ian Z. Winkelstern, Tara A. Kneeshaw, Melinda C. Higley

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Quaternary glaciogenic deposits, which serve as vital groundwater aquifers, are often partially cemented with carbonate minerals, but the timing of emplacement of these cements and their geochemical conditions of formation remain understudied. Here, we integrated petrography, δ¹⁸O, Mg/Ca, and clumped isotope (Δ₄₇) data from two calcitecemented outcrops in western Michigan (USA) to investigate the origin of glacial sediment cements. The two sites have contrasting topographic and textural settings reflecting distinct formation conditions. The elevated Wabasis Lake deposit records sequential phreatic-to-vadose cementation, while the Cherry Valley Sands site, very close to the modern water table, shows a …

U.S. Service Member To Counseling Student, Nicole Marie Arcuri-Sanders, Kellie Forziat-Pytel

Educational Sciences and Organizations

This qualitative descriptive study examines the absence of military career pathways for licensed mental health counselors (MHCs) and the impact of this structural limitation on service members' career transitions. Findings indicate that both combat and non-combat veterans pursued mental health counseling due to personal service-related mental health experiences and dissatisfaction with available care while in service. Despite these challenges, many participants expressed a strong desire to continue serving their country as professional counselors. Over half of the participants reported separating from the military because no occupational role existed for licensed MHCs. At the same time, most indicated they would have …

Examining Nitrate Concentrations In Rainwater In The Marine Boundary Layer In St. Petersburg, Sam Irvine, Anson Kirsch, Ben Lloyd '25, Yasin Elshorbany, James Ivey

Student Research

Harmful algae blooms (HABs) are a common, natural phenomenon that occur in bodies of water. Karenia brevis is an algae species where, in excess, it can result in red tide events which deplete nutrients in the area, impacting aquatic life and releasing toxic gasses. Past research shows that K. brevis can grow through nutrient absorption in response to excess nitrate in water. This project sought to examine whether nitrates from rainfall are responsible for creating an increase in nitrogen concentrations in the water surrounding St. Petersburg which can lead to algae bloom growth. Results showed that rainwater has higher concentrations …

Kopfstein V. Hall

All Decisions

In this holdover proceeding, tenant raised de facto rent stabilization as a defense, citing HPD violations indicating the building contains more than six units and is therefore subject to the Rent Stabilization Law. The court held that HPD violations regarding occupancy constitute prima facie evidence of the existence of more than six units, and that landlord failed to contest this allegation. The holdover proceeding was dismissed. Tenant's request for an order to correct HPD violations was denied without prejudice to the commencement of an HP proceeding before the appropriate specialty part. Note: party first names are not legible in the …

Persaud V. Price

All Decisions

Landlord filed a holdover proceeding using alternative grounds: (1) former owners or licensees under RPAPL §713, with a 10-day notice to quit; and (2) tenants at will or by sufferance under RPAPL §228, with a 30-day termination notice. Both notices included a GCEL notice. The court dismissed the proceeding, holding that alternative pleading is prejudicial where it results in conflicting termination notices with different vacate dates, and that landlord made no effort to ascertain the true nature of tenants' possession prior to commencing the proceeding.

Plasma Gdf15 Affects Long-Term Dementia Risk And Alters Neuroimmune Signaling, Cassandra O Blew, Michael R Duggan, Dimitrios Tsitsipatis, Gabriela T Gomez, Zulema Rodriguez-Hernandez, Luke C Pilling, Jingsha Chen, Eva Jacobsen, Heather E Dark, Yifei Lu, Shannon M Drouin, Cassandra M Joynes, Minhao Yao, Murat Bilgel, Abhay Moghekar, Qu Tian, Julián Candia, Mary Kaileh, Aditi Gupta, Krystyna Mazan-Mamczarz, Myriam Gorospe, Alexey Lyashkov, Yevgeniya Lukyanenko, Mika Kivimaki, Philipp Frank, Lori L Jennings, Valborg Gudmundsdottir, Vilmundur Gudnason, Lenore J Launer, Naoto Kaneko, Shintaro Kato, Makio Furuichi, Masaki Shibayama, Masahisa Katsuno, Keita Hiraga, Yukiko Nishita, Rei Otsuka, James R Pike, Mary R Rooney, Pascal Schlosser, Yuhan Cui, Guray Erus, Christos Davatzikos, Rebecca F Gottesman, Iwao Waga, Priya Palta, Christie Ballantyne, Michael Griswold, Zhonghua Liu, Luigi Ferrucci, Allison B Herman, Keenan A Walker

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Growth/differentiation factor-15 (GDF15) is a secreted cytokine strongly associated with dementia risk. However, the extent to which GDF15 represents a biomarker and driver of dementia risk remains unclear. Across multiple cohorts, we demonstrated that plasma GDF15 is associated with greater dementia risk over 15- to 25-year follow-up periods when measured in midlife, with stronger associations observed for vascular, compared to Alzheimer's disease (AD), dementia. Two-sample Mendelian randomization supported plasma GDF15's mechanistic role in AD and related dementias, while cohort studies linked it to cerebral small vessel disease, neurodegeneration, phosphorylated tau, and a cerebrospinal fluid proteomic signature indicative of neuroimmune activation. …

Early-Stage Corticostriatal Hyperactivity Impairs Cognitive Flexibility Alongside Striatal Cholinergic Dysfunction In An Alzheimer's Disease Model, Yufei Huang, Xueyi Xie, Zhenbo Huang, Ruifeng Chen, Himanshu Gangal, Xuehua Wang, Karienn Souza, Julia Hunter, Xin Wu, Doodipala Samba Reddy, Jeannie Chin, Jun Wang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Cognitive flexibility declines early in Alzheimer's disease, yet the underlying circuit mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we report that young 5xFAD mice exhibit deficits in instrumental reversal learning prior to spatial memory impairment. This behavioral inflexibility is associated with abnormal neuronal reactivation in the medial prefrontal cortex and dorsomedial striatum. Electrophysiological recordings reveal that medial prefrontal cortex neurons are hyperexcitable and receive increased excitatory input. Furthermore, glutamatergic transmission from the medial prefrontal cortex to striatal direct-pathway medium spiny neurons is enhanced and coincides with strengthened inhibitory transmission onto striatal cholinergic interneurons, reduced spontaneous firing, and diminished striatal acetylcholine release. Critically, sustained …

Heritage Without Equity: Afro-Descendant Representation, State Governance, Museums And The Limits Of Cultural Policy In Belize, Sherilyne L. Jones

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines how heritage governance in Belize shapes the representation, recognition, and participation of Afro-descendant communities within national cultural institutions and policy frameworks. Focusing on Creole/Kriol and Garifuna communities, the study analyses how law, institutional designs, museum practises, tourism development, and community-based heritage work to produce uneven forms of cultural visibility. I argue that Afro-descendant communities are not absent from Belizean heritage. Rather, their cultural presence has not consistently translated into institutional authority, sustained investments, or meaningful participation in decisions about national representation. Drawing on critical heritage theory, critical museology, post-colonial scholarship, and the concept of authorised heritage discourse, …

Testimonios From Latine Educational Leaders Supporting Youth Development Programs, Luis E. Feliciano

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The United States has been experiencing a demographic change for the last twenty years representing a rise in both Latiné students and families. Despite this demographic change, Latiné folk remain widely underrepresented in school leadership, and furthermore underrepresented in specific Youth Development Programs (YDPs), with the relationship between educational leaders and YDPs being widely unexplored in academia. This study sought to bridge the gap between YDPs and educational leadership, specifically for Latiné folk by asking how Latiné educational leaders used their cultural heritage to encourage YDP development. To accomplish this a testimonio methodology was implemented via a two staged interview …

Evaluating The Role Of Individual Differences: Impact On Fruit And Vegetable Intake Outcomes In Nourish-T+ Caregivers Of Pediatric Cancer Survivors, Sandra Soca Lozano

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Pediatric cancer survivors are at increased risk for obesity and related long-term health complications, highlighting the need for interventions promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors during survivorship. The present study examined caregivers’ fruit and vegetable intake in the full NOURISH-T+ intervention and evaluated whether their dietary outcomes changed from baseline to the 3-month post-assessment and differed by selected caregiver sociodemographic characteristics. The study also examined whether these characteristics accounted for variance in 3-month fruit and vegetable outcomes. Participants included 68 caregivers in the full NOURISH-T+ condition who completed both baseline and 3-month post-assessments. Fruit and vegetable intake was assessed using the Healthy …

Interpreting Discrepant Multi-Informant Data: Examining School Psychologists’ Decision-Making Processes With Social-Emotional And Behavioral Assessment, Thomas Koza

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Multi-informant assessment is a common method used by school psychologists to collect data on students' social-emotional and behavioral concerns across the three tiers of the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework. While this data can provide a comprehensive understanding of student functioning, informant discrepancies are common, and little is known about how school psychologists make sense of discrepant data or whether using structured frameworks can support their interpretation. This dissertation used an experimental mixed-methods design with vignettes to examine how school psychologists interpret discrepant multi-informant social-emotional and behavioral assessment data and whether exposure to a structured framework influenced this process. …

Isolation, Molecular Identification, And Biofilm Characterisation Of Klebsiella Pneumoniae From Clinical Specimens, With Evaluation Of Probiotic Lactobacillus Fermentum-Mediated Anti-Biofilm Activity, Sophy Ps

Muthanna Medical Journal

Background: Healthcare-associated infections caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae infection are increasingly associated with indwelling medical devices due to the organism's strong biofilm-forming ability, which enhances resistance to antibiotics and host immune responses. This study evaluated the biofilm-forming potential of clinical Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates and investigated the anti-biofilm activity of Lactobacillus fermentum under in vitro conditions. Methods: Fifteen clinical specimens, including catheter tips (n=6), sputum (n=5), and urine (n=4), were collected between September and December 2012. Isolates were identified using morphological and biochemical tests. Biofilm formation was assessed using the crystal violet microtiter plate assay. Molecular confirmation involved 16S rRNA gene sequencing …

Knowledge, Attitudes, And Practice Of Iraqi Parents Regarding The Issues Of Vaccinating Their Children, Taqi Mohammed Jwad Taher, Rami Bahaa Saadi, Rand Sadik Al Radhy, Mohanad Aljama, Houreleen H Salman, Mayameen H Salman, Mustafa Sabeeh Lafta Zubaidi, Shaymaa Abdul Lateef Al-Fadhul, Mohammed Firas Turki, Hasanain Faisal Ghazi

Muthanna Medical Journal

Background: Children's vaccination can help in the prevention and protection against various fatal illnesses. Aims: This study aims to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of both parents toward their children's vaccinations. Methods: This is a cross-sectional analytical study of Iraqi parents in Wasit province. Data was collected through self-administered questionnaires that were developed from published research and adapted according to local culture. Data was collected from three primary health care centres in Kut City, Wasit province, for 255 parents who visited centres with their children for any reason from the first of April 2023 to the thirteenth of July …

The Multitargeted Cellular Spectrum Of Quercetin: Ameliorating Xenobiotic Toxicities And Metabolic Disorders, Wissam Sajid Hashim

Muthanna Medical Journal

Quercetin, a prominent dietary flavonol, exhibits a diverse range of biological activities that extend beyond simple free-radical scavenging, encompassing vital cytoprotective, membrane-stabilizing, and metabolic-regulatory properties.¹ This comprehensive review elucidates the multifaceted pharmacological spectrum of quercetin in restoring physiological homeostasis under conditions of xenobiotic insults and metabolic stress.² Specifically, we synthesize experimental and clinical evidence—including pivotal comparative studies to demonstrate quercetin's exceptional capacity to regulate systemic lipid profiles, preserve hemorheological parameters, and maintain cellular membrane integrity across vital systems.^3,4 Furthermore, this review highlights the therapeutic efficacy of quercetin in mitigating industrial and environmental xenobiotic-induced toxicities, with particular emphasis …

Association Of Executive Function And Resilience With Psychological Well-Being Among Early Adolescents: A Case Study In Northern Thailand, Kanyawee Teerawan, Monrudee Chokprajakchad, Jumpee Granger, Siriporn Nirapun

Journal of Health Research

Background: In early adolescence, psychological well-being represents an important developmental outcome. This period is marked by significant physical, emotional, and psychosocial transitions. Widely recognized as protective factors, executive function and resilience contribute to positive adolescent adjustment and mental health. However, investigations on the roles of these constructs among early adolescents in Northern Thailand in research remains limited.

Method: This study employed a cross-sectional correlational design, using secondary data from 210 lower secondary school students aged 11 to 13 years in Northern Thailand. Validated self-report questionnaires were used to collect data by assessing executive function, resilience, and psychological well-being. Direct associations …