Digital Commons Network^™

Rompiendo Fronteras: Addressing Language Barriers In Hispanic Palliative Cancer Care, Carla Mcnulty, Catherine Finlayson

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background: Cancer is the leading cause of death among Hispanic people, accounting for 20% of deaths (American Cancer Society, 2023). In 2024, the American Cancer Society predicted that 195,300 Hispanics would be diagnosed with cancer in the United States, and 50,400 (25%) would die from their disease, leaving approximately 144,900 (75%) living with cancer. As the Hispanic population rises in the United States, one can predict that cancer diagnoses will also increase. This is likely to result in a higher number of cancer-related deaths, as well as more individuals living with cancer. Consequently, there will be an increased demand for …

2026 October 1 - From My Notepads Newsletter, Office Of The President, East Tennessee State University, Brian Noland

From My Notepads: A Newsletter from President Brian Noland

No abstract provided.

Global Burden Of Enteric Infectious Diseases, Diarrhoeal Diseases, And Corresponding Aetiologies, 1990–2023: A Systematic Analysis For The Global Burden Of Disease Study 2023, Gbd 2023 Diarrhoeal Disease And Enteric Infectious Diseases Collaborators, Kathryn H. Jacobsen

Health Studies Faculty Publications

Summary

Background

A Graph Attention Network-Based Framework For Reconstructing Missing Lidar Beams, Khalfalla Awedat, Mohamed Abidalrekab, Mohammad El-Yabroudi

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Vertical beam dropout in spinning LiDAR sensors -triggered by hardware aging, dust, snow, fog, or bright reflections - removes entire vertical slices from the point cloud and severely degrades 3D perception in autonomous vehicles. This paper proposes a Graph Attention Network (GAT)-based framework that reconstructs these missing vertical channels using only the current LiDAR frame, with no camera images or temporal information required. Each LiDAR sweep is represented as an unstructured spatial graph: points are nodes and edges connect nearby points while preserving the original beam-index ordering. A multi-layer GAT learns adaptive attention weights over local geometric neighborhoods and directly …

From Homes To Classrooms: Cultural Wisdom As A Guide For Stem Lesson Planning, Miriam Ortiz, Uma Ganesan, Angela Chapman, William Medina-Jerez, Ruby Lynch Arroyo, Mourat Tchoshanov

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

This article describes innovative elementary science instructional approaches based on cultural wisdom developed by preservice teachers enrolled in a teacher preparation program at a university in the U.S.-Mexico border region. As a part of a larger study, three Latina preservice elementary teachers were a part of a teacher residency in conducting community interviews and reflection activities to uncover cultural backgrounds that could inform culturally relevant STEM lesson planning, centering on family and home knowledge. This project began with family interviews during winter break and culminated in lesson planning and implementation during their science methods course in the spring semester. The …

Supplemental Materials For “A Literature Review Of Reflective Essays On Students As Partners”, Evans Boateng-Boakye, Sophia Abbot, Fatima Iftikhar, Oluwatimilehin Osoko, Janis Gaudreau, Cherie Rowe

ATL Datasets

No abstract provided.

Computational Study Of Irrational Rotations Via Exact Discontinuity Tracking: A New Experimental Framework, Hannah Kravitz

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

We present an algorithm for studying the sum𝐺𝑁⁡(𝑥,𝜌)=𝑁∑𝑘=1[{𝑥+𝑘⁢𝜌}−12],

which is closely related to the discrepancy of the irrational rotation. Computation of𝐺𝑁and associated statistics is notoriously difficult due to numerical instability and the failure of sampling to capture the discontinuities. Our algorithm instead fully defines𝐺𝑁through its discontinuities, which allows computation of𝐺𝑁⁡(𝑥,𝜌)with errors on the order of𝑁times machine epsilon in𝑂⁡(𝑁)time for practical𝑁. The associated probability density function can then be computed in𝑂⁡(𝑁⁢log⁡𝑁)time. Presented as a tool for experimental mathematics, the algorithm enables reliable plots of the descriptive statistics of𝐺𝑁over𝑁, in particular the length of the support of the pdf (the discrepancy), revealing …

Improving Identification Of Older Adult Financial Exploitation Using The Oafem Screening Tool, Paige N. Horvath, J’Andra Antisdel, Lori J. Pajakowski

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Older adult financial exploitation is a growing public health concern that frequently goes unrecognized in healthcare settings. Financial exploitation can result in significant financial loss, psychological distress, and decreased quality of life for vulnerable older adults. Primary care settings represent an important opportunity for early detection; however, routine screening for financial exploitation is rarely incorporated into standard patient assessments. The purpose of this evidence-based practice project is to evaluate whether implementation of the Older Adult Financial Exploitation Measure (OAFEM) screening tool increases identification of older adults at risk for financial exploitation in a community-based primary care clinic. The guiding PICOT …

Dnp Student Implementation Of Pc4 Model In A Pregnancy Resource Center To Improve Quality Of Care, Priscilla A. Outlaw

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Pregnancy resource centers (PRCs) play a critical role in supporting women from underserved communities but often struggle to consistently meet clients’ emotional, cultural, and psychological needs. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was to evaluate the impact of implementing the Person-Centered Care and Communication Continuum (PC4) Model—an evidence-based framework designed to enhance respect, communication, and individualized attention in maternal healthcare—on client satisfaction and service engagement at a local PRC.

Guided by Watson’s Theory of Human Caring, this mixed-methods quality-improvement project assessed antenatal client satisfaction and service delivery before and after PC4 implementation. Surveys and structured observations …

Impact Of Simulation-Based Ebp Training On Outcomes And Confidence In Newly Licensed Nurses, Karrie A. Youngs

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

The transition from nursing student to newly licensed registered nurse represents a vulnerable period in professional practice. During this time, nurses must apply evidence-based practice (EBP) while managing complex patient care. Traditional hospital orientation programs often rely on didactic instruction and preceptorship, which may not fully prepare new nurses for fast-paced clinical environments. Simulation-based education has emerged as an experiential strategy that bridges the theory–practice gap through realistic clinical scenarios, guided debriefing, and competency-based evaluation. This literature review examines quantitative evidence on the effectiveness of structured simulation-based EBP training in improving clinical outcomes and confidence among newly licensed nurses.

A …

Examining Covid-19 Vaccination Attitudes And Behaviors Among Undergraduate Nursing Students, Nicele Catherine Medel Arana

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

As COVID-19 transitions into endemic management, understanding vaccination behaviors and beliefs among nursing students is critical given nurses’ roles in patient education and vaccine advocacy. This descriptive, cross-sectional study examined COVID-19 vaccination attitudes, booster uptake, infection history, and advocacy confidence among undergraduate Bachelor of Science nursing students at a public urban college. Forty-six students across three cohorts completed an anonymous online survey informed by the Health Belief Model (HBM) and the Vaccine Hesitancy Scale (VHS) following institutional review board (IRB) approval (IRB #2025-0805-York). Findings demonstrated near-universal completion of the primary COVID-19 vaccine series, contrasted by lower booster uptake. A majority …

Spartan Daily, October 1, 2026, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2026

Volume 167, Issue 18

Streamlining Diagnosis Of Bardet-Biedl Syndrome: New Diagnostic Algorithm With Updated Criteria., Jeremy J. Pomeroy, Jesse Richards, Brooke Sweeney, Seema Kumar, Katie E. Queen, Joshua Zaritsky, Carl H. Cramer, Elias I. Traboulsi, Brittni A. Scruggs, Erica E. Davis, Ekaterina Keifer, Emma Mcgibbon, Timothy Ogden, Bendert De Graaf, Tonia Hymers, Elizabeth Forsythe, Philip Beales

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Considerable advances have been made in our understanding of Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS), particularly in its core clinical features and molecular genetics, warranting an update to the existing diagnostic criteria framework. Using a rigorous, evidence-based, and consensus-driven process, a multidisciplinary group of international experts and patient-led organizations developed an updated diagnostic algorithm. This algorithm provides practical, updated guidance for clinicians, including a pathway for accurately incorporating genetic findings into the diagnostic process. We recommend that a clinical diagnosis requires either 4 major criteria or 3 major and 2 minor criteria. Revised major criteria are retinal dystrophy, obesity (or overweight in individuals <  2 years old), congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract or chronic kidney disease, hypogonadism/genital anomalies, neurodevelopmental/neurocognitive manifestations, and postaxial polydactyly. The diagnosis can also be established with a positive genetic testing result in patients exhibiting ≥ 1 major criterion, provided that genetic findings should be interpreted in the context of the patient's clinical presentation, age, family history, and overlap with related ciliopathies. These consensus criteria offer a simple algorithm incorporating updated definitions for major and minor criteria and genetic testing to support a timely and accurate diagnosis of patients with BBS, inform genetic counseling, and potentially facilitate earlier access to treatment. Trial Registration: CRIBBS Registry; ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02329210.

Clinical Function Assignment Of Nat2 Alleles By The Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium Pharmacogene Curation Expert Panel., Bailey M. Tibben, David W. Hein, Michelle Whirl-Carrillo, Andrea Gaedigk, Michael T. Eadon, Rodney F. Minchin, Sotiria Boukouvala, Adalberto Rezende Santos, Roseann S. Donnelly, José A G Agúndez, Kelly E. Caudle

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

NAT2 encodes arylamine N-acetyltransferase 2, a key enzyme in the phase II metabolism of arylamines and arylhydrazines. NAT2 is highly polymorphic, resulting in variable distributions of rapid and poor metabolizers across global populations. Here, we detail the process undertaken by the Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium (CPIC) NAT2 Pharmacogene Curation Expert Panel (PCEP) to assign clinical function to NAT2 star (*) alleles using CPIC's standard terminology. Given the observed impact of NAT2 genetic variability on drug response, CPIC convened the NAT2-PCEP to standardize clinical allele function assignments. The NAT2-PCEP is comprised of multidisciplinary and international members, including researchers, clinicians, and implementers …

Bile Acid Metabolites And Carotid Intima Media Thickness In The Chronic Kidney Disease In Children (Ckid) Study., Arthur M. Lee, Mark M. Mitsnefes, Jennifer Roem, Bradley A. Warady, Susan L. Furth, Michelle R. Denburg, Ckid Study Investigators

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

No abstract provided.

Admissions Magazine Fall 2026, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Admissions Magazine

Altitude: Built for Mars

From The Red Sea To The Homeland: Assessing The Threat From Five Newly Designated Iran-Aligned Foreign Terrorist Organizations, Martha Crenshaw, Mackenzie Harms

Reports, Projects, and Research

As the Department of Homeland Security’s center of excellence focused on counterterrorism, NCITE’s mission is to work with homeland security partners to provide scientific insights on terrorists and other illicit actors that pose a threat to U.S. homeland security and defense. The intent of this report is to support government, law enforcement, and policymakers tasked with protecting the U.S. from terrorism and related threat actors with information on: 1) the threat actors and characteristics associated with Iran-aligned foreign terrorist organizations; 2) the tactics, technology, and innovation they use to cause harm; and 3) the types of targets they may attack, …

Hiding Property In Plain Sight: How Family Members And Foreign Property Fall Outside U.S. Real Estate Reporting, Kyle Stopak

Reports, Projects, and Research

This research examines the Rafael Caro Quintero real estate forfeiture as an example of how illicit proceeds may be concealed through property held by cartel leaders’ family members and located outside the United States. Using publicly available court records and government sources, the analysis considers how the properties were allegedly concealed, how U.S. and Mexican authorities ultimately pursued forfeiture, and what the case may suggest about challenges in detecting similar real estate holdings.

Evaluating Large-Scale Propensity Score Adjustment When Sample Size Is Small, Fleur Vereijken, Jenna M Reps, Marc A Suchard, Linying Zhang, George Hripcsak, Peter R Rijnbeek, Ross D Williams, Martijn J Schuemie

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Large-scale propensity score (LSPS) models are increasingly used to control confounding in observational studies, but their reliability in small-sample settings is unclear. Small samples can limit a study's ability to estimate propensity scores accurately and achieve adequate covariate balance, raising concerns about insufficient confounding adjustment. Resulting in small datasets being excluded, despite potentially containing valid information.

METHODS: We evaluated the balancing and bias reduction performance of LSPS models using six target-comparator pairs. To emulate a distributed data network analysis setting, we partitioned two large real-world data sources into smaller subsets. Within each subset, LSPS models were fit locally and …

A Systematic Review And Network Meta-Analysis Of Empirical Antibiotics For Complicated Urinary Tract Infections, Lior Cohen-Yatziv, Emily Gilbert, Ruiwen Zhou, Maria Cristina Vazquez Guillamet

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Empiric antibiotic selection for complicated urinary tract infections (cUTIs) is increasingly complex due to the rising prevalence of multidrug-resistant organisms. We conducted a network meta-analysis (NMA) to compare clinical efficacy and safety among existing empiric treatment options.

METHODS: We performed a frequentist random-effects NMA of randomized controlled trials evaluating single-agent empiric regimens for adults with cUTIs. The primary endpoints were clinical response (CR), microbiological response, and serious adverse events (AEs). Ceftriaxone served as the common comparator.

RESULTS: Forty-seven trials were identified through a systematic search. In the primary analysis of 17 studies published after the year 2000, evaluating agents …

High-Grade Astrocytoma With Piloid Features: A Clinical And Genomic Analysis Of Prognostic Factors Using A Large Cohort, Shuodan Zhang, Omar H Butt, Sonika Dahiya, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: High-grade astrocytoma with piloid features (HGAP) is a recently defined tumor type that is not well understood. Prognostic factors of clinical outcomes are not well established.

METHODS: Methylation profiling was performed on tumor samples, many at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Laboratory of Pathology, and others from publicly available sources. Methylation classifier scores of ≥0.90 to the HGAP class on the NCI-Bethesda classifier version 3 were included. Clinical features were collected from the medical record. Survival analyses were performed using the Kaplan-Meier and Cox-proportional hazards methods.

RESULTS: The cohort comprised 421 patients. There were high rates of ATRX alteration …

Expanded Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation In Cerebral X-Linked Adrenoleukodystrophy: A Case Report, Rachel E Granberg, Thomas Pfeiffer, Sanil Sansar, Rafael Galindo, Shalini Shenoy

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Umbilical cord blood transplantation is a viable source of stem cells due to accessibility and low incidence of chronic graft-versus-host disease despite human-leukocyte-antigen mismatching. Disadvantages of low stem cell dose in larger recipients include delayed immune reconstitution, graft rejection, and mortality. Successful transplants with ex-vivo expanded cords resulted in approval in malignant disorders and aplastic anemia. We report the first successful expanded cord transplantation in an adolescent with cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy who had no alternative donor/treatment options and required transplant emergently for neurologic preservation. This report highlights a mechanism for timely transplant in metabolic disorders, and preservation of functional advantages despite …

Unveiling Functional-Metabolic Synergy In The Healthy Brain: Multivariate Integration Of Dynamic [18f]Fdg-Pet And Resting-State Fmri, Claudia Tarricone, Giulia Vallini, Giorgia Baron, Massimiliano Facca, Erica Silvestri, Tommaso Volpi, Andrei G Vlassenko, Manu S Goyal, Alessandra Bertoldo

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Despite accounting for only 2% of body weight, the human brain requires significant amounts of glucose, even at rest, underscoring the importance of functional-metabolic relationships. Previous studies revealed moderate associations between resting-state fMRI functional connectivity (FC) and local metabolism via [

Emergency Medicine Updates: The Physiologically Difficult Airway, Aaron J Lacy, Brit Long, Michael Gottlieb, Jarrod M Mosier

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Airway management is an integral skill for emergency clinicians. While most of the focus is often on anatomic challenges, clinicians must also consider the unique physiologic challenges that risk decompensation during airway management, often termed the physiologically difficult airway.

OBJECTIVE: This paper evaluates key evidence-based updates concerning management of the physiologically difficult airway for the emergency clinician.

DISCUSSION: Peri-intubation complications in the emergency department are often driven by physiologic instability rather than anatomic difficulty. Key phenotypes of the physiologically difficult airway include hypotension, hypoxemia, metabolic acidemia, and right ventricular dysfunction, and are associated with high rates of physiologic collapse …

Cannabis Retailers' Marketing Practices And Compliance With State Regulations: A 2025 Point-Of-Sale Audit In 5 U.S. Cities, Carla J Berg, Cassidy R Loparco, Matthew E Rossheim, Morgan B Speer, Elizabeth Platt, Caitlin Davie, Hermela Amdeta, Darby Mihelich, Diane M Ndisebuye, Yuxian Cui, Patricia A Cavazos-Rehg, Y Tony Yang, Scott Burris

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Cannabis retail surveillance is crucial to inform regulations and enforcement efforts. This point-of-sale audit study examined marketing practices and compliance with age verification rules, required signage, and marketing restrictions among 161 cannabis retailers in 5 US cities in states authorizing nonmedical cannabis retail (Los Angeles [LA], California; Las Vegas [LV], Nevada; Denver, Colorado; Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington) in summer 2025. Descriptive and bivariate analyses characterized retailers overall and across cities. Overall, 84.5 % of retailers requested age verification upon entry (range: Seattle = 43.3 % to LV = 100 %); 8.1 % never verified (range: LV/Denver = 0 % to …

Using Electronic Health Record Audit Logs To Identify Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Teams, Liem M Nguyen, Stefanie S Sebok-Syer, Dane Jacobson, Karley Mariano, John Grunyk, Shelby Burk, Yasaman Nourkhalaj, Kimberley Kirk, Jochen Profit, Christian Rose, A Jay Holmgren, Thomas Kannampallil, Daniel Tawfik

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Teamwork influences patient outcomes, but electronic health records (EHRs) do not reliably capture patient care team members, limiting its study. EHR audit logs provide insights into healthcare workers' workflows and may help identify patients' care team members.

OBJECTIVE: To develop, validate, and compare algorithms utilizing EHR audit logs to identify patient-centric primary teams (bedside nurse, frontline clinician, and attending physician) in pediatric intensive care units (ICUs).

METHODS: We observed rounds for 1931 patient days (development = 678; validation = 1253) across pediatric (PICU), neonatal (NICU) and cardiovascular (CVICU) ICUs at a quaternary children's hospital and documented each patient's daytime …

Spatial Bias In Quality Of Estimated Delivery Date Records In The Electronic Health Record, Abigail Lewis, Randi Foraker, Min Lian, Min Zhao, Inez Oh, Aditi Gupta, Antonina Frolova, Philip R O Payne

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluates the quality of estimated delivery dates (EDD) captured in electronic health record (EHR) systems, focusing on identifying and quantifying bias in these estimates for patients seeking prenatal care.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We measured spatial and racial biases in the completeness and concordance of EDDs recorded in the EHR for patients seeking prenatal care. Element presence and agreement were compared across the catchment area to identify spatial patterns of bias in EDD records.

RESULTS: We obtained 38 477 unique pregnancy episodes in the EHR representing 33 081 unique patients between 2018 and 2022. Clear spatial and racial …

Functional Role Of Skull Lymphoid Structures In Cns Immunosurveillance, Jang Hyun Park, Daviti Abramishvili, Gustavo Gastão Davanzo, Ruben Silva, Xingxing Gu, Siling Du, Daniel D Lee, Bernd H Zinselmeyer, Jackson S Turner, Gwendalyn J Randolph, Igor Smirnov, Jonathan Kipnis

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Accumulating evidence demonstrates that the central nervous system (CNS) is not disconnected from the peripheral immune system; however, precisely how the adaptive immune system surveils the CNS remains a critical question. Recent findings reveal that channels between the skull and the dura mater facilitate the exchange of cerebrospinal fluid and immune cells between the CNS and skull bone marrow of mice under both homeostatic and disease conditions

Characterizing Oseltamivir Use Among Community-Dwelling Patients Diagnosed With Influenza Virus Infection, 2023-2025, Emily A Mcnair, Stephanie A Fritz, Rachel M Presti, Stacey House, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Oseltamivir is an antiviral medication for influenza that can reduce the duration of symptoms and may lower the risk of some complications. Recommendations for use of oseltamivir include in the outpatient setting for individuals at higher risk of developing influenza complications. The objectives of the current study were to describe oseltamivir initiation and treatment completion among influenza-positive outpatients and identify factors associated with each.

METHODS: In a US outpatient household transmission study, index participants with laboratory-confirmed influenza provided up to 12 days of detailed information on medication use. We described oseltamivir initiation among index case patients and treatment course …

Lightweight Open-Source Reasoning Large Language Model For Evidence Synthesis Screening, David M Dávila-García, Amanda Gilbert, Adam B Wilcox

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate performance and efficiency of a lightweight open-source reasoning large language model (LLM) against an expert-derived reference standard for screening scientific publication databases.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two expert reviewers screened subsets of database records across 3 stages: (1) base eligibility (

RESULTS: Interreader agreement was near-perfect (

DISCUSSION: The LLM achieved high performance and efficiency relative to an expert-derived reference standard for screening.

CONCLUSION: The use of lightweight open-source reasoning LLMs shows promise to support screening in evidence synthesis workflows.