Digital Commons Network^™

Understanding Human Arm Stiffness Modulation In Overground Phri: The Roles Of Kinematics, Perturbation, And Trunk Sway, Mohsen Mohammadi Beirami, Sambad Regmi, Devin Michael Burns, Yun Seong Song

Psychological Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

This study examines human arm kinematics during overground physical human-robot interaction (pHRI). Previous work showed humans adjust arm stiffness with changing trajectory uncertainty, but the roles of arm kinematics and muscle activation remained unclear. Building on a preliminary study, we analyzed arm movements with more participants (10 individuals) to achieve more reliable findings and examined two potential influences that arose in the preliminary study: the robot's perturbation effect (a brief hand push) and left-to-right trunk sway. Using a linear mixed-effects model, we evaluated the effects of participant, block, and trajectory condition on arm angles. Results showed minimal kinematic contribution to …

Terminating The Termination Policy Requirement: Protecting Internet Users And Service Providers By Expanding The Dmca Section 512(A) Safe Harbor, Michael Kritzer

Cardozo Law Review

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 (DMCA) established “safe harbors” for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) against secondary liability for the copyright infringement perpetrated by their users. Among the requirements for eligibility for these safe harbors is a provision requiring ISPs to implement a policy for terminating repeat infringers. This Note proposes that Congress codify an exception to this termination requirement for a specific class of ISPs—“transitory” providers that solely provide internet access and do not control the information transmitted over their networks.

This Note examines the safe harbor and termination requirement through the lens of two recent secondary infringement …

Post-Chevron Deference In Asylum Proceedings, Shawn E. Fields

Cardozo Law Review

The Supreme Court held for four decades that Chevron deference should apply in all immigration proceedings. How, then, will asylum proceedings change in a post-Chevron world? When, and under what circumstances, will courts continue to defer to the findings of immigration judges and the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA)? And why does it matter? This Article answers those questions.

These issues require urgent examination for three reasons. First, they directly confront an issue pending before the U.S. Supreme Court in Urias-Orellana v. Bondi: Without the protection of Chevron insulating BIA decisions from meaningful judicial review, can certain legal questions like …

Dentistry Is The Life For Me, Michelle C. Dziurgot

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

In this editorial, the author reflects on her long career in dentistry and shares recent experiences with practice management and technological upgrades. She details the challenging but successful process of renegotiating PPO contracts to improve reimbursement rates and the financial benefits of moving to a more efficient office space. The author also highlights the clinical benefits of new equipment, such as a hand-held X-ray unit, and expresses her continued passion for the profession. The piece serves as both a personal reflection and an encouragement to colleagues to find joy and efficiency in their practices.

News You Need, David Foe

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

This comprehensive news section covers a wide range of association updates, including previews of the 2026 Annual Session and the Mission of Mercy volunteer event. It provides critical "Dental Benefit Briefs" regarding claims appeals, CMS rule changes for prior authorization, and code deletions affecting reimbursement. The source also features a Q&A with the new ADA 9th District Trustee and highlights new guidelines for using generative AI in dental journalism. Additionally, it reports on community grants and charitable programs like Livingston District’s "Gold for Food".

When Toxic Behaviors Sneak Into Practice, Amrita Patel, Dds

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

This article addresses the challenge for new dentists in identifying and managing toxic workplace behaviors. It details common red flags such as chronic negativity, poor communication, "blame culture," and excessive production pressure that compromises ethics. The author explains how these environments can lead to burnout and practicing defensively rather than confidently. The source emphasizes the importance of developing self-awareness, seeking external mentorship, and establishing professional boundaries. It concludes that recognizing when to leave an unhealthy practice is an act of professional self-respect and essential for long-term career satisfaction.

The Back Page: Helping The Homeless Through The Delonis Oral Health Initiative, Sarah Tomaka, Dds

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

This feature story highlights a student-led initiative at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry to provide dental care to Ann Arbor's unhoused population. Through the Delonis Oral Health Initiative, students have partnered with a local shelter to connect over 100 vulnerable patients with essential treatment. The article discusses the profound impact of treating dental pain on an individual's ability to pursue stable housing and a better life. It also showcases how the program provides students with meaningful leadership and community service experience while addressing a critical gap in public health.

Evaluating Youth Programs With Intention: Integrating Developmental Research For A Youth-Centered Approach, Brittany Hite, Tiffany Berry, Evangelia Theodorou, Michelle Sloper

Journal of Youth Development

Conducting applied research or program evaluations in youth settings requires a unique combination of expertise. Although evaluation approaches provide general guidance on how to conduct high-quality evaluations, they rarely provide specific guidance on how to engage in evaluation with organizations serving youth. Fortunately, the field of youth development provides extensive information about how youth develop, facilitators of and influences on youth development, and important considerations for collecting data from this population. This paper provides an approach to evaluation that integrates youth development research. By integrating this literature into their evaluation practice, the authors identified two underlying principles (contextual sensitivity and …

Positive Youth Development And Connection With Nature Through Urban Agriculture, Casey Ortbahn, Marijke Hecht, Kristi Lekies

Journal of Youth Development

Youth urban agriculture programs connect youth with nature and support positive youth development. In this qualitative study, we use photovoice to amplify youth voices and explore 16 high school youths’ perceptions of how participation in a youth gardening program supported their confidence, connection, and sense of belonging. Using qualitative thematic analysis of photos, posters, and interviews, we identify several program processes that supported confidence and belonging, including meaningful relationships with peers and adults, connections with nature, and relationships with more-than-human beings. Our analysis reveals that nature is an important context for youth development and that nature is also more than …

Evaluation Of Pulse Oximetry Alarm Fatigue And The Impact Of Spo2 Thresholds On Clinical Workflow: A Prospective Observational Study In A Kenyan Neonatal Unit, Bazil Masabo, Augustine Waswa, Jesse Coleman, Morris Ogero, Grace Irimu, Dorothy Chomba, Millicent Parsimei, Cynthia Shitote, Ferdinand Okwaro, William Macharia

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

Introduction: Effective pulse oximetry monitoring in a newborn unit requires clinician action. However, if thresholds are not adapted to each neonate, frequent alarms cause alarm fatigue, which impacts the quality of patient monitoring, staff workload and clinical workflow.

Methods: We conducted an observational study from October 2021 to December 2022 in a Kenyan newborn unit which enrolled neonates through convenience sampling. Data were analysed in R using default thresholds of 85% to 96% for SpO2 and 90 to 200 bpm for PR.

Results: Among the 49 neonates enrolled, median hourly alarms per patient were 12 visual and …

Individual And Household Factors Associated With Tungiasis In A Marginalized Population In Karamoja, Northeastern Uganda, Lynne Elson, Abneel Matharu, Berrick Otieno, Hermann Feldmeier, Charles Waiswa, Amina Abubakar, Jürgen Krücken, Ulrike Fillinger, Francis Mutebi

Institute for Human Development, East Africa

Background Tungiasis is a neglected tropical skin disease caused by adult female fleas which burrow into the skin of people and animals, causing considerable pain and itching. The distribution of the disease is heterogeneous, with Napak district, Karamoja sub-region of northeastern Uganda having the highest disease burden recorded globally. We aimed to determine the factors associated with this high prevalence to inform future intervention strategies.

Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study to identify factors associated with infection of individual children and adults, and a nested case–control study to identify factors for whole households (families). Infected children were identified through mass-screening …

Caregiver Assessment Of Executive Function Deficits Among Hiv-Infected And Hiv-Exposed Uninfected Preschool Children In Kenya, Antipa Sigilai, Moses Nyongesa, Amin Hassan, Janet Thoya, Rachel Odhiambo, K. Katana, Beatrice Kabunda, Grace Bomu, Charles Newton, Amina Abubakar

Institute for Human Development, East Africa

Background: This study examined caregiver assessment of executive functioning (EF) in perinatally HIV-infected (PHIV) and perinatally HIV-exposed but uninfected (PHEU) Kenyan children, and explored the extent to which various biopsychosocial factors influence EF outcomes.

Methods: Children aged 3–5 years that were PHIV (n = 43), PHEU (n = 52), or HIV-unexposed uninfected (HUU, n = 58) and their caregivers were enrolled in this study. EF was measured using the Childhood Executive Functioning Inventory. Caregivers’ common mental disorders (CMDs) and parenting behaviour were evaluated using the Shona Symptoms Questionnaire (SSQ) and a parenting behaviour scale, respectively. We used analyses …

Religious Higher Education Institutions In Ukraine: The Evolution Of The Problem And The Collision Of The "Secular–Religious" Dichotomy, Serhii Kostiuchkov, Vadym Slyusar, Lesya Chervona, Mykola Slyusar

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article is devoted to institutional, legislative, philosophical and communicative analysis of the activities of religious higher education institutions in modern Ukraine, taking into account political, social, legal, religious and communicative contexts. The authors examine the demand for religious education in modern Ukraine, which demonstrates high internal dynamics and promising prospects for the development of the domestic religious educational space. It is emphasised that the functioning of religious higher education institutions in Ukraine is regulated by the principle of constitutional separation of education from religion, while at the same time basic legal norms create specific conditions for the functioning of …

Religious And Ethical Education In Bulgaria: The “Virtues And Religions” Concept Reviewed, Emiliya Dafkova

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This article examines the concept proposed by the Ministry of Education and Science for the introduction of a compulsory school subject entitled Virtues and Religions in Bulgarian schools. It analyses the historical preconditions of the proposed reform, its philosophical underpinnings, and its principal pedagogical objectives, with particular emphasis on its secular and integrative character. The discussion addresses both the potential benefits of compulsory religious and moral education and the key risks and challenges associated with its practical implementation. The Bulgarian concept is further considered in the light of contemporary European educational models, outlining the conditions under which the subject may …

Effect Of Dynamic Fatigue Loading On The Adaptation And Retention Of Maxillary Single Dentures Reinforced With Digitally Constructed Zirconia And Cobalt–Chromium Frameworks, Ghada Elgindy, Fardos N Rizk, Marwa Ezzat Sabet, Hebatallah Tarek Mohamed

Dentistry

Background. The impact of dynamic fatigue loading on denture adaptation and retention is clinically important. Zirconia and cobalt–chromium (Co–Cr) frameworks enhance denture strength, but their performance under cyclic loading remains unclear. Objectives. The aim of the study was to evaluate the adaptation and retention of maxillary single dentures reinforced with digitally constructed Co–Cr or zirconia frameworks after a simulated 1 year of function. Material and methods. Three types of maxillary single dentures were constructed on maxillary master casts. Group A included maxillary dentures without reinforcement (control group), whereas groups B and C encompassed maxillary dentures reinforced with digitally designed and …

Evaluation Of Publicly Available Maize Germplasm Adaptation To Environments In Nebraska, Garrett Snodgrass

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Publicly available maize germplasm represents an important resource for breeding programs seeking to expand genetic diversity and improve hybrid performance. However, effective use requires characterization of per se phenotypic performance of parental lines and evaluation of the parental line’s hybrid progeny adaptation to a given target population of environments. Furthermore, understanding population structure and heterotic grouping is imperative for maximizing efficiency of breeding decisions. The objectives of this study were to (1) evaluate phenotypic performance of parental lines and hybrids across environments in Nebraska, and to (2) refine heterotic group classification of parental lines within the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Hybrid …

Nominal Prices, Retail Investor Participation, And Return Momentum, Jun Du, Dashan Huang, Yu-Jane Liu, Yushui Shi, Avanidhar Subrahmanyam, Huacheng Zhang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

We employ an identification strategy for retail participation to explore the link between return momentum and investing clientele. This scheme relies on strictly enforced round-lot rules in China, which financially constrain retail investors from participating in stocks with high nominal prices. We find that there is strong momentum in high-priced stocks, but no momentum on aggregate. This result supports the idea that noise trades of retail investors mask momentum, while other, more sophisticated investors contribute to momentum. We validate this notion by showing that retail investors with small (large) portfolios are less (more) prone to participating in stocks with high …

League Of Women Voters' Of The Huntington Areae-Mail Bulletin, March 2026, League Of Women Voters Of The Huntington Area

League of Women Voters of the Huntington Area Bulletin 2020 - Present

The periodical is published by the League, which is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

Examining How Continuous Professional Development Shapes Teaching Practice And Student Learning Outcomes, Jane Rarieya, Mary Oluga, Nyagwegwe Wango

Institute for Educational Development, East Africa

Purpose: This study examines how Teacher Continuous Professional Development (TCPD) initiatives implemented through the Strengthening Education Systems in East Africa (SESEA) and Foundation for Learning (F4L) projects influence teaching practices and foundational learning outcomes in Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda.

Methodology: The study employed a mixed-methods research design using longitudinal data from classroom observations, teacher questionnaires, student assessments, and key informant interviews. Data were collected from trained teachers, teacher educators, school leaders, and learners across selected project regions to evaluate changes in instructional practices and learning outcomes.

Findings: The findings indicate that TCPD significantly improved teachers’ adoption of child-centered, play-based, inclusive, …

The Disney Adult: A Consumer That Creates Free Marketing, Emily Elizabeth Kempf

Theses

This research looks at the evolving complex relationship between the Walt Disney Company, The Disney Adult content creators and the fan base. It focuses on how user-generated content (UGC) and social media can play a large role in contemporary marketing strategies. As the target audience has expanded to include Disney Adult, this new audience has become a central part in the company’s marketing strategy encouraging fan engagement across all social media platforms. This research is a qualitative case study on the Disney Adult and how social media content can be used as a core marketing strategy. The Disney Adult influencer …

Artemisia Gentileschi's Judith And Her Maidservant Serves As A Message Of Hope, Holly Kyseth

Theses

This thesis argues that through iconography and specific artistic techniques, Artemisia Gentileschi’s Judith and Her Maidservant utilizes the biblical story of Judith and Holofernes to relay a distinctly female-centered narrative, reflective of the ideals of her seventeenth century Italian community. This piece stands apart from other representations of this narrative in that Judith was commonly shown as either dainty yet violent in the act of decapitating Holofernes, or as a saintly victor proudly displaying his head to her people. With Judith and Her Maidservant, Artemisia displays an obvious sororal alliance between Judith and her servant Abra, while cleverly implementing Caravaggesque …

Mediators Of The Dead: Funerary Strategies And Material Practice In The Final Jōmon Period, Celeste Marie Tran

Theses

Shakōki-dogū are prehistoric clay figurines from Japan’s Final Jōmon period, characterized by enlarged, goggle-eyed features. In both scholarship writing and museum display texts, generalized thematic labels or iconographic readings sometimes reduce the corpus’s internal variability. This study examines a focused set of Final Jōmon shakōki-dogū from northern Honshū (Tōhoku) and Hokkaidō (Figures 2–6) through their formal and material evidence—shape, surface treatment, and condition—read alongside published excavation reports and catalogue records. It asks what these figurines can be shown to do, as prehistoric artworks, within death-related practice when interpretation is anchored to observable features and documented context, rather than to a …

Immersive Experience Design In Contemporary Theme Parks: A Case Study Of Universal Epic Universe, Roi Andre F. Ramos

Experience Industry Management

The evolution of contemporary theme parks has increasingly centered on large-scale immersive environments designed to transport guests into cohesive narrative worlds. The purpose of this study was to examine the immersive design practices utilized at Universal Epic Universe. A case study was conducted to evaluate five themed lands, four attractions, and four queue environments using a researcher-developed observational instrument. The results of this study determined that Epic Universe effectively sustains immersion through architectural enclosure, intellectual property-based world-building, sensory layering, and interactive technologies that increase guest agency. The park demonstrates a cohesive “self-contained land” model that minimizes negative cues and extends …

Senate Constitution (2026 Edition), University Senate

University Senate Governance

Current Version of the Senate University Constitution

Reimagining The Laguna Lake Driving Range, Audrey Bonifacio, Jessica Rice

City and Regional Planning

The Laguna Lake Municipal Golf Course is located in San Luis Obispo, California, and is operated by the city. Recently, the community, city staff, and the City Council have begun a conversation regarding the use of the golf course. To explore the different uses, this senior project presents four alternative developments for a selected area of the golf course. These four uses include enhancing the existing driving range, a sports facility, a children’s center, and a senior living community. To assess these alternatives, the project explores current urban planning theories, development trends, and case studies for each use. Through this …

Fixel-Based Analysis Of Pretreatment Mri Identifies White Matter Abnormalities In Pediatric Anti-Nmdar Encephalitis, Daniel Ackom, Janine Taitt-Tap, Scott A. Beardsley, Ricardo Vega, Alyssa Jobe, Andrew J. D. Crow, Brian Schmit, Lileth Mondok, Pradeep Javarayee

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (anti-NMDAR) encephalitis is an autoimmune disorder in which conventional MRI often appears normal, leading to clinical–radiologic dissociation and hindering early diagnosis and monitoring. We retrospectively studied five pediatric patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis and compared their pretreatment diffusion MRI to age- and sex-matched controls. Using fixel-based analysis (FBA), we quantified tract-specific white matter abnormalities at the individual level. All patients showed significantly reduced fiber density and cross-section, with patterns ranging from focal to widespread involvement. In two patients, FBA abnormalities corresponded to seizure lateralization on EEG despite normal MRI, emphasizing FBA's added value in detecting seizure-concordant injury. One patient, …

Geographic Access To Pediatric Ecmo And Ecpr: A Geospatial Study Of Transport Networks And Disparities., Allan M. Joseph, Andrew J. Lautz, Carlie N. Myers, Ranjit S. Chima, Juan P. Gurria, Shafee Salloum, Wendy Hasson, Matthew P. Malone, Jenna Miller, Maya L. Dewan

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can help children survive severe cardiac and/or respiratory failure, but it is only provided in specialized centers. There are disparities in access by ground transport to ECMO services, but it is unknown to what extent interfacility transfer systems can expand access. Additionally, the number of children who live in proximity to centers that perform extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) to be potential candidates in case of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is unknown. We conducted a geospatial analysis to answer these questions.

METHODS: We conducted a geospatial analysis of the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) …

Molecular Landscape In Limb Anomalies: Diagnostic Yield And New Candidate Genes., Akram Mokhtari, Jade Charbonneau, Valancy Miranda, Khadijé Jizi, Marie-Ange Delrue, Patricia Egerszegi, Isabelle Thiffault, Philippe M. Campeau

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Congenital limb anomalies remain without an etiological diagnosis in up to 65% of patients. To help close this gap, we describe the genetic diagnostic outcomes of a large cohort. Patients whose primary indication for genetic consultation was a limb anomaly were included from 2014 to 2024. Demographic, investigation, and diagnostic information were extracted, described, and compared. One hundred and thirty-two patients were included in the final cohort, with an average molecular diagnostic yield of 36%. The most common conditions were polydactyly (24%) and radial anomalies (19%). Fifty percent had syndromic features. Seven (5%) patients underwent chromosomal microarray (CMA) only, 81 …

Defining The Society Of Pediatric Liver Transplantation (Split) Research Agenda: A Delphi Consensus Project., Sharad I. Wadhwani, Pooja Reddy Spector, Amy G. Feldman, Katryn N. Furuya, Kayla Hartjes, Chaowapong Jarasvaraparn, Beau Kelly, Stacee M. Lerret, Krupa Mysore, Arti Pawaria, Philip Rosenthal, Amy Shui, Voytek Slowik, Sarah Taylor, Jennifer Vittorio, Pamela L. Valentino, Society Of Pediatric Liver Transplantation (Split)

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Despite major advances in surgical and medical management, only one-third of pediatric liver transplant (LT) recipients remain morbidity-free at 10 years. The Society of Pediatric Liver Transplantation (SPLIT) published a research agenda over 10 years ago, and much progress has been made since then. An updated consensus-driven SPLIT research agenda could guide future research and funding priorities. We aimed to identify and prioritize key research needs across the continuum of pediatric LT care using a modified Delphi consensus approach.

METHODS: We conducted a three-round modified Delphi process among SPLIT members. In round 1, participants submitted open-ended research priorities. In …

Molecular And Regional Characterization Of Colorectal Polyps: Insights From Proteomics, Phosphoproteomics, And Immune Profiling., Thomas M. Attard, Shawn D. St Peter, Alexander Kats, Doug R. Lagemann, Caitlin E. Lawson, Badal C. Roy, Kafayat Yusuf, Lisa Harvey, Payel Bhanja, Rishi Man Chugh, Subhrajit Saha, Michael P. Washburn, Shahid Umar

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is an inherited predisposition to colorectal cancer and characterized by profuse colorectal adenomas starting from the second decade of life. Regional (left vs. right) differences in the colonic microbiologic and immunologic microenvironment may impact adenoma evolution but are poorly understood. We aimed to characterize regional molecular, microbial, DNA damage, and immune differences in pediatric FAP polyps to test the hypothesis that polyps in pediatric FAP exhibit distinct regional and molecular features that contribute to differential growth and genomic instability.

METHODS: Colonic polyps and adjacent non-polyp mucosa were harvested from pediatric FAP patients undergoing colonoscopy. Tandem …