Digital Commons Network^™

Deep Learning Reconstruction In Pediatric Ct Imaging, Cody Wyatt

Radiologic Sciences

Purpose To synthesize current evidence on dose optimization using deep learning reconstruction (DLR) with emphasis on computed tomography (CT), pediatrics, contrast to noise ratio (CNR), signal to noise ratio (SNR), and radiation dosage.

Method The methodology was a systematic literature review, synthesizing peer-reviewed literature on the use of DLR in pediatric CT. Databases searched included Scopus, IEEE Xplore, and Web of Science. Keywords include combinations of deep learning reconstruction, DLR, CT, pediatric, dose, and optimization. Boolean operators were used to refine search results.

Results Three themes emerged: dosage reduction, noise reduction, and improved spatial resolution with the use of DLR …

National Pacs And Electronic Health Records: Considerations, Challenges, And Implications For Radiomics, Darchelle Scott

Radiologic Sciences

Purpose To examine the considerations, challenges, and implications of implementing a national picture archiving and communication system (PACS) integrated with electronic health records (EHRs), with particular emphasis on interoperability, radiomics, and patient-centered data sharing.

Method A systematic literature review was conducted using books, peer-reviewed articles, original research studies, and government publications addressing radiomics, TEFCA, blockchain technology, PACS, and EHR integration. Literature was analyzed to evaluate national health information exchange, radiomics applications, and implementation challenges associated with a connected healthcare infrastructure.

Results Three primary themes emerged: (a) interoperable national PACS and EHR systems have the potential to improve continuity of care …

Improving Implementation Of The Cmqcc Obstetric Hemorrhage Risk Assessment Tool To Improve Maternal Hemorrhage Response And Outcomes, Emily Hobbs, Karla Beiswenger

Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (DNAP) Manuscripts

Abstract Background: Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) remains a leading cause of preventable maternal morbidity and mortality in the United States, despite advances in obstetric care and the availability of evidence-based management strategies (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists [ACOG], 2017; Federspiel et al., 2023). Standardized tools, such as the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative (CMQCC) Obstetric Hemorrhage Risk Assessment Tool, have been shown to improve early identification of at-risk patients and enhance team preparedness when consistently implemented (Main et al., 2017; CMQCC, 2022). However, variability in clinical utilization limits their effectiveness. Purpose: The purpose of this quality improvement project was to …

Walking Through History: Designing A Byu Women's History Walking Tour, Reese M. Rugg

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis appears in two parts. The first is an analysis where I present a brief literature review of women’s history and women in editing and publishing. I also discuss the creation process and methods of applying design principles to a copyfitted manuscript of a BYU women’s history walking tour. The second is the copyfit 176-page manuscript and book cover, created in InDesign and Photoshop.

This project represents a continuation of recent efforts to highlight women who have built BYU in a more equitable way. The purpose of this project is to highlight the discrepancies in women’s archival history and …

Illuminating Hemophilia: Distinguishing Normal And Factor Deficient Plasma Clots Via Brightfield Microscopy And A Convolutional Neural Network, Jason H. Tullis

Undergraduate Honors Theses

When blood vessels are damaged, clots formed by the protein fibrin stabilize platelets and stem active bleeding. Coagulation, the physiological process that forms fibrin clots from blood plasma, hinges on the clotting cascade, a complex network of interacting proteins. These so-called clotting factors help control fibrin polymerization and thereby coagulation. A clotting factor deficiency generally slows coagulation, resulting in bleeding disorders like hemophilia A, B or C. Diagnosing the deficient factor's identity is essential to optimal treatment. Currently, missing factors are determined in reference laboratories via specialized tests. A more accessible test could help streamline the diagnosis process--in this work, …

Genotypic Triggers: Exposing Pharmacogenomic Blind Spots Via Host-Specific Backdoors In Generative Antimicrobial Peptide Models, Doniyorkhon Obidov, Xiaolong Guo, Yonghui Li, Kaichen Yang

Michigan Tech Publications

Large Language Models (LLMs) have accelerated drug discovery, particularly in the automated design of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). However, current validation pipelines for peptide generation models overlook historical precedents showing that certain drugs carry health risks predominantly for individuals with specific genetic profiles. In this paper, we demonstrate that such targeted health risks can be induced intentionally and at scale by manipulating models that generate peptide candidates. We introduce the Genotypic Trigger, a backdoor attack that shifts a model’s generative distribution toward peptides with elevated predicted immunogenicity risk, an adverse immune reaction, specifically for carriers of a tar- geted HLA allele, …

Repairing Workplace Trust: A Process-Based Classroom Exercise For Management Education, Luke A. Langlinais Ph.D.

Posters

Trust is essential in every workplace, but conflicts, mistakes, and broken promises are inevitable. This project develops an experiential classroom exercise in which students diagnose workplace trust violations, examine the perspectives and emotions of both parties, and practice selecting and communicating evidence-based reparative actions. The exercise translates organizational behavior research into a practical learning experience that develops not only managerial competence but also the character, empathy, and relational wisdom needed to build healthy organizations and promote human flourishing.

I gratefully acknowledge peer review feedback on this project, and I am accountable for writing of this product without generative AI and …

Equitable Science Instruction For Diverse Learners: Differentiation With Consideration For Multilingual Students, Alicia Reyelts

Masters Projects

Multilingual learners (MLs) continue to experience persistent achievement gaps in science, often due to the linguistic demands of academic language and the limited availability of instructional supports within general education classrooms. As classrooms become increasingly diverse, science teachers require practical instructional resources that promote equitable access to rigorous, standards based learning while supporting students' language development. This master's project addresses this need through the development of a differentiated seventh-grade chemistry unit aligned with the Michigan Middle School Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The project is grounded in the principles of differentiated instruction (DI), drawing upon the work of Tomlinson as …

Psychosocial Experiences Of Secondary School Students Living With Sickle Cell Disease While In School In Lagos State, Nigeria, Toluwalope Yetunde Onuwe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a lifelong genetic condition significantly impacting the physical, emotional, and social health of those affected. Nigeria has one of the highest global burdens of SCD, yet there is limited research on the psychosocial experiences of secondary school students living with SCD in educational settings. This qualitative study explored these experiences among students in Lagos State, Nigeria. Using the social ecological model and interpreted through the social model of disability, the study examined how school environments, educational practices, and institutional support influenced students' psychosocial well-being and perceived health. Twenty secondary school students participated in 4 in-person …

Improving Recognition And Communication Of Early Patient Condition Changes Through An Evidence-Based Staff Education Program, Raymond Mwanje

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This doctoral project is a staff education project aimed at enhancing recognition and communication of early changes in patients' conditions in a long-term care rehabilitation environment. Delayed recognition of patient deterioration is a major challenge in nursing practice, as subtle changes in a patient's condition may go unnoticed, leading to delayed intervention, avoidable complications, and unnecessary hospital transfers. Poor communication among staff can also hinder the escalation of care, impacting patient safety and quality of care. There is evidence that structured communication strategies and education interventions can help enhance communication between clinicians and aid earlier detection of patient deterioration. Resolving …

Kindergarten Teachers’ Challenges Embedding Play-Based Learning In A Standards-Based Curriculum, Anna Catalan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in this study was that kindergarten teachers in a Western United States elementary school were challenged by standards that have become heavily focused on teaching academic skills at a younger age, instead of teaching with developmentally appropriate practices that allow for play-based learning (PBL). Framed by Vygotsky’s theory of PBL, the purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore what challenges local kindergarten teachers had when embedding PBL in a standards-based curriculum. Data were collected through 15 semistructured interviews with Kindergarten teachers who had at least 2 years' experience embedding PBL in instruction. Using thematic analysis …

Beauty Influencer Entrepreneur Marketing Strategies To Grow And Sustain Business And Improve Social Media Analytics, Kelsee Briana Barnes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The lack of marketing strategy knowledge can negatively affect beauty influencer entrepreneurs’ ability to fully leverage digital platforms to build sustainable businesses and strengthen their online presence. Beauty entrepreneurs are concerned, as the lack of marketing strategies can hinder the successful operation of social media platforms and may diminish online visibility. Grounded in Porter’s Five Forces framework, the purpose of this study was to explore the marketing strategies that beauty influencer entrepreneurs use to grow and sustain their social media platforms and improve social media analytics. The participants were eight beauty influencer entrepreneurs across various regions of the United States. …

Brooklyn Housing Preservation L.P. V. Highsmith

All Decisions

Court dismissed nonpayment petition because landlord failed to serve a VAWA notice of occupancy rights with the rent demand, holding that a rent demand qualifies as a 'notification of eviction' under VAWA that triggers the notice requirement. Court rejected landlord's argument that the rent demand is merely a corrective notice rather than a notice of termination.

Wip: Developing A Generative Ai Autoethnography Assistant, Jyoti Suhag, Jennifer Drewyor, Kathryn Bugbee, Michelle Jarvie-Eggart, Lynn Albers, Leo Ureel

Michigan Tech Publications

Background: Generative AI (genAI) is transforming educational research, offering new possi-bilities for conducting interviews while local sandboxing minimizes data privacy risks and hallucinations. Purpose: This work-in-progress presents the AI Autoethnography Assistant, a project investigating how large language models (LLMs) can support autoethnographic interview design and execution. Approach: Using prompt engineering grounded in Interpretative Phenomenological Anal-ysis, paraphrasing techniques, and structured follow-up questions, we developed protocols that incorporate po-sitionality and prompt reflection on origin stories and pivotal life moments. Outcomes: Conversations conclude at the user’s discretion, with the AI generating a thematic summary. We tested refined prompts across four platforms (Gemini, Claude, …

Fragberta: A Fragment-Aware Molecular Representation Model With Sequential Attachment-Based Fragment Embeddings, Neerav Kaushal, Ajay M.N.V. Penmatsa

Michigan Tech Publications

Automated exploration of chemical space through machine learning has become a central strategy in modern drug discovery, where the ability to learn transferable molecular representations directly impacts predictive modeling performance. Recent advances in chemical language models have primarily relied on atom-level string encodings such as SMILES or SELFIES, treating molecules as sequences of individual atoms or characters. However, medicinal chemistry reasoning is often fragment-centric, emphasizing scaffolds, functional groups, and modular substructures rather than isolated atoms. In this study, we introduce FragBERTa, a molecular fragment-aware transformer-based representation language model pretrained using masked language modeling on Sequential Attachment-based Fragment Embedding (SAFE) representations. …

Staff Education To Increase Knowledge For Reducing Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia, Tenika Monique Mcmillan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was to address a critical gap in nursing knowledge regarding oral care and its role in preventing hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) through staff education. Although the relationship between oral care and pneumonia is well established, staff knowledge at the site varied, leading to inconsistencies in oral care practices. To address this problem, a targeted educational session using a pre- and post-test design was delivered to nursing staff. The practice-focused question was “Among nursing staff working in community living centers, does the implementation of targeted education on evidence-based oral hygiene guidelines, compared …

English Language Arts Remedial Teachers’ Perspectives On Strategies To Close The Academic Achievement Gap Of Minority High School Students, Barbara Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem that was addressed throughout this study is that 53% of minority students do not reach proficiency on the English Language Arts (ELA) portion of the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking test compared to the 42% of other student populations at Grover High School (GHS, a pseudonym), a large and diverse high school, despite targeted school improvement interventions each school year. Grounded in Ladson-Billings’s culturally relevant pedagogy, the purpose of this basic qualitative study was to investigate ELA remedial teachers’ perspectives on reading strategies and instructional planning tools that might help minority students close the academic achievement gap. Semistructured …

Staff Education On Improving Staff Knowledge Of Medication Adherence In An Outpatient Psychiatric Facility, Okechukwu Chidiadi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This project was a staff education initiative designed to improve staff knowledge of medication adherence at an adult psychiatric outpatient clinic. Addressing this matter is critical because it directly impacts the quality of patient care. The practice focus question was: Among psychiatric mental health staff in a behavioral health facility, what is the impact of a staff educational program on teaching medication adherence to patients on the staff’s knowledge? The purpose of this staff education project was to improve staff knowledge of medication adherence by equipping them with the tools and strategies needed to help patients manage their treatment plans …

Effective Leadership Strategies To Retain For-Profit Education Employees After A Leadership Change, Kimberly Keene

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ineffective leadership transitions in for profit higher education erode employee morale, trust, and retention. Higher education business leaders recognize that ineffective leadership transitions can contribute to employee disengagement, reduced organizational commitment, and increased turnover, undermining institutional stability, workforce continuity, and organizational performance. Grounded in transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to identify and explore the effective leadership strategies used by for-profit education institution leaders to retain key employees after a change in leadership. The participants were 10 leaders employed at for-profit higher education institutions in the southern United States who had successfully implemented leadership strategies …

Exploring Licensed Clinical Social Workers’ Past Trauma And Current Practice: A Strengths-Based Perspective, Michael E. Conner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of licensed clinical social workers to examine how they manage, reinterpret, and integrate their childhood trauma into their professional clinical identities. Adverse childhood experiences among clinicians are often framed through a risk-based lens of burnout and impairment, leaving social work leaders without empirical models to support post-traumatic growth and workforce retention. The purpose of this study was to examine how clinicians leverage past adversity to inform contemporary practice. A basic qualitative design was used, with semistructured interviews conducted with 11 participants. Participant narratives were examined through the dual lenses of shattered assumptions theory …

Reducing Seclusion In Inpatient Psychiatric Units Through Staff Education, Amaka Nkala

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Seclusion remains a restrictive intervention used in inpatient psychiatric settings despite evidence linking it to psychological trauma, physical harm, and adverse patient outcomes. This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) staff education project evaluated the effectiveness of a trauma-informed care and de-escalation education program in improving nurses' confidence in managing patient escalation. The project used a pre- and post-intervention quality improvement design with 24 inpatient psychiatric nurses. Participants completed a 10-item, 5-point Likert-scale confidence survey before and after a 30-minute educational session delivered via PowerPoint. Descriptive statistics were used to compare pre- and post-intervention confidence scores. Mean confidence scores increased from …

The Exploration Of Pandemic Educational Equity Among Virginia Schools, James Edward Graves

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The COVID-19 pandemic intensified existing educational inequities among marginalized student populations, prompting unprecedented federal investments through the Coronavirus, Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to support educational continuity. Existing literature findings consistently demonstrated that collaborative leadership, equitable resource allocation, family engagement, and community partnerships improved educational continuity, which reduced learning disparities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite substantial resource allocations, limited research has examined parent perceptions regarding the equity and effectiveness of CARES Act-supported educational interventions. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore Virginia high school parents' perceptions of pandemic educational equity, CARES Act financial disbursement strategies, …

Development And Implementation Of A Clinical Practice Guideline To Standardize Social Determinants Of Health Screening And Social Services Referrals In Primary Care, Patricia Pottinger

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Social determinants of health (SDOH) significantly influence health outcomes, yet many primary care organizations lack a standardized, evidence-based process for identifying patients' social needs and facilitating referrals to appropriate community resources. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice executive leadership project was to develop and implement a clinical practice guideline (CPG) to standardize SDOH screening and social services referrals in a primary care setting. The practice-focused question asked whether a CPG designed to standardize social services referrals would be approved by a panel of subject matter experts using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II instrument. …

Exploring The Gaps And Opportunities For Development Of An Amr Educational Package For Higher Education. Project Dataset., Michael Dillon, Delphine Kayem, Thiru Vanniasinkam, Charlotte Cornbill, Muriel Dresen, Arya Gupta, Kristina Kadlec, Priyanka More, Afolake Atinuke Olanbiwoninu, Désirée Schaaf, Raju Sekar, Christina Stylianou

Faculty of Health Datasets

Anonymous cross-sectional survey of higher education educators worldwide teaching antimicrobial resistance (AMR) or related subjects. The dataset captures educators’ teaching experience, curriculum content, and resource needs to identify gaps in AMR education and support development of openly available teaching resources.

The Person As Foundation Of Responsibility: The Insufficiency Of Rights-Based Human Development Approaches, Jaclyn Berg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Building on the plethora of research that demonstrates the way rights language has been more useful for those with wealth and power to further expand capitalist markets, this text extends that criticism to human development programs and institutions. While they claim to be directed towards addressing global issues of poverty and hunger as well as climate crises, they continue to treat the symptoms without accurately diagnosing the disease. Approaches to development that rely on rights without questioning the way rights have been influenced by neoliberal capitalists or without questioning the capitalist global economic system will never be able to achieve …

Development Of Minimalist Trifunctional Building Blocks For Chemical Biology Probe Synthesis, Luke E. Bohrer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003 generated expectations that genomic information would accelerate the discovery of new protein drug targets and FDA-approved therapies. However, many small-molecule drug candidates continue to fail in clinical trials, and much of the human proteome remains undercharacterized in terms of structure, function, and disease relevance. Chemical tools are therefore essential for defining protein function, mapping protein interactions, and identifying disease-associated molecular mechanisms. Among these tools, small-molecule chemical probes provide a powerful strategy for connecting biological activity with target identification, functional analysis, and the development of effective therapies.

This dissertation describes the development …

The Decline Of Confidence In The U.S. Supreme Court: Evidence From The General Social Survey, 2004-2024, Lola Dragosavac

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines public confidence in the United States Supreme Court and whether confidence has declined between 2004 and 2024. It also investigates whether demographic characteristics, political ideology, and confidence in other political institutions help explain the variation in confidence levels. Using data from the General Social Survey (GSS) for 2004, 2014, and 2024, this study employs a binary logistic regression approach to examine the predictors of confidence in the Court. The findings indicate that confidence in the Supreme Court declined significantly over the twenty-year period. Political ideology emerged as a strong predictor of confidence, with conservatives over three times …

Impact Of Taped Problems Intervention Modification On Children With Deafness, Clyniece Hodge

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Children with hearing loss are at an increased risk of experiencing setbacks in various areas of life, including academic performance and employment opportunities. Academically, they are likely to experience poor academic achievement in reading, as well as in mathematics (ASHA, 2013). In comparison to gifted hearing students and average-ability hearing students, students with hearing loss are at a higher risk of low mathematics performance (Hassan & Mohammed, 2019). Despite these known challenges and risk factors, limited research has been conducted to identify effective intervention strategies for improving mathematical outcomes among this population. As such, this study aimed to evaluate the …

Dialogic Communication Ethics As A Hopeful Response To Artificial Intelligence, Kristen Haldeman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Within the past five years, a new technology has dominated modern culture: artificial intelligence. With a multiplicity of ways to respond to this new environment, this dissertation situates a response to artificial intelligence by combining the media ecology and communication ethics perspectives. Media ecology explores historical roots and biases of technology to learn about their influence of humanity. A dialogic communication ethics seeks to find an opening for hope to emerge. Hope, grounded in the works of Jacques Ellul and the Christian tradition, offers a new rhetorical perspective by shifting focus away from technology and to our neighbor.

Integrating Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions In Inclusive Classrooms To Support Autistic Students, Paige J. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current trend of an increasing prevalence rate of autism spectrum disorder creates a growing need for evidence-based interventions that can be accessed in the natural environments, such as within inclusive educational settings. Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBIs) integrate principles of applied behavior analysis and developmental psychology, and offer effective tools for increasing social communication behaviors in autistic children that align with the neurodiversity-affirming movement. The present study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of Behavior Skills Training (BST) in teaching core NDBI skills to a preschool teacher, examine changes in teacher self-efficacy related to supporting autistic students, and assess the …