Digital Commons Network^™

Effects Of Social Influences On Adult Male Politicians Who Engage In Sexually-Exploitative Behaviors, Rodshana M. Ulery

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sexually-exploitative behaviors by adult male politicians is a significant societal concern that reflects deeper issues involving power misuse, gender inequality, and institutional failure. This qualitative research involved examining societal factors that were linked with this type of misconduct. Guided by the status characteristics theory, the study involved examining how status-related traits such as political power, public image, and institutional affiliation shaped social dynamics and fostered environments that enabled these behaviors. Using NVIVO, thematic content analysis was applied to 24 adult male politician cases. Five key themes emerged: early life and family influences, position and power, opportunity expectations, cultural and institutional …

The Perceived Impact Of Officer-Involved Domestic Violence On Law Enforcement Administrators, Victoria Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The frequency of officer-involved domestic violence (OIDV) is a serious problem in the law enforcement profession. This qualitative phenomenological study aimed to determine what measures and specific domestic violence policies are working well and what is working poorly in Florida. This study is critical because it can aid upcoming law enforcement administrators (LEAs) and current LEAs in improving the policies and measures they use in their agency to combat OIDV among their officers and recruits. Jacques’s organizational culture theory (OCT) provided a framework for this study. I used purposeful snowball sampling methods to recruit participants for this study. Six law …

Early Detection Of Oak Wilt Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (Uav) & Computer Vision, Muttaki I. Bismoy

Masters Theses

Forests are critical ecosystems, delivering services such as biodiversity conservation, climate regulation, timber production, and recreation. However, they face increasing threats from pathogens like Bretziella fagacearum, which causes Oak Wilt, a lethal disease that disrupts water transport in oak trees, leading to canopy dieback and eventual death. Traditional detection methods rely on manual ground surveys, which are labor-intensive, time-consuming, and prone to error, particularly in early disease stages.

This research presents an automated, scalable, high-precision Oak Wilt detection system using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) combined with deep learning-based computer vision. Expanding on earlier work with a lightweight CNN achieving an …

Lipid-Laden Microglia: Characterization And Roles In Diseases, Jiani Xing, Takese Mckenzie, Jian Hu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Microglia are resident phagocytes of the central nervous system that play an essential role in brain development and homeostasis. When the intracellular lipid content exceeds the metabolic capacity of microglia, lipid droplets accumulate, giving rise to a distinct population termed lipid-laden microglia (LLMs). LLMs have been implicated in various neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases, functioning as both regulators/indicators of inflammation and potential therapeutic targets. This review summarizes the current research on LLMs, focusing on disease-specific regulators and functions, protective roles, interactions with neighboring cells, and advances in diagnostic and analytical tools. We also discuss the blurred distinction between LLMs and macrophages, …

Optimizing Motion Management And Baseline Shifts In Magnetic Resonance-Guided Spine Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy, Yao Ding, Travis C Salzillo, Debra N Yeboa, Martin C Tom, Zhiheng Wang, Parmeswaran Diagaradjane, Ergys Subashi, Jinzhong Yang, Todd Swanson, Thomas Beckham, Chenyang Wang, Amol J Ghia, Tina Briere, Jihong Wang, Fabienne Lathuilière, Sneha Cloake, Eun Young Han

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) has proven effective in controlling spinal lesions with minimal toxicity, primarily due to its ability to limit spinal cord dose. Recent advances in MR-linac (MRL) technology offer superior spinal cord visualization and real-time gating, which can facilitate dose escalation in spinal tumor treatment while maintaining safety.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to optimize motion management for spine SBRT on an MRL by analyzing patient-specific motion dynamics and evaluating the most effective registration structures. We hypothesized that baseline shifts (BLS) would improve delivery efficiency while maintaining spinal cord dose constraints. The goal was to establish displacement …

Collaborative Research: Bocp-Implementation: Us-China: Multi-Scale, Multi- Proxy, Integrative Investigation Of Functional Biodiversity On A Changing Proterozoic Planet, Carol Dehler

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Machine Learning Research On Time Series Data, Zeyi Fan

Lingnan Theses (MPhil & PhD)

Time series generated by complex systems, such as industrial IoT and user behavior systems, confront two core challenges: structured missingness (e.g., continuous or periodic gaps) that disrupt temporal dependencies, and the difficulty in effectively modeling dynamic long- and short-term temporal dependencies inherent in evolving patterns (e.g., user interests). Traditional approaches struggle to balance the preservation of local dependency continuity and the rational association of global long-range dependencies in structured missing scenarios, often incurring high computational costs. In temporal pattern modeling, the lack of adaptive mechanisms to fuse evolving long- and recent behavior trends (e.g., stable interest inertia vs. short-term preference …

Psychological Stress And Coping Strategies Among Nursing Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study, Khin Thandar Aung, Noor Atikah Mat Ail

Individual Articles

Nursing students encountered distinctive obstacles during their academic careers due to the COVID-19 pandemic. An increase in mental health concerns was the consequence of the pandemic, which necessitated numerous modifications to their daily routines. Subsequently, students have implemented distinct stress-management strategies that are contingent upon their individual perspectives. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the psychological stress levels and coping strategies employed by nursing students during this time. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional investigation was implemented online. The data were gathered through online surveys, which encompassed assessments of stress perception and coping strategies. The survey was divided into three sections: …

Causes Of Symptoms And Symptom Persistence In Long Covid And Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Anthony L Komaroff, Robert Dantzer

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Debilitating symptoms for many years can follow acute COVID-19 ("long COVID"), myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and various post-acute infection syndromes (PAISs). Together, long COVID and ME/CFS affect 60-400 million individuals, globally. Many similar underlying biological abnormalities have been identified in both conditions including autoantibodies against neural targets, endothelial dysfunction, acquired mitochondrial dysfunction, and a pro-inflammatory gut microbiome. Each of these abnormalities may directly cause some of the symptoms. In addition, the symptoms also may be caused by ancient, evolutionarily conserved symptomatic and metabolic responses to vital threats-sickness behavior and torpor-responses mediated by specific, recently discovered neural circuits. These neural …

Revisiting The Effect Of Udenafil On Exercise Performance In Patients With Fontan Circulation: Results Of A Post Hoc Analysis Of The Fuel Trial, David J Goldberg, William B Orr, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: In the FUEL (Fontan Udenafil Exercise Longitudinal) trial, a positive treatment effect was identified for outcomes at the ventilatory anaerobic threshold but not for the primary outcome, oxygen consumption (Vo

METHODS: Participants were divided into subgroups by baseline predicted peak Vo

RESULTS: Of the 379 participants with paired exercise data, 302 (80%) had a baseline peak Vo

CONCLUSIONS: In this post hoc subgroup analysis, after exclusion of patients with Fontan circulation with near-normal baseline peak Vo

REGISTRATION: URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT0274115.

O-Glcnac Transferase Plays Dual Antiviral Roles By Integrating Innate Immunity And Lipid Metabolism, Hong Dong, Yong Zhang, Michael J Holtzman, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Viral infection induces robust reprogramming of metabolic pathways in host cells. However, whether host metabolic enzymes detect viral components remains unknown. Our group and others previously identified O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT), an important glucose metabolic enzyme, as a crucial mediator of the antiviral immune responses. Here, by studying a mouse model with a catalytically impaired OGT, we discover a catalytic activity-independent function of OGT in restraining influenza A virus (IAV) infection in addition to its catalytic activity-dependent effect on MAVS-mediated antiviral immunity. Biochemical studies reveal a critical antiviral effect based on OGT interacting with IAV genomic RNA that requires its N-terminal …

Re-Engaging Driver Attention Using Chatgpt: A Multimodal Study On Stress Impact And Driving Performance, Alaa Zaki Elfiqi

Theses and Dissertations

Driving is considered a complex task that requires continuous focus and attention from the driver. Driving performance can also be impacted by changes in the driver’s stress level. However, limited research explores methods to address this challenge. With the current advances in Large Language Models (LLMs) and their ability to engage in human-like interaction, this study investigates the potential of using ChatGPT, designed to speak Egyptian Arabic, in re-engaging driver attention under different driving scenarios for low-stress and high-stress conditions within a virtual reality (VR) environment driving simulator. Drivers were asked to follow a leading car into two scenarios with …

Brief Of Amici Curiae Contract Law Scholars Mark Gergen, Gregory Klass, And Daniel Markovits In Support Of Plaintiffs-Appellants And Reversal, Vera Institute Of Justice V. Department Of Justice, No. 25-5248 (D.C. Cir. Aug. 19, 2025), Mark Gergen, Gregory Klass, Daniel Markovits

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

In Vera Institute of Justice v. Department of Justice, as in a raft of other cases involving constitutional, statutory, and regulatory challenges to the rapid mass cancellation of federal grants or grant programs, the government has deployed jurisdictional arguments in an effort to restrict the judiciary’s ability to review the legality of executive actions. Specifically, the government has attempted to confine jurisdiction over the plaintiffs’ claims to the Federal Court of Claims, which is powerless to remedy the alleged violations. The arguments by which the government would deny judicial review of the plaintiffs’ claims conflate two distinct considerations: first, …

Three Essays In Gamification, Innovation, And Cybersecurity, Eduard Yelagin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

This dissertation consists of three essays on Gamification, Innovation, and Cyber Security. The first essay investigates gamified stock trading. Gamification of stock trading is a novel practice by brokers to incorporate game-like features to increase clients’ engagement with trading. This study examines how the market reacts to the introduction of 142 gamification features in the mobile trading apps of 17 major U.S. brokers. I find that the gamification of trading can be viewed as a double-edged sword. It alters and worsens retail traders’ strategy by reducing their returns and increasing return volatility. However, it also reduces costs and risks for …

Screening And Variable Selection For Analyzing Binary Outcome With Rare Events And High-Dimensional Predictors, Mohammad Nahian Ferdous Abrar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Binary outcomes with rare events (event rate less than 5%) present significant analytical challenges, particularly in high-dimensional settings such as epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) involving DNA methylation data. Traditional logistic regressions are often inadequate under these conditions, suffering from bias, high variance, and diminished power when the event rate is low and the number of predictors exceeds the sample size (p >> n). To address these limitations, we developed a series of novel methods that enhance sensitivity and accuracy in identifying biologically meaningful biomarkers while accounting for both event rarity and high dimensionality. We first introduce two innovative screening approaches. The …

Planning And Policy For Safer Roads With Autonomous Vehicles: Moral Decision Making Behavior In Dilemma-Inducing Situations, Fatemeh Nazari, Mohamadhossein Noruzoliaee

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

This study develops a Dynamic Bayesian Network (DBN) framework to examine how public confidence in autonomous vehicle (AV) safety and willingness-to-ride respond to policy interventions in crash-imminent pedestrian–passenger prioritization scenarios. Using stated preferences survey data from San Francisco (SF) and San Antonio (SA), the model integrates baseline attitudes, socio-demographic factors, and policy conditions to simulate both intra-slice and inter-slice dependencies. Results from empirical-mix simulations indicate that SF respondents, despite having higher baseline confidence and willingness-to-ride, exhibit greater sensitivity to policies prioritizing pedestrians, with significant declines across all scenarios. By contrast, SA respondents show comparatively stable and modestly positive shifts, particularly …

Efficient Decontamination Of Organophosphate-Based Pesticides And Nerve Agent Simulants Mediated By N-Containing Nucleophiles, Emmanuel Kingsley Darkwah, Puspa Aryal, Saidulu Todeti, Jared Kenik, Samuel Insall, V. Prakash Reddy, Chariklia Sotiriou-Leventis

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

There is a growing interest in developing safer and more effective decontaminating agents for organophosphate-based pesticides and nerve agents. In this study, we present an effective method for the nonaqueous decontamination of these compounds using small-molecule-based decontaminating agents under ambient conditions. Our approach utilizes aryl and heteroaryl carboxaldehyde hydrazones and hydrazides to effectively hydrolyze nerve agent simulants into their nontoxic degradation products. The effectiveness of this method was evaluated using a range of nerve agent simulants, including dimethyl 4-nitrophenyl phosphate (DMNP), dimethyl methyl phosphonate (DMMP), and triphenyl phosphate (TPhP). In the presence of the heteroaryl hydrazone, the rate of hydrolysis …

Enhanced Meropenem Activity And Stability Following Load In Polyvinyl Alcohol Nanofiber Scaffolds With Sitagliptin As Quorum Sensing Inhibitor On Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Samar A. Salim, Abdelrhman Mohsen, Mohamed Emara, Taghrid Elmahdy

Nanotechnology Research Centre

Background The increasing resistance of bacteria to conventional antibiotics poses a significant health challenge. Innovative strategies, such as combining antibiotics with agents like quorum sensing inhibitors (QSIs), have been developed to combat this issue. QSIs enhance antibiotic efficacy without inhibiting bacterial growth, minimizing the risk of resistance. Aims Evaluate the combined effect of Sitagliptin (STG) as a QSI with Meropenem (MER), fabricate drug-loaded Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) nanofibers, and investigate their antimicrobial activity against standard Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PAO1) and carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa (CRPA). Methods The combinatorial effect was assessed using a checkerboard assay. PVA/STG, PVA/MER, and PVA/STG/ MER nanofibers were fabricated …

Proteogenomic Characterization Unveils Biomarkers Associated With Chemoresistance In Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer, Matthew V Holt, Yongchao Dou, Meggie N Young, Alexander B Saltzman, Meenakshi Anurag, Jonathan T Lei, Antrix Jain, Mei Leng, Beom-Jun Kim, Lacey E Dobrolecki, Stefanie F Faucher, Sara Savage, Chenwei Wang, Zhiao Shi, Hugo Villanueva, Karoline Kremers, Kyle D Drinnon, Patricia D Castro, Michael M Ittmann, Mehak Mehboob Khatani, Sung Han Kim, Matthew J Ellis, Bing Zhang, Anna Malovannaya, Seth P Lerner

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

To explore potential chemoresistance mechanisms and identify therapeutic opportunities in muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), we conduct comprehensive proteogenomic characterization of 46 pre- and 14 post-treatment MIBC tumors incorporating genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and phosphoproteomics. Multi-omics clustering not only recapitulated established molecular subtypes but also revealed subtypes associated with chemotherapy sensitivity. Protein isoform level analysis identifies protein abundance of a short isoform of ATAD1 and RAF family proteins as biomarkers of chemosensitivity. Integration of proteomic and phosphoproteomic data reveals Wnt signaling via GSK3B-S9 phosphorylation and the JAK/STAT pathway as potential targets to overcome chemoresistance. Correlations between PD-L1 and TROP-2/NECTIN-4 indicate an additive …

Interview With Nick Angeloff, Jacey Terrill

What Happened Here

This is a transcript of an oral history interview with Nicolas Angeloff, a lecturer at Cal Poly Humboldt, Senior Research Advisor to the new director and co-directors at the Cultural Resources Facility, and an HSU alumnus. He has worked at the CRF since 1996 and has been a lecturer since 2018. He describes that he was unsurprised by a protest occurring, knowing the history of the Israel-Palestine conflict and recent escalating events. He disagrees with some protesters’ choice to aggravate the police and destroy property. He also thought the immediate police presence and subsequent reaction by protesters were unproductive. He …

The Impact Of Maternal Diabetes On Sacral Agenesis: A Paediatric Report, Gabriella M. Calabrese, Márcio L. Duarte, Leonardo F. Freitas, Eduardo O. Narvaez

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

“I Feel Like A Lot Of Times Women Are The Ones Who Are Problem-Solving For All The People That They Know”: The Gendered Impacts Of The Pandemic On Women In Alaska, Marya Rozanova-Smith, Andrey N. Petrov

Faculty Publications

The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and post-pandemic recovery in urban communities in the Arctic have been substantial, but their gendered aspects remain largely unknown. The goal of this study was to enhance the understanding of the gender-based impact on women in the urban areas of Alaska by exploring strengths and constraints to resilience in the social and economic domains of gender equality during and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on grounded theory methodology, this study is based on 29 in-depth, semi-structured interviews. The study methodology utilized a conceptual framework that integrated deficit-based and strength-based analytical perspectives. …

Teaching Bilingual Learners With Dysgraphia, Angela Gonzalez-Urbina

Masters Projects

With the push for legislation on the Dyslexia law in Michigan and elsewhere, teachers need to understand what dyslexia and dysgraphia are to support all students. An extra understanding is necessary in bilingual education and reading challenges because they use two language systems in and out of the classroom. Reading and writing are already areas that impact the working memory of the learner; adding dysgraphia to that proves to be more of a challenge. Dysgraphia can coexist with dyslexia, and individuals with dysgraphia often experience difficulties with spelling and writing speed. This project introduces dysgraphia as one of the reading …

Investigation Of A Divergent Triangle Construct For Internal Fixation Of Vertical Femoral Neck Fractures Using Experimental And Finite Element Analysis Methods, Hannah Rainey

Masters Theses

Hip fractures are a significant public health issue as they are a commonly encountered problem and have a high rate of mortality. The fracture of the femoral neck is difficult to treat due to the geometry of the proximal femur and the weight-bearing capacity that the structure must comply with. Internal fixation of the femoral neck is often accomplished with three screws inserted along the axis of the femoral neck. The optimal configuration and number of these screws is not agreed upon in the literature. The purpose of this study was to conduct a pilot investigation on the biomechanical performance …

Kraemer Is 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient, Communications And Marketing

Campus News Archive

No abstract provided.

Platelet Protease-Activated Receptor 4 Genotype And Response To Aspirin In Pregnancy, Rupsa C. Boelig, James V. Michael, Antonios Tawk, Tingting Zhan, Joanna S. Y. Chan, Walter K. Kraft, Steven E. Mckenzie

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

The platelet protease-activated receptor 4 (PAR4) threonine 120 (Thr120) allele is an activating allele associated with reduced aspirin response in vitro. Aspirin is recommended in high-risk pregnancies to prevent preeclampsia and preterm birth. We evaluated the impact of PAR4 genotype on aspirin response in pregnancy, as measured by platelet function assay 100 (PFA-100) epinephrine closure time, and perinatal outcomes. We conducted a prospective cohort study of high-risk pregnant patients who took 81-mg aspirin daily. PFA-100 was assessed at baseline, 2 to 4 weeks after aspirin initiation (follow-up 1), and 28 to 32 weeks’ gestation (follow-up 2). Primary outcome was difference …

Global Drivers And Local Management Of Groundwater Stress: A High-Resolution Economic Analysis Of Land, Water, And Food Systems, Iman Haqiqi, Thomas Hertel, Kavitha Srikanth

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

Groundwater stress, a critical challenge for global water security and food production, has intensified due to the interaction of global change drivers and rapidly evolving local conditions. This paper investigates the individual and combined impacts of water availability, heat, population growth, income dynamics, and technological advancements on global groundwater stress over a historical period from 1997 to 2017. Utilizing the gridded Simplified International Model of agricultural Prices, Land use, and the Environment (SIMPLE-G), the study attributes local changes in water and land use patterns to these key global drivers. Furthermore, it evaluates an alternative, counterfactual scenario in which sustainable management …

Putting Genai On Notice: Genai Exceptionalism And Contract Law, David Atkinson

NULR Online

No abstract provided.

Development Of A New Ground-Based Instrumentation Technique For Low-Resolution Exoplanet Transmission Spectroscopy, Mary Anne Limbach, Luke M. Schmidt, Ryan J. Oelkers, Darren L. Depoy

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

We present a new instrumentation technique for high-precision, ground-based spectrophotometric measurements ideal for low-resolution (R ∼ 20–60) exoplanet transmission spectroscopy. This technique employs novel thin-film coating technology for wide-band, simultaneous multi-band imaging, enabling high-precision differential photometry through self-referencing and comparison stars. Theoretical calculations and on-sky results show that this method effectively reduces 96% of amplitude scintillation noise and other systematics that typically limit ground-based spectrophotometric precision for bright stars. On-sky results are demonstrated using the custom-built Exoplanet Transmission Spectroscopy Imager (ETSI), deployed at the McDonald Observatory 2.1 m telescope in 2022. For a V = 9.7 mag star, ETSI …

Nurse-Initiated Improvement For Documentation Of Penicillin Adverse Drug Reactions In Pediatric Urgent Care Clinics., Elizabeth Monsees, Diane Petrie, Rana El Feghaly, Sarah Suppes, Brian R. Lee, Megan Whitt, Amanda Nedved

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Background/Objective: Penicillin allergy labels (PALs) contribute to broad-spectrum antibiotic use. Thorough documentation can help prescribers identify and remove unnecessary PALs. We aimed to improve documentation of PALs in three pediatric urgent care (PUC) clinics, using a nurse-initiated quality improvement (QI) approach. Methods: QI interventions included a survey to assess prescriber and nurse confidence, an online educational module, and an algorithm to aid in clarifying PALs. We measured the percentage of PALs with a clarified reaction severity as our primary outcome using annotated control charts. Descriptive and inferential statistics evaluated survey responses between nurses and prescribers. Results: Clarified PAL reaction severity …