Digital Commons Network^™

Development Of Preventive Dental Guidelines In The Primary Healthcare Setting In Egypt: A Delphi Method, Basant Mehriz

Theses and Dissertations

This study addresses the critical need for standardized preventive dental care guidelines within Egypt's primary healthcare system amid the rising burden of oral diseases. Through a systematic two-phase methodology combining a comprehensive literature review and a Delphi consensus-building process engaging 35 dental professionals, the research established priorities for contextually appropriate preventive measures. The consensus framework revealed strong support for clinical interventions (mean of 83% agreement), particularly fluoride-based prevention; community initiatives (mean of 83%), especially school-based programs; policy measures (mean of 77%) such as workforce and educational development, though with variable support for taxation and social determinants approaches. Statistical analysis demonstrated …

Asymmetric Cingulum Bundle Connectivity Is Modulated By Paracingulate Sulcus Morphology, Isabel A Danstrom, Joshua A Adkinson, Meghan E Robinson, Lu Lin, Atul Maheshwari, Ben Shofty, Garrett Banks, Mohammed Hasen, Sameer A Sheth, Alica M Goldman, Eleonora Bartoli, Sarah R Heilbronner, Kelly R Bijanki

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The cingulum bundle (CB) is a group of axons supporting connectivity among several functional brain networks relevant in healthy and diseased states. The paracingulate sulcus (PCS) is present in at least one cerebral hemisphere across 70% of the population. PCS presence versus absence is linked to differences in structure and function of the anterior cingulate cortex, though the influence of PCS on the white matter of the CB remains unknown. The objective of this work was to define the CB electrographic connectivity profile and determine the impact of PCS morphology on CB engagement. Single-pulse electrical stimulation in combination with stereo-electroencephalography …

Molecular Mechanisms Of L-Type Calcium Channel Dysregulation In Heart Failure, Arbab Khalid, Abu-Bakr Ahmed, Randeep Gill, Taha Shaikh, Joshua Khorsandi, Ali Kia

Department of Internal Medicine Faculty Research

The L-type calcium channels (LTCCs) function as the main entry points that convert myocyte membrane depolarization into calcium transients, which drive every heartbeat. There is increasing evidence to show that maladaptive remodeling of these channels is the cause of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Recent experimental, translational, and clinical studies have improved our understanding of the roles LTCC expression, micro-domain trafficking, and post-translational control have in disrupting excitation–contraction coupling, provoking arrhythmias, and shaping phenotype specific hemodynamic compromise. We performed a systematic search of the PubMed and Google Scholar databases (2015–2025, …

Pvc Biodegradation Potential Of Native Fungal Strains From Mt. Hood National And Tillamook State Forests, Bristol Ozturgut

University Honors Theses

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a toxic, degradation-resistant environmental waste product. Recent research has revealed fungal enzymatic activity capable of biodegrading plastics. As PVC infiltrates local environments, it becomes imperative to determine the adaptability of local fungi to PVC substrates. In this experiment, 100 local native fungal strains sampled from the Tillamook State and Mt. Hood National forests and one commercial strain of common oyster mushroom were investigated for their ability to colonize and digest PVC by direct isolation on 0.1% and 0.2% PVC-enriched limited growth media. Substrates for positive cultures were imaged using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to analyze potential …

Is Anoxia Tolerance A Common Trait In Fish Cell Lines?, Lori Tran

University Honors Theses

Most vertebrates need a constant supply of oxygen to sustain life, with disruption to O₂ supply or delivery quickly leading to cell and tissue damage and death. Many aquatic species are able to withstand long periods without O₂ due to evolving to survive the regular periods of hypoxia and anoxia in their natural habitat. The Austrofundulus limnaeus, or the annual killifish, in particular have shown the highest anoxia tolerance in all vertebrates and is a promising model for developing effective treatments for anoxia-related damage, such as heart attacks and strokes. The A. limnaeus are not the only …

Beyond Capitalist Realism: Indigenous Worldviews As Critique And Alternative, Celine Jessup

University Honors Theses

This paper engages Mark Fisher's Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative? as a foundational critique of late capitalism's ideological dominance, and proposes Indigenous worldviews as both a critical lens and a generative alternative. Fisher defines capitalist realism as a pervasive structure that colonizes imagination, depoliticizes systemic crises, and renders other ways of living unthinkable. He illustrates how capitalism commodifies resistance, pathologizes dissent, and obscures accountability, particularly through institutions like the call center and discourses on mental health and climate change. In contrast, the paper turns to Indigenous political theories—drawing on thinkers such as Kim TallBear, Daniel Heath Justice, Ocean Ripeka …

Testing Their Limits: Impact And Intentions Of Standardized Testing In K-12 Schools, Grace O. Herd

University Honors Theses

The integration of High-Stakes standardized testing into U.S. public education to serve as an accountability system has been a disputed issue since the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) mandated these assessments nationwide in 2002. NCLB aimed to locate and identify schools failing to reach Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and trigger a chain of interventions based on student performance, as an effort to track measurable outcomes from federal education funding. While supporters view these standardized tests as quantifiable data for school effectiveness in academics, critics challenge the claim of validity.

This review integrates current psychological research in the area of …

Design And Evaluation Of An Innovative Biomimetic Coral Transport Container, John-Christopher L. Calulo, Wilfredo Y. Licuanan, Leah D. Madrazo, Dana Isabelle P. Villano, Angel Nicole B. Villanueva

Sinaya: A Philippine Journal for Senior High School Teachers and Students

Coral reefs are vulnerable to disruptive human activities such as pollution, overfishing, and coastal development—degrading water quality and reef structures. Active reef restoration entails temporarily relocating several corals to aquaculture facilities to achieve successful rehabilitation; however, current coral transport methods pose certain risks, such as stress-induced mortality, which can result from physical damage during transportation. Existing studies on coral transport have explored various techniques for collecting, shipping, and maintaining live coral specimens. The design consists of petal-shaped areas where the waves gather, akin to a coral reef’s grooves, separated by wedges—the spurs—that cause waves to divide. The different design modifications …

Investigating The Properties Of Eco-Bricks Composed Of Sawdust, Bamboo, And Varying Composition Of Sugarcane Bagasse Ash And Portland Cement, Wilfred Victor C. Marasigan, Julia Sophia Antonia S. Encarnacion, Czyrus Michael A. Bajeta, Alijah F. Gonzales, Juan Carlo T. Gumangan

Sinaya: A Philippine Journal for Senior High School Teachers and Students

With the construction industry contributing nearly 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions, there is a growing need for innovative and sustainable building materials. This research investigates a new eco-friendly concrete brick incorporating sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA), sawdust, and bamboo fibers. Three eco-brick mixtures, each containing 2% bamboo fiber and 10% sawdust by weight but with varying proportions of Portland cement (PC) and SCBA, were tested against a standard brick for compressive strength, flexural strength, and water absorption. The optimal mixture, with 2% bamboo fiber by weight, 10% sawdust by weight, 85% PC, and 15% SCBA, exhibits compressive and flexural strength …

Late Holocene To Modern Dust Increases In Antarctic Ice Cores, Lillian D. Tipton

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Dust aerosols impact global climate by influencing direct and indirect radiative forcing, serving as cloud condensation nuclei, and supplying trace nutrients to the ocean that affect the marine biological pump. Antarctic ice core dust records show dust deposition changing in step with global climate over the past eight ice-age cycles. However, fewer studies have focused on Antarctic dust deposition during the late Holocene-to-modern period. Notably, 20^th-century increases in dust deposition have been observed in ice cores from James Ross Island (JRI) and Dronning Maud Land, with the JRI record hypothesized to reflect desertification and land-use changes in Patagonia. …

Continuum Of Academic Collaboration: Issues Of Inconsistent Terminology In Multilingual Context, Cristo Leon Ph.D., James Lipuma Ph.D., Marcos O. Cabobianco, Maria B. Daizo

STEM for Success Resources

Journal of Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics
1690-4524 (Online)

Type I Interferon Protects Against Bone Loss In Periodontitis By Mitigating An Interleukin (Il)-17-Neutrophil Axis, Jinmei Zhang, Qiong Ding, Angela X Wang, Maoxuan Lin, Ning Yu, Kevin Moss, Megumi A Williamson, Di Miao, Julie T Marchesan, Erliang Zeng, Wei Shi, Hongli Sun, Yu Leo Lei, Shaoping Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Type I interferons (IFNs-I), a group of pleiotropic cytokines, critically modulate host response in various inflammatory diseases. However, the role of the IFN-I pathway in periodontitis remains largely unknown. In this report, we describe that the IFN-β levels in the gingival crevicular fluid of human subjects were negatively associated with periodontitis and clinical gingival inflammation. Disruption of IFN-I signaling worsened alveolar bone resorption in a ligature-induced periodontitis murine model. Deficiency of the IFN-I pathway resulted in an exaggerated inflammatory response in myeloid cells and drastically increased the interleukin-17 (IL-17)-mediated neutrophil recruitment in the gingiva. We further identified that the myeloid …

Removal Of Fluoroquinolones From Water Systems Employing Rice Husk Composited Sponges Via Nanoadsorption, Dalia Kanaa

Theses and Dissertations

A novel nanocomposite of polyvinyl alcohol formaldehyde (PVF) sponge loaded with green zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONP) and referred to as (NP-PVF) was fabricated as a potential adsorbent of ciprofloxacin from water. A simple mechanical foaming process was used to synthesize the adsorbent. Rice husk extract was used to synthesize zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONP) for its phytochemicals as reducing agents. A facile and low-energy-dependent extraction method was used that did not require the use of high-temperature annealing. The synthesized nanoparticles showed a maximum UV absorption at 347 nm, which corresponds to a 3.58 eV band gap energy. FTIR confirmed the successful …

Expansively Framing Mathematics And Computer Science Teaching With Digital Technology In Elementary Classrooms, Kimberly E. Beck, Jessica F. Shumway, Patrick Ocran, Jody Clarke-Midura, Mimi Recker

Publications

Expansive Framing (EF) is a theory and an instructional technique to facilitate connections between content and contexts. We employed EF as an approach to create a series of integrated mathematics and computer science (CS) lessons, using digital technology as a tool to leverage shared mathematical and computational ideas. We used deductive theoretical qualitative analysis of transcripts of classroom implementations to investigate how two fifth-grade teachers and one computer lab paraprofessional educator used EF during their teaching and what the EF approach looked like in practice. Findings suggested that educators engaged in EF principles when they were present in curricular materials, …

Macrophage Heterogeneity And Function In The Lung, Xin Li

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Macrophages are critical custodians of the lung, orchestrating immune surveillance, maintaining tissue homeostasis, and coordinating both innate and adaptive responses. This dissertation examines their heterogeneity and specialized functions, focusing on IMs, which reside in the lung interstitium, and AMs, which occupy the airspace. Through comprehensive single-cell transcriptomic profiling of murine and human samples, we identify multiple IM and AM subsets defined by distinct chemokine, cytokine, receptor, and innate immune gene signatures. These subsets display clear divisions of labor, contributing to immune cell recruitment, tertiary lymphoid structure formation, and alveolar homeostasis.

In IMs, coordinated chemokine programs not only recruit inflammatory cells …

Mechanistic Insights Into The Flash Effect: The Role Of Oxygen And Radiation Chemistry In Ultra-High Dose Rate Radiation Therapy, Jacob Pierce Sunnerberg

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

The development of new cancer therapies focuses on widening the therapeutic ratio between tumor control and normal tissue toxicity. Over the last decade, ultra-high dose rate (UHDR) radiation therapy, commonly known as FLASH radiotherapy (FLASH-RT), has shown promising potential to reduce normal tissue toxicity while maintaining tumor control. However, the underlying mechanisms of the FLASH effect remain poorly understood. This thesis explores the radiation-chemical basis of FLASH-RT, focusing on the role of oxygen and reactive oxygen species in modulating biological outcomes.

A comprehensive set of in vitro studies demonstrated that UHDR delivery significantly alters radiation chemistry compared to conventional dose …

Transgenerational Obesity Modulation Of Gut Mucosal Immunity, Chen-Ting Hung, Justin Kern, Tihana Trsan, Santosh K Panda, Marie Laury, Umang Jain, Marco Colonna, Thaddeus S Stappenbeck, Ta-Chiang Liu

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The prevalence of obesity in the United States has continued to increase over the past several decades. A growing concern is that transgenerational effects of obesity negatively impact physiologic functions. We showed that consumption of a high fat, high sugar "Western" diet (WD) decreased the density of both gut innate (Paneth cells) and adaptive immune cells (intraepithelial lymphocytes; IEL). We asked whether consumption of WD impacts gut mucosal immunity in the offspring. WD-mediated Paneth cell loss was reversible, whereas IEL loss was not. However, the overall composition of the fecal microbiome and response to infection were defined by the diet …

Sex Offender Prison Treatment Programs: Outdated Science Masquerading As A Legitimate Penological Objective, Shelby Jones

Penn State Journal of Law & International Affairs (2012 - Present)

No abstract provided.

Exploiting Vulnerability: Human Trafficking As A Tool Of Genocide, Madison Bryant

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

This thesis examines the relationship between human trafficking and genocide, arguing that when trafficking is used with the intent to destroy a targeted group, it should be understood and prosecuted as an act of genocide. While international law traditionally treats genocide and human trafficking as distinct crimes, historical and contemporary evidence reveals significant overlap in their mechanisms, motivations, and outcomes. Through a thematic analysis of three case studies, this research demonstrates how trafficking has been systematically employed to further genocidal objectives, including displacement, exploitation, cultural erasure, and the destruction of communities. The case studies are the genocide of Indigenous peoples …

Analysis Of Synaptotagmin Isoforms In Lßt2 Gonadotrophs, Caitlin Vahl

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

The anterior pituitary is comprised of five cell types which secrete regulatory hormones into the bloodstream. Specifically, gonadotrophs synthesize and release sex hormones follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) in response to gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). GnRH signals from the hypothalamus regulate the differential secretion of LH and FSH from the anterior pituitary. Exocytosis of FSH and LH from dense core vesicles (DCVs) occurs in response to an intracellular calcium signal, sensed by the synaptotagmins proteins. Various isoforms of synaptotagmins exist and each isoform has varying affinity for calcium, causing calcium-regulated exocytosis to be finely controlled. Because LH and FSH …

Multidrug Resistance: Are We Still Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf, Abdulelah Alhazza, Adenike Oyegbesan, Emira Bousoik, Hamidreza Montazeri Aliabadi

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

After the era of multidrug resistance (MDR) against cytotoxic chemotherapy, the development of resistance against newly developed molecularly targeted drugs also seems inevitable. While the mechanisms involved in resistance against these two categories of anticancer drugs are different, the principles are similar: inherent resistance (also known as primary resistance) is a result of heterogeneity in cancer cells where a subpopulation of the cells do not show a favorable initial response to the drug, while acquired resistance (or secondary resistance), as the name suggests, is developed after repeated treatments due to the plasticity of cancer cells. Despite the introduction of a …

Support For The Us Endangered Species Act Is High And Steady Over The Past Three Decades, John Vucetich, Jeremy T. Bruskotter, Robyn Wilson, L. Mark Elbroch, Adam Feltz, Thomas Offer-Westort

Michigan Tech Publications

Conservation professionals expect increased attempts to weaken the US Endangered Species Act (ESA) during the second Trump administration. As such, it is important to understand Americans’ level of support for the ESA. Prior research indicates that support for the ESA remained consistently strong across four studies conducted over a two-decade period, 1996–2015. The research presented here extends those observations to six studies conducted over a three-decade period, 1996–2025. We find that support of the ESA over that period has remained consistently high, at about 84%, and opposition has remained consistently low, at about 12%. We also report on other trends …

To Educate A Mockingbird: California’S Commitment To Inclusive Education, Nicholas Mckenna

Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review

Education in the United States has long been a battleground where state authority and individual liberties intersect, shaping what and how students learn. California enacted Assembly Bill 1078 (AB 1078) to counter restrictive trends on classroom discussions about race and gender. The bill mandates that instructional materials reflect the state’s diverse heritage, which has raised critical questions about state power in public education.

This Note argues that AB 1078 aligns with and reinforces the Supreme Court’s vision of public education as a space for the free exchange of diverse ideas. By embodying antitotalitarian principles, AB 1078 ensures that public schools …

The Magdala Moms Of La Jolla, Rebecca Shepard

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

The Magdala Moms of La Jolla is a satirical novel set at The Magdala School, an elite Christian academy in La Jolla, California, where social status, curated faith, and community performance are indistinguishable. The story follows Mitzi Madigan, a brash, ambitious mother whose carefully constructed persona hides a troubling past. Her world begins to unravel when Caroline—a single mother working in construction—is granted a scholarship for her daughter, Emma, to attend Magdala.

As Emma enters the private school’s polished social ecosystem, she begins to uncover the secrets buried beneath the sun-drenched surface. The Mag Moms, a clique of hyper-polished, scripture-quoting …

Evolutionary Dynamics Of Artificial Agents: Exploration And Learning In Games, Brian Mintz

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

The natural world abounds with examples of complex behavior in humans and many other species. Evolutionary game theory is a powerful mathematical framework to understand the origins of many such behaviors like cooperation. Since these behaviors are often selected against initially, understanding why they are so widespread has been a longstanding question. Rather than assuming agents' rationality, like in traditional game theory, this approach studies the mutation and selection of strategies themselves. However most behavior is neither perfectly rational nor entirely determined by genetics. This dissertation works to bridge the gap between these two perspectives by analyzing models where individuals …

Evaluation Of Ecostress Collection 2 Evapotranspiration Products: Strengths And Uncertainties For Evapotranspiration Modeling, Zoe Amie Pierrat, Adam J. Purdy, Gregory Halverson, Joshua B. Fisher, Kanishka Mallick, Madeleine Pascolini-Campbell, Youngryel Rye, Martha C. Anderson, Claire Villanueva-Weeks, Margaret C. Johnson, Brenna Hatch, Evan Davis, Yun Yang, Kerry Cawse-Nicholson

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) collects thermal observations from the International Space Station to support evapotranspiration (ET) research at fine spatial resolutions (70 m × 70 m). Initial ET from ECOSTRESS Collection 1 was used in scientific research and applications, though subsequent analyses identified areas for improvement. This study outlines updates to ECOSTRESS Collection 2 ET and presents an accuracy assessment of ET and auxiliary variables validated against in situ data from AmeriFlux. Key updates in Collection 2 include use of four independent model estimates of instantaneous latent energy (LE) and improved auxiliary forcing data. …

Emotional Eating Behaviors And Parental Feeding Practices In Three-Year-Old Children And Their Association With Body Composition One Year Later, Keely Wright, Kenia Rivera, Elysia Poggi Davis

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

Emotional eating – eating in response to negative emotions regardless of hunger – is an obesogenic trait that often develops in childhood and remains a habit through adulthood. Greater emotional eating is associated with a higher body mass index (BMI; kg/m2) in 7-12-year-old children (Webber et al., 2009). However, few studies have examined the relations between emotional eating and weight gain in preschool-aged children. Moreover, there is limited research on parental feeding practices and weight gain in preschool-aged children. The current work investigated the association of emotional eating behaviors during an emotional eating task in three-year-old children with change in …

Artistic Exploration Of Synesthesia, Lexi James

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

This thesis investigates synesthesia as both a neurological condition and a broader sensory perception shaped by culture, cognition, and creative practice. Although not a synesthete in the medical definition of the condition, I explore how sensory overlaps particularly between sound, sight, touch, taste, and smell can be simulated and explored through art. Through historical research, theoretical analysis, and personal experimentation, I examine synesthesia as a potential extension of universal perceptual pathways rather than an isolated anomaly. Drawing from semiotic theories by Ferdinand de Saussure and Charles Sanders Peirce, the project considers how meaning is made through sensory signification and how …

Analyzing Human - Nonhuman Primate Conflict Mitigation Techniques In Mto Wa Mbu, Northern Tanzania, Lil Adams

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

Human-wildlife conflict is a widespread challenge faced by those living in regular contact with wildlife that can have profound impacts on livelihood outcomes for humans, wildlife, and their shared environment (Barua et al., 2013; Blackie, 2023). Human – non-human primate conflict is particularly crucial due to primates’ high capacity to live among human populations (Chapman & Chapman, 1990; Alberts & Altmann, 2006; Reader et al., 2011; Sinha & Vijayakrishnan, 2017), and is currently on the rise due to increasing contact between human and non-human primates (Hockings, 2016; Uddin et al., 2020). To characterize and analyze techniques currently being used to …

Integrating Explainable Machine Learning And Transcriptomics Data Reveals Cell-Type Specific Immune Signatures Underlying Macular Degeneration, Khang Ma, Hosei Nakajima, Nipa Basak, Arko Barman, Rinki Ratnapriya

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have established key role of immune dysfunction in Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), though the precise role of immune cells remains unclear. Here, we develop an explainable machine-learning pipeline (ML) using transcriptome data of 453 donor retinas, identifying 81 genes distinguishing AMD from controls (AUC-ROC of 0.80, CI 0.70–0.92). Most of these genes were enriched in their expression within retinal glial cells, particularly microglia and astrocytes. Their role in AMD was further strengthened by cellular deconvolution, which identified distinct differences in microglia and astrocytes between normal and AMD. We corroborated these findings using independent single-cell data, where …