Digital Commons Network^™

Dean's Update, April 2026, Neil W. Schluger

SOM Dean's Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

How Do Social Network Models Compare To All-To-All Models For Forecasting Tuberculosis Epidemics? A Mathematical Modeling Study, Masabho Peter Milali, Hae-Young Kim, George Corliss, Anna Bershteyn

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Background. Mathematical models guide tuberculosis (TB) target-setting, yet most assume homogeneous “all-to-all” mixing. We compared projected intervention impacts between an all-to-all compartmental model and a Barabási–Albert (BA) scale‑free social network model under otherwise identical disease assumptions.

Methods. We calibrated transmission parameters so both models produced similar baseline trends, then introduced vaccination (coverage 30–70%; efficacy 80–95%) and treatment (20–50% increases in recovery) after a 400‑day burn‑in. Outcomes were assessed 300 days post‑intervention.

Results. Under 60% coverage, increasing vaccine efficacy from 80% to 95% yielded smaller projected reductions in active TB with the network model than with all‑to‑all mixing. Treatment improvements showed …

Electronic Resource Updates - 2026 Q1, Brigitte Galauner, Gregg Harris

Electronic Resources Quarterly Updates

No abstract provided.

Examining The Impact Of Restorative Practices On Student Behavior, Discipline, And Relationships In A K–5 Elementary School, Kathleen Tomaszewski

Dissertations

This study examined the implementation of restorative practices in a K–5 elementary school and their influence on student behavior, disciplinary actions, and teacher–student relationships. Restorative practices in schools focus on building a positive school climate and addressing student behavior through community and relationship-building rather than punitive measures. The rationale for the study was grounded in concerns regarding the use of exclusionary discipline practices and the need for proactive, student-centered approaches to improving school climate. Two main research questions guided the inquiry: To what extent do restorative practices impact student referrals and disciplinary actions in a K-5 elementary school? How do …

She Loves Me

Theatre and Performance Studies Programs

Department of Theatre and Performance Studies presents

She Loves Me FULL Program

Chemical & Biological Engineering 2026 Apr Self-Study & Documents, Unm Academic Program Review

UNM Academic Program Review

UNM Chemical & Biological Engineering APR self-study report and review team report for Spring 2026, fulfilling requirements of the Higher Learning Commission.

A Computational Assessment Of Halobacterium Salinarum Glutamate Dehydrogenase Enzymes, Maaz Abdalla

Theses

Glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) is a hexameric enzyme. GDH is involved in several pathways and cellular processes such as oxidation-reduction homeostasis, ammonia metabolism, lipid biosynthesis, insulin and lactate production, and acid-base equilibrium. The main objective of this thesis is to understand the structural and biochemical properties of this enzyme and why some organisms, for e.g., Halobacterium salinarum, have more than one GDH with different coenzyme specificities. The catabolism of glutamate is linked to NAD+ specific GDHs, meanwhile, NADP+ specific GDHs play an anabolic role in ammonia assimilation. Molecular docking and binding free energy calculations were employed followed by long-scale (500 nanoseconds) …

Rooted Or Restless: Retaining Teachers From Urban And Suburban Backgrounds In Rural Texas, Martha Saucedo Ms.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rural school districts across the United States continue to experience persistent challenges in retaining teachers, particularly those from urban and suburban backgrounds who transition into geographically isolated rural communities. These educators often encounter professional isolation, cultural adjustment, and limited access to resources, which influence their long-term commitment to rural schools. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how teachers from urban and suburban backgrounds experienced geographical and professional isolation in rural schools within a Texas Education Service Center region in a rural area and how leadership practices influenced their sense of belonging, place attachment, and retention. This …

Transformative Leadership In Action: A Narrative Study Of Principals’ Influence On Students’ Achievement, Staci Taylor Fullmighter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This narrative inquiry examined how principals in low-performing high-minority urban schools use transformational leadership to improve academic outcomes. The purpose of this research was to describe principals’ leadership behaviors that are perceived to positively influence academic achievement among students who identify as minority and low socioeconomic status and are attending or have attended urban school districts with high concentrations of the identified population. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with principals, and narratives were studied to identify trends across their experiences. Four themes emerged: (a) trust and shared accountability, (b) encouraging creativity and risk-taking, (c) communicating shared goals, and (d) …

Antimicrobial Performance Of Amorphous Vs. Crystalline La1-Xsrxcoo3 Perovskites, S. M. Au Shohag, Fahmida Akhter, Ahmed Touhami, Swati Mohan, Md. Wasikur Rahman, Mohammed Jasim Uddin

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Perovskite materials, with their unique crystal structure and chemical properties, are emerging as promising antimicrobial agents for potential biomedical applications. In this research, different weight percentages of Sr2 + doped amorphous and crystalline Lanthanum Cobaltite (La1-xSrxCoO3 defined as LSCO) (x = 0, 0.025, 0.05, 0.1, and 0.15) perovskite was synthesized by using a simple combination of sol-gel and molten-salt processes and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) ensures the uniform morphology of the materials. During antimicrobial study using the Kirby Bauer method, amorphous LSCO showed much better activity than crystalline LSCO against Escherichia coli, Vibrio …

Natural Language Generation In Healthcare: A Review Of Methods And Applications, Mengxian Lyu, Xiaohan Li, Ziyi Chen, Jinqian Pan, Cheng Peng, Sankalp Talankar, Yonghui Wu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective: This study presents a systematic review of natural language generation (NLG) methods and applications in the medical domain, providing quantitative and qualitative analyses to answer four key research questions regarding methods, evaluation, applications, and challenges of NLG in healthcare.

Methods: We searched PubMed, ACM Digital Library, Web of Science, Science Direct, Scopus, Embase, and ACL Anthology for NLG-related studies in healthcare from 2018 to 2024. Out of 3,988 research articles, 113 met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed across data modality, model architecture, evaluation metrics, and application domain.

Results and conclusion: NLG in healthcare has grown substantially, with annual …

Feasibility Of Identifying Factors Related To Alzheimer’S Disease And Related Dementia In Real-World Data, Yu Huang, Qian Li, Aokun Chen, Yongqiu Li, Yu-Neng Chuang, Xia Hu, Serena Jingchuan Guo, Xing He, Yijiang Pang, Jiayu Zhou, Yonghui Wu, Yi Guo, Jiang Bian

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective: This study aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of factors associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and AD-related dementias (AD/ADRD), which could aid in studies to develop new treatments for AD/ADRD patients and identify high-risk populations for prevention.

Scope and method: In our study, we summarized the risk factors for AD/ADRD by reviewing existing meta-analyses and review articles on risk and preventive factors for AD/ADRD. From this literature review and the identified AD/ADRD factors, we examined the accessibility of these risk and preventive factors in both structured and unstructured Electronic Health Records (EHRs) data.

Results: In total, we extracted 401 …

Nigella Sativa Oil-Loaded Treated Dentin Matrix Hydrogel As An Alternative Biomaterial For Direct Pulp Capping: A Systematic Review, Alfin R. Cahyadi, Ayu Annafi, Malika Q. Rahmalia, Adelisa D. Ryani, Tania Saskianti, Harly Prabowo, Nadia Kartikasari, Abil Kurdi, Agus Dahlan

Journal of Dentomaxillofacial Science

Objective: To assess evidence on Treated Dentin Matrix Hydrogel (TDMH) and Nigella sativa oil (NSO), individually or combined, as biomaterials for direct pulp capping (DPC) and their reparative dentin promotion ability. Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, EBSCO, ScienceDirect, and Wiley (January 1, 2018–December 31, 2023) was conducted using MeSH-based terms associated with ``treated dentin matrix hydrogel,'' ``Nigella sativa oil,'' and ``direct pulp capping.'' Eligible studies included in vitro, in vivo, and clinical research evaluating TDMH or NSO for DPC; studies with no outcome data were excluded. Risk-of-bias assessment was performed using ROB2 (clinical) and SYRCLE (animal). Because of …

Euphorbia Tirucalli L. Accelerates Mandibular Bone Healing: Analysis Of Pmns, Fibroblasts, Osteoblasts, And Osteoclasts In Wistar Rats, Florence Meliawaty, Juni Handajani, Heni Susilowati, Poerwati Soetji Rahajoe, Euis Reni Yuslianti, Rahmadaniah Khaerunnisa, Kertamaya Sundawan, Adzra Farah Fajrina, Lorintan Sitepu

Journal of Dentomaxillofacial Science

Objective: The present study aimed to elucidate the therapeutic potential of Euphorbia tirucalli L. stem extract in accelerating mandibular bone defect healing through the modulation of inflammatory and regenerative cellular responses, including polymorphonuclear cells, fibroblasts, osteoblasts, and osteoclasts in Wistar rats.

Material and Methods: A laboratory-based experimental study with a randomized post-test only control group design was conducted using 40 male Wistar rats. Standardized mandibular defects were created in the symphysis region utilizing a low-speed round bur. The animals were randomly assigned into four groups, including a negative control and three treatment groups receiving topical Euphorbia tirucalli L. stem extract …

Bone Regeneration On Modified Implant Surfaces: A Systematic Review, Irfan Dammar, Ratna S. Dewi, Ira Tanti, Lisa R. Amir, Lilies D. Sulistyanti, Yuniarti Soeroso

Journal of Dentomaxillofacial Science

Objective: To describe effective implant surface modifications (ISMs) that enhance bone regeneration.

Methods: This systematic review involved literature searches in the PubMed, Scopus, and ScienceDirect databases to identify both in vivo and in vitro randomized controlled trials investigating bone regeneration on modified implant surfaces. The search was conducted using predefined population, intervention, comparison, outcome, and study design criteria, eligibility criteria, and relevant MeSH terms. Article selection followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses flow diagram.

Results: Various ISMs were identified, including elastin-like polypeptides, hydroxyapatite, doxycycline, sandblasted large-grit acid-etched, and others. The average bone-to-implant contact (BIC) in experimental …

Is The Vice Presidency In Decline?, Roy E. Brownell Ii

Missouri Law Review

During the first four years of Dick Cheney’s vice presidency (2001–2005), the second office reached dizzying heights. His next term and the ensuing vice presidency of Joe Biden (2009–2017) witnessed a reduction in the office’s executive-branch prestige, influence, and accomplishments and a return to earlier modern norms. Afterwards, the vice presidencies of Mike Pence and Kamala Harris saw an additional decline, and the first fifteen months of JD Vance’s tenure do not seem to have reversed this trend. Is the office suffering from long-term decline, or is it merely experiencing an extended bump in the road?

Roadmap On Artificial Intelligence-Augmented Additive Manufacturing, Ali Zolfagharian, Liuchao Jin, Qi Ge, Wei-Hsin Liao, Andrés Díaz Lantada, Francisco Franco Martínez, Tianyu Zhang, Tao Liu, Charlie C.L. Wang, Mohammad Hossein Mosallanejad, Reza Ghanavati, Abdollah Saboori, Alejandro De Blas De Miguel, William Solórzano-Requejo, Yi Cai, Xiangyang Dong, Huangyi Qu, Najmeh Samadiani, Guangyan Huang, Austin Downey, Yanzhou Fu, Lang Yuan

Faculty Publications

Artificial intelligence-augmented additive manufacturing (AI2AM) represents a transformative frontier in digital fabrication, where artificial intelligence (AI) is embedded not as a peripheral tool, but as a central framework driving intelligent, adaptive, and autonomous additive manufacturing (AM) systems. The objective of this Roadmap is to present a comprehensive vision of the state-of-the-art developments in AI2AM while charting the future trajectory of this rapidly emerging field. As AM applications continue to expand across diverse sectors, conventional design and control strategies face growing limitations in scalability, quality assurance, and material complexity. AI uses tools like computer vision, generative design, and large language models …

Driveline Infections Among Patients Supported With Left Ventricular Assist Devices: A Single Center Sixteen-Year Longitudinal Profile, Anh Nguyen, Alexis Shafii, Gabriel Loor, Andrew Civitello, O Howard Frazier, Todd Rosengart, Kenneth Liao

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) driveline infections significantly impact patient outcomes. This study aimed to identify their risk factors.

Methods: We analyzed LVAD data from our institutional Intermacs database (January 1, 2008-December 31, 2023), combining primary implants and pump exchanges. Patient characteristics were summarized as frequencies for categorical variables and median (IQR) for continuous variables. The nature of repeated infection events was handled by the Andersen-Gill method within a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model for cause-specific hazard of driveline infections, accounting for death and heart transplant as competing risks.

Results: Our cohort included 1026 LVAD implants. Median patient age …

Influence Of Gut Microbiota On Response To Immune Check Point Inhibitors In Masld Patients With Hcc: Unraveling The Connection, Mazen Elsheikh, Mohamad Ali Ibrahim, Sherry Fares, Megha Bhongade, Karim Adhem, Ximena I Ramirez-Morales, Ahmed O Kaseb, Joseph Petrosino, Manal M Hassan, Prasun K Jalal

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have emerged as a promising treatment for various cancers, including advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, a significant proportion of patients with HCC, particularly those with metabolic dysfunction-associated liver disease (MASLD), exhibit resistance to ICI therapy. Studies have revealed that the presence of specific gut bacteria, such as Akkermansia, Bifidobacterium, and Lachnoclostridium, is associated with improved outcomes with ICI-treated HCC patients. Conversely, the overgrowth of bacteria like Enterobacteriaceae is linked to resistance to therapy. This review investigates the role of gut microbiota in shaping immune checkpoint inhibitor responses in MASLD-related hepatocellular carcinoma, focusing on how dysbiosis may …

Law And Climate Disinformation, Katrina F. Kuh

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

Documents, testimony, research, and analysis from a variety of disciplines and organizations reveal that some fossil fuel companies lied to the public about the climate harms of fossil fuels. Increased clarity about the conduct of the climate disinformation effort stands in contrast to decided haziness about its legal significance and consequences. The seminal climate case Massachusetts v. EPA is, to some, an early and powerful rejection of the importation of approaches and science rooted in the climate disinformation effort into agency decision making. It remains unclear, however, whether there are viable legal avenues to confront the core of the climate …

X-Ray Tomography Of Damage Dynamics In Advanced Materials Using A Laser Wakefield Accelerator, Vigneshvar Senthilkumaran, Nicholas F. Beier, Sylvain Fourmaux, Peter Kenesei, Sean Dobson, Joël Maltais, Alvaro R. Arce-Borkent, Tait Richards, Michael G. Lipsett, Le Zhou, John A. Moore, Amina E. Hussein

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Additively manufactured (AM) metals offer the potential for customizable, cost-effective components, but qualification and certification are crucial. Key to this process is understanding pore dynamics under stress, typically analyzed using micro-computed tomography. This study introduces laboratory-scale “betatron” x-rays from laser wakefield acceleration as a high-throughput alternative for x-ray tomography of advanced materials, such as AM AlSi10Mg alloys. Coupled with 3D finite element modeling, this method provides detailed insights into stress-porosity interactions. The approach delivers high-resolution scans, revealing that pore shape and local triaxiality significantly influence fracture dynamics, supporting advanced material characterization. This work also demonstrates the potential and versatility of …

Scraping Bad: The Case For A Unified Scraping Framework, Eunchong Moses Park

Washington and Lee Law Review Online

This Note explores the growing legal and regulatory landscapes of web scraping in the United States and argues that web scraping should be regulated through a unified federal framework tailored to its unique technological and economic realities. Web scraping allows organizations to collect massive amounts of data essential to their operational needs—often without the consent of data holders. Thus, web scraping has become a powerful engine of innovation used across virtually every sector of the economy but with a serious risk to privacy and property interests. Yet the current U.S. legal framework lacks a coherent regulating structure. Courts and litigants …

Trust, Transparency, And The Fragile Promise Of Data Governance In The Era Of Modernization, Fallon Julia Cochlin, Regen Weber-Fares, Jami Crespo, William M. Sage, Cason Daniel Schmit

Faculty Scholarship

Public health data modernization in the United States has accelerated since COVID-19 exposed systemic weaknesses in fragmented data infrastructure and governance. Technical solutions have advanced, but legal and relational barriers still complicate data sharing across jurisdictions. Traditionally, interjurisdictional data sharing has relied on individually negotiated Data Use Agreements (DUAs), a process that is both resource-heavy and often opaque. To address this, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have proposed a Core DUA to standardize terms and reduce administrative burden. However, its success depends on trust — a fragile foundation increasingly strained by politicization, perceived lack of transparency, and controversial …

Do Nothing Preemption, Lauren R. Roth

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

Do

nothing. That mandate from President Trump and the courts to the federal bureaucracy is the motivation behind budget and staffing cuts throughout the Executive Branch. Much has been said about the impact of these cuts on government services, with the White House encouraging states to pick up the tab and take responsibility for programs including education, Medicaid, and disaster relief. But what happens when broad preemption prevents states from picking up the slack in the face of federal retrenchment and inaction? In this Article, I define do nothing preemption as the inability of federal agencies to regulate, either because …

Investigating Social Justice Implications Of Glyphosate Residues In Human Urine, Ananya Malhotra

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Background: Glyphosate, the nominal active ingredient in professional-grade Roundup weed and grass killer, is the most extensively used herbicide globally and in the United States (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2020). An increasing level of concern has surfaced regarding its health consequences, particularly because of contamination of our food supplies. Recent research indicates distressing levels of detection of glyphosate in human blood and urine samples, revealing many instances of frequent human exposure (Conrad et al., 2017; Zhang et al., 2020).Most of the research about exposure is focused on agricultural workers or individuals living in close vicinity to agricultural lands.  Few …

Breathing Kagome Lattice-Based Nb3i8 Monolayer: Theoretical Insights Into Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution Catalysis, Narender Kumar, Radha Somaiya, Ravindra Pandey, Nacir Tit

Michigan Tech Publications

Photocatalytic water splitting is a promising strategy for clean energy production, but its efficiency is restricted by poor light absorption, charge recombination, and slow reaction kinetics in photocatalytic materials. To address these challenges, a breathing Kagome lattice-based Nb3I8 monolayer is considered in the present study. Its photocatalytic performance is assessed via descriptors including the effective d-band center, spin-dependent carrier mobility, Gibbs free energy, and exchange-current density. The results based on density functional theory predict that the Nb3I8 monolayer is a type II magnetic semiconductor, with spin-up and spin-down bandgap energies of 1.06 and 1.77 eV, respectively. The application of biaxial …

A Model Intercomparison Study To Investigate Mixing Characteristics In Non-Precipitating Stratocumulus Clouds, Fan Yang, Kyoung Ock Choi, Kamal Kant Chandrakar, Fabian Hoffmann, Pei Hou, Steve Krueger, Chunsong Lu, Mikhail Ovchinnikov, Yangze Ren, Shin Ichiro Shima, Peng Wu, Chongzhi Yin, Zeen Zhu, Seong Soo Yum

Michigan Tech Publications

Recent aircraft observations of marine stratocumulus clouds consistently showed that cloud microphysical relationships vary with altitude, indicating inhomogeneous mixing characteristics near cloud top and homogeneous mixing characteristics in mid-levels of clouds. Here, we conduct model intercomparison of an idealized, non-precipitating stratocumulus cloud to evaluate model consistency and examine whether simulations can reproduce the observed mixing characteristics. The results show that eleven large-eddy simulations with various dynamics and microphysics schemes show good agreement on the thermodynamical, microphysical, and dynamical properties of the stratocumulus-topped boundary layer in a steady state. The inter-model spread in steady-state liquid water path is significantly reduced compared …

Embedded Plate Connection Between Hollow-Core Slabs And Concrete Walls, Kal A. Jackman, Benjamin Z. Dymond, Brock D. Hedegaard

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Currently, hollow-core slabs are connected to walls using dowel or welded connections. The existing research on these connections is minimal, and their design capacity is limited. This research project investigated a new slab-to-wall end-bearing connection assembly that consisted of a steel plate and stud embedded in a hollow-core slab void. The capacity of the connection assembly embedded in a hollow-core slab was established by directly loading the assembly until steel or concrete failure. Results indicated that the connection assembly had conservative failure loads compared with predicted values for load applied in various directions. Slab-to-wall subassembly testing was conducted on hollow-core …

Plant-Mediated Green Synthesis Of Zinc Ferrite Nanoparticles: Mechanisms, Properties, And Advanced Applications In Environmental And Biomedical Fields, Rihab Jabbar

Al-Bahir

Recently, plant-mediated green synthesis has emerged as a sustainable, eco-friendly, and cost-effective strategy for synthesizing zinc ferrite (ZnFe₂O₄) nanoparticles (NPs). This review critically examines the advancements in biosynthesizing ZnFe₂O₄ NPs using various plant extracts, including Aloe vera, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, Aegle marmelos, Eucalyptus leaves, Tragacanth gum, Piper nigrum, and Moringa oleifera, among others. It emphasizes their dual role as reducing, capping, chelating, and stabilizing agents. The article extensively compares physicochemical properties of the green-synthesized NPs in terms of crystallite size, morphology, magnetic behavior, and band gap energy. Achieved through different synthesis routes such as sol-gel, hydrothermal, co-precipitation, and microwave-assisted methods. …

Exploring The Relationship Between Esg Activities And Firm Performance: The Carrot And Stick Approach, Jeongbin Whang, Jong-Ho Lee, Jaeho Lee

Asia Marketing Journal

This study uses stakeholder theory to investigate the impact of firms' ESG activities on performance, paying particular attention to the moderating roles of executive ESG compensation (the ``carrot'') and external ESG audits (the ``stick''). Utilizing Thomson Reuters ESG data from 1,523 US firms over six years (2017–2022) and applying fixed-effects models, the analysis reveals that environmental and social activities are positively associated with firm performance. In contrast, governance activities are negatively related to financial performance but positively related to non-financial outcomes. Furthermore, executive ESG compensation and external audits positively moderate the relationship between ESG activities and firm performance. Executive compensation …