Digital Commons Network^™

A Case Study Of The Formation And Implementation Of Development Plan In Akwa Ibom State Of Nigeria, Anietie Edoho-Ukwa

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative case study is to examine the formation and implementation of development plans by public administrators in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. This study will seek to understand the underlying factors affecting the success of these plans and proffer strategies for improving their effectiveness and sustainability. The theoretical framework of this research study is grounded in modernization theory, globalization theory, and transformational leadership theory. This study will conduct a comparative examination of other states in Nigeria with comparable populations and metrics. To gather data for the study, the researcher will convene with 20 current or former public …

Music Ministry Of Children And Youth: A Study And Defense For Incorporating Children And Youth Choirs In The Modern Worship Service, Veronica Leigh Haber Allison

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Graded children’s choir ministries have been a part of churches for the last century. In recent years, there has been a growing trend away from offering music ministry opportunities to children and youth in contemporary churches. There are several reasons for this decline; the major reason is that many churches have moved away from traditional music offerings to a praise band format. It has rendered the musical training of children in church unnecessary. The limited quantity of recent scholarly literature, the decline in commercially produced music, and the discontinuation of teaching materials for children’s choir ministries also attest to this …

An Ai Approach To Lunar Phase Detection: Enhancing The Identification Of The New Crescent With Astronomical Data Integration, Murad Al-Rajab, Samia Loucif, Raed Abu Zitar, Mubarak Gwaza Abdu-Aguye

All Works

Introduction: The observation of the lunar crescent is significant in astronomy, cultural traditions, and religious lunar calendar determinations. However, earth-based imaging that captures all lunar phases, particularly the new crescent across multiple months, remains limited. This study explores the feasibility of using artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to detect and analyze the birth of the new lunar crescent using space-borne imagery from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), spanning over 13 years. Methods: This study evaluates both deep learning and traditional machine learning approaches for new crescent detection. Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), Random Forests (RF), and Support Vector Machines (SVM) were applied …

In Situ Detection Of Dead Cells From Live Cells Via A Dc Plus Low Frequency Ac Resistive Pulse Sensor, Jiang Zhe, Ge Zhang, Joseph Ketchum, Ashely Wong

University Research

Differentiation and detection of live and dead cells are critical for assessing cell viability in biomedical research, evaluating drug efficacy, and monitoring cytotoxicity in therapeutic applications. We present a microfluidic sensor that consists of two successive resistive pulse sensing channels. An excitation signal composed of a low-frequency AC (75 kHz) component and a DC bias was used to measure four key parameters. Through the AC measurement, differences in cell impedance causes variations in phase angle and voltage peak. From the DC measurement, cell size can be inferred from the resistive pulse magnitude, and the cell’s zeta potential is represented by …

Fragments, Editors Of Fragments

Fragments

No abstract provided.

Fragments, Editors Of Fragments

Fragments

No abstract provided.

Finding Research Datasets And Evaluating Data Quality, Ibis Anette Moreno-Lozano Phd.

Day Family Research Lab Workshop Series

No abstract provided.

Anechoic, Ashley Butler

Creative Nonfiction Magazine

No abstract provided.

Teachers’ Perspectives On Facilitating Design Talks With Young Learners, Chelsea J. Andrews, Jessica Watkins, Kristen B. Wendell, Rae Woodcock, Vera Gor, Naina Sood Fox, Molly Malinowski, Rachel Bandi, Shannon Rausch

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

With intentional teacher facilitation, whole-class conversations can help students refine their engineering reasoning, consider new ideas, and make novel connections between different ways of defining or solving a problem. These conversations can also help students expand their engineering thinking to include perspectives of care and socioethical deliberations. A team of classroom teachers and university researchers has been enacting and studying whole-class engineering design conversations—Design Talks—in first through sixth grade classrooms. We organize Design Talks in five genres: problem-scoping talks, idea generation talks, design-in- progress talks, design synthesis talks, and impact talks. After five years of planning, implementing, and analyzing recorded …

My Glove: A Biography, Stefan Fatsis

Creative Nonfiction Magazine

No abstract provided.

The Suicide - Murder? - Of Joseph Kupchik, James Renner

Creative Nonfiction Magazine

No abstract provided.

Moby-Duck, Or, The Synthetic Wilderness Of Childhood, Donovan Hohn

Creative Nonfiction Magazine

No abstract provided.

Building And Sustaining Chosen Family Amongst Low-Income First-Generation Engineers, Justin C. Major

First-Generation Symposium

Support is integral for low-income first-generation student success in and out of engineering, particularly because of the role support plays in building belonging. Students receive support from many individuals including their traditional and chosen families. While traditional family are those family “assigned at birth,” chosen family are those family you pick and choose, inclusive of teachers, friends, and others. Our research group’s (ASPIRE) extensive work on the topic has documented how chosen family come to be and why they are important for low-income first-generation success. Amongst many components, we have found that chosen family are more trustable given their authenticity …

Spring Training Lights, Jake Young

Creative Nonfiction Magazine

No abstract provided.

Filter Element And Filter System For Filtering Fluids

Defensive Publications Series

The invention relates to a filter element (10) for a filter system (100) for filtering fluids, in particular a liquid filter system, at least comprising a filter media body (12), being arranged between a raw side (80) and a clean side (82) of the filter element (10), wherein a pre-separating element (20) is arranged upstream of the filter media body (12), covering an in­flow surface (26) of the filter media body (12). The pre-separating element (20) com­prises a biocide agent.

Tunable Multi-Stage Query-Based Protocol For Personalized Content Recommendations, Animesh Sinha, Jital Patel, Akshay Gaur

Defensive Publications Series

Content recommendation systems rely on user-behavior statistics to model preferences. These systems must be engineered to handle an ever-growing corpus of documents, a vast user base, and sparse signals for inferring latent interests. Additionally, they face significant challenges in determining the appropriate dimensionality and granularity for interest modeling. To produce high-quality systems that function at web-scale, it is essential to leverage global semantic knowledge. Conventionally, this is achieved through various embedding and tagging systems that provide a foundational vocabulary for interest modeling. In this work, we propose a multi-stage, query-based architecture that leverages Large Language Models (LLMs) to learn high-quality …

February 12, 2026, James Madison University

The Breeze, 2020-

The Breeze is the student newspaper of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Where A Life Of Service Begins, Eric F. Spina

President's Blog: From the Heart

Once a year I play UD's version of Candid Camera, and the moment is magical. Just before Christmas an unsuspecting Johanna Matota stepped into my conference room. Her hands flew to her mouth in surprise and joy when I told her she is the 2026 recipient of the prestigious W.S. McIntosh Memorial Leadership Award.

Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (Buv) Retrievals Of Mid-Stratospheric Aerosols From The 2022 Hunga Eruption, Robert J.D. Spurr, Matt Christi, Nickolay A. Krotkov, Won Ei Choi, Simon Carn, Can Li, Et Al.

Michigan Tech Publications

On 15 January 2022, a highly explosive eruption of the submarine Hunga volcano (Kingdom of Tonga) generated the largest stratospheric hydration event ever observed and the largest aerosol perturbation since the 1991 Pinatubo eruption. Here, we develop a novel method for satellite retrieval of stratospheric aerosol optical depth (AOD) and layer peak height (zp) using solar backscattered ultraviolet (BUV) radiation; this is made possible by the exceptional mid-stratospheric altitude of the Hunga aerosols. We analyze BUV observations of the Hunga stratospheric aerosol cloud on 17 January 2022 (47 h after the eruption), using BUV band 1 measurements from the TROPOspheric …

Gold Standard Ventures (Us) Inc. V. Thorson, 142 Nev. Adv. Op. 10 (Feb. 12, 2026), Lauren Jung

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court affirmed the district court's dismissal of Orla's petition for judicial review, finding that a party must have an existing personal or property right affected by the challenged decision to have standing. The Court therefore found that Orla had no standing to bring suit.

Defense Distributed V. Attorney General New Jersey

2026 Decisions

USDC for the District of New Jersey

From Informal Into Collective Urban Farming: Investigating Potentials In Local Communities In Al Ain, Uae, Nour Khaled Mousa

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

By 2050, the world’s population is expected to grow from 7.9 to 9.7 billion. Therefore, collective urban farming is considered to be a practical way to deal with the rising food needs in the limited available urban land which will result in strengthening the local food security and reducing the dependence on imported goods. When farming activities are transformed from random and informal into collective and well-managed spaces more benefits will be brought into a community including social cohesion, education and skills, and better economic opportunities. Collective urban farming is very important to the environment as it delivers multiple ecosystem …

Green Vessel Signal On Multicolor Imaging As An Early Sign Of Ischemic Vasculitis In Irvan Syndrome: A Case Report, Daniel M. Markowitz, Jirat Nimworaphan, Carl Regillo, James P. Dunn, Robert C. Sergott

Wills Eye Hospital Papers

PURPOSE: Idiopathic retinitis, vasculitis, aneurysms, and neuroretinitis (IRVAN) syndrome is typically diagnosed after characteristic intravenous fluorescein angiography (IVFA) findings develop. This case demonstrates that identifying a green intravascular and perivascular signal on multicolor fundus imaging may be a potential noninvasive imaging sign for ischemic retinal vasculitis in IRVAN.

OBSERVATIONS: A 55-year-old female presented with bilateral optic disc edema and subtle peripapillary retinal vascular changes. Multicolor imaging showed a distinct green intravascular and perivascular signal before undergoing IVFA evaluation. Subsequent IVFA ultimately showed peripheral capillary nonperfusion, microaneurysms, and leakage consistent with IRVAN.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPORTANCE: This case demonstrates the potential utility …

Keeping Up With… Graduate Student Research Support Models, Giovanna Colosi

Librarian Publications

Graduate education plays a central role in many institutions’ academic missions and revenue models, yet national data from the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) indicate that enrollment and application patterns have shifted unevenly over the past decade, varying by discipline, credential type, and institutional context. At the same time, the graduate student population is increasingly diverse in modality and life stage, with more students enrolling part time, studying online or in hybrid formats, and returning mid-career. These changes present significant implications for academic and research libraries, particularly as graduate students’ research needs remain intensive while their schedules and pathways grow …

Profiles Of Two Pioneers, February 12, 2026, Tisa Mason Ed.D.

Heart of a Tiger Columns

No abstract provided.

A Study Of The Intellectual Property Rights Of Farmers With Special Reference To The Protection Of Plant Variety And The Farmers' Rights Act, 2001, Gomathi R Ms

Theses and Dissertations

Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) confer exclusive rights on individuals over the creations of their minds. Intellectual property is protected through patents, trademarks, copyrights, industrial designs, geographical indications, and other legal rights, enabling inventors to obtain economic benefits and legal recognition from their innovations. These rights provide exclusive usage for a prescribed period and have evolved significantly over the years, sharing similarities with ownership rights over tangible property. As intangible rights, IPR primarily consist of the property element and the object to which that property relates. Among the various forms of IPR, Plant Variety Protection (PVP) rights recognize the creativity and …

Cover And Content

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

No abstract provided.

Individualized Respiratory Exercise Device Originated In Türkiye: Design, Prototype, And First Results, Çi̇ğdem Emi̇rza Ci̇lbi̇r, Özge Ertan Harputlu, Hi̇kmet Uçgun, Büşra Ülker Ekşi̇, Sarper Kaya, Esen Kiyan, Gökşen Kuran Aslan, Buket Akinci

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: Respiratory muscle training (RMT) and breathing exercises are crucial components in cardiopulmonary rehabilitation. RMT includes inspiratory muscle training (IMT) and expiratory muscle training (EMT); however, existing RMT devices typically support only one of these. Incentive spirometers, which also provide visual feedback for breathing exercises, are frequently used. Achieving an RMT program requires multiple devices, which increases both the cost and complexity of the training regimen. This study aimed to design, calibrate, and test a novel individualized respiratory exercise device that integrates both IMT and EMT functions into a single unit, thereby offering a cost-effective, user-friendly alternative for comprehensive cardiopulmonary …

Cd20 Molecule Deficiency And Carrier Frequency: A Village-Based Screening Study, Ebru Sümen, Mehmet Ali̇ Karaselek, Serkan Küççüktürk, Tuğçe Duran, Büşra Yüksel, Mustafa Gençeli̇, Ayşe Sümeyra Engi̇n, Muhammed Furkan Erden, Tuğba Esra Pekcandanoğlu, Bi̇lal Bostan, Mahmut Esad Yurtseven, Nazi̇re Nur Onat, Şükrü Nai̇l Güner, Sevgi̇ Keleş, İsmai̇l Rei̇sli̇

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: CD20 deficiency is an autosomal recessive inborn error of immunity (IEI), and the only known affected individual worldwide has been under follow-up in our clinic. Because the consanguineous parents of the index patient are putative carriers, we hypothesized that additional individuals with reduced CD20 expression might exist within their village population. This study aimed to evaluate clinical features associated with IEI and to identify individuals displaying CD20 mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) patterns consistent with putative carrier status, while also providing appropriate genetic counseling.

Materials and methods: This cross-sectional screening study was conducted in December 2024 in Çukurbağ village. Participants …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Healthcare Workers: Risk Factors, Sources Of Infection, And Sickness Absenteeism, Ezgi̇ Gülten, Güle Çinar, İrem Akdemi̇r, Eli̇f Muki̇me Saricaoğlu, İlkay Taşdan, Emi̇ne Atmaca, Si̇bel Kaymakçi, Fatma Şanal, Di̇lek Sevi̇m Akdaş, Arzu Büyüm, Gülşah Kocaali̇, Safi̇ye Tarakçi, Ati̇lla Hali̇l Elhan, Mehmet Serhat Bi̇rengel, Kemal Osman Memi̇koğlu, Alpay Azap

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: Healthcare workers (HCWs) face increased risks of COVID-19 infection due to occupational exposure. Understanding infection sources, risk factors, and workforce losses is crucial for mitigating these impacts in future pandemics. This study aimed to evaluate the risk factors, infection sources, and sickness absenteeism among HCWs diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection, providing insights to enhance infection control strategies.

Materials and methods: The study included 2153 HCWs diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 between March 2020 and February 2023 at a tertiary care hospital in Türkiye. Demographic, clinical, and professional characteristics, personal protective equipment (PPE) usage, infection sources, and vaccination data were analyzed. Statistical analyses …