Digital Commons Network^™

Timkat (Epiphany) As Living Faith: The Intersection Of Religion, Culture, And Tourism In Gondar, World Heritage Site, Ethiopia, Balew Baye, Dagnachew Nega

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The Epiphany celebration in Gondar, Ethiopia, is one of the most unique events in the world. Due to its outstanding cultural value, the Epiphany was inscribed into the UNESCO World Heritage List. The remarkable history of Gondar and its vast cultural heritage make the city an open-air museum for the world. However, there has been little research focused on exploring the Epiphany celebration in Ethiopia. This study follows an exploratory and descriptive research design, utilising a qualitative approach. Interviews, observations, and document analysis were employed as data collection methods. Non-probability sampling techniques were used, specifically purposive and snowball sampling, involving …

Pediatric Acute Myeloid Leukemia Tumor Composition Predicts Patient Outcomes At Diagnosis And Reveals Mechanisms Of Resistance To Chemotherapy, Mohammad Javad Najafpanah, Alexandra M Stevens, Michael J Krueger, Max Rochette, Sohani Sandhu, Lana Kim, Sridevi Addanki, Josh Cooper, Hua-Sheng Chiu, Jessica Epps, Sonal Somvanshi, Barry Zorman, Maria Rodriguez Martinez, Marianna Rapsomaniki, Susanne Unger, Burkhard Becher, Joanna S Yi, Tsz-Kwong Man, Michele L Redell, Pavel Sumazin

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Although most pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (pAML) patients achieve complete remission with standard-of-care chemotherapy, overall outcomes are poor, and 40% will eventually relapse. Improved methods for risk assessment at diagnosis and alternative therapies are needed to improve outcomes for these patients. Toward these objectives, we characterized the clonal composition of pAMLs, identifying subclones that expand or transform between diagnosis and relapse. We further showed that the abundance of these expanding and transforming subclones in diagnostic samples is predictive of patient outcomes and, similarly, predicts response to chemotherapy and targeted therapies in patient samples and patient-derived xenograft models. Moreover, gene expression …

Sga 57 Senate 2026-01-23 Minutes, Niu Student Government Association Senate

Student Government Association Archives

No abstract provided.

Optimization Of The Preparation Process And Antioxidant Activity Of Oligopeptides From Lueyang Black-Bone Chicken, Zhang Xinyue, Chen Rui, Chen Liwei, Li Haicheng

Food and Machinery

[Objective] To prepare oligopeptides from Lueyang black-bone chicken in order to increase its added value and to determine their antioxidant activity. [Methods] Lueyang black-bone chicken meat was used as the raw material. Two proteases were employed for compound enzymatic hydrolysis, and response surface methodology was applied to optimize the preparation process of Lueyang black-bone chicken oligopeptides and to evaluate their antioxidant activity. [Results] The optimal preparation process for compound hydrolysis of Lueyang black-bone chicken oligopeptides was as follows: neutral protease and acid protease in combination, substrate concentration 3 g/100 mL, enzymatic hydrolysis time 4 h, total enzyme addition 9 300 …

Research Advances In The Application Of Intelligent Responsive Hydrogels For Controlled Release And Quality Monitoring In Foods, Yin Hongli, Qu Yanfeng, Yang Jiaxing, Yao Jianuo, Li Weize, Liu Shiying

Food and Machinery

With the continuously increasing demand for intelligent and precise technologies in the food industry, intelligent responsive hydrogels, as an emerging class of functional materials, have demonstrated great application potential in controlled release and quality monitoring of food products. This article reviews recent research progress in intelligent responsive hydrogels in terms of base material selection and crosslinking methods, types of stimulus responsiveness, and underlying mechanisms. It elaborates on the design and application of intelligent hydrogels in controlled-release systems for food bioactive substances, covering antibacterial packaging, nutrient fortification, and flavor-controlled release. Additionally, the application of intelligent responsive hydrogels in food quality monitoring …

Preparation And Characterization Of Nanocellulose-Based Edible Films And Their Fresh-Keeping Effects On Bananas, Tian Huan, Song Zhen, Li Zejun, Sun Yawen

Food and Machinery

[Objective] To prevent postharvest fruit decay and extend shelf life, a robust, water-resistant, and self-healing multifunctional edible fresh-keeping film was proposed. [Methods] The edible fresh-keeping film's microstructure, chemical structure, physicochemical properties, mechanical properties, and its effects on the shelf life of bananas were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray powder diffractometer (XRD), texture analyzer, and rheometer. [Results] The monomers within the edible film are cross-linked via hydrogen bonds, ester bonds, and electrostatic interactions, forming an irregular network structure on the surface. The film exhibits an elongation at break of 71.73% and a mechanical strength …

Challenges To The Internationalisation Of Small And Medium-Sized Food Crops-Based Enterprises (Smes) In Tanzania, Omari Khalifa Mbura, Sumaya M. Kagoya

Business Management Review

This paper examines the salient attributes of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) internationalisation of food crops. Using the explanatory research design the study applied the International Entrepreneurship theory and the Uppsala internationalisation process model, to specifically link the influence of internal, psychic distance and external factors to SMEs internationalisation of food crops in Tanzania. It reports the findings of a study that used a structured questionnaire to collect data from 80 randomly selected food crop exporting firms in Tanzania. The results subjected to multiple regression analysis indicate that out of the three constructs, internal and psychic distance factors had a …

Caribbean Early Childhood Educators, Primary Educators, And Student Teachers' Perceptions Of Visual Literacy And Visual Images Across The Curriculum, Monica Yvonne Hines-Graham

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem that was addressed through this study is the gap in knowledge about the integration and evaluation of visual literacy and visual images across the curriculum of early childhood educators, primary educators, and student teachers, despite it being a requirement for teachers in the Caribbean education system. Grounded in Hall and Hord’s concerns-based adoption model, the purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of early childhood educators, primary educators, and student teachers with the integration and evaluation of visual literacy and visual images across the curriculum. For this basic qualitative design, semistructured interviews with 12 participants from …

The Diamond, January 23, 2026, Dordt University

Dordt Diamond

• Front Page: Remembering Niko Begalke; Sioux Center Public Library Navigates Issues Surrounding Minors' Access to Mature Materials; Mike Byker - Voice and Vision of the Defender Way
• Feature: Dordt Alumna Presents Poetry Exhibition at The Fruited Plain; Students Take Part in Mock MasterChef Competition for CORE-214 Final
• Arts & Entertainment: "Wake Up," Christian Script Writers; Golden Globes Awards - Relevant or Antiquated?; Free Andrew Peterson Concert; Wrestling with Faith - Christian Applications from Avatar: Fire and Ash (Spoilers); The Shepherd King Sings On Screen - David Movie Review; Marty Supreme - Flashy Movie with Attitude (Spoilers); Christianity …

High-Throughput Screens Identify Genotype-Specific Therapeutics For Channelopathies, Christian L. Egly, Alex Shen, Tri Q. Do, Carlos Tellet Cabiya, Paxton A. Ritschel, Suah Woo, Matthew Ku, Brian P. Delisle, Brett M. Kroncke, Björn C. Knollmann

Physiology Faculty Publications

Genetic diseases such as ion channelopathies substantially burden human health. Existing treatments are limited and not genotype specific. Here, we report a 2-step high-throughput approach to rapidly identify drug candidates for repurposing as genotype-specific therapy. We first screened 1,680 medicines using a thallium-flux trafficking assay against Kv11.1 gene variants causing long QT syndrome (LQTS), an ion channelopathy associated with fatal cardiac arrhythmia. We identified evacetrapib as a suitable drug candidate that improves membrane trafficking and activates channels. We then used deep mutational scanning to prospectively identify all Kv11.1 missense variants in an LQTS hotspot region responsive to treatment with evacetrapib. …

Tumor Cell Clustering Enhances Metastatic Competence By Regulating The H3k36 Histone Demethylase Kdm2a, Carolyn J Kravitz, Kiran Patel, Emily Wingrove, Dejian Zhao, Tang Tang, Sampada Chande, Minghui Zhao, Yuchen Huo, Thomas F Westbrook, Qin Yan, Don X Nguyen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Disseminated tumor cells can form clusters via cell-cell adhesion, which increases their capacity to initiate metastasis. Metastatic clusters are characterized by distinct changes in transcription, suggesting that epigenetic mechanisms underlie their unique phenotypic state. By performing functional epigenomic studies in models of non-small cell lung cancer, we identified the histone H3 lysine 36 (H3K36) demethylase KDM2A as being differentially required for the fitness of metastatic cell clusters. This contextual dependency on KDM2A is predicated by tumor cell-cell aggregation, which specifically induces KDM2A binding to CpG island enriched promoters. At these defined genomic loci, KDM2A maintains H3K36 monomethylation, which preferentially correlates …

Spline-Based Factor-Graph Optimization With High-Grade Inertial Sensors, Kyle Leland, Clark N. Taylor, David Woodburn, Randal Beard

Faculty Publications

Inertial measurement units (IMUs) are central to global navigation satellite system-based and alternative navigation solutions. This paper combines three lines of research to explore a novel methodology for using inertial sensors: factor graphs, spline-based trajectory estimation, and high-grade inertial sensing. Spline-based factor-graph trajectory estimation is increasingly used in the literature, especially for asynchronous or high-rate sensors. However, prior models neglect the impact of the Earth’s rotation, which is significant for high-grade IMUs. We extend spline-based factor graphs to incorporate accelerometer and gyroscope models that account for the Earth’s rotation. We apply this approach to simulated data from high-grade inertial sensors …

College Preparedness: Exploring Faculty Perceptions Of First-Year Students’ Literacy Skills Transitioning From High School, Shanell Glass Bailey

Student Theses and Dissertations

This study explores faculty perspectives on the literacy skills of incoming freshmen at small community colleges in southern Mississippi, where literacy challenges affect student success. The problem addressed is the preparedness of freshmen in reading and writing, which impacts their academic performance and development through college. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to examine the lived experiences of faculty who teach entry-level English courses and to identify the support students need to succeed in literacy. Constructivist learning theory served as the guiding framework, emphasizing the ways prior knowledge, active engagement, and social interaction influence how students construct meaning …

Qatt&Ck: An Extended Framework For Classifying Adversarial Techniques And Tactics Threatening Quantum Computing Infrastructure Based On Mitre’S Att&Ck, Justin Benjamin Woodring

LSU Master's Theses

The integration of quantum computing into governmental and business processes has raised concerns about potential threats to these systems. To address this, we introduce a novel extension of the MITRE ATT&CK framework, QATT&CK, which provides an extended taxonomy for classifying adversarial Tactics and Techniques in quantum cybersecurity. Our adapted framework bridges the definitions of traditional cybersecurity with a focus on quantum computing infrastructure, enabling a more comprehensive understanding of adversarial behavior in this domain. To evaluate our proposed framework, we leverage current and ongoing research in quantum cyber threats, mapping real-world attacks to our taxonomy to demonstrate its effectiveness in …

Summer Camp Adds Up: The Impact Of Stem Camps On Math Self-Efficiency And Achievement In Underrepresented K-12 Campers, Joanna Vance

ACA National Camp Research Forum Abstracts

No abstract provided.

Leader Perspectives From Policy To Practice: An Exploration Of Deiajb Accreditation Expectations In K-12 International Schools, Jennifer Lea Garzia

LMU Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, various school accreditation bodies have incorporated new standards and processes that focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, access, justice, and belonging (DEIAJB). Yet, how DEIAJB expectations are perceived and implemented remains underexplored. This study examines the perceptions of international school leaders in Brazil and Italy, and how they interpret and enact DEIAJB school accreditation expectations. In this qualitative exploratory study, ten international school leaders were interviewed. Guided by Shields’ Transformative Leadership Theory (2009), data were collected through semi-structured interviews and were analyzed using thematic coding. Findings revealed that leaders viewed DEIAJB accreditation expectations as a legitimizing framework that …

Scaling Pedestrian Crossing Analysis To 100 U.S. Cities Via Ai-Based Segmentation Of Satellite Imagery, Marcel E. Moran, Arunav Gupta, Jiali Qian, Debra Laefer

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Accurately measuring street dimensions is essential to evaluating how their design influences both travel behavior and safety. However, gathering street-level information at city-scale with precision is difficult given the quantity and complexity of urban intersections. To address this challenge in the context of pedestrian crossings — a crucial component of walkability — we introduce a scalable and accurate method for automatically measuring crossing distance at both marked and unmarked crosswalks, applied to America’s 100 largest cities. First, OpenStreetMap coordinates were used to retrieve satellite imagery of intersections throughout each city — totaling roughly three million images. Next, Meta’s Segment Anything …

Restoration Enhances Carbon Storage In Mangroves After Hurricane Impacts, Robert Puschendorf

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Mangroves are globally important blue-carbon ecosystems, yet their resilience isthreatened by extreme weather events and hydrological alterations. Insoutheastern Mexico, a large mangrove die-off occurred in 1995 followingHurricane Roxanne and Tropical Storm Opal, linked to storm-surge–drivenhypersalinity, sedimentation, and prolonged flooding. In 2005, an ecologicalrestoration program was launched in the Términos Lagoon region, focusing onhydrological rehabilitation and reforestation with Avicennia germinans. Fourteenyears later, we assessed ecosystem recovery by quantifying total ecosystemcarbon stocks (TECS), defined as the sum of 0–50-cm soil organic carbon andtree biomass carbon, across conserved, degraded, and restored sites, and byreconstructing vegetation cover dynamics from multi-decadal satellite imagery(1984–2023). TECS differed …

Methods For Gis-Driven Airspace Management: Integrating Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Uass), Advanced Air Mobility (Aam), And Crewed Aircraft In The Nas, Ryan P. Case, Joseph P. Hupy

Aviation Technology Graduate Student Publications

The rapid growth of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs) and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) presents significant integration and safety challenges for the National Airspace System (NAS), often relying on disconnected Air Traffic Management (ATM) and Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) practices that contribute to airspace incidents. This study evaluates Geographic Information Systems (GISs) as a unified, data-driven framework to enhance shared airspace safety and efficiency. A comprehensive, multi-phase methodology was developed using GIS (specifically Esri ArcGIS Pro) to integrate heterogeneous aviation data, including FAA aeronautical data, Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) for crewed aircraft, and UAS Flight Records, necessitating detailed spatial–temporal …

Finite Element Model Of Hunter Harrison Memorial Bridge, Patrick Boateng

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Structural health monitoring (SHM) techniques based on ambient vibration measurements offer a non-destructive and effective way to assess the dynamic behavior and condition of bridge struc-tures. This study describes the development and analysis of a detailed finite element model of the Hunter Harrison Memorial Bridge, a cable-supported pedestrian bridge at the University of Mem-phis. The numerical model was created in SAP2000 using construction drawings and includes the reinforced concrete tower, steel floor beams, concrete deck slab, and stay cable system with the correct material properties and boundary conditions. Modal analysis was conducted to find the natural frequencies and mode shapes …

Multiaxial Fatigue Of Welded Joints: Experiments And Modeling, Ahmad Razi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Welding is arguably the most widely used method for joining parts, which often experience fluctuating loads during service and cyclic damage accounts for most mechanical failures in weldments. Hence, fatigue and failure assessment of the welded joints is an essential step in design process to ensure reliable performance. This work investigates experimental and predictive determination of weld metal properties, evaluates multiaxial fatigue of welded tubular joints featuring important geometric traits of welds (i.e., start/stop and partial penetration), and demonstrates application of the results to fatigue analysis of a welded component. Monotonic, cyclic, and fatigue properties of steel weld specimens of …

Distal Tip Pressures & Acoustic Streaming In Vibrating Guidewires, Graham Gavin

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

INTRODUCTIONHigh frequency mechanical vibrations (20-50 kHz) applied to slender wires have been shown to disrupt thrombus and fibrous and calcified plaques. Advanced manufacturing techniques can achieve complex geometric features, such as tapering and distal tip geometries on wires, while still facilitating the transmission of vibrational energy (Anamagh et al.). These vibrating guidewires disrupt plaque tissue through direct contact ablation and acoustic effects such as pressure wave components, acoustic streaming and potentially, cavitation (Yao et al.).Acoustic pressure amplitudes near the tip are directly related to the onset of cavitation and also contribute to secondary effects like streaming. Morse proposed a solution …

Validation Of Thums Spine Model For Proximal Junctional Kyphosis Investigations, Chin Rhong Koh, Philip Purcell, Stephen Tiernan, Seamus Morris

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

No abstract provided.

Strategies To Reduce The Physician Documentation Burden In Adult Primary Care, Glenda Cascalla

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Primary care physicians face high rates of burnout, with electronic health record (EHR) documentation identified ass a significant contributing factor. EHR systems consume substantial physician time, diverting attention from meaningful patient interactions toward administrative tasks and increasing documentation burden. The purpose of this study is to identify and evaluate best practices for minimizing the documentation burden on primary care providers. The review question centered on how best practices can be implemented by healthcare administrators to reduce the physician documentation burden in primary care. This integrative review used the sociotechnical systems theory framework to identify and evaluate effective strategies to alleviate …

Clinical Workflow Of Spine Stereotactic Radiotherapy And Radiosurgery: Insights From A Single-Institution Physics Perspective, Dennis Mackin, Gizem Cifter, Yana Zlateva, Jihong Wang, Yao Ding, Muhammad Shafiq Ul Hassan, Zhiheng Wang, Parmeswaran Diagaradjane, Fada Guan, Travis C Salzillo, Shane Krafft, Jing Li, Martin C Tom, Amol J Ghia, Tina Marie Briere

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Spine stereotactic radiotherapy and radiosurgery (SSRS) techniques, encompassing both fractionated stereotactic treatments and single-fraction radiosurgery, are widely used for the management of spinal metastases due to their ability to deliver highly conformal radiation while limiting dose to adjacent critical structures. Clinical outcomes following SSRS, including durable local control and acceptable toxicity, have been reported previously in multiple institutional series. In this manuscript, we describe the clinical workflow used to deliver SSRS at a high-volume academic center, with emphasis on the medical physics processes that support routine clinical practice. Key elements of the workflow include patient selection, treatment region-specific immobilization, CT …

Evaluation Of Vaping Cessation Infographics Among E-Cigarette Users: A Cross-Sectional, Mixed-Methods Study, Hongying Daisy Dai, Chenxi Shi, Sara Reyes, Summer Woolsey

Student Publications

Introduction: This rise in vaping has become a significant public health concern. This mixed-methods study aims to assess the impact of vaping cessation infographics on different cessation motivation and gather feedback regarding how the infographic could be further improved.

Methods: Current e-cigarette users completed an online cross-sectional survey in January 2022 through Prolific®. Participants evaluated a vaping cessation infographic. Eligible participants were adults aged 19-64 years, US residents, fluent in English, and current e-cigarette users. Participants completed a questionnaire with questions regarding demographics, e-cigarette use, and assessment of the liking of infographics. Poisson regressions were conducted to assess the associations …

Relating To Ai, Nick Breems

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"As users of technology, we do have a choice."

Posting about ­­­­­­­­exercising discernment in using technological tools from In All Things, an online hub that offers insight into maintaining and faithful and orthodox Reformed Christian worldview while fearlessly engaging in every aspect of contemporary life – until all is made new.

Relating to AI

Fractionation Of Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil By Molten Layer Crystallization And Lipid Characteristics Of Its Products, Liu Zhaofan, Liu Jiabao, Li Hang, Huang Zonghai, He Xinyi, Li Yun

Food and Machinery

[Objective] To address the limitations of the traditional fractionation process of Camellia oleifera seed oil, a novel molten layer crystallization process based on crystallization kinetics theory is developed. [Methods]Using crude C.oleifera seed oil as the raw material, the metastable zone width and nucleation induction period are investigated by laser scattering technology, while the thermal properties of its high-melting-point constituents are characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Based on these findings, a gradient cooling and fractionation process for molten layer crystallization is designed. Subsequently, a comparative analysis is conducted to evaluate the fatty acid profile, lipid composition, isothermal thermal properties, and …

Moisture Migration Pattens And Antioxidant Capacity Changes During The Drying Of Aronia Melanocarpa, Liu Peng, Li Xinyao, Li Ming

Food and Machinery

[Objective] To investigate the moisture migration patterns and quality changes of Aronia melanocarpa under different hot air drying temperatures. [Methods] The effects of hot air temperatures (60, 70, 80, and 90 ℃) on the drying curves and drying characteristic curves of A.melanocarpa were investigated. Eight commonly used drying models suitable for fruits and vegetables were selected for fitting, analysis, and validation to identify the optimal hot air drying model for A. melanocarpa. Water distribution status and changes during drying were analyzed using low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) and imaging techniques. The effects of different drying temperatures on quality were evaluated …

Rapid Immunochromatographic Detection Method For T-2 Toxin Based On Aggregation-Induced Emission Fluorescent Nanoparticles, Zhang Gan, Lai Weihua, Lai Yihui, Zheng Zulan, Xu Wei

Food and Machinery

[Objective] To achieve rapid on-site screening of T-2 toxin and establish an analytical method for the determination of T-2 toxin in corn using aggregation-induced emission (AIE) immunochromatographic test strips. [Methods] Aggregation-induced emission fluorescent nanoparticles (AIEFNPs) were prepared by the swelling method, and antibodies were coupled via electrostatic adsorption to obtain immune probes. The fluorescent immunochromatographic test strips were constructed by optimizing the experimental parameters. [Results] The constructed AIE fluorescent immunochromatographic method exhibits a good linear relationship in the range of 0.10~5.00 ng/mL. The regression equation was y=−0.571 41 lg(x)+0.750 88 (R2=0.967 5), with a method detection limit of 0.09 ng/mL. …