Digital Commons Network^™

Drift Aware Continual Finetuning Of Encoder-Only Text Classifiers Under Temporal Distribution Shift, Simran Kc

Theses

The performance of encoder-only text classifiers degrades silently as their input distribution drifts over time. This thesis presents a closed-loop pipeline for drift-aware continual fine-tuning that combines a sample size invariant drift severity metric, an automated retraining loop on the most drifted samples, and a validation gate that rejects unsafe updates before deployment. We evaluate the pipeline on two datasets, Amazon Electronics Reviews and HuffPost News Category, and observe significant performance improvements over the initially trained model, along with a substantial reduction in compute and labelling costs compared to fresh-per-year and cumulative retraining baselines.

A Narrative Review Of The Central Neural Control Of Swallowing And Its Implications For Dysphagia Rehabilitation, Kuo-Chang Wei, Tyng-Guey Wang, Ming-Yen Hsiao

Rehabilitation Practice and Science

Swallowing is controlled by a distributed neural network spanning the brainstem central pattern generator, subcortical modulatory circuits, and cortical regions responsible for volitional planning and sensorimotor integration. Evidence from lesion studies, neuroimaging, and neurophysiology demonstrates that dysphagia arises from disruptions at different nodes of this network, producing lesion-specific impairment profiles rather than a uniform swallowing deficit. This network-based perspective has shifted rehabilitation from predominantly compensatory management toward mechanism-driven interventions aimed at restoring physiological function. Behavioral skill-training and resistance-based exercises harness motor learning and cortical plasticity, whereas neuromodulatory approaches—including repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), pharyngeal electrical …

Evops: Evolutionary Patch Selection In The Embedding Space Of Whole Slide Images, Saya Hashemian

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Computational pathology increasingly relies on the analysis of Whole-Slide Images (WSIs), which capture tissue specimens at gigapixel resolution. Because a single slide is far too large to process directly, the

prevailing paradigm decomposes each WSI into thousands of small patches and encodes them as high- dimensional feature embeddings using deep learning backbones. While effective, this paradigm carries a

substantial cost: the resulting collections of patch embeddings are computationally expensive to store and process, and they are frequently dominated by redundant, homogeneous, or otherwise uninformative tissue regions that dilute the diagnostic signal. Existing patch selection methods largely depend on heuristic or …

Children's Peer Selection In Stem: The Influence Of Gender, Ethnicity, And Disability, Meagan Girard, Kim P. Roberts

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The present study examined how children’s peer selection in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) may be influenced by gender, ethnicity, and physical disability. Sixty-four children (ages 6-12) from elementary schools in Southwestern Ontario completed three tasks: a simulated peer selection task, an attribution of ability task, and a stereotype belief questionnaire. In the peer selection task, participants were repeatedly asked to select one peer from a set of AI-generated photographs showing children who differed by gender (male, female), ethnicity (White, Black, East Asian), and physical disability status (able-bodied user vs. nondisabled). The Peer Selection Task was based on the …

Eeg Correlates Of Tactile Synchrony, Devon K. R. Gallagher

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

New research on the tactile system has suggested that cortical representations of body parts are not fixed, as previously thought, and are instead dynamically maintained through constant sensorimotor information and feedback. Within the somatosensory cortex (S1), the capacity for both permanent and temporary changes have been the topic of ongoing research. The current study aimed to corroborate whether 24 hours of a finger adhesion manipulation is sufficient to elicit behavioural and electrophysiological correlates from cortical reorganization of digit representations in S1, using a behavioural paradigm outlined by Kolasinski et al. (2016). Through electroencephalography (EEG) recording during a tactile discrimination task, …

Geovig And Purevig: Geometry-Aware Architectures For Efficient Computer Vision, Omar Ismail

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Deploying deep learning models for medical image analysis on mobile devices requires a balance between inference latency, memory footprint, and delineating anatomical boundaries with high accuracy. While Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and mobile Vision Transformers (ViTs) offer efficiency, they often struggle to model the irregular, non-local geometric structures inherent in biological tissues without incurring prohibitive computational costs. In this thesis, we introduce GeoViG (Geometric Vision Graph), an architecture that bridges the gap between efficient grid-based processing and explicit Geometric Deep Learning. GeoViG introduces a novel transition from high-resolution pixel grids to low-resolution dynamic graphs via a SpreadEdgePool operator, a geometry-aware …

Error-Driven Density Control For Compact Gaussian Splatting Under Sparse Supervision, Abdelrhman Elrawy

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis studies efficiency and stability challenges in Gaussian-splatting-based reconstruction under sparse supervision. In few-shot novel view synthesis, standard 3D Gaussian Splatting (3DGS) can overfit the limited training views and grow an unnecessarily large number of primitives due to limitations in its Adaptive Density Control (ADC) mechanism. This thesis introduces an error-driven reformulation of ADC that triggers densification using opacity gradients as a lightweight proxy for rendering error, and shows that such aggressive densification must be paired with delayed and conservative pruning to prevent destructive create--destroy cycles. When combined with depth-based geometric regularization, the resulting framework produces substantially more compact …

Assessing Dissolved Organic Matter Sources And Dynamics In Urban Stormwater: Implications For Greenhouse Gases, Harper W. Schmalz

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Stormwater management ponds (SWMPs) are important aspects of land-use planning and increasingly recognized as active sites of biogeochemical processing that influence carbon cycling; however, little research has investigated the controls on dissolved organic and dissolved inorganic carbon (DOC and DIC) within these systems. This thesis examined the processing and transformations of dissolved carbon between three compartments to support the development of a greenhouse gas (GHG) box-model for urban stormwater ponds, including SWMP sediment, surface water, and vegetation. The objective of this thesis was to assess the biogeochemical processes that govern the rate and transformation of DOC and DIC between these …

Consensus And Controversies Of International Guidelines For The Diagnosis, Surveillance, And Management Of Fetal Growth Restriction: An Updated Comparison, Daniele Diane Mascio, Suneet P. Chauhan, Tullio Ghi, Asma Khalil, Juliana G. Martins, Sara Sorrenti, Tamara Stampalija, Fabrizio Zullo, Francesc Figueras

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVE: To compare areas of consensus and disagreements across contemporary international and national guidelines on the diagnosis, surveillance, and management of fetal growth restriction (FGR).

DATA SOURCES: Electronic searches of MEDLINE from database inception up to March 2026 using MeSH terms and keywords related to FGR and guidelines. STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Critical, structured comparison of national or international guidelines on FGR published since 2010. Final inclusion required unanimous agreement from all authors.

STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS METHODS: Pre-specified extraction across domains: definition; prediction/prevention; surveillance tools and frequency; delivery timing and mode; and labor induction methods. Dual data …

Osmotic Dilators Vs. Foley Balloons: Bayesian Secondary Analyses Of The Dilafol Trial, Antonio F. Saad, Elenir B. C. Avritscher, Claudia Pedroza, Xiao Han, George R. Saade

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology Faculty Publications

Background: Dilapan-S, a synthetic osmotic dilator used for pre-induction cervical ripening, has proven to be as effective as the Foley balloon in terms of vaginal versus cesarean delivery and has been associated with increased patient satisfaction. Nevertheless, its ability to lower cesarean rates and its cost-effectiveness remain poorly studied.

Objectives: To estimate the likelihood that synthetic osmotic dilators reduce cesarean deliveries and to evaluate their health system costs (2026 US$) and incremental cost-effectiveness compared to the Foley balloon during cervical ripening.

Study Design: Secondary Bayesian analyses were conducted using data from the single-center DILAFOL randomized controlled trial, which enrolled 419 …

The Association Between The Degree Of Social Vulnerability And Maternal Anemia And Other Adverse Perinatal Outcomes, Rubymel J. Knupp, Christina T. Blanchard, Ariann Nassel, Ashley Shea, Lindsay S. Robbins, Jeff M. Szychowski, Ashley N. Battarbee, Akila Subramaniam

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology Faculty Publications

Objective

Maternal anemia in pregnancy is associated with many adverse maternal, fetal, and neonatal outcomes. The role of social determinants of health (SDOH) in the development of maternal anemia and other adverse outcomes is continually evolving. One such newer tool, the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), measures an individual's community-level SDOH, with higher SVI denoting higher vulnerability. Our objective was to evaluate the association between SVI, maternal anemia, and other adverse perinatal outcomes.

Methods

Retrospective cohort study of pregnant individuals delivering singletons at a gestational age ≥23 weeks at a single center from 2014 to 2018. Patients with sickle cell disease, …

Evaluating The Role Of Provider Perspective And Their Impact On Individuals With Sickle Cell Disease In The United States Of America, Jadyn C. Oppong

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Individuals affected by invisible disabilities, such as Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), have additional challenges beyond the physical manifestation of their disease, which is otherwise unknown externally. SCD patients continually consider disease manifestation in everyday life and experience varying degrees of disease perception in and out of the hospital environment. Additional considerations of a patient’s other intersecting identities, such as race and cultural identity, call attention to the sociological landscape of the United States of America. The dynamics observed within this landscape can be seen through the symbolic interaction of these identities with the invisible disability identity, in which a compounding …

Applications And Challenges Of Utilizing Digital Pathology And Ai-Enabled Workflows In Clinical Trials, Manu Sebastian, Harsh Batra, Monika Lamba Saini, Staci Kearney, Lorcan Sherry, Serge Alexanian, Michael Cohen, William Weber, Joe Lennerz, Anil V Parwani

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

This is a comprehensive review on current utilization and challenges of digital pathology adoption in clinical trials and aims to provide a broad view on its impact on pathology review processes in clinical trials. It provides an overview of current pathology review practices in clinical trials and unique advantages digital pathology adoption can offer. The key areas including existing workflows, use case scenarios in different disease areas in clinical trials, including but not limited to patient identification and pre-screening, and regulatory aspects have been described with relevance. In addition, the review delves into the integration of genomics, AI, image analysis, …

Modeling Healthcare Data With Logistic Quantile And Uniform-Based Mixture Polynomial Distributions, Mohan D. Pant, Aditya Chakraborty, Jovanna A. Tracz

Epidemiology, Biostatistics, & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Continuous healthcare data often deviate from normality, which can substantially increase the risk of making invalid inferences, given that many inferential statistical procedures rely on normality assumption. To obviate this issue, we propose a new family of non-normal distributions based on a linear combination of the quantile functions of standard logistic and uniform (0, 1) distributions. This new family of non-normal distributions is studied within three different methods: L-moments, conventional moments, and percentiles. Its performance is compared among the three methods in the context of parameter estimation and data modeling. The results of Monte Carlo simulation and bootstrapping techniques indicate …

Antibody-Drug Conjugates Beyond Her2 In Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (Nsclc): Mechanisms, Emerging Targets, And Future Directions, Ahmed Ismail, Akash Desai, George R. Simon, Yanis Boumber

Department of Medicine Faculty Publications

Antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) are a rapidly evolving class of oncology therapeutics that enable precise delivery of potent cytotoxic agents to tumor cells while minimizing systemic toxicity. While HER2-targeted ADCs such as trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) in HER2-mutant, Datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-Dxd) in EGFR-mutant, and telisotumumab vedotin (Teliso-V) in MET IHC 3+ expressing lung cancer have already established a clinical role in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), multiple ADCs targeting alternative antigens, including additional TROP2 ADCs, HER3, MET, CEACAM5, B7-H3, Nectin-4, and others, are now in advanced clinical development. This review synthesizes the current evidence for non-HER2 ADCs in NSCLC, highlighting mechanisms of …

Dietary Intake Of Micro- And Nanoplastics: Potential Adverse Gi Effects On Microbiome, Inflammation, And Neoplasia, Michael Saadeh, Gordon Hong, Sana Rabeeah, Priyata Dutta, Edward C. Oldfield, Iv, David A. Johnson

Department of Medicine Faculty Publications

Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) are pervasive in food-contact environments and the human diet, positioning the gastrointestinal (GI) tract as the primary portal of entry and a plausible site of early biological effects. Human exposure is supported by detection of microplastics in stool and colon tissue, and emerging clinical studies report associations between fecal microplastic burden and GI disease states, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colorectal cancer (CRC). Preclinical studies provide mechanistic plausibility, reporting that ingested MNPs can modulate microbial ecology, alter mucus membrane integrity, increase intestinal permeability through changes in cellular tight junction biology, and induce inflammatory gene expression. …

Micro- And Nanoplastics: A Paradigm Shift In The Pathogenesis Of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Michael Saadeh, Priyata Dutta, Gordon Hong, Edward Oldfield, David A. Johnson

Department of Medicine Faculty Publications

Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) are pervasive environmental contaminants with growing recognition as potential contributors to human disease. Widespread human exposure occurs primarily through ingestion of contaminated food and water, and MNPs have been detected in multiple human tissues, including the gastrointestinal tract. Experimental evidence provides a plausible biological basis for disease associations, including impairment of intestinal barrier integrity, activation of mucosal immune pathways, and alteration of gut microbial communities caused by MNP exposure. Although human data remain limited, early studies demonstrate MNP detection in stool and suggest potential correlations with inflammatory biomarkers such as fecal calprotectin. These findings, together with …

Regional Pain Is Associated With Functional Performance In People With Parkinson's Disease, Ryan P. Duncan, Monica R. Hendricksen, Luke Ekdahl, Kevin Smaller, Benjamin Friedman, Miriam R. Rafferty

Department of Medicine Faculty Publications

Background and Purpose:

Little is known about how pain influences physical function in people with mild Parkinson disease (PwPD). The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between physical function and pain presence, location, and intensity in PwPD who were evaluated in an early physical therapy program.

Methods:

Retrospective cross-sectional analysis of electronic medical records from patients with PD evaluated at a single center (2016-2023). Pain presence, location, and intensity (0-10 scale) were recorded at the initial physical therapy evaluation. Functional outcomes included 5-time sit-to-stand, 10-meter walk test, 6-minute walk test, timed up and go, mini-BESTest, and Functional …

Microplastics, Nanoplastics, And Obesity: Current Evidence And Biological Mechanisms, Maram Albandak, Sanam Rabeeah, Ahmad Mahdi Zahidi, David A. Johnson

Department of Medicine Faculty Publications

Obesity is a rapidly growing global health concern. The pathogenesis is complex and cannot be fully explained by lifestyle factors alone. The increasing attention towards this concern has finally been directed towards environmental contributors which may influence metabolic regulation. Microplastics and nano-plastics (MNPs) are ubiquitous environmental pollutants that have recently been detected in food, drinking water, air, and human biological samples, raising concerns about their potential role in metabolic disorders, including obesity. Chronic exposure to MNPs may interfere with metabolic homeostasis through multiple biological pathways. Emerging evidence, including both experimental and animal studies, reports alterations in lipid metabolism, body weight, …

Paneugenesis: A Regenerative Systems Hypothesis For Advancing Health Promotion, Craig M. Becker, Leslie Hoglund, Beth Chaney, Joseph G. L. Lee, Michael Stellefson, Alex Davis

Epidemiology, Biostatistics, & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Despite major advances in health promotion science, dominant approaches remain largely prevention-and risk-reduction-oriented. The prevailing orientation creates a substantial opportunity to advance generative, system-design strategies that intentionally produce well-being rather than merely prevent disease. This article proposes paneugenesis as a regenerative systems framework and a testable theoretical model for the intentional creation of net-positive outcomes, thereby extending health promotion beyond its traditional pathogenic emphasis. Paneugenesis integrates systems science, salutogenesis, behavioral science, complexity theory, and quality management principles into a unified four-function process: operationalizing idealized outcomes, identifying key precursors, optimizing processes, and continually plotting progress through feedback mechanisms. The central hypothesis …

Updates To Version 1.0 Of The Four‐Dimensional Ecology Education Framework Create Version 1.1., Christopher W. Beck, Loren B. Byrne, Jennifer Doherty, Amanda E. Sorensen, Et Al.

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

Since its introduction in 2018, the Four-Dimensional Ecology Education (4DEE) Framework has advanced ecology education. Yet, ecology educators have had different understandings of aspects of the Framework. Here, we describe the updates to the original Framework that aim to provide more clarity. Specifically, we describe higher-level changes in how the Framework is presented on the 4DEE website, changes to some of the elements within the dimensions, mostly in the Human–Environment Interactions dimension, and perhaps most substantively, replacing the lists of subelements with more descriptive paragraphs that explain the intent of the elements. We hope that these updates will promote the …

Biomechanical Advancements In Hydroxyapatite, Magnesium-Substituted Hydroxyapatite, And Strontium-Substituted Hydroxyapatite In Clinical And Non-Clinical Studies For Maxillofacial Bone Tissue Engineering: A Review, Elham Zafarrazzaghnia, Stuart Hampshire, Aran Rafferty, Dermot Brabazon, Eamonn Debarra, Maura Kelleher

Articles

Hydroxyapatite (HA) is a bioceramic known for its bioactivity and osteoconductivity, which should make it an ideal candidate for maxillofacial bone regeneration. However, its brittleness limits its suitability for load-bearing applications. Over recent decades, substantial efforts have focused on enhancing its performance, particularly through ionic substitution, including magnesium-substituted HA (Mg-HA) and strontium-substituted HA (Sr-HA). This review summarises the available information on the structural, physical and mechanical properties of facial bones (maxilla, mandible, zygoma and frontal bone). The crystal structure, physical, and mechanical properties and in-vitro biological responses of dense and porous HA, Mg-HA and Sr-HA ceramics are described, with particular …

Language Acquisition And Emergent Literacy In The 21st Century, Albert H. White Jr.

Open Touro Created

2026

Grounded in contemporary scholarship and pedagogical research, this work employs an integrated, multidisciplinary approach to 21st-century literacy instruction while prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion. Through its multimodal, universally accessible design—featuring interactive components, multimedia elements, and curated links to the New York State Department of Education Standards and Instruction Website—the resource facilitates critical engagement with content and alignment with state-mandated learning standards. Supplementary materials for pre-service teacher preparation and professional development are embedded throughout, enabling educators to customize and repurpose content for their specific contexts. Developed in partnership with Touro University and Colleges, this OER supports the continuous professional development …

From Germination To Transformation: Policy Studies In China Over The Past Half-Century (1970s–2020s), Shuai Cao, Ping Xu, Hongtao Yi, Ling Zhu

Political Science Faculty Publications

Over the past half-century, policy studies in China have undergone a remarkable evolution. This paper seeks to provide a comprehensive analysis of the field's development by tracing its origins and transformations over time. We introduce a time-based and multifaceted framework that delineates the evolution of policy studies in China into four distinct phases: germination (1978 to mid-1990s), burgeoning (late 1990s to 2012), normalization (2013 to 2022), and transformation (2023 to present). We first analyze the evolution of each phase in terms of historical contexts, disciplinary development, policy research (including policy domains, theoretical advancements, and methodological approaches), and intellectual engagement with …

It’S (Not All) Personal: Civil Litigation And The Values Of Rights Of Action, Hanoch Dagan, Avihay Dorfman, Issi Rosen-Zvi

American University Law Review

Existing approaches to civil litigation, both regarding its theoretical underpinnings and its practical instantiations, take diametrically opposing perspectives on the value of personal rights of action. Some view them as inviolable and thus vehemently oppose any mandatory arbitration clauses and treat class actions as presumptively dubious. Others have no principled objection to either, as they perceive personal rights of action as mere technologies that are painlessly dispensable if the substantive values underlying the claim at hand can be realized more effectively through a more efficient mechanism.

In this Article, we reject both of these ‘all or nothing’ approaches and offer …

Playing It Safe Or Playing Favorites? Miller Act Bonds And The Cost Of Exclusion Of Women- And Minority Owned Businesses, Fernando Mendoza López

American University Law Review

As federal contracting policy has moved away from race- and gender-conscious contracting initiatives, the need to identify and remove facially neutral requirements that create disparate impacts has assumed heightened significance in shaping access to government contracting law. In construction projects, the federal government has long required contractors to purchase surety bonds under the Miller Act to protect subcontractors and the government in cases of prime contractor default. While that original purpose remains valid today, bonding requirements are widely believed to unnecessarily limit participation by women- and minority-owned businesses.

Federal, state, and local governments have tacitly accepted the claim that bonding …

The Leasehold World, Jeffrey Manns

American University Law Review

The ideal of American fee simple property rests on a popular misconception. Many Americans often think of fee simple property in terms of absolute ownership. In reality, however, fee simple title has many similar features of a “public” leasehold in practice, which has significant implications for understanding the relationship of private property “owners” to the state. The American state, at all levels, effectively serves as a landlord over private property “owners,” mirroring the traditional role of the king in feudal England.

The American Revolution is often framed as a sea change in property rights and individual liberty. But efforts to …

By Design, Roger Allan Ford

American University Law Review

In recent years, scholars and policymakers have increasingly embraced regulation “by design” to address new problems, especially those caused by new technologies. These approaches go by various names, like privacy by design, security by design, even the rule of law by design. Despite the popularity of these approaches, though, describing what goes into regulation “by design” is surprisingly challenging. Different speakers use the term in strikingly different ways, with little consensus about why design is important, how design and new technologies interact, or how design can be harnessed to deliver policy results.

Design exists along multiple dimensions: process versus result, …

The Trademark Bargain: Registration As Disclosure, Dustin Marlan

American University Law Review

This Article highlights the central—and under-theorized—role that disclosure plays within trademark law. By loose analogy, the patent disclosure requirement is a cornerstone of patent law, embodying the “patent bargain” where an inventor must disclose their invention in exchange for a twenty-year monopoly. This quid pro quo is believed to stimulate the progress of science and technology, making patent disclosure the very pulse of the patent regime. However, the fundamental importance of disclosure in trademark law remains underexplored. Like patents, trademark law imposes a rigorous bargain—to obtain the enhanced rights granted by federal registration, trademark owners must first make significant disclosures …

Patenting The Unexpected, Sean B. Seymore

American University Law Review

Unexpected discoveries have transformed human existence. They’ve revolutionized science and spawned entire new fields of research. While unexpected discoveries seem inventive and worthy of patent protection, they don’t formally align with traditional patent theory. The bedrock principle that an invention begins with the conception of an idea in the inventor’s mind and ends with implementation doesn’t apply to unexpected discoveries. This misalignment is most acute for pharmaceuticals, where the discovery of new uses for old drugs has tremendous social and economic importance. Since a drug can inherently treat multiple conditions in a patient—even those unknown to the patient, doctor, or …