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Preparation, Development, And Refinement Of The Interview Protocol In Qualitative Research, David C. Coker, Adebowale Akande

The Qualitative Report

Interview protocols are by far the most common method utilized in qualitative research data collection. Novice and experienced researchers, from working on dissertations to grant proposals or other publications, often lack detailed interview design methods, as many educational programs do not require specific coursework on interview protocols and question development. To improve qualitative research, we make a proposal to incorporate an interdisciplinary approach that operationalizes three stages: preparation, development, and refinement. Preparation involves mapping the extant literature to define broad, narrow, and focused topics to write actionable standards, goals, and objectives. Development uses instructional design and educational psychology to construct …

Exploring Technology-Enhanced Learning: A Comparative Study Of Online And Offline Interactive Practices In The Iranian Higher Education System, Naser Rashidi, Mohamad Reza Farangi, Ali Hosseini

The Qualitative Report

This study explored how interactive teaching and learning are enacted through technology-enhanced methods in Iran’s higher education system. Using an exploratory qualitative design, it investigated the pedagogical strategies employed by instructors and examined whether these practices align with the principles of Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) across online and in-person contexts. Data were collected through the analysis of 263 class reports and 37 semi-structured interviews with university instructors. Thematic analysis using MAXQDA revealed six cohesive and interpretive themes: fostering human connection, empowering student voices, learning as dialogue, adaptive teaching, multimodal engagement, and feedback as dialogue. These themes reflect a holistic view of …

Patient Education On Conversion From Oral Art/Prep To Long-Acting Injectable (Lai) To Improve Patient Treatment Adherence, Marnel Reina Mae M. Hernandez

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Patient Education on conversion from oral ART/PrEP to Long-Acting Injectable (LAI) improves patient adherence.

Marnel Reina Mae Hernandez, MSN, RN

Joseph, F. Burkard, DNSc, CRNA, EBP-C

Background: Long-acting injectables (LAI) have been shown to be equally effective in viral load suppression. Implementing nurse led educational interventions in the use of oral treatment to LAI will address if LAI prescriptions can improve adherence and patient retention. Despite the availability of LAI for ART (antiretroviral treatment) and PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV) patients continue to have a low appointment adherence which can impact adherence and overall viral detectability. LAIs will continue to …

Compensation, Horizontal Diffusion, And Bottom-Up Pathways: State Climate Policies In The United States And Australia, Ian Bailey, Roger Karapin

Publications and Research

Recent years have seen growing interest in subnational governments as arenas of climate governance, but limited systematic research exists on the extent, conditions, or pathways through which subnational climate policies can influence, or compensate for deficits in, national policies. This article addresses this gap by examining options for states to influence climate policy in the United States and Australia, two countries where federal governments have made limited progress in developing national climate policies. As an analytical framework, it conceives a typology of state government approaches to climate policy that distinguishes among compensating, horizontal diffusion, and bottom-up pathways. It then uses …

Science And Superheroes: Um Researcher Speaks At Comic-Con, Clara Turnage

University of Mississippi News

OXFORD, Miss. – Marine biologist Tamar Goulet has shared her love of science and curiosity in classrooms and professional conferences around the world. This summer, she joined George Lucas, Queen Latifah and Ryan Gosling to bring that love to the stages of San Diego Comic-Con International.

No Trade Wars Without Taxation -Who's To Blame, And What Comes Next?, Domenico Imparato, Reuven S. Avi-Yonah, Doron Narotzki

Law & Economics Working Papers

As tariff policy once again shapes U.S. trade strategy, this article makes a foundational claim: trade wars are, at their core, tax wars. Against the backdrop of escalating economic tensions with the United States’ trade partners, this article argues that tariffs cannot be understood apart from the fiscal architecture that sustains them. What appears to be protectionism often masks deeper structural asymmetries in the U.S. tax system.

The discussion proceeds through three interrelated dimensions: reshoring production, promoting fair trade, and raising revenue. In each, the interaction between tariffs and the tax system reveals deeper distortions. U.S. export mechanisms such as …

A Comparison Of A Hyper-Heuristic And An Ea On The Portfolio Optimisation Problem, Rahul Soni, Matthew Craven, David Walker

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

We analyse a selection hyper-heuristic (SHH) and NSGAII for the multi-objective cardinality constrained portfolio optimisation problem, an NP-hard problem addressing the asset allocation trade-off between return and risk under constraints of the number of assets. We evaluated the performance of the SHH and NSGA-II for cardinality constraints K = {2, 5}. Our results are competitive with those of NSGA-II.

Utilizing Simulation Training To Understand Maternal Cardiac Arrest Precipitated By Amniotic Fluid Embolism: A Quality Improvement Project, Erica L. Wright, Megan L. Tiernan, Michael W. Neft, Paige Spagiare, Erica Coffin

Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (DNAP) Manuscripts

Background and Problem: Maternal cardiac arrest precipitated by amniotic fluid embolism is among the leading direct causes of death among laboring women (Enomoto et al., 2022). Because it presents suddenly without any immediate apparent cause and lacks specific diagnostic tests, frontline obstetric caregivers must be vigilant, competent, and prepared to handle this potentially catastrophic emergency. Coordination among multiple disciplines is paramount since two lives, not just one, are at risk. Unfortunately, the rarity of maternal cardiac arrest significantly limits opportunities for staff to learn how to identify and manage these events successfully. Method: This quality improvement project established a simulation-based …

Charles Coughlin: Conspiratorial Radicalization And The Making Of A Fascist, Rachel D. Thompson

Graduate Masters Theses

This paper traces the radicalization of Father Charles Coughlin, a radio populist radio preacher from the 1930s who is most well known today for the extreme anti-Semitism and fascist tendencies which defined the later parts of his career. It seeks to determine why Father Coughlin became a fascist, as well as examining how much of his fascism was evident in his earlier years. Major areas of focus include: 1) A conspiratorial anti-Communist worldview that would align Coughlin with right-wing authoritarianism and was present from his early days. 2) His ascent to becoming a national figure as a populist radio preacher …

Low-Cost Cutaneous Protoporphyrin Ix (Ppix) Detection (Cpd) Device For Follow-Up Monitoring Of Patients After Photodynamic Therapy, Md Asaduzzaman Rasel

Graduate Masters Theses

Background: Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) utilizes specific wavelengths of light to activate photosensitizing chemical compounds, known as photosensitizers, which induce the generation of cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) for the targeted destruction of cancer cells. Among various photosensitizers for PDT, Protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) is widely employed in oncology and dermatology due to its natural in situ generation via the metabolic conversion of 5- aminolevulinic acid (ALA), a non-phototoxic prodrug. Systemic administration of ALA after 3-6 hr drug delay leads to peak PpIX accumulation in tissues, facilitating therapeutic and diagnostic applications. However, PpIX can persist in the skin for 24–48 hours post-treatment, …

Molding Leominster's Plastics Industry: The Impact Of Italian Immigrant Labor, Kimberly M. King

Graduate Masters Theses

This thesis examines the centrality of Italian immigrant labor in launching Leominster, Massachusetts’ transformative plastics industry. The study traces the arc of the immigrants’ stories from their arrival at the turn of the twentieth century, when their unskilled labor helped Leominster transition from artisan comb production to industrial celluloid manufacturing, to their rise as new technical experts and company owners in the 1940s. They endured hazardous work conditions and social marginalization to create better lives for themselves and their families.

Ultimately, their efforts were critical to the expansion and global recognition of Leominster’s plastics industry. Yet the role of immigrant …

Sugar: A Sequence Unfolding Based Transformer Model For Group Activity Recognition, Yash U. Gondkar

Graduate Masters Theses

Large Language Models have improved significantly in the past couple of years due to the adoption of transformers. However, transformers still find it challenging to process videos due to limited context size caused by their quadratic computing cost. Therefore, we studied a booming field in machine learning which powers applications like social scene analysis and video surveillance systems called Group Activity Recognition (GAR). We found that recent models were able to achieve more than 90% accuracy on popular datasets like the Volleyball dataset, however, it turned out that even they relied on transformers.

Therefore, in this work, we developed a …

Exploring Potential Impacts Of Polyethylene Mesh And Polypropylene Rope Leachate On Bay Scallop (Argopecten Irradians) Survival And Growth, Katherine R. Johnson

Graduate Masters Theses

The bay scallop (Argopecten irradians), a commercially and ecologically significant bivalve along the Eastern coast of the United States, has faced severe population declines due to various anthropogenic impacts. At the same time, the proliferation of plastics, particularly in maritime industries, has introduced new threats to marine environments through both physical pollution and chemical leaching. This study aimed to assess the acute toxicological effects of leachates from two commonly used plastic products, polyethylene Netron and polypropylene rope, on A. irradians larvae. Experiments were conducted in June–July 2023 at the Nantucket Shellfish Hatchery. Leachates were prepared by incubating 0.5, …

On Being The Only: Using Black Feminist Thought And Hermeneutic Phenomenology To Deeply Understand Onliness As Experienced By Black Women In Stem, Karen M. Jarvis-Thorne, Karen M. Jarvis-Thorne

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

When a Black woman persists in a STEM undergraduate academic space as the only Black woman in that space, how is she shaped as a human being? How does she fare? How does the experience influence her decision making as she contemplates graduate school applications? Does the experience guide her decision to stay or leave STEM? In this study, the author used Black Feminist Thought to provide cultural and critical oversight of her engagement with Hermeneutic Phenomenology. Hermeneutic Phenomenology requires this oversight because the methodology’s theoretical foundations are grounded in Heidegger’s Nazism and should be critiqued if and when appropriate …

The Gendered Role Of Friendships For Advanced Care Planning And Health In Later Life, Zee Kee Emily Lim

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Friendship is becoming more pertinent to older adults because they are increasingly living with fewer family ties in later life due to changing social and demographic trends (Fiori et al., 2020; Verdery et al., 2019). However, friendships are not as extensively studied as compared to family relationships (Blieszner et al., 2019). Thus, additional research is needed to better understand the influence of friendships on health and health behaviors in later life.

This dissertation includes three studies that focus on the association between friendship and loneliness, advanced care planning, and cognitive function, examining the role of gender in these three studies, …

Multimodal Learning In Real-World Application: Enhancing Feature Representation And Training Strategies, Nana Lin

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Multimodal learning has emerged as a critical paradigm for developing intelligent systems that can understand and reason across diverse inputs such as images, text, and audio data. Despite significant advances, effective deployment of multimodal models in practice remains a challenging task. This dissertation explores how multimodal learning can be effectively applied to high-stakes, real-world scenarios, with a focus on enhancing feature representation and training efficiency. Specifically, this research investigates multimodal learning strategies in two key domains: healthcare and surveillance.

In the healthcare domain, we explored the data fusion and alignment approaches for cognitive decline diagnoses. First, we propose the LOVEMA …

Pipeline Vs. Choice: The Global Gender Gap In Stem Applications, Isaac Ahimbisibwe, Adam Altjmed, Georgy Artemov, Andres Barrios-Fernandez, Aspasia Bizopoulou, Martti Kaila, Jin-Tan Liu, Rigissa Megalokonomou, José Montalban, Christopher Neilson, Jintao Sun, Sebastian Otero, Xiaoyang Ye

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

Women account for only 35% of global STEM graduates, a share unchanged for a decade. We use administrative microdata from centralized university admissions in ten systems to deliver the first crossnational decomposition of the STEM gender gap into a pipeline gap (academic preparedness) and a choice gap (first-choice field conditional on eligibility). In deferred-acceptance platforms where eligibility is score-based, we isolate preferences from access. The pipeline gap varies widely, from -19 to +31 percentage points across education systems. By contrast, the choice gap is remarkably stable: high-scoring women are 25 percentage points less likely than men to rank STEM first.

Perception Of Conventional Cigarettes And Vaping Among Smokers And Nonsmokers: A Cross-Sectional Study, Indrayadi Gunardi, Rahmi Amtha, Firstine Kelsi Hartanto, Niko Falatehan, Alyah Heriandi, Angelita Victoria Kurniawan, Najla Nadiah, Wiwiek Poedjiastoeti, Andrijanto Andrijanto, Elizabeth Fitriana Sari

Journal of Dentistry Indonesia

Objectives: The growing popularity of vaping has introduced additional challenges, as potential health risks are still under investigation. Exploring differences in smoking perceptions between smokers and non-smokers could provide valuable insights into smoking behavior and inform effective intervention strategies. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the perceptions of smoking, specifically vaping and conventional cigarette use, among young adult smokers and non-smokers. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional design was employed, with 542 university students included through random sampling, using a questionnaire consisting of 8 items. Data were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test and Rasch model analysis. Results: Of the subjects, 259 …

Design And Development Of A Standalone Digital Holographic Microscope Employing Phase-Driven Reconstruction And Classification For Biomedical Imaging And Optical Diagnostics, Charlotte Kyeremah

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Access to advanced biomedical imaging technologies remains a significant challenge in resource-limited settings, especially for early disease detection and monitoring of diseases such as malaria, HIV, and other blood-borne diseases. Although point-of-care (POC) devices have gained popularity in global health, many rely on antibody-based tests, lateral flow strips, or optical readouts that often lack quantitative capabilities, sensitivity to early infections, or versatility in different diagnostic targets. In addition, these systems are typically dependent on disposable reagents or manual interpretation, which limits their effectiveness in remote areas. Digital Holographic Microscopy (DHM) presents a promising alternative as a label-free imaging method capable …

Transforming Student Coaching To Support Students' Personal, Academic, And Professional Success: Insights From The Student Success Coaching Programme, Abdellatif Atif, Tony Hall, Larissa Lamb, Michelle Millar, Majella Perry

Irish Journal of Academic Practice

The University of Galway introduced Student Success Coaching (SSC), a core commitment of an institution-wide innovation programme, Designing Futures. Designing Futures received significant government funding of €7.57m in 2020 to enhance the student experience through enterprise-engaged education, research-led learning, and cross-faculty teaching. An integral part of Designing Futures, SSC constitutes the holistic development element of the wider university programme, applying design thinking principles to support students’ personal, academic, and professional success. It encourages students to recognize their strengths and natural talents and navigate successful transitions into university life and community. Firstly, this paper outlines how design thinking theories and principles …

Subsidiarity In The Shadow Of Sovereignty, Loren King

Political Science Faculty Publications

Subsidiarity frustrates. It admits of clear articulation as an ideal (‘vest authority as close as feasible to those most affected’) but then invites conflicting interpretations and elaborations. As a workable principle, subsidiarity seems to founder exactly when we need it: when we ask what, precisely, that principle regulates. As a regulative moral precept, subsidiarity promises a politics sensitive to diverse needs and responsive to local knowledge, yet in practice any implementation of the ideal pulls us back toward an authoritative center to regulate disputes and coordinate all of this local wisdom. I love subsidiarity for these frustrations and ambiguities. In …

Infrastructure Equality, Deborah N. Archer, Yuvraj Joshi

Northwestern University Law Review

The United States’ racialized geographies have left communities of color with systematically inferior essential infrastructure that perpetuates their social and economic exclusion. From roads, public transportation, and sewage systems, to banks, high-speed internet, and high-quality public schools, people and communities of color have limited access to the fundamental infrastructure necessary to lead socially and economically vibrant lives. This Essay introduces “infrastructure equality” as a unifying framework to address the critical intersection of physical, social, and legal infrastructures that feed racial inequality. Drawing on multidisciplinary research, it argues that infrastructure—the interconnected and vital system of physical structures, networks, and social institutions—should …

Expression Graph Network Framework For Biomarker Discovery, Yang Liu, Jason Huse, Kasthuri Kannan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Biomarker discovery for complex diseases, such as cancer, hinges on uncovering molecular signatures that capture intricate, interconnected relationships within biological data-a challenge that traditional statistical and machine learning methods often fail to meet due to the complexity of high-dimensional gene expression profiles. To overcome this, we introduce the expression graph network framework (EGNF). This cutting-edge graph-based approach integrates graph neural networks with network-based feature engineering to enhance the predictive identification of biomarkers. EGNF constructs biologically informed networks by combining gene expression data and clinical attributes within a graph database, utilizing hierarchical clustering to generate dynamic, patient-specific representations of molecular interactions. …

Learning How To Interview For Qualitative Research, Kathryn Roulston, Brigette A. Herron, Caprial Farrington

The Qualitative Report

A key component of qualitative methods coursework has been the interview assignment, which typically prepares scholars to conduct in-person, individual, and open-ended interviews. This study examined what novice researchers did and learned during an interview assignment in an introductory qualitative methods course. Interview transcripts and reflections from 12 graduate students who enrolled in an online or face-to-face section of the course were analyzed. Findings review students’ reflections on the process of conducting the interview project, beginning with the preparation phase, what they discussed concerning how the interviews transpired and their experiences of the transcription process. The article reports on how …

Abiotic Factors Influencing Anuran Occupation Of Neotropical Brazilian Caves, Vinícius F. Sperandei, Willian Vaz-Silva, Tejerina-Garro L. Francisco

International Journal of Speleology

Despite increasing research on the Neotropical underground environment, anurans remain poorly understood in this habitat. It was analyzed scientific literature records of anurans in Brazilian natural caves and performed a redundancy analysis (RDA) to identify the environmental, taxonomic, geographic, geological and land-use variables that influence their cave occupancy. It was examined a total of 247 literature records, encompassing 83 species/morphospecies, which revealed distinct cave-dwelling tendencies. Some anuran species occupy caves at altitudes between 5 to 21 meters above sea level (m asl), in areas characterized by rocky outcrops and grassland. Others are associated with caves surrounded by forest, savanna, pasture …

Legal Reform To The Foundation Wage System Based On Worker Performance, Dyah Hapsari Prananingrum, Freidelino Paixao Ramos Alves De Sousa, Chris Emilians Putra Jacobus

Padjadjaran Jurnal Ilmu Hukum (Journal of Law)

The main issue raised in this article is the vagueness of the norm of worker competitiveness in the Indonesian Foundation Law. In achieving its aims, a foundation will face problems related to its own sustainability. Charitable activities that it is engaged in are believed to threaten its sustainability, in addition to achieve fairness both for foundation as employer and worker as employee, norm of worker performance in the form of wage based on performance are needed. Such an issue may be solved by reforming the Foundation Law with the adoption of a performance-based approach, similar to the Job Creation Law. …

Review Of The Role Of Psychological Curriculum In Vocational And Technical Education In China, Hengjun Wang, Siew Ping Wong

International Journal of Management, Finance and Accounting

The integration of psychological education in China's vocational and technical education (VTE) schools is increasingly recognized for its role in promoting students' personal and professional growth. This review synthesizes recent research to evaluate the integration of psychological education in VTE schools and its benefits, outcomes, and challenges. A psychological curriculum is found to enhance both students' personal and professional development. However, key findings also highlight the inconsistency in the implementation of psychological education among VTE schools and the insufficiency in updating the curriculum to address students' changes due to the transformation in technology and economy. Proposing a mixed-methods approach, the …

Bridging Innovation And Security: A Bibliometric Review Of Blockchain’S Impact On Higher Educational Institution Management, Zhi Ning Koo, Bak Aun Teoh, Phern Chern Bryan Teoh

International Journal of Management, Finance and Accounting

Blockchain technology in higher education institutions (HEIs) can revolutionize academic administration by improving data security, increasing transparency, and boosting operational efficiency. However, blockchain adoption in HEIs faces technological, organizational, and regulatory challenges. A bibliometric review procedure assessed the 246 relevant studies from Scopus peer-reviewed literature on blockchain adoption’s main themes, most prominent authors, journals, and articles. The findings highlight Blockchain’s ability to streamline credential verification, automate academic processes, and reduce administrative costs. However, key barriers such as scalability limitations, interoperability issues, financial constraints, and regulatory challenges continue to hinder widespread implementation. Besides, there is a significant gap in top management …

Identifying Potentially Illicit Money Laundering And Terrorism Financing Transactions Through Machine Learning Techniques, Shiuh Tong Lim, Rou Qing Khoo, Khai Wah Khaw, Xinying Chew

International Journal of Management, Finance and Accounting

Financial institutions worldwide face significant challenges in detecting and preventing illicit financial activities, such as money laundering and terrorism financing. Traditional rule-based methods often generate high false positive rates, increasing manual verification efforts and higher operational costs. This research explores machine learning techniques to enhance the detection of suspicious transactions. Several algorithms, including K-Nearest Neighbors, Decision Tree, Random Forest, Logistic Regression, Support Vector Machine, and Naïve Bayes, are applied and evaluated using a dataset from a financial institution. After a comprehensive performance assessment, the Random Forest model is the most effective, exhibiting the highest accuracy of 0.9333 in identifying suspicious …

The Impact Of Social Media On Consumer Satisfaction: The Role Of Usage Frequency, Brand Image, Brand Identification, And Content Quality, Yu Qing Soong, Qizhilu Zhang, Quan Kai Ang, Wei Chien Ng

International Journal of Management, Finance and Accounting

In recent years, consumers have widely utilised social media to be particularly involved with interested brands via online platforms, share their opinions, and easily explore brand-related information. Hence, this study examined the impacts of social media, from the perspectives of usage frequency, brand image, brand identity, and brand content, on consumer satisfaction in China based on social identity theory and attachment theory. The research applied a quantitative method via an online questionnaire, and 302 valid responses were received. After the data was collected and a research model was built, multiple regression analysis was utilised to analyse the data and prove …