Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluating The Gomath! Curriculum For Supporting Middle School Students' Mathematics Learning, Janet J. Muckerheide

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in this study was that the GoMath! curriculum implemented in 2016 by St. Anne Middle School’s (a pseudonym) administration to support Grades 6-8 student mathematics learning had not been evaluated to determine its effectiveness. Guided by Stufflebeam’s context, input, process, and product (CIPP) evaluation model, the purpose of this project study was to evaluate if the GoMath! curriculum was effective in supporting Grades 6-8 students’ mathematics learning. This program evaluation assessed the curriculum across four CIPP dimensions: context (alignment with standards), input (teacher support and professional development [PD]), process (student engagement), and product (academic outcomes). Document analysis …

On Closed-Form Preintegration For A Class Of Mixed-Invariant Systems In Seₙ(3), Li-Yu Lin, Kartik A. Pant, Benjamin Perseghetti, James Goppert

School of Aeronautics and Astronautics Faculty Publications

A large class of nonlinear systems in engineering and robotics evolves on geometric manifolds, such as fixed-wing aircraft, quadrotors, etc., whose kinematic motion can be described using Lie groups, in particular SEn(3) . The existing techniques involve numerical integration methods such as Runge-Kutta integration to propagate their motion forward in time. However, these methods are approximate solutions and do not respect the geometric constraints of the nonlinear differential equation, leading to higher computational costs and numerical integration errors. To this end, we propose a geometric closed-form approach to solve the initial value problem for a class of nonlinear systems that …

Why Would I Befriend A Bot? Assessing Factors Influencing The Usage Of Social Chatbots For Digital Natives, Mohammad Amin Kuhail, Jihene Mrabet, Rafiq Hijazi, Justin Thomas

All Works

With advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), social chatbots (SCs) can now simulate meaningful, sympathetic interactions that blur the line between human and machine connection while also providing social and emotional support to its users. Generation Z (Gen Z), as tech-savvy digital natives, prefers individualized and emotionally engaging digital interactions, making them an important demographic for the adoption of AI-powered SCs. This study investigates the factors influencing Gen Z's use of SCs, focusing on emotional support, attitudes towards AI, loneliness, and hedonic motivation. The study employed a quantitative survey with 156 participants who interacted with an SC and completed a questionnaire …

Exploring The Figured Worlds And Identity Of Religious Women In Mathematics-Related Majors, Rachel K. Reynolds

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis investigates how religious women in mathematics construct and navigate their identities within the intersecting figured worlds of gender, religion, and mathematics. Drawing on Holland et al.’s (1998) theory of figured worlds and informed by identity theory, this study examines how these women experience, negotiate, and position their identities within these figured worlds. Through interviews with women who are simultaneously committed to religious life and mathematical scholarship, the research reveals that rather than perceiving conflict between these domains, participants often find points of integration and mutual reinforcement. Their narratives illuminate how identity is shaped through cultural contexts, institutional expectations, …

Global Tracking Of Marine Megafauna Space Use Reveals How To Achieve Conservation Targets, Ana M.M. Sequeira, Jorge P. Rodríguez, Sarah A. Marley, Hannah J. Calich, Mirjam Van Der Mheen, Michelle Vancompernolle, Lucy M. Arrowsmith, Lauren R. Peel, Nuno Queiroz, Marisa Vedor, Ivo Da Costa, Gonzalo Mucientes, Ana Couto, Nicolas E. Humphries, Sara Abalo-Morla, Scott R. Benson, Scott A. Shaffer, For Full Author List, See Comments Below

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The recent Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) sets ambitious goals but no clear pathway for how zero loss of important biodiversity areas and halting human-induced extinction of threatened species will be achieved. We assembled a multi-taxa tracking dataset (11 million geopositions from 15,845 tracked individuals across 121 species) to provide a global assessment of space use of highly mobile marine megafauna, showing that 63% of the area that they cover is used 80% of the time as important migratory corridors or residence areas. The GBF 30% threshold (Target 3) will be insufficient for marine megafauna’s effective conservation, leaving important areas …

Unraveling The Enigma Of Classification Of Synthetic And Genuine Information Using Machine Learning And Explainable Ai, Vishnu S. Pendyala

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

There is a preponderance of AI-generated text everywhere today. Literature shows that there has been considerable success in detecting such text. This paper uses explainable AI (XAI) techniques to get insights into the workings of the machine learning models used to classify synthetic text. In detecting such text, this work analyzes synthetic and genuine information from visualization and explainability perspectives. The text is converted into vector embeddings using Robustly Optimized BERT Pretraining Approach (RoBERTa). Variational Autoencoders (VAEs) are used for visualization and Support Vector Machine (SVM) is used for classification. Local Interpretable Model-Agnostic Explanations (LIME), SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP), and …

Large Language Models For Quantitative Analysis Of Statutory Stringency And Its Correlation With Sexual Assault Crime Rates, Samhita Konduri, Vishnu S. Pendyala

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Sexual assault (SA) crimes are among the most important issues for our current society to solve, with these crimes in particular having long-term consequences on victims and their communities. To solve this issue, one approach is to make laws and penalties for these crimes stricter. However, there have not been any studies on the relationship between stricter penalties and lower crime rates, especially about SA crimes, in a quantitative manner. The biggest barrier to conducting a quantitative study on the strictness of laws and statutes is the lack of a standardized measure of how strict a legal text is. This …

Improving Follow-Up Adherence: A Case Study On Patient Experience Initiatives, Aaron Haley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Patient-centered care has become increasingly paramount in healthcare organizations (Thummak et al., 2023). A critical component of this model is patient adherence to scheduled appointments, as missed visits can negatively affect outcomes (Halladay et al., 2019), increase healthcare costs, waste resources, and disrupt workflow (Low et al., 2023). This qualitative case study investigated the factors contributing to patient nonadherence to scheduled visits in a multidisciplinary behavioral health organization (BHO) in the Southwestern United States. The study utilized data from the behavioral health leader (BHL), organizational records, and secondary sources and was guided by the Baldrige Framework of Excellence as its …

Business Sustainability Strategies Used By Small- And Medium-Sized Enterprise Owners In The Nigerian Hotel Industry, Victor Robert Uko

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) owners in the hotel industry face survival challenges during economic downturns, such as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the 2016 oil glut crisis. SME hotel owners are concerned about addressing these challenges to ensure profitability and sustainability amid economic crises. Grounded in the resource-based view theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to explore strategies SME hotel owners used to maintain business success amid economic crises. The participants were six SME hotel owners in Nigeria who had implemented strategies to remain profitable and sustainable. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and a …

Development Of Antimicrobal Formulations From Natural Extracts And Silver Nanoparticles, Ellen Hoey, Lily Jaiswal, Shiv Shankar

Level 3

No abstract provided.

A Case Study Of An Instructional Design Model For Creating Scalable Courses In Healthcare, Zoaib Mirza

Theses and Dissertations from DePaul University

This case study examines the instructional design model used to develop scalable online courses in the Healthcare Information Management (HIM) program at an online healthcare education institution. With the growing demand for healthcare professionals, heightened by global crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, scalable and efficient online education solutions are vital. The study explores how collaboration between Curriculum and Academic departments ensures alignment with industry standards, promotes efficiency, and maintains academic rigor. Using a case study methodology, the research analyzes the roles, phases, and outcomes of the instructional design process, emphasizing reductions in development time, cost, and resources while preserving …

Childhood Myopia Part Ii: Treatment Mechanisms, Emerging Options, And Considerations, Safal Khanal Dr, Erin S. Tomiyama Dr, Síofra Harrington Dr

Articles

Abstract

The rapidly increasing prevalence of myopia and its association with vision-threatening complications in later life has intensified efforts to identify treatments that can prevent the onset and slow the progression of myopia in children. These efforts have led to the development of several optical, environmental, and pharmacological myopia control treatments. Investigations of additional treatment options are ongoing and have shown great promise for clinical translation. Although significant progress has been made in identifying potential pathways and modes of action of these treatments, a complete mechanistic understanding is still lacking. This critical review article explores the potential mechanisms underlying the …

Childhood Myopia Part I: Contemporary Treatment Options., Safal Khanal Dr, Erin S. Tomiyama Dr, Síofra Harrington Dr

Articles

Abstract

Childhood myopia is a growing global public health concern. Treatments to control myopia are a priority because myopia, particularly high myopia, poses significant lifelong risks of vision loss from myopia-associated ocular pathologies. Intensive research efforts over the past two decades have led to the development of several effective strategies for controlling myopia in children: increased time outdoors, atropine eye drops, dual-focus and multifocal contact lenses, orthokeratology lenses, and specialized spectacle lenses. While the efficacy of these strategies is variable, evidence is growing regarding the potential benefits of applying these interventions in children with myopia, although none completely halt myopia …

Thin And Ephemeral Snow Shapes Melt And Runoff Dynamics In The Peruvian Andes, Catriona L. Fyffe, Emily Potter, Evan Miles, Thomas E. Shaw, Michael Mccarthy, Andrew Orr, Edwin Loarte, Katy Medina, Simone Fatichi, Rob Hellström, Michel Baraer, Emilio Mateo, Alejo Cochachin, Matthew Westoby, Francesca Pellicciotti

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The snow and glaciers of the Peruvian Andes provide vital water supplies in a region facing water scarcity and substantial glacier change. However, there remains a lack of understanding of snow processes and quantification of the contribution of melt to runoff. Here we apply a distributed glacio-hydrological model over the Rio Santa basin to disentangle the role of the cryosphere in the Andean water cycle. Only at the highest elevations (>5000 m a.s.l.) is the snow cover continuous; at lower elevations, the snowpack is thin and ephemeral, with rapid cycles of snowfall and melt. Due to the large catchment …

‘I Want To Break Free’ - Reflecting On The Use Of Educational Escape Rooms For Entrepreneurial Education And The First Year Experience, Jennifer Cowman

Irish Journal of Academic Practice

This reflective case study explores the use of Educational Escape Rooms (EERs) within a first-year business module at TU Dublin, developed in response to persistent engagement and retention challenges (Shah et al., 2021; Byrne et al., 2012). Using BreakoutEDU kits and guided by best practice principles including alignment, narrative, and debriefing (Nicholson, 2016; Veldkamp et al., 2020a), sequential EERs were implemented over two academic years. The design focused on key entrepreneurial competencies such as collaboration, communication, and problem-solving (Duggins, 2019; Hartman-Caverly, 2022), with tasks embedded in module topics on environmental analysis and introduction to marketing. Observational insights suggest EERs yielded …

Partitioning Around Medoids On Product Spaces: A Clustering Approach For Cylindrical Data, Yahia Hammami, Houyem Demni, Amor Messaoud, Giovanni C. Porzio

SAML-25 Workshop on Statistical and Machine Learning

Clustering is a common unsupervised task in data analysis and machine learning. It deals with finding clusters of objects that are characterized by the highest similarity within the same cluster and the highest dissimilarity between different clusters. One of the most used algorithms in clustering is the popular Partitioning Around Medoids (PAM), also known as k-medoids [4, 5]. The algorithm imposes the center of clusters to be some of the data points, and it looks for a minimal value of the sum of the dissimilarity to all the objects. One of the recognized properties of such a method is its …

The Golden Standard: Potential Of Gold Nanoparticles In Cancer Research And Therapy, Caoimhe Mcmanus, Shubhrima Ghosh Dr.

Level 3

No abstract provided.

Development Of Antimicrobial Formulations From Natural Extracts And Zinc Nanoparticles, Mia Keane, Lily Jaiswal, Shiv Shankar

Level 3

No abstract provided.

A Cascading Effects Model Of Early Sensory Development In Autism, Natalie Russo, Carissa J. Cascio, Grace T. Baranek, Tiffany G. Woynaroski, Zachary J. Williams, Shulamite A. Green, Roseann Schaaf

Department of Occupational Therapy Faculty Papers

Autism has historically been defined by the presence of differences in social communication and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities (RRBs). Since 2013 when the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders was published, sensory features were added as one of the polythetic restricted and repetitive behavior diagnostic criteria of autism, though it has remained understudied. Here, we summarize theory and research to provide support for the perspective that early sensory functions and experiences play a primary role in autism and have downstream effects on social communication and repetitive behavioral features of autism. The …

Land Instability Compounds The Risk Of Sea Level Rise In Alexandria, Egypt, Rejoice Thomas, Sara Zouriq, Shahryar Fazli, Amr Fawzy, Nikolay Grisel Todorov, Surendra Maharjan, Wenzhao Li, Erik Linstead, Daniele Struppa, Hesham El-Askary

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

The coastal region of Alexandria Governorate in Egypt holds significant strategic importance for trade while being susceptible to extreme weather events. It confronts a dual challenge of the rising sea levels and, as found in this study, land instability. While much attention has been rightly directed towards sea level rise (SLR), the stability of the land warrants equal consideration. Here, a comprehensive analysis of land stability is conducted in Alexandria by measuring Line of Sight (LOS) displacements and assessing their topographical, hydrological, and coastal impacts. Persistent Scatterer Interferometry technique is used to measure the LOS displacements in association with land …

Ensemble-Based Binding Free Energy Profiling And Network Analysis Of The Kras Interactions With Darpin Proteins Targeting Distinct Binding Sites: Revealing Molecular Determinants And Universal Architecture Of Regulatory Hotspots And Allosteric Binding, Mohammed Alshahrani, Vedant Parikh, Brandon Foley, Gennady M. Verkhivker

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

KRAS is a pivotal oncoprotein that regulates cell proliferation and survival through interactions with downstream effectors such as RAF1. Despite significant advances in understanding KRAS biology, the structural and dynamic mechanisms of KRAS allostery remain poorly understood. In this study, we employ microsecond molecular dynamics simulations, mutational scanning, and binding free energy calculations together with dynamic network modeling to dissect how engineered DARPin proteins K27, K55, K13, and K19 engage KRAS through diverse molecular mechanisms ranging from effector mimicry to conformational restriction and allosteric modulation. Mutational scanning across all four DARPin systems identifies a core set of evolutionarily constrained residues …

Eliminating Assay Background Of A Low-Cost, Colorimetric Glutamine Biosensor By Engineering An Alternative Formulation Of Cell-Free Protein Synthesis, Joseph P. Talley, Tyler J. Free, Tyler P. Green, Dallin M. Chipman, Bradley Charles Bundy

Faculty Publications

Glutamine is an essential biomolecule that plays a pivotal role in many diseases, such as cancer, where it can serve as fuel for rapid proliferation. Treatments for these diseases can be monitored and optimized through the detection of glutamine, though standard glutamine detection procedures are costly and require complex instrumentation. Cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) has recently enabled a paper-based, colorimetric glutamine sensor that carries the potential to increase test accessibility while dramatically reducing consumer cost to enable at-home, rapid treatment monitoring. Test sensitivity remained limited by residual assay background, thus motivating this work where CFPS reactions traditionally formulated with glutamate …

Performance Of Islamic Banks During The Covid-19 Pandemic: An Empirical Analysis And Comparison With Conventional Banking, Umar Butt, Trevor Chamberlain

All Works

This study examines the performance and resilience of Islamic banks during the COVID-19 pandemic, a period marked by unprecedented global economic disruption. Drawing on empirical data and a comparative analysis with conventional banking institutions, the research evaluates key financial indicators—liquidity, profitability, asset quality, and capital adequacy—to assess how Islamic banks responded to the crisis. The unique principles of Islamic finance, including risk-sharing, asset-backed financing, and the prohibition of interest and speculative activities, provide a distinct framework for crisis response. By analyzing how these features influenced bank performance during the pandemic, the study offers valuable insights into the relative robustness of …

Effect Of Fibonacci-Inspired Multi-Layer Aluminum Sheets Under Double-Nose Projectile Impact, Shaima Ali Alhosani

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

This research examines the ballistic performance of multi-layered Aluminum 2024 sheets designed with Fibonacci-inspired spacing patterns when subjected to double-nose projectile impacts. Through a numerical simulation, five configurations were studied: a monolithic reference plate (L0) with 0.82 mm thickness, and four multi-layer configurations (L1 to L4), all maintaining a constant total thickness of 1.74 mm. Three projectile types were considered Blunt-Conical (BC), Conical-Blunt (CB), and Blunt-Blunt (BB). Among these, the L1 configuration (two layers separated by a 0.1 mm gap) consistently offered the best ballistic resistance, outperforming more complex arrangements. As layer complexity increased from L1 to L4, overall performance …

Hope And Blessings: A Homeless Student’S Story, Kennedy Pazos

Wisdom & Compassion: The LUSON Journal

No abstract provided.

Research Integrity In The Era Of Generative Artificial Intelligence, Andrea Wilson, Cheryl Burleigh

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Protecting research integrity is crucial for maintaining trust in the scholarly record. Historically, threats to research integrity stemmed from deliberate human actions, such as data manipulation and misrepresentation. Generative artificial intelligence (GAI) is increasingly prevalent in higher education and is capable of generating research data and scholarly papers almost instantly. The immediate production of research data challenges traditional standards of academic rigor and integrity. The purpose of this study was to explore the role and impact of GAI on research integrity and the scholarly record, emphasizing the need for robust safeguards. For this study, we submitted Likert-type survey questions to …

Retraction Notice: Enhancing Project Tracking Through Microsoft Power Platform Automation: A Case-Based Study Using Power Bi

AUIQ Technical Engineering Science

Reason for Retraction:

The authors have disclosed that the article includes confidential and proprietary data, specifically within one of the figures (Figure 9), which was published without authorization from the data-owning organization. This constitutes a violation of publishing ethics as defined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and necessitates formal retraction.

Large Language Model Based Automated Labeling Of Keypoints In Images Of Rooms, Adam Zu, Fengtao Fan

Defensive Publications Series

Spatial applications require accurate geometrical measurements of physical spaces. Typically, room geometry can be determined based on the position of various corners in the room. A room keypoints model can provide the locations of corners in an image of a room. However, there is a dearth of diverse types of suitable images with labeled keypoints that can be employed to train keypoint models. Manual labeling does not scale because it is tedious, slow, and expensive. This disclosure describes an LLM-based agent to automate the labeling of keypoints, such as corners within room images at scale, thus enabling speedy generation of …

Chemical Composition Of Omani Red Seaweeds (Gelidium Omanense And Melanothamnus Somalensis) And Their Phytochemicals As Extracted By Different Organic Solvents, Abdullah Al-Nassri, Ahmed Al-Alawi

Journal of Agricultural and Marine Sciences

Seaweeds are divided into three categories: green, brown, and red. Each group of seaweeds consists of several families that have differences in composition. Even at the genus level, there are differences in some ingredients, although in general composition, they are nearly the same. Environmental conditions, availability of nutrients, and maturity stage are the main reasons for composition differences. This study aimed to determine approximate composition, mineral profile, protein quality and phytochemical properties of Melanothamnus somalensis & Gelidium omanense seaweeds. Both seaweeds are very abundant in Oman and seaweed Gelidium omanense is one of the unique seaweeds to Oman. Five organic …

Derivation And Experimental Validation Of A Parameterized Nonlinear Froude–Krylov Force Model For Heaving-Point-Absorber Wave Energy Converters, Houssein Yassin, Tania Demonte Gonzalez, Gordon Parker, Giorgio Bacelli, Carlos Michelen

Michigan Tech Publications

Wave energy converters (WECs) have gained significant attention as a promising renewable energy source. Optimal control strategies, crucial for maximizing energy extraction, have traditionally relied on linear models based on small motion assumptions. However, recent studies indicate that these models do not adequately capture the complex dynamics of WECs, especially when large motions are introduced to enhance power absorption. The nonlinear Froude–Krylov (FK) forces, particularly in heaving-point-absorbers with varying cross-sectional areas, are acknowledged as key contributors to this discrepancy. While high-fidelity computational models are accurate, they are impractical for real-time control applications due to their complexity. This paper presents a …