Digital Commons Network^™

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 …

‘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 …

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 …

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 …

What Utahns Can Do To Strengthen Girls & Women: Findings From Community Conversations Across Utah, Corinne Clarkson, Susan R. Madsen

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

For many people, Utah is a great place to live.¹ The state consistently ranks high in national rankings and boasts high volunteerism, affordability, happiness, outdoor recreation, social mobility, and more.² These top rankings emphasize qualities we can—and should—be pleased with. However, extensive research continues to show that women and girls are not thriving in many critical ways, and that has detrimental effects for Utah families and communities.³ From economic insecurity, limited access to mental healthcare, sexism in the workplace, and unequal representation in all sectors of leadership, Utah women face a myriad of challenges, often without the …

Portuguese For Mozambican Mothers – A Language Empowerment App, Josh Kindarara, Alexandre Lopes, Gwendolyn Patwardhan, Riana Santos, Sara Wheeler

Computer Science and Engineering Senior Theses

In Mecúfi, Mozambique, the mothers of children who attend school through the DIFF EDUCATION program have a strong desire to learn Portuguese, the country’s national language, due to colonization. However, they have minimal formal education and little to no experience with technology. They are unable to read or write in any language, including their native language, Makhuwa, making many current educational resources unusable. This leaves these mothers without accessible, culturally relevant tools to help address their linguistic needs.

This project focuses on developing an educational application designed for non-literate mothers in rural Mozambique. The app emphasizes visual and auditory learning …

The Blue Division In The Soviet Union: Cultural Exchange Through The Lens Of Art, Abigail Beus

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis examines the cultural encounters and artistic interactions between Spanish Blue Division volunteers and the Soviet Union during World War II. While scholarship has long focused on the grand-scale looting conducted by the Nazis, Spain’s role—particularly that of the Blue Division—in wartime art theft and cultural exchange has been significantly underexplored. Sent by Franco’s fascist regime to support Hitler’s invasion of the Soviet Union, the Blue Division served not only as military auxiliaries but also as cultural intermediaries. Drawing on memoirs, letters, and the Blue Division’s own newspaper Hoja de Campaña, this study analyzes how Spanish soldiers encountered, …

Sg-Met: Past To Present Day Evolution, Aiden Echols, Bs, Madison Via, Bs, Audrey L. Zapletal, Otd, Ms, Otr/L, Cla, Chse, Karla A. Bell, Pt, Dpt, Phd, Fnap

Thomas Jefferson University Faculty Days

Background

LGBTQ+ communities experience health care and health disparities; some reasons include:

• barriers in care,
• negative attitudes,
• lack of awareness by healthcare providers.

Studies have found healthcare professionals are not adequately trained in LGBTQ+ care

Educators benefit from professional development related to LGBTQ+ inclusivity in higher education.

Direct Upcycling Of Degraded Ncm Via Low-Temperature Surface Engineering For High Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries, Yu Wang, Chris Yuan

Faculty Scholarship

Upcycling degraded low-Ni cathode materials into Ni-rich alternatives offers significant economic and environmental benefits for lithium-ion battery production. However, the stability and safety of the upcycled materials remain challenging due to their aggressive composition. This study reports an innovative two-step upcycling method that integrates a coating process with a low-temperature annealing process, thereby successfully upcycling degraded NCM622 with a LiAlO2 coating layer. Through comprehensive characterization, the recovery of crystal structure and uniform LiAlO2 coating on the particle surface are confirmed by XRD and XPS results. As a result of structural recovery and surface engineering, upcycled NCM622 demonstrates an initial capacity …

Dairy And Food Science Student Newsletter, June 4, 2025, Department Of Dairy And Food Science

Dairy and Food Science Student Newsletter

No abstract provided.