Digital Commons Network^™

"Using A Sledgehammer To Crack A Nut" A Proposal To Re-Frame The Media Industry's Perspective On Generative Ai, Reace Barnett

Student Theses and Dissertations

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) continues to be a divisive topic in the media industry and there are concerns about technical challenges that may affect GenAI’s trustworthiness and reliability. As such, fears of degraded public trust in media products and services have arisen, and while we have a tendency to trust machines, it is clear that public attitudes toward automated decision-making are contentious. Previous research on machine cues found that they are associated with increased perceived objectivity and willingness to disclose information. Conversational GenAI may reduce political polarization, yet many people remain worried about risks such as bias, hallucinations, improper attribution, …

Assessing The Effectiveness Of Wetland Reserve Easements As Habitat For Birds In The Mississippi Alluvial Valley Of Eastern Arkansas, Colin K. Dobson

Student Theses and Dissertations

Globally, wetland habitats suffered major declines during the 20th century. In the 1990s, the United States government created the Wetland Reserve Program (later consolidated into the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program), to combat the loss of wetlands. Despite success in attracting landowners, minimal monitoring of properties enrolled into the program (easements) has occurred. In this study, we monitored avian communities at easements, compared avian diversity at easements to agriculture and bottomland forests, and quantified microhabitat, site-specific, and surrounding landscape features at easements. We also studied the demographic rates of an indicator species of bottomland forests, the Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea) at …

The Ecotoxicological Implications Of Switching From Fluorescent To Light Emitting Diode Lighting For Zooplankton Culturing And Whole Effluent Toxicity Testing, Orithea Z. Regn

Student Theses and Dissertations

In the global transition toward light emitting diode (LED) lighting, an understudied area is the impact on the culturing and testing of Whole Effluent Toxicity (WET) testing organisms, more specifically, the zooplankton species. Without comparison to the current lighting used for culturing and testing, it is unknown if there will be an impact on performance, which could affect effluent, regulatory, and product safety decisions. This dissertation investigated if culturing and reference toxicity testing using sodium chloride for Ceriodaphnia dubia, Daphnia magna, and D. pulex under LED lighting was comparable to fluorescent. Comparisons were made between two laboratories and by season, …

The Efficacy Of Open Educational Resources On Achievement Outcomes In Higher Education Institutions, Charles Trevor Alder

Theses and Dissertations

Achievement gaps remain a concern in higher education, reflected in differences in academic performance, retention, and persistence. These gaps often affect students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and underserved populations. Open educational resources (OER) have been suggested to reduce financial barriers and support student success. This study examined whether student-level and institutional-level factors predict academic performance in a business management course using OER. Average quiz scores were collected from students across 12 higher education institutions and analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling. Colleges were included in the analysis to determine whether outcomes differed based on the proportion of minority and Pell-eligible students. …

Expert Asymmetry: Evidence From Securities Litigation, Adam Callister, Andrew Granato, Belisa Pang

Articles

Modern litigation often involves two separate, extra-legal features: (1) contingency fee arrangements with the plaintiff-side attorney, and (2) a “battle of the experts” where the outcome of the case rests on conflicting expert witness testimony. We construct a model to illustrate that when these features occur simultaneously, in contexts where plaintiff-side attorneys bear the cost of hiring experts upfront, defendants will spend systematically more than plaintiffs on hiring expert witnesses. Our model is motivated by hand-collected data from a decade of securities class action litigation, where we show that experts polarize into almost entirely plaintiff-side versus defense-side experts, that defense-side …

Retirement At Risk: The Political Economy Of Public Pension Governance, Allen Mendenhall, Dan Sutter

Journal of New Finance

State public pension systems manage over $6 trillion in assets while facing approximately $1.3 trillion in unfunded liabilities, raising fundamental questions about governance effectiveness and fiduciary accountability. This Article examines these challenges through the analytical framework of governance, applying insights from public choice, principal-agent models, and corporate governance to argue that details in implementation significantly impact outcomes.  We offer Ohio’s State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) as a case study. Recent governance reforms in Ohio—including legislative restructuring of the STRS board and enactment of fiduciary standards legislation modeled on the American Legislative Exchange Council’s framework—suggest the potential for earlier governance problems. …

Leadership Strategies Healthcare Leaders Use To Improve Organizational Performance, Rushell Latoya Bryce

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Teacher Retention: Do Job Satisfaction, Support From Administrators, Professional Development Opportunities, Student Behavior, And School Culture Directly Affect Whether A Teacher Decides To Stay At A School Or Leave?, Robert Dawson Parrott

Education Theses and Dissertations

Teacher retention has reached crisis levels nationwide, with nearly 50% of beginning teachers leaving within five years. Teacher attrition increased to 27.3% in 2022–2023 in a large suburban school district in North Texas. This translated to over $1.1 million dollars in teacher salary expenditures alone. This Dissertation in Practice utilized mixed-methods research grounded in Improvement Science and Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles to explore five campus-level contributors to teacher retention that fell under the control of building-level administrators: job satisfaction, administrative support, professional development, campus culture, and student behavior supports. In Phase 1 a teacher intent survey (n = 63) and focus group …

Using United States Medicare Program Claims To Identify Reliable Measures Of Low Value Services Influenced By Primary Care Physician Decisions, Chris Fleming, Dmitriy Poznyak, Rhea E. Powell, Claire Erba, Eunhae Shin, Rui Wang, Claire Burkhart, Arkadipta Ghosh, Eugene C. Rich

Division of Internal Medicine Faculty Papers & Presentations

BACKGROUND: Low-value services (LVS) are those that “… provide little to no benefit to patients….”¹ Among an existing set of 31 LVS are invasive procedures not typically performed by primary care physicians (PCPs), and other LVS that may be commonly provided by specialists. To facilitate research on the role of primary care physicians in low-value care, we sought to identify the reliability of two subsets of LVS measures that are more directly subject to PCPs’ decisions. We refer to these as primary care adjacent (“PCA”) LVS measures.

METHODS: Retrospective observational cohort study to identify which of a 31-item LVS …

Sirt1 And Ifi16 Cooperatively Regulate Hbv Replication Via Epigenetic Modulation And Innate Immune Activation, Zahra Zahid Piracha, Umar Saeed, Neelam Abid, Syed Shahan Gilani, Hafiz Ahmad Bilal Akhtar Chughtai, Areesha Wasti, Muhammad Waseem, Dilber Uzun Ozsahin, Andromeda M. Nauli, Surya M. Nauli

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Background

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) establishes persistent infection through the formation of a covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) minichromosome, which enables immune evasion and sustained viral replication. While SIRT1, IFI16, and STING are known to modulate antiviral pathways, their cooperative role in regulating HBV transcription and host immunity remains poorly defined.

Methods

We investigated the functional interplay between SIRT1, IFI16, and STING using confocal microscopy, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), gene silencing, and quantitative PCR in HBV-replicating cell models. Interactions with HBV cccDNA and effects on viral transcription and interferon-stimulated gene (ISG) expression were analyzed. Northern blotting and RT-qPCR were used to …

Across Borders, Across Cultures: A Quest For Health And Well-Being Portfolio, Carrington Connor

UN SDG Open Pedagogy Faculty Fellowship: Renewable Assignments

No abstract provided.

The Transitional Liver Clinic: Study Protocol For A Stepped-Wedge Cluster Randomized Trial, Lindsay Yoder, Elliot B. Tapper, Richard S. Kalman, Mary Rinella, Nicole Bendin, Manisha Verma, Francis Pike, Naga Chalasani, Neha Nalumasu, Eric S. Orman

Einstein Health Papers

BACKGROUND: Patients with complications of advanced liver disease experience high rates of hospital readmission after discharge. Transitional care models have improved outcomes in other chronic conditions, but their efficacy in liver disease care remains uncertain. This randomized trial evaluates the effectiveness of a tailored transitional care model-the Transitional Liver Clinic (TLC)-in reducing readmissions, improving quality of life, and enhancing patient satisfaction for patients with advanced liver disease.

METHODS: This is a 45-month, stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial enrolling up to 1000 patients with advanced liver disease across 4 academic medical centers. Each site transitions from usual care to the TLC intervention …

Research Networks As Social Infrastructure For Researcher Wellbeing And Inclusion In A Post-Merger Technological University, Shane Francis Conway Phd, James Britton Phd, Alan Naughton

Irish Journal of Academic Practice

As a recently established technological university, Atlantic Technological University continues to evolve its research structures across a distributed, multi-campus environment. As is common in post-merger contexts, there are opportunities to further strengthen cross-campus engagement, collegiality and inclusion. This paper presents a practice-based, research-informed analysis of Research Network formation at ATU, developed under the RISE@ATU programme. It demonstrates how such networks can serve as social infrastructure to support researcher wellbeing, connection and collaboration within a post-merger technological university, with particular relevance to other regionally distributed higher education institutions. The analysis is informed by institutional experience, including a university-wide researcher engagement campaign …

The Impact Of Madden-Julian Oscillation On Rainfall Variability In South Sulawesi And Its Implications For Science Education, Misbahuddin Mansur, Pariabti Palloan, Agus Susanto

Jurnal Pendidikan Sains

This study examined the relationship between the Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) and rainfall variability in South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia, using daily rainfall observations from 24 stations during 1990–2020. A quantitative observational design based on long-term climatological time-series analysis was employed. MJO activity was identified using the Real-time Multivariate MJO (RMM) index, while rainfall variability was analyzed through rainfall anomalies, rainfall frequency, and spatial patterns across Seasonal Zones (ZOM). The results indicate that active MJO phases were generally associated with wetter conditions and higher rainfall frequency, whereas suppressed phases corresponded to drier conditions. Rainfall responses varied considerably among regions, with coastal areas …

Assessing Rural Homelessness: A Mixed-Methods Case Study, Matthew J. Lyons

Faculty Articles

Rural homelessness represents a significant public health and human rights challenge, but research on homelessness in the United States has predominantly focused on urban settings. This case study describes a mixed-methods assessment of the prevalence, causes, and consequences of homelessness in a rural county. Through both surveys and interviews with stakeholders from multiple sectors (including both service providers and those experiencing homelessness), we built a rich picture of the scale and experiential dimensions of homelessness within the county. Here, we present our research methods, the main findings of each primary data collection arm, and the actionable conclusions drawn from the …

Dealing With Generation Z (Gen Z) Library Users In Information Services Provision: The Challenges Before Nigerian Public University Libraries, Inemesit Udom Udoh

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Generation Z are today’s bubbling population in various organizational settings, including students in the institutions of higher learning, with diverse information needs and expectations. This study examined the challenges of dealing with Generation Z (Gen Z) library users in information services provision in Nigerian public university libraries. It adopted a mixed methods research design of quantitative and qualitative types, with a population of four hundred and one (401) professional librarians from 8 public university libraries. A sample size of 205 professional librarians was selected using proportionate stratified random sampling technique. Data were collected with structured questionnaire, semi-structured interview and observation …

Integration Of Culturally Responsive Teaching Strategies In High School Science Classes, Pamela Chanell Williams

Student Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study investigated the integration of culturally responsive teaching strategies in high school science classes. The problem addressed in this study is that teachers are underprepared to employ culturally responsive teaching strategies to facilitate academic success in science courses for culturally and linguistically diverse students. By investigating the integration of culturally responsive teaching strategies during instruction, improvements can be made to the effectiveness of professional development centered on culturally responsive teaching strategies found in the Ready for Rigor framework. The conceptual framework that served as the foundation for this study was Hammond’s (2015) Ready for Rigor framework. Questionnaires, …

The Chemotherapy Use And Adverse Effects Of Patients With Lung Cancer At Regional General Hospital In Surabaya, Indonesia, Rika Yulia, Aguslina Kirtishanti, Heru Wijono, Eko Setiawan, Bobby Presley, Tjie Kok Go, Ni Putu Irma Mayani, Anna Febriani, Halim Priyahau Jaya, Fauna Herawati

Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research

In Indonesia, lung cancer is the leading cause of death related to cancer, according to Global Cancer Observatory. Chemotherapy is the most common treatment since it works systemically and can prevent cancer cells from spreading to other organs. Cytotoxicity of chemotherapy can also put patients at high risk of experiencing adverse effects. This study aimed to evaluate the congruity of chemotherapy use with treatment recommendations and the profile of adverse effects, not only acute but also delayed adverse drug reactions. This prospective observational study involved 41 adult patients with lung cancer who received chemotherapy. Data is collected through patients’ medical …

Adherence Trajectories To Antipsychotic Medications Among South Carolina Medicaid Beneficiaries With Schizophrenia Or Schizoaffective Disorder, Maggie Gu, Chao Cai, Chandana Chidrala, Lauren Wier, Qi Wang, Robert Bank

Posters

Background: Schizophrenia is a chronic mental disorder that requires lifelong treatment. Medication nonadherence contributes to poor medical outcomes; the ability to predict a patient‚Äôs adherence trajectory cannot be understated in forestalling negative effects of nonadherence. This study aims to identify antipsychotic adherence latent classes among patients diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and evaluate predictors of adherence latent classes. Healthcare utilization, including hospitalization and emergency department (ED) visits, by latent class were also evaluated.   Methods: This study utilized South Carolina Medicaid claims for beneficiaries diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder from 2012 to 2020. Eligible patients were observed with baseline …

Evaluating The Impact Of Opioid Use In Functional Limitation And Healthcare Utilization Of Arthritic Patients Using Methotrexate In The United States, Oluwafeyisayo Obadimu

Podiums

Introduction: Arthritis remains a leading cause of chronic pain, disability, and healthcare expenditure in the United States, affecting over 53-million adults and contributing to economic burden exceeding $580 billion/annum. Despite widespread use, evidence on the impact of chronic opioid therapy on functional outcomes and healthcare utilization is limited. This study evaluates impact of opioid use on functional status and healthcare utilization among arthritis patients using methotrexate. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using 2018 - 2022 data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. Adults (18 years) with arthritis using methotrexate were categorized into opioid users and non-opioid users. Functional …

An Empirical Study Of Rlvr Fine-Tuning For Mathematical Problem Solving In Llms, Rashmi Konnur

Master’s Dissertations

Large language models have shown immense improvement in coding and math performances thanks to reinforcement learning boosted algorithms. However, its true impact on broadening the reasoning and analytical capacities of an LLM is still contended. In this dissertation, we outline the foundations of Large Language Models, and delve into Reinforcement Learning with Verifiable Rewards (RLVR). We discuss various strategies to efficiently manipulate memory during a fine tuning update. We finally perform RLVR fine-tuning techniques on different models with varied use cases and compare their performances, which corroborate the efficiency of RLVR.

Enhancer Rna Transcription Near Segmentation Gene Enhancers Can Be Analyzed In Situ Using Fish, Christine Mau, Benjamin Schmid, Ezzat El-Sherif

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

Enhancer RNAs (eRNAs) are non-coding transcripts produced at enhancer regions, which appear to be involved in transcriptional regulation. Up to date, these have been primarily investigated using labor- and cost-intensive genomic techniques. However, the precise mechanisms by which eRNA transcription or eRNA transcripts themselves mediate transcriptional regulation remain unclear. Here, we present a novel experimental approach that allows us to analyze characteristics of eRNA transcription in fixed and live whole Drosophila melanogaster embryos. We employ the anterior–posterior patterning genes as a model system to investigate the dynamics of eRNA expression, utilizing an imaging-based approach. We combined high-sensitivity fluorescence in situ …

From Athens To Jerusalem: Platonism, Richard Owen, And The Road Not Taken In Biology, Michael A. Flannery

Libraries Professional Work

Tertullian provocatively asked (circa 200 AD), “What indeed has Athens to do with Jerusalem? What concord is there between the Academy and the Church?” The relationship between formal philosophy and religion has been a contentious battleground ever since. It has historically come into sharpest focus in biology generally, and evolutionary theory specifically. Charles Darwin clearly won the day in the short-term. His evolutionary functionalism looked like an inglorious abandonment of time-honored metaphysical realism for positivist empirical reductionism with a concomitant horizontalization of perspective that has secularized and flattened the intellectual landscape. But more recently the rise of evo-devo (evolutionary developmental …

The Political Culture Of Taxation, Steven M. Karceski, Steven Pfaff

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

In My Tax Dollars: The Morality of Taxpaying in America, Ruth Braunstein explores the political culture of taxation in contemporary America. Calling our attention to the origins of contemporary tax debates, she shows how morality and American civil religion influence how citizens understand taxation, citizenship, and the proper scope of government. In this article, we review Braunstein's main arguments and the evidence she presents in support of them. We take stock of the book's theoretical frame work and the applicability of the concepts it borrows from the sociology of religion. For all there is to like about Braunstein's book, …

Licensed Professional Counselors’ Experiences Of Treating Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Jazzmine Dallas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Freedom Of Thought And Speech: Charles C. Burleigh And The Refraction Of Quaker Principles In Abolitionist Non-Violence, Jennifer Rycenga

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Charles C. Burleigh (1810-1878), an important American Abolitionist speaker, agent, and theorist, was also an advocate for non-violent resistance. He had many opportunities across his 30+ years fighting slavery to test his non-violent principles, due to mob violence against Abolitionist gatherings. At some of the most significant of these events, such as the destruction of the Abolitionist's Pennsylvania Hall in 1838, Burleigh witnessed the strength and resolve of African-American and white women in upholding non-violence and moral suasion.

While Burleigh never became a member of the Society of Friends, his life and thought run parallel to ideas and practices of …

Choroidal Imaging Features Of Kif11-Associated Retinopathy: Expanding The Ocular Phenotype, Lily C. Farrell, Justin Muste, Atharva Hudlikar, Xin Ying Rachel Song, Pearse A. Keane, Rupesh Agrawal, Jose S. Pulido

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: To characterize foveal architecture and choroidal morphology in KIF11-associated retinopathy using multimodal imaging, and to assess for pachychoroid-like features using quantitative choroidal thickness (CT) and choroidal vascularity index (CVI).

METHODS: In this retrospective case series, multimodal imaging from two patients (four eyes) with genetically confirmed KIF11-associated retinopathy was analyzed. En-face optical coherence tomography (OCT) images of the macular and inferior peripheral retina were spatially aligned to widefield fundus images to enable fovea-centered spatial mapping. The choroid was segmented and binarized on OCT B-scans to derive quantitative macular CT and CVI measurements, and CT measurements in the mid-peripheral and peripheral …

Neddylation Maintains Oocyte Quality By Stabilizing Mitochondrial Transcription, Avery A Ahmed, Tessa E Steenwinkel, Bethany K Patton, Peixin Jiang, Matthew D Meyer, Jaspreet K Rishi, Mei Leng, Alexander B Saltzman, Elizabeth S Anaya, Momal Sharif, Laurie J Mckenzie, Laura Detti, Anna Malovannaya, Sean M Hartig, Stephanie A Pangas

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Age-related decline in oocyte quality increases the risk of infertility, miscarriage, and birth defects. Mitochondrial dysfunction is a key contributor to this decline. Here, we report that oocyte-specific deletion of Uba3, which encodes the catalytic subunit of the E1 NEDDylation-activating complex, causes sterility in mice. Fully grown, germinal vesicle–stage Uba3 conditional knockout oocytes exhibit mitochondrial dysfunction, including elevated reactive oxygen species, impaired oxidative phosphorylation, and depletion of mitochondrially encoded RNA transcripts. Proteomic analysis identified alterations in mitochondrial-associated proteins, including enrichment of mitochondrial matrix and respiratory chain components and reduced abundance of electron transport chain complexes. These defects were associated …

Hiring Trends In The Hotel Industry Post-Covid-19: Human Resource Professionals’ Perspectives, Anthony Liu

JWU Dissertations & Theses

The U.S. hotel industry experienced severe workforce disruption following the COVID-19 pandemic, including layoffs, employee exits, persistent labor shortages, and shifting employee expectations (Baum et al., 2020; Ghani et al., 2022; Kwok, 2022; Liu-Lastres et al., 2023). Although hotels increased wages, expanded scheduling flexibility, and improved benefits, many hotels continued to experience staffing shortages that affected recruitment, retention, operational efficiency, and service delivery (AHLA, 2024b; Aksoy et al., 2022; Ghani et al., 2022). Existing research has examined employee outcomes and organizational responses; however, limited empirical attention has been given to hotel HR professionals’ experiences and perspectives on post-pandemic hiring …

Education For Sustainable Economic Development – Insights From Brazil, Ozéias Rodrigues Da Rocha

Doctoral

Purpose: This doctoral thesis examines the impact of Education for Economic Sustainable Development (ESD) in the municipality of Turmalina-MG, Brazil, with a focus on how primary education contributes to sustainable economic growth, environmental sustainability, and social equity. The research is guided by the central question: What is the impact of Education for Economic Sustainable Development (ESD)? The study also evaluates the extent to which local educational initiatives align with specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).

Methodology: Data were collected from one dominant primary school in Turmalina-MG through semi-structured …