Digital Commons Network^™

Improving Neutron Scattering And Fission Modeling With Modern Machine Learning, Karl Daningburg

Theses

We describe the development of a novel emulator for the fission fragment decay code, $\texttt{CGMF}$, which calculates the emission of prompt neutrons and $\gamma$ rays from fission fragments.  The emulator described in this work uses a combination of a noisy emission model and mixture density network to model the neutron and $\gamma$-ray multiplicities and energies.  In this manuscript, we display the power of this type of emulator for not only modeling average prompt fission observables but also correlations between fission fragment initial conditions and these observables, using both neutron-induced and spontaneous fission reactions. We find that neutron ($\gamma$-ray) multiplicities can …

Patient-Centered Approach To Surgical Prevention Of Ovarian Cancer: A Nonrandomized Clinical Trial, Karen H Lu, Andrea R Hagemann, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

IMPORTANCE: Risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO) is an effective option to prevent ovarian cancer in high-risk individuals, but adverse effects from premature menopause are a barrier to uptake. Interval salpingectomy with delayed oophorectomy (ISDO) may be an effective alternative.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of ISDO vs RRSO and sexual function and menopausal symptoms.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This prospective, multicenter, nonrandomized (patient preference) clinical trial was performed among Women Choosing Surgical Prevention participants with a pathogenic or likely pathogenic germline variant conferring an increased risk for ovarian cancer. Patients from 9 US centers were enrolled from June 2, 2016, to October …

Prescribed Short-Acting Hormonal Contraceptive Use Among Premenopausal Females, Israel Bacha, Suleepon Uttamapinan, Hannah Harsanyi, Abigail Liberty, Lin Yang, Adetunji T Toriola

2020-Current year OA Pubs

IMPORTANCE: Hormonal contraceptive use has important implications for both reproductive and general health. However, the patterns and trends of short-acting hormonal contraceptive use among US premenopausal females remain insufficiently characterized.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate trends in and factors associated with prescribed short-acting hormonal contraceptive use among US premenopausal females.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Serial, cross-sectional analyses were conducted using US nationally representative data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), including 10 survey cycles between 1999 to 2000 and 2017 to 2020 (before the COVID-19 pandemic). Participants included noninstitutionalized premenopausal females aged 15 years to younger than 60 years …

Cumulative Dose Of Chemotherapy And Survival Outcomes In Children With Average-Risk Medulloblastoma Treated On Children's Oncology Group Study Acns0331, Erin Wright, Catherine Billups, Sarah Rush, Yimei Li, Anna Janns, Jeff M Michalski, Ralph Salloum, Peter De Blank

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Although survival outcomes for average-risk (AR) medulloblastoma remain excellent, patients experience significant long-term toxicities. To evaluate the effect of therapy dose modifications among children with AR medulloblastoma, we examined the association of cumulative chemotherapy dose with overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) for patients treated on Children's Oncology Group (COG) study ACNS0331.

METHODS: A cohort of children enrolled on ACNS0331 (medulloblastoma confirmed by methylation, received standard dose craniospinal radiation, and completed all cycles of chemotherapy) were evaluated for cumulative chemotherapy dose intensity continuously and categorically (≥75% or < 75% of planned dose). Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to examine associations of proportion of planned chemotherapy received with outcome. A secondary analysis separately evaluated each of the 4 molecular subgroups: Wnt-activated (WNT), Sonic Hedgehog Activated (SHH), group 3 and group 4.

RESULTS: Two hundred thirty-five children were followed for a median of …

Integration Of A Task Strengthening Strategy For Hypertension Management Into Hiv Care In Nigeria: Baseline Characteristics Of Participants In A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial, Weixi Chen, Juliet Iwelunmor, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Improved access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) has increased survival among people living with HIV (PLWH) but also the burden of cardiovascular risk factors like hypertension. While the task-strengthening strategy for hypertension control (TASSH) is a viable integrated care model, evidence of its clinical impact in Africa is limited. This report presents baseline findings from a trial evaluating 2 implementation strategies for integrating TASSH into HIV care across primary health centers (PHCs) in Lagos, Nigeria.

METHODS: A total of 3,504 PLWH on antiretroviral therapy in 30 PHCs were screened, and 830 were enrolled. Baseline data on patient sociodemographic, clinical, laboratory …

Wooster Magazine: Summer 2026, Caitlin Paynich Stanowick, The College Of Wooster

Wooster Magazine: 2021-2030

 The summer 2026 issue of Wooster magazine explores the role of mentorship in shaping inquiry, confidence, and lifelong learning at The College of Wooster. Features examine how personalized guidance supports student research through Independent Study, including projects by psychology and music, classical studies, physics, and computer science and neuroscience students that explored music cognition, ancient texts, consciousness, and distant galaxies. Additional featured stories highlight a faculty professional learning community focused on strengthening mentoring practices across campus and alumni Amber Rice ’01, Austin Russell ’19, Marcel El Kouri ’21, and Emily Beuter ’20, who carry forward the lessons and values of …

When Ecology Encounters Industry: Dynamics Of Local Community And Floodings In The Bahodopi Morowali Mining Area Of Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, Yahya Yahya, Muhammad Junaidi

Forest and Society

The expansion of extractive industries, particularly nickel mining, has become a major driver of socio-ecological transformation and forest loss in the Global South. In Bahodopi, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, downstream industrial policies and global energy transition demands have rapidly transformed forested, agrarian, and coastal landscapes into industrial frontiers. This study exposes the green transition paradox, wherein global decarbonization efforts inadvertently produce severe environmental destruction and localized ecological crises at the resource frontier. Drawing on a political ecology framework and ethnographic fieldwork, this article examines recurrent flooding as a socio-ecological process shaped by mining expansion, political deforestation, and unequal power relations among …

Llu Dentistry 2026 Summer Edition, Loma Linda University School Of Dentistry

Articulator (Dentistry)

In this issue:

4 | Dean's Message
9 | LLUSD Homecoming 2026: A Celebration of Legacy & Future Growth
19 | Celebrating 48 Years A Tribute to Kathleen Moore Rychman
21 | A Natural Calling: Dr. Yawen Peng, Program Director
22 | A Legacy of Excellence R. David Rynearson, DDS'71, MS'87 honored with the O.B. Vaughan Special Recognition Award
25 | CDA Presents Anaheim
32 | Dental Hygiene Pinning Ceremony
36 | Called to Serve Baccalaureate and the Class of 2026
40 | Commencement
45 | President's Award
46 | Prince Award
54 | Dental Hygiene Student Awards
56 | …

Tales Of The Empathic Support Provider: How Emerging Adult Women Make Sense Of Providing Empathic Support To Female Friends, Emma R. Eslinger

Department of Communication Studies: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The current study explored the stories and reflections of 33 emerging adult women who made sense of their empathic support provider (ESP) identity in the context of female friendships. From the standpoint of the retrospective storytelling heuristic, within communicated narrative sense-making theory, participants told stories about their ESP identity, including how they provide support to others and reflect on the benefits of drawbacks of serving in this role (CNSM, Koenig Kellas, 2022). Under Proposition 1 of CNSM theory, meanings, values, and beliefs (MVBs) that ESP women expressed in this role were depicted as key takeaways gathered. Findings illuminated how ESP …

Implementing A Sensory-Informed Protocol For Fall Prevention In A Skilled Nursing Facility, Riley R. Scholberg, Amy Lyons-Brown, Elizabeth Force

Summer 2026 OTD Capstone Symposium

This capstone project developed and implemented a sensory-informed admission protocol to support fall prevention at a skilled nursing facility. The development of this protocol aimed to improve the early identification of vision and hearing impairments and integrate sensory considerations into resident care planning and fall prevention. Participants included newly admitted residents and interdisciplinary staff members from rehabilitation, nursing, and administration. Methods included administering the Screening for Severe Dual Sensory Loss (SDSL), reviewing resident characteristics and fall-related indicators, educating staff on sensory-informed care, and developing practical resources to support consistent screening, documentation, and intervention. Expected outcomes included increased staff knowledge, improved …

Impacts Of Climate Hazards On Employment And Earnings By Hazard Type, Industry, Race, And Ethnicity, Dania V. Francis, Keren M. Horn

Sustainable Solutions Lab

We examine the relationship between climate-related disasters and subsequent county-level aggregate employment and earnings. We combine earnings and employment data from 2000 to 2023 with data on disasters to estimate local projection impulse response functions relating extreme disaster events to cumulative percent changes in employment and earnings. On average, disasters appear to reduce employment growth three to five years post disaster. There are small positive impacts on earnings. These results are largely driven by responses to hurricanes and tropical storms. Key rebuilding industries such as construction see short-term gains in employment that turn to losses in the longer-term that are …

Antibody-Oligonucleotide Conjugates: An Emerging Modality For Precision Rna Therapeutics, Chen-Hsu Yu, Summer Y Y Ha, Zhiqiang An, Kyoji Tsuchikama, Wenbo Li

The Brown Foundation: Institute of Molecular Medicine

RNA-targeting therapeutics have enormous potential to precisely target disease-causing RNAs, extending beyond the traditional limits of "druggability" for small molecules, antibodies, and protein-targeting cell therapies. However, one crucial limitation is that RNA-targeting drug modalities (such as oligonucleotides) cannot effectively reach diseased tissue or cell types. Antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates (AOCs) emerge as a promising frontier in aiding RNA therapeutics by harnessing antibodies to deliver drug modalities to target specific RNAs in desired tissues or cells. In this Review, we summarize the critical components of AOCs, key considerations for their design and manufacturing, ongoing AOCs in preclinical/clinical development, and disease indications. We discuss …

Dc/Dc Converter For A Solar Module, Stella Uribe, Richie Zaragoza, Olivia Grace Tran, Phillip Tyler Rich

Electrical Engineering

This project focuses on the design and validation of a general-purpose DC/DC power converter intended for use with photovoltaic (PV) solar modules operating under variable environmental and loading conditions. Solar panels exhibit significant variation in output voltage, current, and available power due to changes in irradiance, temperature, and operating point, making direct connection to downstream loads impractical. The proposed system addresses this challenge by providing a single, user-adjustable regulated DC output capable of both stepping up and stepping down the solar module voltage. The converter is designed to interface with solar modules rated between 50 W and 400 W, with …

Remote Controlled Pushcart, William B. Rakoz, Logan M. Beard, Jesus B. Galindo, Jacob Anderson

Electrical Engineering

This senior project developed a low-cost remote controlled golf push cart by retrofitting a conventional cart with independently driven hoverboard wheels, an ESP32 controller, BLE communication, a 36 V battery, an MPU-6050 IMU, an LD-19 LiDAR, and custom PETG components. The final scope emphasized reliable remote operation, differential steering, controlled acceleration, heading stabilization, emergency stopping, and obstacle-aware speed limiting. A separate neural-network controller was trained in simulation as a future autonomy pathway; autonomous target following was not integrated into the final cart. Verification recorded a maximum speed of 4.3 mph, operation on a 15-degree incline, a 0.75 s emergency-stop response, …

Stationary Bike Power/Efficiency Monitor, Paula J. Diaz, Pilar M. Cook, Danielle Rhind

Electrical Engineering

This project developed a real-time power and efficiency monitoring system for a SportsArt ECO-POWR stationary exercise bicycle. The goal was to measure rider mechanical power and electrical power delivered to the utility grid simultaneously, allowing the overall bike-to-grid efficiency to be calculated and displayed in real time. Rider power was measured using Garmin Rally ANT+ power pedals, while grid power was measured using a Yokogawa WT310E power analyzer. A Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ synchronized both data sources, calculated efficiency, displayed live performance metrics through a graphical user interface, and logged measurement data to CSV files for later analysis. The …

Autonomous Terrain-Mapping Robot For Search And Rescue, Soumil Joshi, Seann Calub

Electrical Engineering

This report documents the design, modular testing, and challenges faced while developing an autonomous terrain-mapping robot intended to navigate to a destination waypoint and deliver a small payload for search-and-rescue applications. The system combines a LiDAR sensor, an IMU sensor, and a Raspberry Pi 3B as the onboard processor, and an ESP32 microcontroller interfacing with motor drivers over a four-wheel chassis. A companion mobile application was developed to enable remote control and monitoring of the robot over a WiFi hotspot connection. A lithium-ion battery pack supplies power to all onboard components, with power budgets verified against component datasheets. Testing progresses …

Assessing Vertebrate Biodiversity In An Agricultural And Urban Impacted River Using Environmental Dna Metabarcoding, Surabhi Nair

AES Theses

Rivers are dynamic freshwater systems that can experience shifts in flood regime that are driven by anthropogenic activity and climate change. These changes may no longer support the native species in the ecosystem and can favor invasive generalist species. The Pajaro River supports a range of urban, agricultural, and natural habitats and is prone to seasonal flooding that can affect habitat conditions and biodiversity. Current vertebrate diversity in the Pajaro River is not well understood, although traditional surveys have documented both rare and invasive species. Environmental DNA, or eDNA, can help address gaps in traditional monitoring by detecting elusive or …

Utah County-Level Emergency Manager Survey, Bailey Holdaway, Courtney Flint, Gina Gilson, Richard Rushforth

Environment and Society Student Research

County emergency managers are central to preparing for and responding to hazards. This brief highlights preliminary survey findings and highlights opportunities to strengthen Utah's statewide hazard resilience.

How To Tell A True Food Allergy From An Intolerance, Sarah Gubara, Aarti Pandya

Pediatrics in Practice: A CME Podcast

This episode explains the key history elements and symptom timeline that differentiate an IgE-mediated food allergy from an intolerance or sensitivity, so clinicians and parents can make safer, evidence-based decisions. Aarti Pandya, MD, Medical Director of the Food Allergy Center at Children’s Mercy, reviews symptom patterns, timing and red flags for anaphylaxis. Learn about food allergy testing, IgE-mediated food allergy, anaphylaxis action plan, epinephrine auto-injector, food intolerance and when testing is truly warranted.

Click here to stream the podcast episode.

The Allure Of A Slow Life Strategy: How Mating Context And Ecological Harshness Shape Mate Preferences, Lynn K. L. Tan, Nicole Ruiying Chen, Kenneth Tan, Norman P. Li

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Although mate preferences have been extensively studied across various factors such as physical attractiveness or social status, their connection to life history strategy remains underexplored. Specifically, do individuals prefer mates who display signs of a fast or slow strategy? And what might qualify these preferences? Drawing from life history theory, we suggest that mate preferences are sensitive to cues of prospective mates' life history strategy, and that these preferences are malleable and shaped by ecological conditions. We hypothesize that in general, individuals will favor slow (versus fast) strategists as a mate. This is because modern environments are generally defined by …

Idenscarty: Sewing As A Coping Mechanism Beyond Reductive Aesthetics And Capitalism, Edward Berchie Osei

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The act of sewing, an intergenerational craft often subordinated to aesthetics and capitalism, is being recognized for its benefit to emotional well-being, identity (re)formation, cultural continuity, and communal interconnectedness. In this context, this thesis emerges from my lived experiences and artistic inquiry into how sewing, slow-sewing in particular, can serve as a therapeutic practice, with special consideration for contemporary art pedagogy. Central to the thesis is the concept of IDENSCARTY, which combines themes of identity, scars, and transcultural influence to project the responsive abilities of Therapeutic Sewing Practices (TSP), a term that highlights the workability of slow-sewing practices. Informed by …

Mental Health Stigma In Latin American Youth With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Ryan J. Mccarty, Matias Jensen, Elissa Paz Jensen Santa Cruz, Melisa N. Sagarnaga, Pamela Claisse Quiroz, Isabella A. Cruz, Laura D. Seligman, Joseph D. Hovey, Monica E. Ochoa, Nadeen Salhadar

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an impairing mental health condition that affects individuals across the lifespan. Some literature has evaluated mental health stigma in adults with OCD but limited attention has been given to youth, as well as those of Latino ancestry. The present study reported the extent of stigma experiences among Latin American youth with OCD, as well as examined sociodemographic, clinical and psychological correlates. 235 youth with clinician confirmed diagnoses of OCD from 10 North and South American countries completed questionnaires assessing stigma experiences, symptomatology, and functioning. Sociodemographic and clinical variables were also collected. The average OCD stigma response …

Mindfulness To Reduce Psychotropic Prescriptions In Home-Based Elderly Patients, Mojisola Akinola Olusegun

All Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects

Problem: Home-based adults aged 65 years and older receiving care at a community behavioral health center exhibited high psychotropic polypharmacy, with over 80% prescribed two or more psychotropic medications, exceeding The Center for Medicare and Medicaid services (CMS) guidance for safe use. This pattern heightened risks for adverse drug events, functional decline, and avoidable healthcare utilization, while exposing a practice gap characterized by underuse of non-pharmacologic interventions.

Aim of the Project: The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project aimed to determine whether integrating a structured Mindful Breathing and Meditation (MBM) program into routine services could reduce psychotropic medication burden …

Glacier Elevation Difference Data For The Conterminous U.S., Andrew G. Fountain, Bryce Allen Glenn, Christopher Mcneil, Brian Menounos

Geology Faculty Datasets

Historic and recent elevation data for the glaciers in the conterminous US were differenced to estimate glacier mass and volume change.

Historic glacier elevations were obtained from the USGS National Elevation Dataset (https://doi.org/10.15760/geology-data.04), a digitized product from the USGS 1:24,000 paper topographic maps that included the glacier extent (Gesch, 2007). Recent glacier elevations were derived from aerial lidar and from satellite radar. The lidar data were largely obtained from the USGS 3D Elevation Program (Stoker and Miller, 2022; US Geological Survey, 2024), and filtered by acquisition date using only those data collected between mid-summer and early autumn. The …

Patient Perspectives On Psychiatric Polygenic Risk Scores In Reproductive Decision-Making And Polygenic Embryo Screening., Lauren A Ginn, Amanda R Merner, Page M Trotter, Kaitlynn P Craig, Abigail C Martinez, Ana Lucía Battaglino, Dorit Barlevy, Daphne M Ayton, Takahiro Soda, Eric A Storch, Gabriel Lázaro-Muñoz, Stacey Pereira

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Polygenic risk scores (PRS) estimate individuals' genetic risk for developing multifactorial conditions. Recent genome-wide association studies have enabled development of psychiatric PRS, which hold potential to streamline diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric conditions. As individuals with mental illness often identify concern about passing on psychiatric conditions as a key factor in family planning, some may also seek to use psychiatric PRS in reproductive decisions like childbearing or embryo selection for in vitro fertilization. Despite calls for increased regulation, there remains no clinical consensus on the utility of psychiatric PRS in reproductive contexts. Therefore, we conducted semi-structured interviews of adults with …

Antibiotic Administration After Previable Preterm Prelabor Rupture Of Membranes Is Associated With Prolonged Latency, Alexandra L Hammerquist, Alexander M Saucedo, Selina L Bowler, Mohan Pammi, Catherine Eppes, Ignatia Van Den Veyver, Michael D Jochum, Enrico R Barrozo

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

Introduction: While antibiotics have been shown to increase the interval to delivery between rupture of membranes and delivery (latency) and improve neonatal outcomes after viable preterm prelabor rupture of membranes (PPROM), this has not been well investigated in the previable PPROM population. We aimed to investigate the association between antenatal antibiotics and latency following previable PPROM. Secondarily, we examined various maternal and neonatal outcomes. We hypothesized that the administration of antibiotics would prolong latency in pregnancies with previable PPROM.

Methods: Single-center retrospective cohort study that included pregnancies diagnosed with previable PPROM between 140/7 and 216/7 and delivered between 2012 and …

Borderplex Business Barometer, Volume 10, Number 7, Thomas M. Fullerton, Steven L. Fullerton

Border Region Modeling Project

No abstract provided.

Tailoring Interventions For Patient Safety Protocol: A Strategy To Prevent Inpatient Falls, Yashu Adhikari

All Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects

Problem: Inpatient falls were a significant safety issue at the project site, substantially affecting patient outcomes and organizational resources. The identified gap was the lack of individualized, patient-centered fall-prevention strategies despite the presence of standard fall-prevention bundles. The baseline fall rate of 6.04 was 20% higher than the national benchmark of three to five falls per 1,000 patient days, indicating a clear need for improvement.

Aim of the Project: The quality improvement (QI) project aimed to improve patient safety by reducing inpatient falls through implementation of the AHRQ Fall Tailoring Interventions for Patient Safety (TIPS) protocol on a …

Improving Timely Hospice Pain Reassessments Through A Quality Improvement Initiative, Brianna Strong-Mosley

All Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects

Problem: In a hospice care organization, a practice gap was observed in prompt pain reassessment with an onset or increase of pain, as mandated within a 48-hour timeframe by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Baseline data showed that only 40% of eligible patients with a pain score of ≥ 6 received a documented pain reassessment within 48 hours. Overall patient satisfaction with hospice services was 45%.

Aim of the Project: The quality improvement project aimed to enhance pain management by increasing the percentage of eligible hospice patients with a documented pain score of ≥ 6 from a …

2026 Hillsborough County Fair 4-H Animal Shows Book, Carrie A. Finke

UNH Cooperative Extension

2026 HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY AGRICULTURAL FAIR

4-H ANIMAL SHOWS

Entries will be submitted through 4-H Zsuite https://4h.zsuite.org/. Due August 29th Late entries by permission only.

All classes and show days/times are subject to change.

Contact the 4-H Office with questions, [email protected] or 603-641-6060.

Camping is limited and must be reserved in advance through https://www.hcafair.org/4hstore (contact the 4-H office for password)

Breakfast: Thank you to our generous donors & volunteers who will provide breakfast for 4-H members participating in the Hillsborough County Fair on Saturday & Sunday from 7am-9am.  Please see your Superintendent for your ticket.

Animal Olympics: Sunday afternoon. …