Digital Commons Network^™

Biologic Therapies Versus Methotrexate In Psoriatic Arthritis Management: A Literature Review, Yisel Ramos

The PA Department Journal of Medical Science

Introduction: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that can cause progressive joint damage, functional impairment, and reduced quality of life. Methotrexate (MTX) is commonly used as a systemic therapy, while biologic therapies target specific inflammatory pathways. This review evaluated the efficacy and safety of biologic therapies compared with MTX in adults with PsA.

Methods: A PubMed/MEDLINE search identified studies evaluating biologic therapies and MTX in adults with PsA. Four publications were included based on methodological quality, clinical relevance, and applicability to the PICO question. Outcomes included joint symptoms, disease activity, physical function, radiographic progression, and adverse …

Prescribing Prevention: The Impact Of Non-Pharmacological Intervention Versus Medication On Maternal Mortality, Sheris Cox

The PA Department Journal of Medical Science

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), including preeclampsia, are one of the leading causes of maternal mortality in the world. The purpose of this literature review is to evaluate the effectiveness of nonpharmacological interventions, including supervised exercise, Mediterranean dietary patterns, and mindfulness-based therapies, in reducing and preventing HDPs and maternal mortality overall. A review of the current literature was conducted using PubMed, with a final search using the terms “preeclampsia,” “exercise,” “stress reduction,” and “maternal mortality.” With the use of certain filters applied to the search, results were condensed to 10 articles for review. Of the articles reviewed, it was found …

Efficacy Of Sglt2 Inhibitors In The Management Of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Paige N. Curtis-Campbell

The PA Department Journal of Medical Science

Introduction: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), recently proposed to be termed polyendocrine metabolic syndrome (PMOS), is a complex multifactorial disorder commonly associated with obesity, hyperandrogenism, infertility, and insulin resistance. First-line treatments for metabolic characteristics include lifestyle modifications and metformin; however, metabolic abnormalities may persist. Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors represent a potential therapeutic agent due to their effects on insulin resistance, glucose metabolism, and body weight.

Methods: A literature search of PubMed identified studies examining SGLT2 inhibitors in women with PCOS compared to metformin, standard therapies, or placebo. The search was restricted to randomized controlled trials (RCTs), systematic reviews, and meta-analyses available …

Effect Of Intramedullary Nailing Vs Plate Fixation On Bone Union Time In Distal Tibial Fractures, Madeline Wasmund

The PA Department Journal of Medical Science

Distal tibia fractures are complex fractures due to the intricate anatomy and minimal soft-tissue protection. There are currently two techniques that are mainstays for repairing a distal tibia fracture: intramedullary nailing and plate fixation. This study explores the bone union time between these two different techniques. PubMed was searched with a specific search strategy using the terms “intramedullary rod”, “plate/screw fixation”, “tibial fractures”, and “time to bone union.” Filters were applied to find articles that were most relevant, which resulted in 4 articles, each of which was appraised. Three articles were systematic reviews/meta-analyses comparing intramedullary nail fixation and plate fixation …

Catheter Directed Thrombolysis Vs Anticoagulant Therapy For The Management Of Pulmonary Embolisms, Kelsey A. Strawser

The PA Department Journal of Medical Science

A pulmonary embolism is a blood clot that develops within a blood vessel and travels to the lungs, leading to a blockage of blood flow where it can cause life threatening complications.¹ Currently, there is not one standard treatment for pulmonary embolisms. Treatment depends on the size and location of the emboli, as well as the risk it has to the patients’ health.⁹ While systemic anticoagulation is one of the most common treatment methods for pulmonary embolisms, catheter directed thrombolysis rapidly dissolves the clot, which can lead to quicker symptom relief and decreased strain on the heart.^{11 …}

Clomiphene Vs Letrozole For Fertility In Women With Pcos., Lauren Weissenberger

The PA Department Journal of Medical Science

Introduction: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a condition associated with ovulatory dysfunction and infertility in women. The purpose of this review is to analyze the efficacy of clomiphene versus letrozole in ovulation induction, pregnancy rate, and live birth rate in women with PCOS.

Methods: PubMed was searched strategically using key terms “polycystic ovary syndrome”, “clomiphene”, and “letrozole”. The following filters were applied: randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, free full text, English language, and publication dates restricted to the last five years. Results narrowed down to three relevant, quality articles for review.

Results: One article was an RCT comparing clomiphene …

Orthosis Versus Surgical Repair Outcomes Of Developmental Dysplasia Of The Hip In Children, Avery G. Hays

The PA Department Journal of Medical Science

Introduction:

            Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is one of the most common orthopedic malformations in children. Late detection of DDH can lead to more invasive treatment, higher risk of treatment related complications, and long-term sequelae like early onset osteoarthritis. The purpose of this clinical review is to analyze current treatments for DDH and provide a rationale for individualized treatment decisions and future implications.

Methods:

            A PubMed search was preformed using a specific strategy with key terms “developmental dysplasia of the hip,” “orthosis,” “surgical reduction,” and “complications.” Boolean operators and filters were used to narrow the results to 6 relevant, …

Restrictive Fluid Resuscitation With Early Vasopressor Initiation Vs Liberal Fluid Resuscitation In Adults With Septic Shock: A Review Of Mortality And Clinical Outcomes, Gabriel Locke

The PA Department Journal of Medical Science

Introduction

Septic shock is a life-threatening medical emergency characterized by profound hypotension, impaired organ perfusion, and significant risk of mortality. While large fluid resuscitation has been considered the commonplace, emerging evidence of increased adverse outcomes has prompted further investigation into restrictive fluid strategies in combination with early vasopressor use.

Methods

PubMed was searched with key terms “septic shock”, “vasopressors”, “norepinephrine”, “restrictive fluid resuscitation”, “liberal fluid resuscitation”, and “mortality”. Operators and filters were implemented such as randomized control trial, systematic reviews, meta-analyses published between 2021 and 2026. After applying these filters. Of the 39 results, 4 articles were selected based on …

Lifestyle Modifications Versus Antihypertensive Therapy: Efficacy In Blood Pressure Control Among Adults With Hypertension, Alexander J. Butler

The PA Department Journal of Medical Science

Hypertension is one of the leading causes of cardiovascular disease and preventable deaths in the United States. Pharmacological treatment remains the standard of care despite challenges such as cost, adherence, and side effects. The purpose of this article is to discover the effectiveness of non-pharmacological treatment in comparison to pharmacological treatment for reducing blood pressure in patients with hypertension. PubMed was searched using key terms such as “HTN,” “antihypertensive,” “antihypertensive agents,” “exercise,” “physical activity,” and “running.” Operators and filters were used to narrow results down to 31 where 4 quality articles were selected for review. Non-pharmacological treatment/lifestyle changes produced reductions …

A Policy Analysis Of Accountability And Governance In Journalism By Artificial Intelligence (Ai) In Egypt, Amira Ahmed Salama

Theses and Dissertations

The growing use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) and AI-assisted tools in journalism raises governance questions concerning accountability, human oversight, transparency, verification, editorial responsibility, and implementation. In Egypt, these issues arise within an emerging but fragmented governance environment that includes national AI guidance, media regulation, professional self-regulation, and developing newsroom practices. This study examines how these arrangements can be integrated into a coherent national sector-specific policy framework for GenAI and AI-assisted journalism.

The study adopts a qualitative methodology combining a descriptive qualitative document analysis with stakeholder semi-structured interviews. Four governance instruments were analyzed: the Council of Europe’s Guidelines on the …

Grievability Of The Abject As Narrated By Exiles, Sylvia Azmy

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes two novels: Inaam Kachachi’s Sawaqi al-Qulub (2005) and Shady Lewis’s ʿAla Khatt Grinitsh (2019), to understand the relationships between figures of migration, as the exile narrates his encounters with refugees. It uses Julia Kristeva’s Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection (1980) and Judith Butler’s Frames of War: When Is Life Grievable? (2009) as theoretical frameworks to examine the deaths of refugees and their corpses (utmost of abjection) in the two novels. Scholars have argued that the literature of forced migration is becoming more inclusive than migration narratives, a term that has focused on student travelers, exilic …

Diagnostic Delays In Endometriosis Among Reproductive-Aged Women: An Evidence-Based Primary Care Policy Proposal, Francis P. Ronayne

Capstones

No abstract provided.

Toward Mapping Multiphase Multicomponent Mixtures With Neural Networks, Kristen L. Hallas, Melissa De Jesus, Christine J. Wu, Jianzhi Li, Jason Bernstein, Philip C. Myint

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Equation of state (EOS) tables are commonly used in hydrodynamic simulations of high-pressure, high-temperature phenomena in fields like planetary science, astrophysics, and high-energy-density science. However, generating and storing EOS tables for multiphase, multicomponent mixtures over a wide range of pressures and temperatures is computationally infeasible due to their memory-intensive nature. To address this issue, we have developed a neural network-based machine learning model to predict new EOS tables for binary mixtures. In particular, a deep feedforward neural network trained on a set of ten EOS tables at particular mixture compositions is able to predict nine new (hold-out) EOS tables at …

Sustainable – Low-Cost - Upgrade Of Activated Sludge Process For Nitrogen And Phosphorus (N&P) Removal From Wastewater, Abanoub N. Basta

Theses and Dissertations

Many municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in developing countries were designed primarily for organic matter and suspended solids removal and therefore face increasing difficulty in meeting modern nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) discharge requirements. Conventional biological nutrient removal upgrades commonly require additional reactor volume, recirculation systems, aeration energy, and capital investment. Accordingly, sustainable retrofit strategies that improve nutrient removal within existing treatment footprints are increasingly needed, particularly in water-scarce and land-constrained regions.

This study investigated the integration of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) into the aeration stage of an activated sludge process as a hybrid nature-based enhancement for nitrogen and phosphorus …

Trends In The Utilization Of Metaverse Technology In Media Content Production:A Second-Level Study Of The Arab Experience, Amal Nabil Badr, Tarek Ismail Mohamed, Nassereldin Abdel Qadir Osman

Journal of Arts and Social Sciences

The research problem is defined through a main question: How did Arab studies discuss the interactions of the Arab media experience with metaverse technology and supporting tools, the limits and levels of current and future use of this technology in Arab media institutions, and how did the quantitative and qualitative trends in these studies reflect the applied aspect in using metaverse technology and related tools in media content industry? The research relies on the secondary analysis methodology of the results reached by studies that dealt with the analysis of A sample of (30 studies) from 2015 until 2023. The results …

Nourishing Births: A Program Evaluation Proposal For Community-Based Nutrition Education, Food Access, And Garden Engagement Among Black Birthing People, Naa Deedei-Vera Hammond

Master's Projects and Capstones

Black birthing people in the United States continue to experience unequal maternal health outcomes, shaped in part by racism and barriers to nutritious food, culturally relevant health education, and supportive community spaces. While prenatal nutrition education and food assistance programs can provide important resources, information alone cannot address the challenges many people face when trying to access healthy and affordable food during pregnancy. The Nourishing Births Initiative is a proposed community-based maternal health program designed to respond to these needs by bringing together prenatal nutrition education, help connecting to food resources, community gardening, and peer support for Black birthing people …

Impact Of Implementing Standard Wound Care Guidelines For Patients In The Home Care Setting On Patient Outcomes, Raymond Anthony Flores Jr

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Wound care is among the most significant public health concerns, affecting millions of people worldwide. Most individuals with wounds end up self-managing their condition from their homes due to being discharged early from the hospital, owing to various reasons, and the costs associated with health care. Although home wound management offers convenience and lower costs for patients, it is also associated with substantial challenges, including limited access to and use of appropriate care protocols, wound management tools, and sufficient education on the topic, as well as limited professional advice. These limitations contribute to poor outcomes, including slow healing rates, infections, …

Is Your Cyst Really A Ganglion Cyst? A Case Report Of Angioleiomyoma Mimicking A Plantar Fascia Cystic Lesion, Christopher Anjorin Ms Dpmc, Joseph Bender Dpm

School of Podiatric Medicine - Student Research

Ganglion cysts are among the most common benign soft tissue masses encountered in podiatric clinical practice, and their diagnosis is often presumed based on location, clinical observation, and transillumination. However, this case highlights a diagnostic idiosyncrasy: a lesion clinically presumed to be a ganglion cyst within the plantar fascia was ultimately identified as an angioleiomyoma following surgical excision and histopathological evaluation. This finding underscores the importance of maintaining a broad differential diagnosis when assessing cystic lesions, particularly those that transilluminate, as benign vascular tumors may closely mimic more common entities in both clinical presentation and imaging. More importantly, what if …

Deep Brain Stimulation In Early-Stage Alzheimer's Disease: A Systematic Review Of Neuropsychological Outcomes, Nora Huey

Doctoral Dissertations

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by cognitive decline, memory impairment, and disruption of neural networks involved in cognitive functioning. Although existing treatments may provide symptomatic benefit, there remains a need for interventions capable of slowing or stabilizing disease progression. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has emerged as a potential neuromodulatory intervention for early-stage AD through stimulation of memory- and cognition-related neural circuitry. This dissertation employed a systematic review research methodology to examine teh neuropsychological and neurobiological outcomes associated with DBS targeting the fornix (DBS-f) and nucleus basalis of Meynert (DBS-NBM) in individuals with early-stage AD over 12–24 …

Adolescent And Young Adult Cancer Survivorship: Supportive Care Needs, Resources, And Barriers, Allison Bryn Koplos

Master's Projects and Capstones

Background: Adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors experience unique physical, psychosocial, developmental, and healthcare-related challenges that often persist beyond treatment completion. Although survivorship resources have expanded, gaps in supportive care needs persist. This scoping review examined the supportive care needs, survivorship resources, and barriers to accessing supportive care among AYA cancer survivors.

Methods: A scoping review was conducted following the Arksey and O'Malley framework and reported in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Peer-reviewed literature published between 2000 and 2026 was identified through searches in PubMed and Google Scholar. Studies examining supportive care needs, survivorship resources, or supportive care services …

Enhancing Shipboard Safety Management Under The Ism Code: An Innovative Risk Assessment Framework With A Stern Tube Case Study, Pi-Yen Lin

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

The shipboard safety management system (SMS) is designed to enhance safe operations, risk management, and emergency response to improve overall ship safety and efficiency. This paper demonstrates the use of an engine room simulator (ERS) for collecting failure modes and applies it to a comprehensive failure analysis of the stern tube lubricating oil system. A new risk closeness coefficient method was developed, integrating expert background knowledge and weighted risk assessments. The analysis, based on multiple expert evaluations, covered five subsystems, eight main components, 23 failure modes, and 112 failure causes. This study presents 26 recommendations for maritime practitioners and onboard …

Robust Statistical Methods For Microbiome Abundance Data, Yiming Shi

WUSM Theses and Dissertations – All Programs

Differential abundance analysis in microbiome studies aims to identify taxa whose abundance differs across biological or clinical conditions. The observed data are typically taxon-specific sequencing read counts, representing reads assigned to different taxa within each sample. These counts are indirect measurements of the underlying microbial abundance profile and are constrained by sample-specific library sizes. Microbiome count data are also typically sparse, overdispersed, and heteroscedastic. Together, these characteristics create substantial challenges for differential abundance analysis and make the results highly sensitive to normalization procedures, model specification, and the statistical methods used for inference.

Normalization defines the scale on which samples are …

Port And Vessel Communication Traffic Intrusion Detection: A Variational Autoencoder‑Enhanced Multilayer Perceptron Approach, Chien-Lin Chiang, Hsien-Cheng Chou, Ming-Yuan Peng, Yi-Yuan Chiang, Yu-Shun Liu

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Port and vessel networks increasingly operate on IP/Ethernet backbones with high‑noise, high‑dimensional traffic. We present a lightweight hybrid intrusion‑detection model that couples a variational autoencoder (VAE) with a multilayer perceptron (MLP) and augments training with a boundary‑oriented latent‑space mixup strategy. The VAE models the distribution of normal traffic and identifies anomalies through reconstruction errors. Subsequently, it generates robust latent vectors, enabling the MLP to perform highly accurate supervised classification. On the UNSW‑NB15 dataset, the proposed pipeline attains ≥97% accuracy and an outstanding recall of 99.56% in binary intrusion detection, and visualization of the latent space (PCA) together with reconstruction‑error analyses …

Sar Ship Detection Based On Shallow Feature Guidance, Chenxu Xia, Peng Chen, Ya Zhang, Ying Li

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Maritime ship detection is of great significance for both military security and civilian applications. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), with its all-weather and all-day imaging capability, plays a vital role in maritime surveillance. Nevertheless, SAR ship targets typically appear small in scale, embedded in complex backgrounds, blurred at boundaries, and easily confused with near-shore features, which pose substantial challenges for accurate detection. To address these issues, we propose a SAR ship detection network that integrates dual enhancements of small-object representation and edge information. The network introduces two key components: the Small Target Refine Pyramid (STRP) to strengthen shallow feature representation for …

Improvements Upon Reprocessing Of Orthopedic Single-Use Instruments, Alyssa P. Nguyen

Master's Projects and Capstones

Internal Medline data for Hospital A, a level I academic trauma center, identified a quality gap due to improper segregation and underutilization of orthopedic single-use device reprocessing bins. The baseline reprocessing rate of 4% for orthopedic products results in missed sustainability opportunities, financial strain, and increased regulated waste. A proposed quality improvement intervention implemented updated communication strategies, visual management tools, and education modules to reinforce current reprocessing workflows and close knowledge gaps. Outcome measures include the percentage of SUDs collected for reprocessing, survey results on reprocessing awareness, and potential financial savings in Appendix I. Early data showed a 10% year-to-year …

Diverging Impacts Of Organizational Dei Practices: The Role Of Objective And Subjective Group Status, Julia Oberlin, Claudia Toma, Tessa L. Dover

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose – While DEI practices aim to enhance the outcomes of disadvantaged groups, their impact remains uncertain, with disparities often persisting. This paper examines whether the accumulation of DEI practices helps reduce psychological and work disparities between employees, considering both their objective (e.g. gender and race) and subjective (or perceived) (dis)advantage.

Design/methodology/approach – Study 1 surveyed 602 employees to assess the impact of perceiving their organization as having many orfew DEI practices on theirsense ofinclusion and job satisfaction. Study 2 used an experimental design (N 5 739) to extend the findings of Study 1 by manipulating the number of DEI …

The Impact Of A Play-Based Nature Camp On Self-Regulation In School-Age Children, Margaret Berkemeyer

Doctoral Dissertations

This study is a program evaluation with a mixed-methods design that evaluated the effectiveness of Y Rangers, a summer camp offered by the YMCA of San Francisco, in increasing the self-regulation abilities of school-age children. A total of 18 caregivers completed the quantitative portion of this study that included pre/post-test analyses of self-regulation measures. There were no statistically significant changes between pre and post assessments of self-regulation. A subset of seven caregivers and three Y Rangers counselors participated in interviews, the transcripts of which were analyzed using interpretive phenomenological analysis. Caregivers experienced Y Rangers as a unique opportunity for their …

Knowledge, Attitudes, And Practices (Kap) Of Parents Regarding The Prevention And Control Of Childhood Iron Deficiency Anemia In Egypt: A Cross-Sectional Study, Omnia Soliman

Theses and Dissertations

Childhood Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) remains a major public health challenge in Egypt, where its persistently high and rising prevalence carries substantial consequences for child growth, cognitive development, immunity, and long-term health outcomes. Globally, approximately 40% of children aged 6–59 months are affected by anemia (World Health Organization, 2025), and Egypt mirrors this burden, with national data showing a worsening trend in recent years. In Egypt, national strategies have traditionally focused on biomedical interventions such as iron supplementation and food fortification, while less attention has been directed toward behavioral and household-level determinants, particularly parental knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related …

The Relationship Between Acculturative Stress, Body Dissatisfaction, And Disordered Eating Behavior Among Latina Women In The United States, Emily Lillian Johnson

Doctoral Dissertations

The majority of research on body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behaviors focuses predominantly on the experiences of white women, neglecting the significant impact of acculturative stress on these issues, especially among understudied groups like Latina women. The present study seeks to address the gap in the literature by obtaining data that explores the extent to which acculturative stress, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating behavior have a relationships. Additionally, it investigates the roles of cultural values and ethnic identification in protecting against body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behavior within this population. To determine whether acculturative stress is predictive of body dissatisfaction …

Alarm Fatigue Among Georgia Southern University Nursing Students: Examining Clinical Effects And Preventive Interventions, Madison T. Mills

Honors College Theses

Alarm fatigue, a response to constant exposure to clinical devices’ alarms that can lead to a decrease in responsiveness and safety in healthcare settings. Although it’s well researched in practicing nurses, yet there isn’t much known if alarm fatigue can start in nursing school and how it affects nursing students when in clinical settings. This study examines the importance and effects of alarm fatigue among Georgia Southern University nursing students and the faculty/staff through a mixed-methods survey. Prior research suggests that alarm fatigue can be developed through clinical exposure. Educational and technological interventions, such as alarm-management training and improved monitoring …