Digital Commons Network^™

Master’S Students: Experiences, Transitions, And Needs In The College Of Education, Brandi L. Sanchez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study explores the experiences, transitions, and needs of first-year master’s students in education. Guided by Schlossberg’s Transition Model, the study examines how students perceive shifts in academic rigor, workload, and the increased self-direction required in graduate education. The case study used three data collection methods: semi-structured interviews, document analysis, and observations that provided insights into the student perception of master’s students studying education’s experience, transition, and needs. Additionally, this case study enabled exploration of the research questions across six types of master’s programs within the College of Education. By focusing on the first year of graduate study, …

The Influence Of Alongside For Educators, An Ai Wellness Tool, On Educator Well-Being, Amanda Grell

Doctorate in Education

Educator well-being has become an urgent concern in K-12 education, as educators continue to experience chronic stress, emotional exhaustion, and high levels of burnout. Despite these challenges, few school-based interventions offer timely, individualized support that addresses educators’ real-time emotional needs. This mixed-methods study examined the influence of the Alongside for Educators application on educator well-being within middle and high school settings. The purpose of this research was to explore how the tool supported educators across the Coping-Competence-Context (3Cs) framework, including experiences with the application, contextual factors shaping engagement, and changes in well-being. Qualitative findings from 10 interviews revealed that educators …

Key Problems Of Intent Recognition Research: A Survey On Activity, Plan And Goal Recognition, Yi Zhang, Kai Xu, Shuilin Li, Dejun Chen, Yunxiu Zeng, Yong Peng

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: With the development of artificial intelligence technology, realizing intent recognition in human-computer interaction has become one of the key challenges. In this paper, the current research status of three fields was systematically sorted out, namely activity recognition, plan recognition, and goal recognition, and the progress from the problem proposal to the current development was analyzed. The main research approaches in each field were reviewed, and a survey of research on activity recognition, a development overview of plan recognition, and a retrospective analysis of hotspots in goal recognition were conducted. This general view of the problem helped to clarify …

Eliminating The Fix In Vertical Merger Enforcement, Jessica Breznick

Duke Law Journal

As antitrust enforcers have increased their efforts to block vertical mergers, courts have been forced to grapple with the challenges of predicting the anticompetitive effects of vertical integration, as required by Section 7 of the Clayton Act. Merging parties have complicated this task by “litigating the fix”—proffering evidence that they have designed measures to prevent anticompetitive outcomes outside the consent decree process. Because the anticompetitive problems of vertical mergers do not lend themselves to structural relief, vertically-merging parties have instead proposed fixes aimed at constraining the parties’ post-merger conduct. Such conduct fixes come in the form of contractual agreements with …

Explaining Variability In Employee Perceptions Of Hr Practices In Strategic Hrm Research: An Integrative Review And Future Outlook, Jeske Van Beurden, Susanne Beijer, Kaifeng Jiang, Karina Van De Voorde, Anthony Nyberg

Faculty Publications

Employee perceptions of human resource (HR) practices have become a central focus in strategic human resource management(HRM) research due to their impact on individual and organizational outcomes. Recent studies highlight the importance of un-derstanding how these perceptions are formed, what they encompass, and why they vary across employees. This special issue ofHuman Resource Management aims to advance this evolving area of research by focusing on variability in employee perceptionsof HR practices. We review the current literature on employee perceptions of HR practices, including (1) theoretical and concep-tual clarity of the employee perceptions of HR practices construct, (2) antecedents of these …

Evidence Of Emperor Penguins’ Sensitivity To Sea Ice Fluctuations, Rose T.N. Foster-Dyer, David Iles, Leo Salas, David G. Ainley, Birgitte Mcdonald, Sharon Stammerjohn, Lise Viollat, David Ortega, Annie E. Schmidt, Grant Ballard, Carolynne Hultquist, Jonathan D. Tonkin, Michelle Larue

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Using satellite-derived abundance indices over 20 years, we investigated population change among the seven Ross Sea emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) colonies. We found a 90% probability that the Ross Sea metapopulation had lower springtime attendance between 2005 and 2024 (mean change = -23%; 95% CI: -46 to +20%). We identified two distinct phases of change: slightly increasing 2005 to 2019/2020, followed by a steep decline 2020-2024, resulting in a decrease of approximately 23 000 birds in 5 years or approximately 32% of the regional population. Over the 20 years, the two southernmost colonies, Cape Crozier and Cape Colbeck, increased in …

"Hey, I Need Help": Student-Survivor Perceptions Of Engagement With Title Ix., Rachel J. Voth Schrag, Jennifer Thompson, Alexandra Jacobs, Christine Highfill, Leila Wood

School of Social Work Faculty Publications

Interpersonal violence on college campuses disrupts academic experiences and impacts outcomes for students. This study sought to understand the experiences of students in the United States engaging with Title IX offices, within the context of additional state mandates. Interviews were conducted with 24 students and analyzed through inductive content analysis. Students described negative impacts such as challenges with the organizational processes, impacts to institutional trust, frustration with ineffective protections, and high personal and academic costs. Positive outcomes expressed included feeling more empowered to engage in self-advocacy and finding validation of their experience. Recommendations for promising university violence response practices are …

Cv: Arvie Vitente (Physical Therapy), Arvie Vitente

Rehabilitation Sciences Department Curricula Vitae

No abstract provided.

Risk Of Injuries To The Anesthesia Provider: Back Injuries And "Boom Strikes", Megan Hood, Mary Beth Greenway

Group: Samford University Moffett & Sanders School of Nursing

For anesthesia providers caring for perioperative patients, does the use of standardized safety protocols including ergonomic training reduce the incidence of back injuries and “boom strikes” compared to anesthesia counterparts that do not undergo ergonomic training or follow safety protocols?

Presentation Outcomes:

1. Describe the common injuries that occur perioperatively to the anesthesia provider, as well as ways to mitigate these risks including available assistive lifting devices.
2. Discuss the benefits of formal ergonomics training in the reduction of musculoskeletal injuries and head injuries to the anesthetist.

Adequacy And Safety Of Mepivacaine Spinal Anesthesia For Total Joint Arthroplasty, Natalie C. Whitten, David Sanford

Group: Samford University Moffett & Sanders School of Nursing

The prevalence of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and total hip arthroplasty (THA) continues to rise in the United States. Between 2012 and 2015, elective TKA and THA increased by nearly 50%, and there is a substantial increase in these procedures projected over the next decade. This increase reflects both an aging population and a higher number of younger patients electing for TKA or THA earlier in life. Advances in perioperative care and anesthesia have contributed to improved surgical outcomes, reduced complications, and shorter recovery times for this population. Spinal anesthesia offers advantages over general anesthesia, including decreased blood loss, shorter …

Psychologists’ And Psychiatrists’ Views On Criminal Behavior, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, And Federally Sentenced Indigenous Women In The Prairie Region And British Columbia, Rina Asghar

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The overrepresentation of federally sentenced Indigenous women in Canada reflects longstanding structural and systemic injustices within the criminal justice system. Constituting approximately 5% of the female population, Indigenous female offenders are disproportionately represented, especially in maximum security facilities and structured intervention units. This qualitative study examined psychologists’ and psychiatrists’ perspectives on the potential role of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) related neurocognitive impairments in increasing justice system involvement among Indigenous women in Western Canada. Guided by the multidimensional Indigenous developmental framework, which integrates historical trauma theory and attachment theory, nine psychologists and one psychiatrist were interviewed in semi-structured interviews. The …

The Impact Of Dams On Benthic Macroinvertebrate Diversity In The Bronx River, Jayda Smith, Bobby Habig

Cities and the Environment (CATE)

It is well-documented that dams can have negative effects on fish diversity. What is less known is the impact of urban dams on other aquatic organisms, specifically macroinvertebrates. Dams might create a mosaic of habitat patches in which above dam habitats exhibit differences in water chemistry and physical properties compared to below dam habitats, resulting in differences in macroinvertebrate diversity between these two habitats. Alternatively, the impacts of urbanization might overwhelm the impacts of dams resulting in biotic homogenization where both above dam and below dam habitats are dominated by a few of the same pollution-sensitive taxa or invasive species. …

Laughing Doves Use Human Structures In Fragmented Habitats To Improve Breeding Success, Humphrey Tietaah Ankuor, Ziblim Abukari Imoro, Timothy Khan Aikins

Cities and the Environment (CATE)

The effects of urbanisation on our natural environment have led to a significant shift in ecosystem structure and processes, posing threats to many wildlife species. However other species adapts to urban settings exploiting food and nesting opportunities that humans provide. This study identified and mapped Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegalensis nests in human structures and trees within in an urban setting. The study characterised the nesting site selection, nest materials choices, and breeding success in human structures and trees. The results show that majority (107 nests, 86%) of the Laughing Dove nests were in human structures with only 14% (16 nests) …

Research On Gaussian Splatting Modeling Of Power Equipment In 3d Scenes, Haiying Li, Haonan Xu, Junfang Hao

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To address the issues of missing camera poses in captured images and poor reconstruction quality in 3D modeling of power equipment, a 3D Gaussian splatting 3D modeling method for power equipment based on video sequences was proposed. Theffmpeg was adopted to extract video frames at a reduced rate, and the Scharr operator was employed to quantify the sharpness of video frames to screen high-quality images for forming an input dataset, ensuring the completeness of equipment poses and the quality of modeling data. Through multi-view feature point extraction and matching, combined with an incremental structure-from-motion algorithm to optimize and …

Robot Path Planning By Reinforcement Learning Based On Sac3q-Hdm, Dequan Li, Wan Xiong

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To address the issues of overestimated and underestimated biases, low sample utilization rate, and the inability to balance exploration and exploitation in reinforcement learning for path planning, an improved SAC method was proposed. The size balance of entropy was explored and utilized through adaptive temperature coefficient adjustment; on the basis of the SAC framework, a triple Critic architecture was introduced to dynamically weight and fuse the minimum and average values through Qvalue uncertainty, balancing overestimated and underestimated biases. A mixed dynamic sampling experience replay buffer was designed; experience data was partitioned based on reward thresholds; sampling ratios were dynamically …

Nerf Optimization Method And Simulation Research Based On Pre-Training And Differentiable Fuzzy Modeling, Yunjng Zhang, Minghui Yang, Hao Wang

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To address the challenges of significant geometric modeling errors, severe detail loss, and low training efficiency in neural radiance field(NeRF) reconstruction under defocused blurred input scenarios, this paper proposes two optimization strategies. One strategy is introducing Triplane features generated by the pre-trained LRM as prior knowledge, and combining a lightweight decoder and directional LoRA module to replace large MLP, thereby reducing parameters and shortening convergence time. The second strategy is integrating a differentiable blurring model into the volumetric rendering step. By jointly optimizing the radiation field and spatially variable blurring kernels, reconstruction accuracy under defocused blurred scenarios is enhanced …

Speciation Of Inorganic Arsenic In Oxic And In Reducing Groundwaters Using The As(V)-Selective Impas Resin, Martijn Eikelboom, Jay Bullen, Peter S.K. Knappett, Trevor Ferris, Matthieu Carriere, Alexandra Alvarez, Dario Omanovic, Subhamoy Bhowmick, Aaron Torres Huerta, Ramon Vilar, Jack N. Turney, Paul Lewtas, Dominik Weiss, Pascal Salaun

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Knowledge of arsenic inorganic speciation in groundwaters is critical for optimising water treatment approaches. Here, we characterise the on-site analytical performance of the As(V)-selective ImpAs ion-exchange resin to separate As(V) from As(III) in groundwater with contrasting redox conditions. Field speciation results obtained by ImpAs in the oxic, Fe-poor groundwaters of Guanajuato (Mexico) and in the reducing, Fe-rich groundwaters of West Bengal (India) agreed with voltammetry (slope of 0.91 ± 0.03, r = 0.99, p <  0.001, n = 21). Like for arsenic, oxyanions of Mo, V, U and Cr are retained by ImpAs but their reduced hydroxy forms are not. High As(V) extraction by ImpAs (>95%) was obtained in synthetic groundwater for hundreds of samples without any regeneration, highlighting negligible interactions of major anions such as sulfate, a major advantage over …

Comprehensive, Multidisciplinary Care For Fragile X-Associated Tremor/Ataxia Syndrome, James A. Bourgeois, Andrea Schneider, Jessica Klusek Ph.D., Ccc-Slp, Thomas R. Christensen, Ellie Levin, Kendall Gardner, Ariel A. Jacobi, Randy J. Hagerman

Faculty Publications

Objective: 

The authors reviewed the pathophysiology, clinical genetics, phenotype, and comprehensive clinical management of Fragile X-associated Tremor/Ataxia Syndrome (FXTAS), a neurodegenerative disorder affecting FMR1 premutation carriers (55–200 CCG repeats).

Participants: 

A multispecialty and multidisciplinary team of authors with backgrounds in psychiatry, pediatrics, clinical psychology, speech and language pathology, and neurosciences.

Evidence: 

Review of English language sources on the clinical phenomenology, genetics, pathophysiology, and clinical management of FXTAS from 2001 (the original report) through 2025, with emphasis on the general medical, psychiatric, and neurological features of FXTAS and its multispecialty and multidisciplinary clinical management.

Consensus process:

All authors contributed to the …

Outcomes Of Lumbar Fusion Surgery In Isthmic Versus Degenerative Spondylolisthesis: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Pavlos Texakalidis, Stavros Matsoukas, Constantine L. Karras, Christopher S. Ahuja, Najib El Tecle, Tyler R. Koski, Nader S. Dahdaleh

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

Lumbar spondylolisthesis can cause a significant disability due to back and lower extremity pain. Degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS) and isthmic spondylolisthesis (IS) are the two most common types. DS results from arthritic changes and degenerative disc disease, whereas IS occurs secondary to a pars interarticularis defect. This study compared surgical outcomes between IS and DS. A systematic literature review and meta-analysis was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Twenty studies comprising 3136 patients were included (DS: 1944; IS: 1192). No differences were identified in terms of estimated blood loss (mean difference [MD]: 5.79, 95% …

Testing Dobbs’S Democracy Premise: Can State Constitutions Be Amended To Reflect Popular Opinion On Abortion?, Isabel Sperber

Duke Law Journal

When the Supreme Court eliminated a federal constitutional right to abortion in Dobbs v. Jackson, it relied in significant part on the notion that abortion is an issue best left to the political process. Abortion has since become a main character in the national political conversation, with state legislatures around the United States embracing a wave of abortion-related legislation. The shifting landscape of abortion rights is not limited to the legislative process; voters are increasingly relying on state constitutional amendments to replace the protections previously provided by the federal Constitution. Political actors point to these amendments, typically enacted through a …

Assessment Of Residents’ Knowledge, Attitude And Perception Of Climate Change Issues In Ibadan South West Local Government, Oyo State, Nigeria, Samson Olanrewaju, Samuel Oyeniyi, Sola Atoyebi, Modupeola Okubena, Chinedu Abazu, Emeka Adibe

Cities and the Environment (CATE)

This study examines residents’ knowledge, attitude, and behavioural responses to the impacts of climate change in Ibadan South West Local Government Area, Oyo State, Nigeria. It evaluates residents’ awareness of climate change, analyses their behavioural responses to climate change impact, and identifies household characteristics that influence knowledge, attitude, and perception of climate change in the area. The study utilised a mixed-methods research approach, using such instruments as questionnaire administration and interviews. The study employed a multistage sampling technique where a total of seven (7) Enumeration Areas (EAs) were selected, and 206 questionnaires were administered to residents of the area. These …

Thermal Inequities In Public Parks And Open Spaces In Los Angeles Determined By Remote Sensing, Ashley Agatep, Joshua B. Fisher, Kainani Tacazon, Ambar Rivera, Rossmery Zayas, Reginald Archer, Juan Carlos Ruiz Malagon, Jason A. Douglas

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Urban heat island (UHI) effects are amplified by disparities in community-level cooling infrastructure—such as urban public parks and open spaces (PPOS)—with the most severe impacts occurring in communities that lack sufficient city-wide cooling resources. We found that the underserved community of South Los Angeles, as compared to their neighboring West Los Angeles counterparts, suffers a double burden of inequitable (1) access to and (2) absence of cooling materials and surfaces within these spaces, resulting in significantly hotter temperatures. Identifying these inequities requires high-resolution temporal and spatial mapping of surface temperatures, which has been previously limited. In this community-based participatory research …

Genetic Variants And Molecular Components Associated With Metabolic Dysfunctional-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease And Depression: Shared Association Of Adamts7 And Thrap3, Eron G. Manusov, Vincent P. Diego, Marcio A. Almeida, Jacob A. Galan, Kathryn Herklotz, Edwardo Abrego Ii, Habiba Sultana, Luis A. Peña Marquez, Marco Arriaga, Marcelo Leandro, Juan M. Peralta, Ana C. Leandro, Tom Howard, Joanne Curran, Sandra Laston, John Blangero, Sarah Williams-Blangero

Human Genetics Publications

Background: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and depression frequently occur together. Identifying the genes that influence both MASLD and depression may facilitate the discovery of biological pathways associated with disease risk.

Methods: We recruited 525 participants from Mexican American families living in the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas. We collected clinical data, biometric measurements, hepatic health assessments using Vibration-Controlled Transient Elastography (VCTE), and depression evaluations determined with the Beck Depression Inventory-II. We estimated the heritability (h2) of MASLD-related measures, depression status, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), the AST/ALT ratio, and Vibration-Controlled Transient Elastography measurements. For each gene, …

Sustainable Guiding Framework Of The Egyptian Rural Development Initiative (Hayah Karima), Eman Badawy Ahmed

Mansoura Engineering Journal

The Hayah Karima initiative launches to improve the standard of living for the most needy community groups across the Egyptian countryside, and it also contributes to improving the quality of services provided to the neediest villages. The research aims to propose a guiding framework for sustainability in villages of the Hayah Karima Initiative to achieve Egypt’s Sustainable Vision 2030. To achieve the goal, the research will study the goals, strategies, and principles of the Hayah Karima Initiative, the Egypt Vision 2030, COP 27, the sustainability evaluation criteria, and the Green Villages Initiative. Consequentially, in addition to A questionnaire to measure …

Beyond Borders: Exploring The Diversity, Practices, And Influences Of Feminism In Baguio City’S Contemporary Society, Patricia Josh Fate Alcantara, Asher Luis Cunan Badecao Iv, Clint Yuan Vista Castro, Alyza Faye Balbas Cutit, Naedaly Balagot David, Francesco Riane Bareng Pineda

DLSU Senior High School Research Congress Conference Proceedings

Historical research documents feminism's evolution from 19th-century suffrage movements to modern intersectional approaches. Though there are gaps in understanding how personal experiences and contexts, such as cultural and socio-economic, influence current feminist practice. This study investigates how lived experiences shape contemporary feminist engagement in Baguio City, Philippines. Using a descriptive phenomenological analysis of face-to-face interviews with a total of nine participants, the study identifies the following: results reveal generational divides, with younger participants developing progressive, digitally-informed feminist consciousness, while economic realities constrain activist participation for marginalized groups. Practical manifestations of feminism emerge through four daily practices: (1) conscious use of …

Reshaping Library Programming For Graduate Students Through Strategic Partnerships And Adaptation, Brian Vetruba, Caroyn Bishoff, Kate Peterson

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

In the wake of Covid-19, support structures dedicated to graduate student success at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMN) underwent dramatic shifts. Centralized in-person events for graduate students were discontinued, departmental identities strengthened, and library outreach responsibilities were reshaped by institutional changes, including a reduction of library staff. This panel examines how academic libraries can adapt and innovate with decreased capacity to meet the diverse needs of graduate students. Panelists will share strategies for expanding campus partnerships and sustaining and scaling initiatives that equip graduate students – especially first-year, international, and BIPOC students – with essential research skills and …

Diverging Diamond Interchanges Lessons Learned: Design Refinements And Performance, Nathaniel Shellhamer, Daniel Mccoy, Jack Gallagher

Purdue Road School

This presentation will share an overview of INDOT’s experience with the design of diverging diamond interchanges (DDIs). Specific discussion will focus on design refinements being made in the most recent DDIs in Indiana, as well as lessons learned from existing DDIs in the areas of geometrics, operations and performance, and human factors/driver behavior. We will also review case studies and before-and-after analyses of existing DDIs.

The Ministerial Exception And Defamation: Navigating Churches’ Autonomy And Their Communications, Zachary Runge

Pepperdine Law Review

In two recent cases, the Supreme Court has adopted what scholars and lower courts have called the “ministerial exception.” The Court only addressed the ministerial exception’s application to employment discrimination claims. But the Court did not foreclose the possibility of its application to other claims. This Comment argues that the ministerial exception applies to defamation claims arising out of a minister’s termination. After providing the background for the ministerial exception, this Comment explains the current state of the law. Then, this Comment argues that the ministerial exception, as a form of the church autonomy doctrine, applies to the defamation claims …

Corporate Governance As Bloodsport, Jeremy Kidd, George A. Mocsary

Pepperdine Law Review

The modern Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) movement promotes diversion of corporate assets from shareholders to “stakeholders.” This is done in the name of a corporate duty to society. But “successful” ESG efforts threaten the success of the corporate form by inviting rent-seeking. This conflict between ESG principles and established theories and norms of corporate law is difficult to resolve because corporate law lacks the tools needed to understand the type of collective decision-making that occurs in the corporate setting. This Article is the first to apply public choice economics—the economic study of collective decision-making—to corporate decision-making to identify the …

Ayahuasca And Religious Freedom, Andrew C. Michaels

Pepperdine Law Review

Ayahuasca is an ancient and powerful psychedelic brew that has been used for many centuries in the Amazon rainforest, and over past decades has been gaining popularity in western countries such as the United States. The ayahuasca brew contains dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and accordingly is banned by the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). But some groups working with ayahuasca have applied for exemptions under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), and so far, at least five such groups have received exemptions, either via court decision or via agreement with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). However, the factors that courts and the DEA …