Digital Commons Network^™

Where's Waldo?: Finding The Missing Voice Of The College Counselor, Krystyn K. Dupree

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

College counseling has been integral to higher education for more than a century; however, the role of college counselors has become increasingly complex amid rising student mental health needs, growing symptom severity, and constrained institutional resources. Despite extensive research on college student mental health, little contemporary scholarship has examined the lived experiences of the professionals providing these services. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how college counselors who provide mental health services perceive their professional role within the context of higher education.

Guided by Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, this study conceptualized college counselors as embedded within interconnected …

Dynamic Response Control And Vibration Mitigation Of Two-Degree-Of-Freedom Structures Using Combined Variable Inertia Rotational Mechanism And Tuned Mass Damper System, Marah Abedel Majid

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Dynamic Response Control and Vibration Mitigation of Two-Degree-of-Freedom Structures Using Combined Variable Inertia Rotational Mechanism and Tuned Mass Damper System Rotational inertia mechanisms provide innovative methods to develop vibration response for structures subjected to dynamic loads. This study investigates a two-degree-of-freedom (2DOF) structural system with Variable Inertia Rotational Mechanisms (VIRMs) and a Tuned Mass Damper (TMD) as a combined passive control system. The governing nonlinear equations of motion were developed using a mathematical modeling framework and numerically solved for free, harmonic, and broadband excitation. Comparative assessments between Fixed Inertia Rotational Mechanisms (FIRM), VIRM, and combined VIRM–TMD configurations demonstrate that the …

Uncertainty Estimation For Graph-Based Learning In Digital Pathology, Saba Heidari Gheshlaghi, Nasim Yahyasoltani, Masoud Ganji

Computer Science Faculty Research and Publications

High-resolution digital scans of pathology slides, known as whole slide images (WSIs), have detailed spatial and contextual information for diagnosing cancer. However, the classification performance of WSIs by deep learning models is typically compromised by data with a different distribution, known as out-of-distribution (OOD), resulting in unreliable predictions. Therefore, having a reliable predictive uncertainty estimation is crucial for clinical adoption. This article comprehensively studies graph-based uncertainty estimation for WSI classification using two cutting-edge graph neural network (GNN) architectures: 1) graph attention networks (GAT); and 2) GraphSAGE. In this work, we introduce the first unified multihead GNN framework that leverages GraphSAGE …

A Scoping Review Of Maternal Active Smoking During Pregnancy And Low-Birth Weight, Naomi Sondang, Nindi Oktavia, Qorinah Estiningtyas Sakilah Adnani, Lani Gumilang, Hadi Susiarno, Victor Abiola Adepoju

Journal of Asian Midwives (JAM)

Background: Low-birth weight (LBW; < 2.5 kg) infants are at increased risk of early mortality, impaired growth, neuro-developmental delay and chronic disease later in life. Maternal behavior, especially cigarette smoking, remains one of the most modifiable determinants of birth weight. We therefore synthesized recent evidence on the association between active maternal smoking during pregnancy and LBW.
Methods: Following PRISMA guidance, we systematically searched PubMed, Scopus and ScienceDirect for the period January 2020 to 31 January 2025 for English-language observational studies that quantified the relationship between active prenatal smoking and LBW. Risk of bias was appraised, and findings were summarized narratively.
Results: In total 26,650 papers were found and eight eligible studies (four cohort, three cross-sectional, one case-control) from Asia, Europe and the Middle East were included. Across all designs and exposure metrics—self-report, exhaled carbon-monoxide, urinary cotinine, and cord-blood DNA-methylation, active smoking was consistently associated with …

Too Far, Too Costly, Too Complex: How Structural Factors Impact Women’S Mobile-Money Adoption And Business Investment In Sub-Sahara Africa, Iyabo A. Olanrele Dr

Bullion

This study investigates how structural factors shape women’s adoption of mobile-money services and access to credit for entrepreneurship across Sub-Sahara Africa. Using cross-country data from the 2025 Global Findex Database, the analysis demonstrates that women face disproportionately higher barriers than men. Long distances to mobile-money agents significantly reduce women’s likelihood of borrowing, while men’s borrowing is less affected. High service and transaction fees further constrain women, reflecting their lower and more irregular incomes, and liquidity limitations prevent many from maintaining active accounts. Documentation requirements, though partially mitigated by improved national ID systems and tiered Know-Your-Customer (KYC) rules, remain a secondary …

Otherwise Than Human: Responsibility In The Wake Of Disaster, An Eco-Deconstructive Response To Climate Catastrophe, James W. Harris

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This thesis will, firstly, assume a line of eco-deconstructive reasoning, which takes as its point of departure from other approaches to the environment the basic premises of deconstruction, which aim to de-center the ontological and epistemological assumptions of Western thought about the subject and language, and apply it to the concept of the human as a distinct and, most importantly, privileged being as this privilege has operated within language and culture, thereby demonstrating how climate catastrophe constitutes a fundamental rupture in traditional ontology. Secondly, I will turn towards the ethics of Emmanuel Levinas, as in present in his God, Death, …

On Solving The Vertical Generalized Linear Complementarity Problem Associated With A Vertical Block P-Matrix, Mark K. Horlu

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

In Ebiefung et al. (2017) an algorithm was developed to solve the vertical generalized linear complementarity problem (VGLCP) when the associated matrix is a vertical block P-matrix (VBP). The objective of this study is to implement the algorithm on a large scale using the Python programming language. We also use a Python code to generate test VBP- matrices Ebiefung et al. (2022), and used them to implement the algorithm. On a representative example, every computational step including basis updates, pivot selection, and vector analysis is recorded. The Python implementation exhibits precise convergence. The final results verifying the correctness of the …

The Influence Of Trauma-Informed Self-Care Practices On Compassion Fatigue, Secondary Traumatic Stress, And Burnout Among Educators, Giitoun Belinda Martin

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Educators play a pivotal role in supporting students who have experienced trauma, yet the emotional toll of this work is often underestimated. This mixed-methods study examined the influence of trauma-informed self-care (TISC) practices on compassion satisfaction, compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress (STS), and burnout among K–12 educators in a large southeastern Tennessee district, including Priority Schools serving high-poverty communities. A total of 157 educators were surveyed, while 32 educators participated in focus groups to provide deeper insight into self-care supports. Quantitative analyses revealed that higher levels of TISC engagement were significantly associated with increased compassion satisfaction and personal accomplishment, and …

Optimizing Xylitol Production: A Molecular And Experimental Study Of Xylose Reductase In Candida Tropicalis, Zackery Neal

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Xylitol, a naturally occurring sugar alcohol, is widely used in the food and pharmaceutical industries as both an artificial sweetener and an anticariogenic agent. Traditional xylitol production relies on harsh chemicals and energy-intensive processes, making microbial fermentation a more sustainable alternative. This study explores the ability of Candida tropicalis to convert D-xylose into xylitol through the enzyme xylose reductase, with a focus on optimizing pH conditions to enhance conversion efficiency. To achieve this, both experimental fermentation and computational molecular dynamics simulations using GROMACS and the pHbuilder tool are employed. By analyzing the enzyme’s stability and structural dynamics across different pH …

Practical Recommendations On Stretching Exercise: A Delphi Consensus Statement Of International Research Experts, Konstantin Warneke, Ewan Thomas, Anthony J. Blazevich, José Afonso, David G. Behm, Paulo H. Marchetti, Gabriel S. Trajano, Masatoshi Nakamura, Francisco Ayala, Stefano Longo, Nicolas Babault, Sandro R. Freitas, Pablo B. Costa, Andreas Konrad, Antoine Nordez, Arnold Nelson, Astrid Zech, Anthony D. Kay, Olyvia Donti, Jan Wilke

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Stretching has wide appeal, but there seems to exist some mismatch between its purported applications and what the evidence shows. There is compelling evidence for some stretching applications, but for others, the evidence seems heterogeneous or unsupportive. The discrepancies even affect some systematic reviews, possibly due to heterogeneous eligibility criteria and search strategies. This consensus paper seeks to unify the divergent findings on stretching and its implications for both athletic performance and clinical practices by delivering evidence-based recommendations. Methods: A panel of 20 experts with a blend of practical experience and scholarly knowledge was assembled. The panel meticulously reviewed …

Exploring Convergence And Divergence In Seemingly Contrasting Perspectives On Training Perceptual-Cognitive Abilities For Sports Performance Through Moderated Dialogue, Jordan Cassidy, Daniel Kadlec, Job Fransen

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Current Opinion article considers the diverging perspectives of two academics on the trainability and role of perceptual-cognitive abilities in sports performance, specifically applied to agility and sidestepping. This work uses a moderated dialogue approach between these two authors, each representing differing viewpoints: one advocating for the role of perceptual-motor skills through representative learning environments and another emphasising physical resilience. The article explores how fostering scientific discourse through moderated questions posed by a third party can be used to identify convergences and divergences in these perspectives. Both perspectives agree on the complexity of agility, the value of coupling perceptual skills with …

Hamstring Strength And Architectural Properties Are Associated With Running Biomechanics, Nicholas Ripley, Christopher Bramah, Paul Comfort, John Mcmahon

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Applied muscular strain and hamstring strain capacity have a joint interaction on hamstring strain injury (HSI) with modifiable risk factors frequently assessed. However, to date there is limited observations on the interaction between these factors. The purpose of the present study was to observe if spatiotemporal characteristics, running kinematics and muscle activation were related to modifiable risk factors of HSI. Twenty-two competitive team sport athletes (24.7 ± 4.3 years, 1.82 ± 0.07 m, 84.9 ± 8.5 kg) participated whereby the Bicep femoris long head (BFLH) fascicle length assessed via ultrasound and isokinetic eccentric hamstring strength was assessed. With running assessment …

Examination Of Differences Of Similar-Sized Martian Craters At The Simple-Complex Transition As Revealed By High-Resolution Imaging And Stereo-Derived Topography, Lindsey Dorn

Geosciences

Impact craters on Mars have a wide range of morphologies, and the relationship between the mechanics of their formation and their eventual morphologies is still not completely understood. By examining craters within a narrow diameter range, impact energies are constrained to similar values - enabling focused investigation of target properties and their influence on crater excavation and modification. There is a transition from simple bowl-shaped depressions to complex craters with terraced walls and central floor structures with increasing crater diameter. We analyzed target influences on morphology by examining eleven well-preserved craters of varying morphologies in the 7 to 9 km …

Evaluating Utilidor Performance And Ground Temperature Variability In UtqiaġVik, Tate Rachow

Geosciences

Permafrost degradation in Arctic regions poses increasing risks to infrastructure as climate warming accelerates thaw processes, alters hydrology, and deepens the active layer. In Utqiaġvik, Alaska, utilidors— utility conduits—play a vital role in protecting water and wastewater services, yet their thermal performance under changing conditions remains poorly constrained. This thesis evaluates the thermal behavior of the Site U-1 direct buried pipes on Stevenson Street using historical thermistor resistance data converted to temperature, combined with calibrated two- dimensional TEMP/W numerical models. The models incorporate layered backfill materials and polyurethane insulation, while also simulating operational influences of water and wastewater temperatures. Calibration …

Navigating Seismic Anisotropy, With Applications To Alaska, Aakash Gupta

Geosciences

Seismic anisotropy characterizes how elastic waves travel through solid materials with different speeds, depending on the direction of the waves and the direction of particle motion of the waves. Evidence of seismic anisotropy in the Earth is widespread, from seismic waves sampling the crust, mantle and even the core, to active-source, industry-scale seismic experiments, to laboratory mea­ surements of rock samples from boreholes or at the surface. Global models of the Earth provide a highly averaged image of anisotropy. Studies based on shear wave splitting measurements from local and global earthquakes indicate that the anisotropy in the Earth is much …

Earthquake Relocation, Fault Complexity, And Nucleation Patterns In Interior Alaska, Nealey Sims

Geosciences

Interior Alaska is one of the most seismically active intraplate regions in North America, yet its faults remain poorly defined due to diffuse seismicity and limited surface expression. Bounded by the Denali and Tintina fault systems, the region hosts the Minto Flats, Fairbanks, and Salcha fault zones, which produce large earthquakes, as evidenced from the 1937 Ms 7.3 Salcha and 1995 Mw 6.0 Minto Flats events. Despite their hazard potential, these structures have historically been represented as broad seismic zones rather than mapped faults. This dissertation applies mod­ern seismological approaches—network matched filtering, waveform cross-correlation, and rela­tive relocation—to build high-resolution earthquake …

Characterizing Magmatic Processes At Pavlof And Augustine Volcanoes, Alaska, Through Changes In Volatile, Melt, And Phenocryst Geochemistry, Valerie Wasser

Geosciences

Alaska is home to 54 historically active volcanoes with eruptions posing not only hazards to life and property but also endangering air traffic and affecting the economy. Volcanic processes are complex, and their investigation requires the application of multidisciplinary tools and perspectives from both geophysics and geology. Petrology and geochemistry are the study of the chemical and mineralogical make up of rocks and can provide insights into mantle, crustal and shallow near-surface magmatic processes for recent and prehistoric eruptions. Here I investigate magmatic processes by examining mineral compositional changes across dissolution surfaces in crystal clots at Augustine Volcano, and changes …

A Bayesian Optimisation With Segmentation Approach To Optimising Liquid Handling Parameters, Estefania Yap, Viet Huynh, Calvin Vong, Peter Vogel, Viv Louzado, Thomas Barnes, Buser Say, Michael Burke, Dana Kulić, Aldeida Aleti

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The automation of liquid handling has become integral in speeding up pharmaceutical development for faster drug development and more affordable treatments. However, the optimal parameters which define the aspirate and dispense procedures vary between liquids and liquid volumes, limiting transfer accuracy and precision. Even state-of-the-art liquid handling devices offer predefined parameters for only a handful of liquids and volumes, resulting in novel parameter sets being defined via a manual, time-consuming process. In this study, we propose an experimental framework for automating the optimisation of liquid class parameters for arbitrary liquids. Within our framework, we propose an optimisation and segmentation algorithm, …

Looking At The Nose: Gender, Jewishness, And The Politics Of Visual Mediation, Laura Glitsos

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The nose is a multisensory organ and a powerful bodily technology that helps orient the experience of consciousness in the material world, and yet, we have come to a socio-technological context so driven by ocularcentrism, largely as a result of the visual nature of social media and new media, that the nose is often reduced to just an idealised ‘shape’. This article explores how the contemporary construction and representation of the nose, especially on social media, is seated in a very long history of gendered and racialised politics. By examining the cultural and political implications of the nose through critical …

Source-Specific Nitrate Intake And Incident Dementia In The Danish Diet, Cancer And Health Study, Catherine P. Bondonno, Pratik Pokharel, Dorit Wielandt Erichsen, Liezhou Zhong, Jörg Schullehner, Cecilie Kyrø, Kirsten Frederiksen, Peter Fjeldstad Hendriksen, Frederik Dalgaard, Lauren C. Blekkenhorst, Stephanie R. Rainey-Smith, Samantha L. Gardener, Torben Sigsgaard, Ole Raaschou-Nielsen, Anne Tjønneland, Jonathan M. Hodgson, Christina C. Dahm, Anja Olsen, Nicola P. Bondonno

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction: Dietary nitrate, through conversion to nitric oxide, which supports vascular and nervous system function, may lower dementia risk but may also form neurodegenerative N-nitrosamines, depending on the nitrate source. Methods: We investigated associations between source-specific nitrate and nitrite intake and incident and early-onset dementia (< 65 years) in 54,804 dementia-free participants from the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health Cohort Study over ∼27 years. Nitrate and nitrite intakes were derived from food frequency questionnaires and nitrate and nitrite databases. Results: Higher plant-sourced nitrate intake was non-linearly associated with lower rates of incident dementia (fifth vs first quintile hazard ratio 95% confidence interval: 0.90 [0.83, 0.98]), while increased risk was seen for higher intakes of animal-sourced, additive-permitted meat-sourced, and tap water-sourced nitrate. Similar associations were seen for source-specific nitrite intake and were more pronounced for early-onset dementia. No clear effect modification was observed. Discussion: These findings highlight the importance of nitrate source in dementia risk and warrant further investigation. Highlights: Plant nitrate is associated with a lower risk of incident and early-onset dementia. Animal and tap water nitrate are associated with an increased risk of dementia. Encouraging consumption of plant-based nitrate sources may lower risk of dementia.

Zero Day Malware Detection With Alpha: Fast Dbi With Transformer Models For Real World Application, Matthew Gaber, Mohiuddin Ahmed, Helge Janicke

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The effectiveness of an AI model in accurately classifying novel malware hinges on the quality of the features it is trained on, which in turn depends on the effectiveness of the analysis tool used. Peekaboo, a Dynamic Binary Instrumentation (DBI) tool, defeats malware evasion techniques to capture authentic behavior at the Assembly (ASM) instruction level. This behavior exhibits patterns consistent with Zipf's law, a distribution commonly seen in natural languages, making Transformer models particularly effective for binary classification tasks. We introduce Alpha, a framework for zero-day malware detection that leverages Transformer models, Support Vector Machines (SVMs) and ASM language features. …

Synergistic Effect Of Acacia (Cassia Siamea) Leaves Extract In Green Synthesis Of Ag/Tio2 Nanostructures For Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells, Joseph Adebanji, Gabriel Alamu, Khadijat Babalola, Ayodele Abiodun, Oludele Adegboyega, Hakeem Oyeshola, Oluwaseun Adedokun, Yekinni Sanusi

Journal of Applied Sciences and Nanotechnology

The green-synthesized silver-titanium dioxide (Ag/TiO2) nanocomposite was successfully produced in this study by the synergistic effects of the Cassia siamea leaf extract. In the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, the absorbance improved when the nanoparticle was incorporated into TiO2. The energy gap of the composite reduced as the absorbance increased. Numerous functional groups in the formation of NP were detected by FTIR, and their possible role in NP formation was suggested. The synthesized nanoparticles and nanocomposites were found to be crystalline with X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) studies. The average crystallite size of the nanoparticle was 3.95 nm compared to nanocomposite …

Associations Between Trait Mindfulness And Distress In Fertility Patients: Evidence From Two Clinical Samples, Amanda Dillard, Brian Meier, Todd Williams, Michael Wolfe, Mili Thakur

Psychology Faculty Publications

Women who experience fertility problems often report high levels of distress. Trait mindfulness, or the tendency to be present-minded and accepting of one’s thoughts and feelings, could offset this distress. Aims: In two cross-sectional studies, we tested if fertility patients who were higher in trait mindfulness were lower in psychological distress as measured by anxiety and depressive symptoms, fertility-specific distress, and anticipated negative emotions. Method: Study 1 (N = 324; Age M = 34.3; 90% White) included women who had recently sought treatment for fertility problems, and Study 2 (N = 102; Age M = 32.9; …

Full Issue Of The Journal Of The Assembly For Expanded Perspectives On Learning Volume 30, Wendy Ryden, Jonathan M. Marine

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

No abstract provided.

“Narrative Medicine Saved My Life”: Writing Is A Verb As Well As A Noun, Marian M. Maccurdy, Sarah Robinson

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

Dedicated to Professor Peter Elbow 4/14/1935 – 2/6/2025

I, Marian, began my career as a graduate student in medieval literature who had a teaching assistantship to fund her degree. As a graduate student I lived in a world that saw writing as a noun, something done and finished, not as a verb, a process that shows us a world that is as ever-changing as we are. But as a writing teacher I found myself sliding into the world that writers inhabit, and

The Giving And The Receiving: Spiritual Traditions And Teaching, Aepl Summer Conference 2025, Estes Park, Co., Bhushan Aryal, Beverly Brannon, Geri Deluca, Nate Mickelson, Laurence Musgrove, Kristin B. Rajan, Adrian Matt Zytkoskee

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

Editor’s note: This past year, AEPL held its first full, in-person conference since the pandemic at our beloved Estes Park location in the Rockies. To commemorate the return of this staple event for our organization, here’s a snapshot of one of the workshops, led by immediate past AEPL Chair, Geraldine DeLuca, “Writing Our Spiritual Autobiographies,” in which DeLuca asked attendees to consider, where and how did we begin, spiritually? What sustains us now? Deluca provided three prompts by Wallace Stevens, Karen Armstrong, and Audre Lorde to aid attendees in their reflection and writing processes. These prompts appear at the end …

Review: Williams, Bronwyn T. Literacies In Times Of Disruption: Living And Learning During A Pandemic., Ashna Singh

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

This review is structured around three central concepts that Williams develops throughout this book: affect, assemblages, and the connection between memory and identity. In Literacies in Times of Disruption: Living and Learning During a Pandemic, Williams focuses on the narratives of over thirty university students at the University of Louisville to examine how their literacy practices and emerging identities were influenced by physical, emotional, and structural crises.

Quality Improvement Project: Enhancing Learning Through Structured Debriefing In Simulation, Catherine Jones

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

This quality improvement (QI) project examined the impact of structured debriefing training on nursing faculty perceptions of confidence, competence, and skill in simulation-based education (SBE) at a northeast Texas community college. The problem addressed was the lack of a standardized debriefing process, leading to inconsistent faculty practices and variable student learning outcomes. The QI project, guided by the National League for Nursing (NLN) Jeffries Simulation Theory and Lewin’s Change Theory, used a one-group pretest–posttest design to evaluate faculty outcomes following training in Debriefing for Meaningful Learning (DML) and guided self-evaluation using the Debriefing Assessment for Simulation in Healthcare (DASH) Instructor …

“The Goal Is To Help The Community”: Motivations And Experiences Of Diverse Families In A Special Education Parent Advocacy Program, Diana Cruz

Dissertations

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) entitles parents of eligible students with disabilities to meaningful participation in their children’s educational planning. Despite this mandate, many parents encountered barriers that limited their ability to participate in special education processes. These challenges were amplified for culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) families who often lacked the social and cultural capital needed to navigate the system (Trainor, 2010b). Culturally and linguistically diverse parents experience systemic barriers such as limited interpretation, discrimination, and cultural differences that restrict their engagement (Buren et al., 2018; Doucet, 2011; Harry, 2008; Kalyanpur et al., 2000; Sanders-Smith et …

Narrative Economics Of Sports Gambling Legalization: A Case Study Of The United States, Tyler John Hajek

Dissertations

Following the end of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in 2018, legalized sports betting has become prevalent in the United States (U.S.). Most states legalized the activities due to consumer interest and financial potential for tax revenue generation. The purpose of this study was to explore how legalized sports betting influenced tax revenues in the initial years of expanded adoption in the U.S. To address this purpose, the research questions were structured to uncover if states collectively benefited from the introduction of legalized sports betting, what states have financially benefitted from the implementation of legalized sports betting, and …