Digital Commons Network^™

Feasibility Of Expiratory Muscle Strength Training In Individuals With Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, Jordanna S Sevitz, Nora Vanegas-Arroyave, Michelle S Troche

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Introduction: Dysphagia is common among individuals with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP). Expiratory muscle strength training (EMST) is a treatment used to increase expiratory muscle force production for airway protection deficits. To our knowledge, no studies have tested EMST in this population. The objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of EMST in individuals with PSP.

Methods: Twenty-nine participants completed baseline measures of maximum expiratory pressure and underwent a trial session of EMST. EMST was considered feasible if participants were able to complete at least 10 repetitions at 30% of their maximum expiratory pressure. Qualitative analyses were also completed …

A Multimodal Non-Invasive Approach For Intracranial Pressure Assessment: A Single-Center Study, Gabriela Keeton, Neha Dangayach, Alexandra Reynolds, Spyridoula Tsetsou

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring is an integral part of acute brain injury management. While invasive ICP monitoring is the gold standard, there are several medical conditions that preclude its placement. The aim of the present study is to validate a multimodal approach for increasing ICP detection.

Material and methods: In this retrospective study, patients with acute brain injury who had an external ventricular drain (EVD) placement were included. We measured bilateral optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) and assessed for optic nerve disk elevation (ONDE) by using ocular ultrasound, bilateral middle cerebral artery pulsatility index (PI) by using transcranial Doppler, …

Cerebellar Purkinje Cell Stripe Patterns Reveal A Differential Vulnerability And Resistance To Cell Loss During Normal Aging In Mice, Tao Lin, Hsiang-Chih Lu, Roy V Sillitoe

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Age-related neurodegenerative diseases involve reduced cell numbers and impaired behavioral capacity. Neurodegeneration and behavioral deficits also occur during aging, and notably in the absence of disease. The cerebellum, which modulates movement and cognition, is susceptible to cell loss in both aging and disease. Here, we demonstrate that cerebellar Purkinje cell loss in aged mice is not spatially random but rather occurs in a pattern of parasagittal stripes. We also find that aged mice exhibit impaired motor coordination and more severe tremor compared to younger mice. However, the relationship between patterned Purkinje cell loss and motor dysfunction is not straightforward. Examination …

Insights From A Survey Of School Nurses: Assessing The Challenges Of Constipation In Schools

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objectives: School nurses are key responders to students with constipation, yet their experiences are underreported. This study surveyed their observations regarding constipation, identified barriers to student restroom access, and assessed educational needs.

Methods: In this descriptive, cross-sectional survey study, an anonymous online survey was distributed to school nurses participating in a virtual education series. The survey assessed nurse demographics, frequency of encounters with constipation and encopresis, school restroom policies, barriers to restroom use, accommodation requests, and training in constipation management.

Findings: Of 125 respondents, 95% encountered students with constipation at least monthly and 55% reported ≥ 6 encounters monthly. Commonly …

Administration Of A Novel Reprogramming Formula Improves Cardiac Function And Decreases Cardiac Fibrosis In A Myocardial Infarction Model, Jianchang Yang, Tamer M A Mohamed, Todd K Rosengart

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: The reprogramming of fibroblasts into (induced) cardiomyocytes offers a direct myocardial regeneration strategy for improving postinfarction myocardial function. Compared to lower-order species, human cells are relatively resistant to such reprogramming. We previously found that p63-transactivation inhibitory domain (TID; the portion of p63 that physical interacts and interferes with its activation of the epigenetic repressor HDAC1) combined with the cardio-differentiation factors Hand2 and Myocardin (HM) enhanced rat and human cell transdifferentiation. The present study sought to determine the in vivo effects of this reprogramming strategy in a rat myocardial infarction model.

Methods: Adult male and female rats underwent left anterior …

Predicting Cryptocurrency Prices Using Stochastic Modeling, Reem Hani Al Omari

Theses

Cryptocurrencies are digital currencies that operate independently of central banks and governments. They were designed to overcome the limitations of traditional financial systems through a decentralized, peer-to-peer electronic cash mechanism. Trading in cryptocurrencies offers several advantages, including decentralized and efficient transactions, reduced costs through the elimination of intermediaries, investment opportunities across exchanges, and seamless cross-border remittances. Modeling cryptocurrency prices is therefore essential, not only due to these advantages but also because of the substantial market capitalization of cryptocurrencies, estimated to exceed 900 billion dollars according to CoinMarketCap [6]. The main objective of this thesis is to propose a predictive framework …

Assessing U.S. Fatal & Nonfatal Injury Trends By Worker Age, Alexander Mcdaniel

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Occupational injuries and fatalities in the United States have declined over time; however, meaningful differences by worker age remain a concern for employers and safety professionals. Younger workers often experience higher non-fatal injury rates due to limited experience and developing hazard-recognition skills, while older workers face increased risk of severe and fatal outcomes related to age-associated physical changes. The purpose of this study was to analyze long-term injury and fatality trends by age group and determine whether differences exist over time. National injury data from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (1992–2023) and the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses …

Comparing Profiles Of Impairment Among Children With Dmdd, Adhd, And Odd, Joanna Christmas

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD) has a high comorbidity rate with ADHD (Bruno et al., 2019), meaning that many children referred for ADHD evaluation may also meet criteria for DMDD. Additionally, the two disorders can have some similarity in how they present. Thus, clinicians who frequently assess children for ADHD could benefit from being aware of how measures commonly used in ADHD evaluations can also be useful in identifying characteristics of DMDD as well as patterns of impairment more specific to DMDD. The present study explored possible differences in parent and teacher ratings of child peer impairment as well as …

John Henryism And The African American Experience: An Exploration Of Risk And Protective Factors And Health Outcomes, Joseph L. Twitdy

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Racial discrimination has been tied to adverse mental and physical health outcomes among African Americans. In the face of this adversity, African Americans have developed strategies for coping with everyday experiences of discrimination. One such coping method is based on the concept of John Henryism. The folktale of John Henry tells the story of an African American steel-driver racing against a steam-powered drill to clear a path for trains through a mountain. Although John Henry wins the race, he later dies due to exhaustion, ultimately passing with his hammer in his hand. The psychological concept of John Henryism (JH) refers …

The Role Of Coccolithophores In The Lower Photic Zone, Josué G. Millán

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Within the vast ocean lies the Lower Photic Zone, one of Earth's least explored frontiers and among the largest biomes on the planet. The Lower Photic Zone, situated at the base of the photic zone, comprises a unique chemical and environmental region that crosses all ocean basins. The biogeochemical dynamics of the Lower Photic Zone are driven by microorganisms, among which coccolithophores play a pivotal role. These golden-brown unicellular algae, ubiquitous in the world's oceans photic zones, are vital in the transfer of atmospheric CO2 into ocean depths and in the production of oxygen through photosynthesis. While all coccolithophores mediate …

A Study Of Configuration Management Database (Cmdb) Adoption In It Service Management (Itsm) Implementations Within Nj Community Colleges, Fredrick Dande

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the adoption of Configuration Management Databases (CMDBs) in IT Service Management (ITSM) implementations within New Jersey (NJ) community colleges. Despite the well-documented benefits of CMDBs—such as faster issue resolution, improved compliance, and greater visibility across IT infrastructures—implementation success rates remain low. As technology continues to enhance production capabilities and expand access to information, the need for centralized configuration visibility has become critical. A CMDB provides a single system of record for IT assets and services, helping organizations manage outages, assess changes, maintain compliance, and improve asset tracking. This research used an online survey to collect data from …

Quantization For The Mixtures Of Overlap Probability Distributions, Asha Barua, Angelina Chavera, Ivan Djordjevic, Valerie Manzano, Sergio Soto Quintero, Mrinal Kanti Roychowdhury, Hilda Tejeda

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Optimal quantization for mixed distributions has emerged as a compelling area of study. In this work, we have focused on a mixed distribution formed from two uniform distributions with partially overlapping supports. For this class of distributions, we have examined the structure of optimal sets of n-means and the corresponding nth quantization errors for all positive integers n. Initially, we explicitly determined the optimal sets and quantization errors for 1 < = n < = 6. Subsequently, we established several key lemmas and propositions and proposed an algorithm that facilitates the computation of optimal n-means and quantization errors for all n >= 5. Numerical results are also presented to illustrate the application of the algorithm in deriving these quantities. The findings of this study offer valuable insight and serve as a …

Insecticide-Treated Net Use And Elimination Of Malaria In Sub-Saharan African Countries: Assessing The Global Technical Strategy Using An Evolutionary Game Approach, Laxmi, Tamer Oraby, Michael G. Tyshenko, Ina Danquah, Samit Bhattacharyya

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Malaria continues to be a major public health challenge in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where the majority of the countries have not met the World Health Assembly's endorsed Global Technical Strategy (GTS) milestones in 2020 for malaria reduction. Insecticide-treated net (ITN) usage is a well-established and effective intervention, often outperforming other measures such as indoor residual spraying (IRS). However, multiple survey studies have reported improper use of ITNs across various SSA countries. This misuse likely poses an important barrier to the intervention's success, although it remains a largely untested hypothesis.

Methods: We developed a behaviour-incidence model and statistical analysis of …

Variants Of Conway Checkers And K-Nacci Jumping, Glenn Bruda, Joseph Cooper, Kareem Jaber, Raul Marquez, Steven J. Miller

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Conway Checkers is a game played with a checker placed in each square of the lower half of an infinite checkerboard. Pieces move by jumping over an adjacent checker, removing the checker jumped over. Conway showed that it is not possible to reach row 5 in finitely many moves by weighting each cell in the board by powers of the golden ratio such that no move increases the total weight.

Other authors have considered the game played on many different boards, including generalizing the standard game to higher dimensions. We work on a board of arbitrary dimension, where we allow …

Identity Salience Of Organizational Culture: The Intersection Of Racial And Occupational Identities In High-Risk Professions, Sarah Espinosa

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

Despite decades of effort, issues of race and color in organizations remain unresolved. Representative Bureaucracy (RB) has been a necessary but insufficient response to these challenges. While RB promotes diversity and inclusion, it struggles to address deeper issues of equity and justice, which are seen in the persistence of police brutality, even with increased representation of officers of color. This dissertation will propose a new theoretical approach to address the shortcomings of RB, a framework for the Identity Salience of Organizational Culture (ISOC). The ISOC framework seeks to build beyond RB to explain how the culture of high-risk professions with …

Is Noise Exposure Associated With Impaired Extended High Frequency Hearing Despite A Normal Audiogram? A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Sajana Aryal, Monica Trevino, Hansapani Rodrigo, Srikanta K. Mishra

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Understanding the initial signature of noise-induced auditory damage remains a significant priority. Animal models suggest the cochlear base is particularly vulnerable to noise, raising the possibility that early-stage noise exposure could be linked to basal cochlear dysfunction, even when thresholds at 0.25-8 kHz are normal. To investigate this in humans, we conducted a meta-analysis following a systematic review, examining the association between noise exposure and hearing in frequencies from 9 to 20 kHz as a marker for basal cochlear dysfunction. Systematic review and meta-analysis followed PRISMA guidelines and the PICOS framework. Studies on noise exposure and hearing in the 9 …

Making Explanations Make Sense: Xai For Smishing Detection, Eleni Alexandra Katsarakes

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) is a key component of effective human-AI collaboration, particularly in high-stakes domains such as cybersecurity. While AI tools hold promise for mitigating threats such as SMS-based phishing (SMiShing), their real-world effectiveness may hinge not just on detection accuracy, but on whether users can make sense of the system’s outputs. As SMiShing attacks grow in both frequency and sophistication, so does the urgency of designing human-centered AI systems that support user decision-making under uncertainty. This study examined how four distinct AI explanation types - Normative (rule-based), Attributive (feature-based), Exemplar (case-based), and Recommendation-Only - influence user performance, confidence, …

Exploring The Impact Of Identity-Based Bullying On Suicidal Thoughts And Behaviors Among 6th-12th Grade Youth In Virginia, Camille N. Johnson

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) are a growing public health concern among youth. Bullying victimization is a robust risk factor for STBs and identity-based bullying (IBB) or bullying that occurs due to a person’s actual or perceived social-identity/identities that is ingrained in discrimination, prejudice, or bias, has been found to be more strongly associated with STBs compared to bullying that was unrelated to identity. The current study used data from the Virginia School Survey of Climate and Working Conditions (N=399,493) to examine associations between general bullying, adult-perpetrated bullying, and IBB with depression and STBs among 6th-12th grade youth. This study …

Identifying Alcohol Intervention-Relevant Constructs For Greek Life: Examining Across Greek Membership And Gender Among College Students, Emily Susan Renzoni

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Among college populations, students who are members of social Greek life organizations (i.e., social fraternities and sororities) drink more and experience higher rates of negative alcohol-related consequences than their non-affiliated peers. Although there has been success of alcohol interventions in general college populations, research has shown that college drinking interventions that are delivered to students in Greek life are not efficacious in reducing alcohol consumption or related consequences. It is meaningful to investigate if the content commonly addressed in these interventions, although well-documented as being linked to drinking in the general college population, has the same associations for students who …

Observed Parenting, Parent-Child Aggression, And Intimate Partner Violence As Predictive Of Family Dysfunction, Paige Munshell

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Family systems theories contextualize violence as occurring across multiple levels of the family, yet much of the existing literature focuses on a single family member’s outcome (i.e., the child) and neglects to include data collected from fathers. This study examined the associations between indicators of functioning at the dyadic-level in the family system—observed parenting, Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) perpetration, and Parent-Child Aggression (PCA) risk—and later overall family dysfunction. Participants were 180 mothers and 144 of their male partners evaluated when their child was 18 months old and re-evaluated at 4 years old. Measures of observed parenting, IPV perpetration, and PCA …

Prophylactic Effect Of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Monotherapy In Preventing Recurrent Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Ikbal Andrian Malau, Cheng-Ho Chang, Wei-Jen Chen, Wen-Chun Liu, Halliru Zailani, Hsien-Feng Liao, Jane Pei-Chen Chang, Wei-Che Chiu, Kuan-Pin Su

BioMedicine

Background: Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) have demonstrated efficacy as adjunctive treatment for MDD. In fact, fewer studies assessed the prophylactic properties of n-3 PUFAs as monotherapy on the recurrence of MDD.

Aims: This study aimed to assess the prophylactic effect of n-3 PUFAs monotherapy against recurrent MDD.

Methods: We conducted a 6-month randomized controlled trial to assess the prophylactic effect of n-3 in preventing recurrent MDD. We assigned 60 remitted MDD patients to the n-3 group (n = 30) and placebo (n = 30). Furthermore, we assessed the difference in depression severity and MDD recurrence based on the …

Tai Chi For Cardiovascular Wellness: Integrating An Ancient Practice Into Modern Therapeutic Approaches, Chun-Han Cheng, Wen-Rui Hao, Huan-Yuan Chen, Po-Yuan Chen, Ju-Chi Liu, Tzu-Hurng Cheng

BioMedicine

Tai Chi, a traditional Chinese martial art characterized by gentle, fluid movements and deep breathing, has gained increasing recognition for its cardiovascular health benefits. This study investigated the integration of Tai Chi into contemporary cardiovascular health practices, focusing on its physiological and psychological effects. The slow, controlled movements characteristic of Tai Chi contribute to enhanced cardiovascular fitness, decreased blood pressure, and improved vascular function, while simultaneously alleviating stress and fostering emotional well-being. Through a review of clinical studies and trials, this study underscores the efficacy of Tai Chi in cardiovascular rehabilitation programs and its accessibility as a community-based intervention. Additionally, …

Circadian Rhythms And Neuroendocrine Dysregulation In Adhd: Therapeutic Insights From Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Ayesha Zafar Iqbal, Patricia Marest Suwindi, Sunny Yin-Shan Chen, Lindsay Liang-Tien Cho, Kuan-Pin Su, Jane Pei-Chen Chang

BioMedicine

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental condition often accompanied by circadian rhythm disturbances, particularly delayed sleep phase. These involve superchiasmatic nucleus (SCN) dysregulation, altered melatonin secretion, and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis activity, which may be exacerbated by artificial light exposure. Genetic studies further implicate circadian mechanisms, linking ADHD with polymorphisms in clock genes such as PER and CLOCK.

Nutraceuticals, particularly omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs), have been proposed as modulators of circadian rhythms. N-3 PUFAs are essential for brain health and may influence melatonin synthesis and sleep–wake regulation. Preclinical and clinical findings suggest that supplementation can improve cognitive …

The Integrative Role Of Melatonin In Psychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review Of Evidence From Circadian Biology, Lifestyle Medicine, And Psychoneuroimmunology, Ho Bao Chau Le, Kollawat Somsri, Thansita Bhunyakarnjanarat, Nattiya Hirankarn, Asada Leelahavanichkul

BioMedicine

Melatonin, a hormone produced by the pineal gland, is known for regulating circadian rhythms and has emerging therapeutic potential in psychiatric disorders. This systematic review examines evidence from clinical and preclinical studies to assess melatonin’s efficacy in the following conditions: depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Beyond its role in circadian regulation, melatonin exhibits antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory properties, which intersect with nutrition, lifestyle medicine, and psychoneuroimmunology (PNI).

The review finds that melatonin improves sleep quality, restores circadian balance, and modulates stress-related neuroimmune pathways. It also supports neuroplasticity and reduces oxidative stress, contributing to resilience against psychosocial and environmental stressors. …

From Rhythm To Resilience: The Interplay Of Circadian Rhythm, Melatonin, Lifestyle, Nutrition In Psychoneuroimmunology (Pni), Jane Pei-Chen Chang, Kuan-Pin Su

BioMedicine

Emerging evidence reveals that circadian rhythm, melatonin signaling, nutrition, and inflammation are intricately intertwined in shaping both mental and physical health. Circadian disruptions and lifestyle imbalances contribute to neuroinflammation, mood dysregulation, and cardiometabolic dysfunction, as seen in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), major depressive disorder (MDD), metabolic syndrome,and cardiovascular diseases. This special issue highlights interdisciplinary research that integrates circadian biology, nutrition, and psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) toward personalized and preventive psychiatry. Featured studies explore circadian and melatonin mechanisms in ADHD and MDD, the therapeutic and prophylactic potential of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs), the neuroprotective potentical of paeoniflorin, and the role of extracellular …

Climate And Non-Genetic Effects On Goat Milk Quality And Casein Prediction Using Machine Learning, Ibrahima Mahamane Abdourhamane, Dilek Arsoy

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

Milk quality is becoming more and more crucial for farmers with the increasing use of component-based pricing systems in the sector. This study aimed to investigate the effects of climate-related and non-genetic factors on goat milk quality on the island of Northern Cyprus and to predict casein content using machine learning techniques. An analysis was performed on 21,695 goat milk samples collected between 2012 and 2018. Somatic cell count (SCC), standard plate count (SPC), and key milk components such as protein, casein, lactose, and fat were evaluated for different seasons, regions, farm sizes, and raw milk types. Five machine learning …

Review Of Resonance: A Sociology Of Our Relationship To The World By Hartmut Rosa, Ryan Derby-Talbot

Turning Toward Being: The Journal of Ontological Inquiry in Education

No abstract provided.

Review Of All In All (More Or Less): Rhetorical Considerations In Literature, Thought, And Experience By Walter Jost, Sean Meehan

Turning Toward Being: The Journal of Ontological Inquiry in Education

Review of All in All (More or Less): Rhetorical Considerations in Literature, Thought, and Experience by Walter Jost

Ontological Inquiry: A Foundation For Intercultural Communication Competence For Peace, Maria Stergiou

Turning Toward Being: The Journal of Ontological Inquiry in Education

Beyond what we have discovered through research and what we claim to know about learning and teaching intercultural global competencies, I advocate for the inclusion of a pedagogy of ontological inquiry. Informed by my work as the International Cooperation Advisor for Higher Education at the Swiss Agency for Exchange and Cooperation, as well as my lived experience with ontological inquiry for more than 25 years, here I illuminate the access an ontological pedagogy provides to the realization of interculturalcommunication competencies as a foundation for peace.

One Individual’S Culmination Is Another’S Abyss: The Matter Of Mattering, Lou Agosta

Turning Toward Being: The Journal of Ontological Inquiry in Education

One individual’s culmination is another’s new beginning and yet another’s abyss. The abyss is nihilism. The challenge of such a Big Idea as The Culmination (the event, not the title of Robert Pippin’s book) is to weave the hermeneutic tapestry of the meaning of Being (Sein) as disclosed in poetry, aesthetics, and the life-world, while coaxing the lumbering Hegelian camel of German Idealism through the eye of the narrow needle of Dasein’s (Heideggerian) finitude. The world and entanglement are disclosed in a nondiscursive (preconceptual) manner as mattering. The way forward in philosophy lies through innovations in “mattering”—not a conceptual sense …