Digital Commons Network^™

The Emergence Of Ai Chatbots In Education, Trek Martin

Journal of Graduate Education Research

The recent advent of popular AI applications in educational contexts has sparked renewed interest in the question of AI and guided learning platforms as teaching tools. What are the possibilities for learning? In the attempt to answer that question, limitations of the field must be brought to full attention, as well an understanding of whether or not those limitations will continue into the immediate future; this research examines the technical evolution of artificial intelligence in education, from early symbolic reasoning systems to modern machine-learning-based chatbots. It then examines that evolution in terms of the key challenges it faced throughout, and …

An Action Plan For Global Advocacy: First Aid And Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation As A Pillar In Disaster Health Preparedness, Nurul'ain Ahayalimudin

Global Advocacy

Despite increasing global investments in disaster risk reduction, the integration of First Aid and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training into national and community disaster preparedness strategies remains inadequate. This presentation outlines an urgent call to action for inclusive, culturally responsive, and community-accessible First Aid and CPR training—particularly targeting underserved, linguistically diverse, and geographically isolated populations. Systemic barriers such as cost, lack of trained instructors, cultural mismatches, and policy gaps limit equitable access to lifesaving skills.

This advocacy initiative aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and SDG 13 …

Message In A Bottle, Saptarshi Biswas

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

The title of the image is inspired by a famous old song by the British rock band The Police. The song featured Sting’s evocative lyrics and captures a profound sense of isolation and longing. The song tells the story of a castaway who sends out a distress signal, only to discover that he is not alone in his feelings of loneliness. Through its haunting melody and rhythmic pulse, the track conveys themes of connection and the human experience, illustrating how, despite physical separation, people share similar struggles and emotions. The metaphor of the bottle serves as a poignant reminder of …

Nondominant Right Coronary Artery Occlusion Leading To An Anterior St-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction, Taha Ahmed, Taylor Wood, Austin Harris, Rajan Desai, Garima Handa, Naoki Misumida, Amartya Kundu

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Background

A nondominant right coronary artery supplies a small portion of the myocardium. Albeit rare, an acute occlusion of a nondominant right coronary artery is believed to be inconsequential with minimal clinical relevance.

Case Presentation

We present a case of a middle-aged man who presented with chest pain and an electrocardiogram demonstrating anterior ST-segment elevation. An emergent coronary angiogram revealed acute thrombotic occlusion of the proximal nondominant right coronary artery with no significant obstructive atherosclerotic disease in the dominant left coronary circulation. Balloon angioplasty of the occluded vessel followed by implantation of a drug-eluting stent resulted in the resolution of …

Educational Point-Of-Care Ultrasound Discovers Adrenal Cortical Carcinoma, A Case Report: Clinical Implications And Review Of The Literature, Minh Q. Nguyen, Moshe Bengio, Vu H. Tran

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Introduction

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has become an indispensable tool for emergency physicians in assessing intra-abdominal pathology due to its real-time visualization, portability, and cost-effectiveness. While POCUS is not traditionally focused on adrenal gland assessment, incidental findings of adrenal masses during examinations have been reported. Our patient presented with a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation and was found to have a large adrenal mass, discovered incidentally, during thoracic ultrasound.

Case Presentation

This case report presents the discovery of an adrenal mass in a patient with respiratory distress due to a COPD exacerbation, emphasizing the importance of sonographers’ ability to identify …

A Case Report And Evaluation Of Intrauterine Gas Of Unknown Origin, Chrystal Stallworth, Diane Gilbertson, Michele L. Mccarroll, Timothy Kremer

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Introduction

Most reports of intrauterine or endometrial gas have been reported in the setting of underlying gynecologic malignancy or infection. The significance of this case report is to give a presentation of a patient presenting with intrauterine gas who subsequently was identified as having neither an infectious nor malignant cause for such a finding.

Case Presentation

The patient is a 56-year-old postmenopausal woman who presented with “hip pain” and was found to have incidental intrauterine gas on a pelvic computed tomography. She underwent in-office and outpatient hysteroscopies with resection of a submucosal fibroid. Her final pathology was returned as benign, …

Recurrent, Acute Limb Ischemia Secondary To Arterial Thrombosis: A Devastating Complication In The Setting Of Severe Covid-19 Infection, Shaikh Afaq, Kyle S. Strouse, Sini Saju, Olugbenga Oyesanmi, Mohamad Eid, Salman Muddassir

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Background

COVID-19 infection, particularly with the Delta variant, has been associated with a heightened risk of thromboembolic events due to a profound hypercoagulable state. While venous thrombosis is more commonly reported, arterial thrombosis—including acute limb ischemia—has emerged as a serious complication with significant morbidity and mortality.

Case Presentation

We report the case of a 53-year-old man with severe COVID-19 pneumonia who developed recurrent acute limb ischemia secondary to an aortic mural thrombus. Despite therapeutic anticoagulation and multiple surgical interventions—including thrombectomy, angioplasty, and stenting—the patient experienced repeated episodes of arterial thrombosis. His clinical course was further complicated by pneumothorax and hemothorax, …

A Hard Problem: Managing Constipation In The Geriatric Population, William G. Jones, Veeraen Jonnalagadda, Alexandra E. Thomson, Victoria Grumbles, Chase Cottle, Christian Robertson, Maulikkumar Patel

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Constipation is a common condition among geriatric patients with different presenting symptoms and potential serious complications. Additionally, the condition causes a significant burden on our healthcare system. Here, we summarized recommendations from several societies, including the American College of Gastroenterology, American Geriatrics Society, and American Academy of Family Physicians to provide guidance on managing constipation with geriatric patients. Our aim was to emphasize the importance of prevention of constipation in this population and methods to do so. We also give recommendations on how to manage constipation when it does develop and how to manage it across different healthcare settings. These …

Intermediate Representation Randomization For Unique Software Builds, Joshua Mason

Defensive Publications Series

Software applications distributed as identical copies may present a vulnerability because an exploit discovered in one instance could be replicated across others due to shared internal structures. This publication describes a method to address this vulnerability by generating unique software builds, and which in instances could be used for each download request. The method operates by compiling an application into an intermediate representation, such as a low level virtual machine intermediate representation (LLVM IR) bytecode. Upon receiving a download request, the method performs randomized transformations on the LLVM IR elements, thereby changing the locations of functions, basic block ordering, instruction …

Deferred Texture Decoding With Filtering, Seokhoon Kim, Eric Young, Elaine Poon

Defensive Publications Series

A method may include (1) performing, by an integrated circuit, decoding and filtering using a combined texture decoding and filtering equation and (2) providing, by the integrated circuit, a decoded filter output to a next stage in a graphics pipeline. Various other methods and systems are disclosed.

Integrated Wiper For Optical Module Cage, N/A

Defensive Publications Series

An integrated wiper for a pluggable optical module is described herein. The integrated wiper is a modification to a pluggable optical module cage that addresses surface damage caused by particulate debris. Metal features are removed from a leading edge of an upper surface of the optical module cage and replaced with the integrated wiper. The integrated wiper, which can be overmolded, adhered, or fastened to the leading edge of the cage, cleans an upper surface of an optical module during insertion. The integrated wiper removes any debris before it can be trapped between the module and internal components, such as …

Airflow Regulation System With Pliant Membrane, Mark Wessel, Umesh Nandanan, David (Hong) Huynh

Defensive Publications Series

An airflow regulation system is proposed herein that includes a variable or pliant membrane device that can be utilized to control the airflow in electronics enclosures in a manner that is effective, repeatable, and comprehensive. The membrane device of the airflow regulation system provides an adaptable solution for a problem (airflow management) that is inherently variable. Traditional methods for airflow management often fall short in terms of scope, complexity, effectiveness, and robustness. In contrast, the membrane device proposed herein can include variable/pliant properties such that the proposed airflow regulation system addresses the shortcomings of traditional airflow management solutions with a …

Reconstruction Of Water Storage Variability In The Aral Sea Region, Nikita Murzintcev, Sahibjamal Nietullaeva, Timur Berdimbetov, Buddhi Pushpawela, Asiya Tureniyazova, Sherly Shelton, Bakbergen Aytmuratov, Khusen Gafforov, Kanat Parakhatov, Alimjan Erdashov, Abdul-Aziz Makhamatdinov, Timur Allamuratov

Plants, Soils and Climate Student Research

The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission, operational from 2002 to 2017, provided critical measurements of Earth's gravity field anomalies which have been extensively used to study groundwater and terrestrial water storage (TWS) dynamics. In this research, we utilize GRACE data to identify, model, and analyze potential climate parameters contributing to the reconstruction of TWS variability in the Aral Sea Basin region (ASB). We assess the impact of climate change and anthropogenic nature management on TWS change using a quantitative method. Our analysis reveals a significant decline in the TWS at a rate of 0.44 cm year^-1 during …

The Red Dusk Coffee Shop: The Application Of Tension In The Cozy Fantasy Genre, Kelli M. Lynch

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the methods by which cozy fantasy writers apply literary tension within their works. Because they write within a genre that focuses on low stakes and high comfort, cozy fantasy writers must strike a balance between soothing the reader and keeping the reader interested in the narrative. The critical paper highlights several cozy fantasy writers and how they generate tension without compromising the genre-defining cozy essence. Finally, the thesis contains a complete cozy fantasy novella. The novella features Erik Juntunen, a coffee shop owner in the Keweenaw Peninsula who employs humans and figures …

Thomas And Samuel: A Tragedy Of Power: A Case Study, Julius Gunser Karnwie

Masters Theses

This thesis is a major requirement for completing the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program through Liberty University's Online Programs. In order to accomplish this enterprise, the student was required to conduct extensive research on relevant subjects in order to compile an Artist Statement, a Critical Paper, and the Annotated Bibliography, which appears at the end of this paper. This play is based on the student's personal experiences in a land torn by war and anarchy. Those experiences helped shape his understanding that people and nations can glean valuable lessons from the annals of history for carving better …

Empowering Youth Tackle Football Athletes: A Content Analysis Of Nonlinear Pedagogy’S Influence On Autonomy And Practical Applications In Youth Tackle Football, Benjamin Jay Andelman

Masters Theses

Youth tackle football offers an environment that promotes both positive mental and physical benefits for young athletes. Despite the positive benefits associated with sports, participation is on the decline. The content analysis found connections between the prevailing prescriptive coaching methods in youth tackle football and the adverse mental effects on young athletes. This study, utilizing a qualitative content analysis of existing academic literature, proposes a practical application of Nonlinear Pedagogical principles in the youth tackle football practice context to develop a coaching model that promotes athlete autonomy, thereby increasing positive mental benefits for the youth athlete. Leveraging Ecological Dynamics, Constraints-Led …

An Analysis Of Feminist Biblical Scholarship Through Case Studies In Judges, Erika Conner

Masters Theses

This thesis examines the rise and significance of feminist biblical scholarship, particularly as it engages the book of Judges. Feminist approaches to Scripture have often been criticized as politically motivated or ideologically biased, yet they also claim to offer corrective readings to centuries of male-dominated interpretation. This study situates feminist scholarship within its historical development and cultural context, beginning with the reconstruction of women’s societal, familial, religious, and agricultural roles in ancient Israel. Building on this foundation, it undertakes a comparative analysis of three key figures in Judges, Deborah, Jael, and the unnamed Woman of Thebez, first through traditional interpretations …

Redesigning Responsibility: Closing The Knowledge Gap In Sustainable Design, Kaitlyn Faith Funk

Masters Theses

This thesis investigates the gap between awareness and application of sustainable practices in the graphic design industry. While sustainability has become a widely discussed topic, designers often lack accessible, practical tools to integrate it into their work. Through a combination of research, case studies, and design thinking methodologies, this project develops a comprehensive educational toolkit and accompanying campaign, ReDesigning Responsibility, that equips designers, educators, and students to make informed, environmentally responsible choices in both print and digital media. The deliverables include a printed reference guide, an interactive microsite, and a branded campaign, all aimed at fostering sustainability as a core …

Spiritual Dialogue Alchemy: Renewing The Mind Through Screenwriting, Cynthia Elaine Jeffress

Masters Theses

Emotional Entanglement is a romance drama adaptation that delves into the craft element of emotional dialogue alchemy in film adaptation. This approach, grounded in a rigorous, qualitative research-based methodology, aims to transform a novella into a cinematic language that is suitable for the visual and auditory experience of film, while preserving the essence of the original author's voice and intent. The screenplay explores themes of friendship, divorce, forgiveness, second chances, and redemption, inviting the audience to reflect on their spiritual journey. This thesis compiles an artistic statement that clarifies the writer's nature, purpose, process, and the vision of specific works …

Multi-Genre Storytelling: Creating An Eclectic Screenplay, Jason Daniel Faull

Masters Theses

Eclectic storytelling can encompass multiple genres. An attempt to combine the storytelling elements and genres of prequel, sequel, metafiction, and historical fiction into one story occurs in the screenplay The Legend of Eglantine Price. This screenplay is an attempt to combine successful storytelling genres to continue the story about the character Eglantine Price, created first by Mary Norton in her publication of The Magic Bed-knob (1945), and later with Walt Disney’s film adaptation Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971). The research provided demonstrates the possibility of successfully crafting each of these genres into one screenplay which pushes the story of Eglantine, a …

Celebrating Their Voices: The Recognition Of African American Female Songwriters In Worship Music, Robin D. Henderson

Masters Theses

The worship community has been profoundly shaped by the contributions of numerous songwriters, many of whom remain largely unknown despite the widespread impact of their music. While enjoyed by the congregation, songs performed during corporate worship services are very rarely credited to/known by the songwriter(s). Songs heard on the radio are known by and often credited to the artist and not the songwriter. This research study, “Celebrating Their Voices: The Recognition of African American Female Songwriters in Worship Music,” explores the influence of 20th-century African American female Gospel songwriters whose compositions have become integral to African American worship experiences yet …

Sharing And Preserving Sociolinguistic Corpora On The U.S.-Mexico Border, Katherine Christoffersen, Isabella Calafate, Julio Ciller, Ana M. Carvalho, Ryan M. Bessett, Brandon J. Martínez, Hannia Rojas Barreda, William Flores, Richard Quiroz

Writing and Language Studies Faculty Publications

Since William Labov outlined the methodology for the sociolinguistic interview in 1972, sociolinguistic corpora have been used widely in the field of sociolinguistics to study diverse speech communities and linguistic features. However, most of these invaluable sociolinguistic collections have been available only to the individual researcher or research group, and these data sets usually disappear from use with that individual scholar. More recently, there has been a push towards data sharing in sociolinguistics, reflective of data sharing and the open science movement in other fields. Still, accessible online sociolinguistic corpora are few and far between, in part due to the …

The Discouraging Effect Of Overconfidence, Cary Deck, Klajdi Bregu

ESI Publications

Overconfidence is often viewed as encouraging entrepreneurs and CEOs to follow risky strategies such as entering new markets, engaging in innovation, or pursuing mergers and acquisitions. While such undertakings can generate excess returns and profits, overconfidence is frequently offered as an explanation for why so many business ventures fail. However, we show that in a setting where the decision maker does not know whether success is possible, theoretically, overconfidence can also have a discouraging effect, causing one to give up too soon. This counterintuitive result is driven by effectively misattributing one's own failure to an elevated assessment of the chance …

5539-181 & 182 Prospect Park W. Brooklyn Llc V. Rivera

All Decisions

In this licensee holdover, the tenant moved for summary judgment, arguing he was a "disabled person" under rent control regulations and thus only required to prove one year of co-residency for succession rights. The landlord argued against applying the broader definitions from the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA), favoring the narrower standard of the original Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as applied in a prior appellate case. The court, however, ruled that whether the tenant is a "disabled person" is a triable issue of fact and that it may appropriately look to the ADAAA for guidance, …

Preview; Wild Montana V. Gianforte: How Far Does The Judiciary’S Authority To Interpret The Law Extend?, Julia Wynne

Montana Law Review Online

No abstract provided.

Surprisingly Robust Photochemistry In Subarctic Particles During Winter: Evidence From Photooxidants, Laura M. D. Heinlein, Junwei He, Michael Oluwatoyin Sunday, Fangzhou Guo, James Campbell, Allison Moon, Sukriti Kapur, Ting Fang, Kasey Edwards, Meeta Cesler-Maloney, Alyssa J. Burns, Jack E. Dibb, William Simpson, Manabu Shiraiwa, Becky Alexander, Jingqiu Mao, James H. Flynn Iii, Jochen Stutz, Cort Anastasio

Faculty Publications

Subarctic cities notoriously experience severe winter pollution episodes with fine particle (PM2.5) concentrations above 35 µg m−3, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 24 h standard. While winter sources of primary particles in Fairbanks, Alaska, have been studied, the chemistry driving secondary particle formation is elusive. Biomass burning is a major source of wintertime primary particles, making the PM2.5 rich in light-absorbing brown carbon (BrC). When BrC absorbs sunlight, it produces photooxidants – reactive species potentially important for secondary sulfate and secondary organic aerosol formation – yet photooxidant measurements in high-latitude PM2.5 remain scarce. During the winter of 2022 Alaskan …

Investigating The Practice Of A Somatic, Mindful Christian Prayer And Breathing Practice On Public Speaking Anxiety, Robyn L. Middleton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This randomized controlled trial investigated the effectiveness of a mindful Christian prayer practice (The Jesus Prayer) combined with slow diaphragmatic breathing on communication anxiety. Participants (N = 80) included university students and members of the general public aged 18-60 who experience public speaking anxiety. Measurements included self-reported speech anxiety and heart rate variability (assessed via the WellHero app). Repeated measures ANOVAs revealed that the mindful prayer practice had no significant effect on participants' self-reported speech anxiety or RMSSD heart rate variability. A statistical trend of lower Baevsky’s Stress Index (another variable WellHero provided) was observed in the intervention group. This …

After His Likeness: The Holy Trinity And Creation Of Humanity, Chris Trevino

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation presents a comprehensive theological and interdisciplinary examination of the Holy Trinity (i.e., Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) and its influence on human creativity, ethical development, and identity, as rooted in the Genesis creation narrative. Employing exegetical analysis of Genesis 1:26-27 alongside systematic theological synthesis, lexical‐theological study of צֶלֶם (ṣélem, image) and דְּמוּת (dəmûth, likeness), and historical‐doctrinal reflection on Chalcedonian definitions of the hypostatic union and kenosis, it develops a triadic framework that aligns the divine mind, heart, and will with human cognition, emotion, and volition. The study reveals that the threefold act of divine creativity (i.e., the Father’s …

Does Spirituality Mediate Or Moderate The Adverse Effects Of Occupational Stressors On Mental Health In Law Enforcement Officers?, Erika D. Keplinger

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Law enforcement officers are often exposed to occupational stressors that can negatively affect their mental health and job performance. Spirituality has been thoroughly researched as a restorative method to improve physical and psychological health concerns. There has also been an increase in studies on workplace spirituality. The existing research on workplace spirituality suggests that incorporating spirituality into the workplace increases employee well-being and decreases stress and burnout. Unfortunately, research on police culture often neglects spirituality. There is little research to show how spirituality could mediate or moderate the adverse effects of mental health on law enforcement officers. This quasi-experimental, cross-sectional, …

Parental Internet Mediation: A Phenomenological Study, Jossie Marino-Vega

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Parental Internet mediation, which is the strategies parents use to control and supervise online content for children, has been transformed into a critical role due to the mixed outcomes of digital use. Baumrind's parental styles and Bandura's Social frameworks guide this study for its connection with parental mediation and children's learning. This qualitative research aimed to explore and describe how parents mediate and use the Internet concerning kids' development. Eleven mothers were interviewed with at least one student enrolled in kindergarten through 5th grade at an elementary school in Killeen, Texas. The data was analyzed using Moustakas's (1994) modification of …