Digital Commons Network^™

Neurenteric Cysts: A Neurosurgical Case Series And Treatment Perspectives, Defran Ercan, Walter Stummer, Maryam Khaleghi Ghadiri

BioMedicine

Neurenteric cysts (NC) are rare lesions of endodermal origin lined by mucin-secreting cuboidal or columnar epithelium of an intestinal or respiratory type. They occur more frequently spinally than cranially. From the radiological view, NC may be confused with other lesions of the central nervous system, like arachnoid or epidermoid cysts. However, due to advances in neuroimaging, there is an increasing trend in preoperative diagnosis of NC. We are reporting three cases of NC, each exhibiting markedly distinct symptoms and postoperative courses. The first patient, a 45year-old woman, had NC in the fourth ventricle. Although she underwent surgery, the lesion recurred …

Codelympics: An Educational Game, Shreyas Raghunath, Riley Guioguio

Computer Science and Engineering Senior Theses

This thesis addresses the growth of Computer Science and the increasing demand for resources that educate people about programming. The central problem is that existing resources either fall short in engaging the user, or are ineffective at communicating the basics of programming. Through a year of development and testing, we developed an application to serve as a bridge between games and educational content, making programming skills fun and accessible for younger students with no prior experience.

This thesis details the development of Codelympics, an educational game designed to teach the basics of computer programming, including control flow, functions, variables, and …

Plm-Dbps: Enhancing Plant Dna-Binding Protein Prediction By Integrating Sequence-Based And Structure-Aware Protein Language Models, Suresh Pokharel, Kepha Barasa, Pawel Pratyush, Dukka B. Kc

Michigan Tech Publications

DNA-binding proteins (DBPs) play a crucial role in gene regulation, development, and environmental responses across plants, animals, and microorganisms. Existing DBP prediction methods are largely limited to sequence information, whether through handcrafted features or sequence-based protein language models (PLMs), overlooking structural cues critical to protein function. In addition, most existing tools are trained for general DBP predictions, which are often not accurate for plant-specific DBPs due to the unique structural and functional properties of plant proteins. Our work introduces PLM-DBPs, a deep learning framework that integrates both sequence-based and structure-aware representations to enhance DBP prediction in plants. We evaluated several …

The Impact Of Substance Use Disorder And Drug Transfer Into Breast Milk: Implications For Maternal And Infant Health, Yongzong Yang, Bofang Yi, Tao Zhang

Pharmacy Faculty Scholarship

Breast milk provides significant health benefits to both infants and mothers, offering protection against infections and enhancing cognitive development. This paper examines the complex effects of substance use disorder (SUD) during pregnancy and lactation, focusing on the pharmacokinetics of drug transfer into breast milk. It highlights the mechanisms by which drugs enter milk, emphasizing the roles of passive diffusion and active transport, particularly through breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP). The study explores the impact of various substances on fetal and infant health, with a focus on the relative infant dose (RID) and milk-to-plasma (MP) ratio as key metrics for assessing …

Lost In Transition: An Examination Of The Burden Of Choice In Samuel Beckett's Dramatic Works, Sam Parrish

English Theses

Samuel Beckett's plays, Waiting for Godot and Endgame, provide ample room for applying existential and speech act theories to examine the goals of the characters. In analyzing the exchanges between these characters, the audience becomes aware of the phenomenon of miscommunication and how it alienates the characters. This thesis furthers the discussion of Beckett's intentions regarding the human experience as embodied on stage by examining the text of the plays, rather than any specific performances. Specifically, I develop a framework that identifies a main character within each of the plays discussed, and how the interactions between that main character and …

Freedom From Libertarianism, Joseph Fishkin

The Journal of Contemporary Legal Issues

Andrew Koppelman’s new book Burning Down the House is a guide to some of the late stages of the libertarian collapse. It’s a book whose many virtues include its clear and simple prose style. As a result of that style, and its generally straightforward exposition, I think this book will be of real use to many people, perhaps especially to free-thinking former libertarians who are engaged in a project of self-deprogramming. The book makes a nice holiday gift to the former libertarian or wavering libertarian in your life who would like to learn more about the arc of how it …

Notes From A Serf, Rachel Lu

The Journal of Contemporary Legal Issues

F. A. Hayek would have hated Obamacare. This must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can come of the argument I am going to relate.

Fusionism, Not Libertarianism, Burned Down The House, Kevin Vallier

The Journal of Contemporary Legal Issues

In Burning Down the House, Andrew Koppelman has two goals: one philosophical and one sociological. The philosophical goal is to separate the wheat from the chaff in libertarian thought. Koppelman embraces the merits of F. A. Hayek’s arguments for markets. But he stridently rejects the radical libertarianism of Murray Rothbard, Robert Nozick, and Ayn Rand. The radicals are out, and the moderates are in. Hayek must increase, and Rothbard must decrease.

The sociological thesis is that radical libertarian ideology significantly influences the modern GOP and American conservatism. Koppelman sees the pathologies of the contemporary right as drawing from the …

Burning Questions: A Response To Fishkin, Long, Lu, Mack, And Vallier, Andrew Koppelman

The Journal of Contemporary Legal Issues

I’m indebted to Larry Alexander and Steve Smith for organizing this conference, and to Joseph Fishkin, Roderick Long, Rachel Lu, Eric Mack, and Kevin Vallier for their thoughtful responses to my book, Burning Down the House: How Libertarian Philosophy Was Corrupted by Delusion and Greed. When San Diego organized this conference, I gave them the names of the people whom I was most eager to engage with, scholars I admire despite some deep disagreements. They have forced me to sharpen my own views. I am very lucky.

Response To Six Interlocuters On The Topic Of Neuroscience And Responsibility, Michael S. Moore

The Journal of Contemporary Legal Issues

I am very pleased to be afforded the opportunity to respond to the edited and revised versions of the six papers that were discussed at the Rutgers Symposium in honor of my recent book. Each of these six papers raise excellent points that can serve as the springboard for deeper exploration of some of the salient issues raised in my book, and it is my aim in this response to take advantage of that opportunity. I am quite appreciative for the spur to intellectual progress that these papers and this symposium represents. By-and-large scholarship is a solitary enterprise but occasions …

The Fundamental Right To Polygynous Marriage, Ronald C. Den Otter

The Journal of Contemporary Legal Issues

This Article is about why the argument in favor of a constitutional right to polygynous marriage, predicated on the importance of personal autonomy, is considerably stronger than the sex equality arguments against it. For the most part, legal scholars have arrived late on the scene, not treating the topic with the kind of care that it deserves. Instead of relying upon equal protection analysis, I shall engage in a fundamental rights critique of opposition to polygynous marriage. In doing so, I will discuss two considerations that remain central to such analysis: the value of autonomy (understood as personal choice in …

Outcomes Of An Interprofessional Simulated Patient Encounter For Undergraduate Exercise Science & Pre-Professional Students, Travis Pollen Phd, E. Adel Herge Otd, Otr/L, Faota, Fnap, Katherine Hunzinger Phd, Acsm-Cep, Maria Brucato Phd, Kenna Hersey Ba

JCIPE Posters

Background & Objectives

- Interprofessional education and simulation promote teamwork, communication, and collaboration [1,2].

- Traditionally reserved for graduate students, these programs are increasingly being introduced to undergraduates [2-4].

- Our objectives were to

• Describe the steps to implementing an interprofessional simulation activity for undergraduate Exercise Science students, and
• Evaluate the activity’s impact.

Near-Earth Object (Neo) Surveyor Introduction “Neos”, Brent Carlsen

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

NEOS

- Near-Earth Object Surveyor (NEOS)

- Its Mission

- Its Importance

- How it’s built

- What you will see today

• Where piece parts were made
• Where it will be assembled
• Where it will be tested

Jennifer Oldham V. Penn State University

2025 Decisions

USDC for the Middle District of Pennsylvania

Fieldnote 24: Who Is Sharpening Your Iron?, Venus Evans-Winters, Mildred Boveda, Erica Mccray

Fieldnotes of a Black Woman Scholar: Research, Culture, and Wellness

In this episode, Dr. Venus Evans-Winters and Dr. Mildred Boveda (Youtube @mboveda) sit down with Dr. Erica McCray—educator, researcher, and leader—to discuss the powerful roles of mothering and daughtering in shaping our work and wellness in academic spaces. Together, they explore how intergenerational care and personal identity influence educational leadership, equity-focused research, and the pursuit of balance in high-pressure environments. Dr. McCray reflects on her lived experiences and shares how she integrates care, legacy, and advocacy into her scholarship and professional life. This is a rich, intimate conversation for anyone invested in justice, healing, and the ways Black women lead …

Considering The Ethics Of Conserving American Art: White Nationalism And The Evolving Meanings Of Nineteenth-Century Genre And Landscape Painting, Evan M. Crocker

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis analyzes the stylistic and conceptual qualities of American genre and landscape painting from the antebellum period and how these qualities acted in service to establishing white nationalism before the Civil War. The intricate and calculated system of typing in genre painting presented carefully crafted idealizations of quintessential Americans, defined by their whiteness and maleness. Landscape painters of the early- to mid-nineteenth century endowed their compositions with a sense of wondrous opportunity which justified and upheld westward expansion under Manifest Destiny. At the intersection of genre and landscape practices sits plantation paintings—specifically house portraits—in which the plantation serves as …

Around And Around With The Spindle Whorl, Michele Jennings

Marian Library Blog Archive

In conjunction with the Marian Library's exhibit Warp and Weft: Weaving Mary and Identity, workshops showed participants how to spin their own yarn.

Variability In Undergraduate Academic Stress: The Role Of Ethnicity, Early Adverse Family Experiences, And Psychological Distress, Teresa Mejia, Elana B. Gordis, Mitch Earleywine, Li Shen Chong

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Early adverse family experiences (e.g., abuse, neglect, and family conflict) can create vulnerabilities that can alter the association between psychological distress and academic stress, particularly for some ethnic groups. This study examined whether the link between psychological distress and academic stress varies in the presence of early adverse family experiences across ethnic groups. Participants (N = 284, 38.4% male, 59.5% female, 1% non-binary, and 0.7% transgender, 56.5% European American, 15.6% African American, 12.6% Hispanic and Latino, 8.5% Asian, 6.8% Mixed/Biracial) self-reported psychological distress, early adverse family experiences, and perception of academic stress. Regression analyses revealed a three-way interaction between adverse …

The Correlation Between Zinc Intake And Superoxide Dismutase Activity With Cognitive Function In The Elderly, Rima Khuzaimah, Fiastuti Witjaksono, Novi Silvia Hardiany

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

Objectives: This study aimed to analyse the correlation between zinc intake and superoxide dismutase (SOD) with cognitive function in the elderly. Thus, the role of zinc as a structural component of SOD, along with SOD’s contribution to cognitive function, can be established. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Panti Sosial Tresna Wredha Budi Mulia 1 in Jakarta, Indonesia, from July to September 2024. Elderly men and women were included. Zinc intake was assessed using the Semi-Quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire, while plasma SOD activity was measured by spectrophotometer. Cognitive function was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Indonesia version. Data …

Identifying Antimalarials That Disrupt Malaria Parasite Transmission When Fed To The Mosquito, Sarah N. Farrell, Anton Cozijnsen, Vanessa Mollard, Papireddy Kancharla, Rozalia A. Dodean, Jane X. Kelly, Geoffrey I. Mcfadden, Christopher D. Goodman

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

A decade-long decline in malaria cases has plateaued, primarily due to parasite drug resistance and mosquito resistance to insecticides used in bed nets and indoor residual spraying. Here, we explore the innovative control strategy targeting Plasmodium with antimalarials during the mosquito stages. This strategy has the potential to reduce the risk of resistance emerging because a relatively small population of parasites within the mosquito is subject to selection. After validating mosquito feeding strategies, we screened a range of parasiticidal compounds by feeding them to mosquitoes already infected with mouse malaria (P. berghei). Three antimalarials showed activity against P. berghei in …

Axiomatic Aggregation Data, Carl D. Sorensen, Christopher A. Mattson, Michael L. Anderson, Thomas J. Ashworth

ScholarsArchive Data

This data set includes the ideation results of an experiment in ideation effectiveness, along with tools for analyzing the quality of the ideation.

All ideas generated by 15 teams of BYU students are included in the database. The ideas have been placed into an OPED genealogy tree format. The quality of all the ideas has been evaluated. The novelty of one team's ideas has been evaluated.

Instructions for performing the OPED organization, evaluating quality, and evaluating novelty are included in the data workbook.

Software tools to aggregate the individual evaluations into team scores and to display the results of the …

Sed Waiver Seclusion And Restraint Data, Genevieve Graaf, Alex Fejer, Monica Canizares

Social Work Datasets-Archive

This dataset includes a set of policy indicators about what states do and do not allow, and what types of oversight and safeguards they provide, around the use of seclusion, restraint and other restrictive interventions in 1915(c) Medicaid home and community based services waiver programs for children with significant mental health needs. Includes data for all states operating these programs from 2008 to 2024.

A Reconstruction Of The Homeric Tradition In Early Greece, Aidan F. Hoey

Student Theses

This thesis discusses the centuries-long historiographical debate that is known to us as the Homeric Question. The identity of Homer, the authorship of the Iliad and the Odyssey, the dating from when the Homeric epic poems were composed, the Homeric diction, and the historicity of the Trojan War has puzzled scholars since Antiquity. Only by the twentieth century, scholars Milman Parry and Albert Lord proved that the Iliad and Odyssey were orally composed. How the written form of the Homeric epic poems came about has become even more of a historiographic puzzle than it has been previously. Building off the …

Photojournalism In The Age Of Deepfakes: The Role Of Media Literacy And Ethical Standards In Restoring Trust In Visual Reporting, Ionnnis Kontos, Katerina Chryssanthopoulou, Ioannis Galanopoulos-Papavasileiou

All Works

This article explores the impact of deepfake technology on photojournalism, highlighting its role in undermining trust in visual media. As deepfakes allow for the creation of highly realistic manipulated content, they pose significant challenges regarding the authenticity of journalistic imagery and erode the authority of visual truthfulness. The widespread use of deepfakes has led to a decline in public confidence in the credibility of news, raising concerns about the future of photojournalism in an era of digital deception. As a solution to regaining viewers’ trust, this article suggests a twofold approach: First, it emphasizes the importance of media literacy in …

Strongly Confined Bi2se3 Quantum Dots Via Pulsed Laser Ablation In Liquids, Gregory Guisbiers, Rajendra Subedi, Burningham Burningham, Francisco Francisco Ruiz-Zepeda, Qiaohui Zhou, Xin Lu

Faculty Scholarship

Bismuth selenide (Bi2Se3) is a binary compound displaying a strong spin−orbit coupling, resulting in a narrow bulk bandgap material with a gapless metallic surface. By shrinking the size of Bi2Se3 within the strong confinement regime, its optoelectronic properties changed drastically. To achieve this goal, strongly confined Bi2Se3 quantum dots (QDs) were produced by pulsed laser ablation in liquids (PLAL). The laser used for the synthesis was a nanosecond Nd/YAG laser emitting at 1064 nm and pulsing at ∼13 mJ/pulse. The irradiation of the bulk target was performed at 1 kHz in acetone and lasted 5 min. Finally, the Bi2Se3 QDs …

Long-Term Neurocognitive And Behavioral Outcomes In Survivors Of Pediatric Brain Tumors: A Systematic Review, Tirath Patel, Pulkit Johar, Vaishnavi Kanisetti, Megan Szobody, Tori Sayers, Sriya Gullapalli, Murali Yallapu, Mushfiq Hassan Shaikh, Nikhilesh Anand, Kelsey Baker, Bharathi Gadad

School of Medicine Publications

Background: Brain tumors are among the most common neoplasms in children. These patients suffer from neurocognitive impairment, treatment-related side effects, and experience a subpar quality of life (QoL), affecting academic endeavors, social interaction, and mental wellbeing.

Methods: This review investigated different long-term neurocognitive and behavioral outcomes in pediatric brain tumor survivors and evaluated various effective treatment methods. We identified 75 relevant articles published between 2019 and 2024 using PubMed, PMC, Embase, and Google Scholar databases. Duplicates were removed, and 14 studies were finally selected following the PRISMA guidelines. Initial observations noted significant variations in the study methodologies and inclusion criteria. …

A Quantitative And Qualitative Analysis Of The Workplace Challenges Experienced By Women, Ahmed Mohammed Almousa

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation explores the persistent workplace challenges experienced by women through three interrelated studies using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Despite decades of progress, women continue to face structural barriers, sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and emotional labor demands that shape their professional experiences.

The first study analyzes GSS data to examine the impact of the #MeToo movement on self-reports of sexual harassment and gender discrimination. Results show an increase in reporting sexual harassment among White men and Women of color. With respect to men of color and white women, the results were not significant or did not show an increase. …

The Failure Of The Annan Plan And Suggestions For Peace In Cyprus, Haley Grace Morrow

Dissertations and Theses

The following study explicates the conflict in Cyprus between the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots. The conflict began around 70 years ago and came to its height in the 1970s when a Greek coup occurred, and subsequently, Turkey invaded the northern part of the island. This drove the two parties apart physically and mentally. The Annan Plan, a UN peace plan in 2004, attempted to bring peace to the island by reunifying the two parties into a bi-communal federation. However, this plan failed as the Greek Cypriots voted against it. The failure of the plan was primarily due to …

Poiesis Of Care: The Aesthetic-Performative Value Of Delicacy, María Jesús Godoy Domínguez

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

In this paper, the ethics of care is addressed from an aesthetic perspective by analysing the poiesis of care, or care from the performative aspect of its physical execution. To this end, delicacy is understood as a sensitive property of care, an aesthetic language where the subject, assuming an active role, becomes an ‘artist’ in the everyday realm. The main thesis is that the subject is a caregiver who expresses delicacy in their everyday gestures and attitudes with the people and objects around them. To develop this idea, first, delicacy is conceptually characterized within the framework of modern aesthetics, while …

Integrating Radiogenomics And Machine Learning In Musculoskeletal Oncology Care, Rahul Kumar, Kyle Sporn, Akshay Khanna, Phani Paladugu, Chirag Gowda, Alex Ngo, Ram Jagadeesan, Nasif Zaman, Alireza Tavakkoli

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Musculoskeletal tumors present a diagnostic challenge due to their rarity, histological diversity, and overlapping imaging features. Accurate characterization is essential for effective treatment planning and prognosis, yet current diagnostic workflows rely heavily on invasive biopsy and subjective radiologic interpretation. This review explores the evolving role of radiogenomics and machine learning in improving diagnostic accuracy for bone and soft tissue tumors. We examine integrating quantitative imaging features from MRI, CT, and PET with genomic and transcriptomic data to enable non-invasive tumor profiling. AI-powered platforms employing convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and radiomic texture analysis show promising results in tumor grading, subtype differentiation …