Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring The Potential Of Artificial Intelligence To Improve The Journal Peer Review Process, Eliza Fanny Bondah

Theses and Dissertations

Academic publishing depends on the peer review process to guarantee quality, scholarly rigor, and credibility, but the traditional peer review system receives mounting criticism because of its inefficient operations, biased judgments, and irregular standards. This study explores how artificial intelligence (AI) can improve journal peer review systems to solve a variety of issues, including reducing reviewer exhaustion, minimizing bias, improving consistency, and accelerating the review process. Current literature shows AI as a promising yet controversial solution, which may provide structured feedback with improved consistency and efficiency. Our study examined 52 human reviews together with 26 AI-generated reviews from EdTechnica--An Open …

Bayesian Alignment Prior To Connectionist Temporal Classification Loss, Lawry Sorenson

Theses and Dissertations

We propose revisions of Connectionist Temporal Classification (CTC) loss and forced alignment to support longer input sequences. CTC loss is normally used for training in speech and handwriting recognition tasks when the labels are not fully aligned with the data, while forced alignment is a downstream task that finds the optimal path for segmentation purposes. The current implementations consider all possible alignments between the input and label, which grows exponentially with the size of the input. We show that in cases when silence is removed and speaking rate is consistent, the true alignment is a mostly straight line across time …

Commutative Schur Rings Over Characteristic 2 Special Orthogonal Groups, Andrew Haviland

Theses and Dissertations

We study commutative Schur rings over the special orthogonal groups $\mathrm{SO}^{\pm}(n,2)$ that contain the class $\mathcal{C}$ of transvections. We show that the partition of $\mathcal{C}$ determined by a commutative Schur ring has either one or two parts. We classify all remaining partitions of $\mathcal{C}$ that could be determined by a commutative Schur ring.

From Cafes To Competitiveness: The Influence Of Amenities On Office Values And Suburban Economic Development In Portland, Or, Jihye Kang

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation examines the spatial and economic implications of urban amenities in the formation of suburban office markets in the post-pandemic period. The research applies principles from agglomeration theory, spatial econometrics, and urban planning to analyze the statistical relationships between amenity distribution, rent formation, and location behavior across central and non-central submarkets.

The research consists of three integrated papers focused on the Portland–Vancouver–Hillsboro, OR–WA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The first paper employs spatial econometric modeling, specifically a Spatial Autoregressive Model with Autoregressive Disturbances (SARAR), to examine the relationship between proximity to cafés and office rent levels in Portland’s central business …

Stacee Gilmore Wins Heart Of A Lion Award, Lindenwood University

Archived Lindenwood Press Releases

No abstract provided.

Cv: Margaret Lupo (Radiography), Margaret Lupo

Rehabilitation and Health Sciences Department Faculty Curricula Vitae

No abstract provided.

Cv: Frank Mcnamara (Radiography), Frank Mcnamara

Rehabilitation and Health Sciences Department Faculty Curricula Vitae

No abstract provided.

Interview With Orca Award Winner John J. Janovy, Jr., Unl Biological Sciences; Parasitologist And Author, Mark Griep, John J. Janovy Jr.

UNL ORCA Interview Series

Professor John Janovy, Jr., was awarded the ORCA in 1998. John was born in Louisiana, but his family moved to Oklahoma, where he grew up in Tulsa and then Oklahoma City. Something in his youth must have sparked an interest in science because he earned three degrees from the University of Oklahoma in Norman: a bachelor of science in math in 1959, a master of science in zoology in 1962, and doctoral degree in zoology in 1965. Next, he ventured 1400 miles east to Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, where he did post-doctoral work for about a year. …

Fear The Feminine! Willa Cather’S O Pioneers, Edith Wharton’S The Glimpses Of The Moon, And The Rejection Of Femininity In The Canon Formation Of Realist And Naturalist Writing, Anna Connor

Honors Program Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

Elevated Lactate In Aml Bone Marrow Contributes To Macrophage Polarization Via Gpr81 Signaling., Celia A Soto, Maggie L Lesch, Jennifer L Becker, Azmeer Sharipol, Amal Khan, Xenia L Schafer, Zhewen Li, Amanda R Streeter, Michael W Becker, Joshua C Munger, Benjamin J Frisch

Oncology Articles

Interactions between acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and the bone marrow microenvironment (BMME) are critical to leukemia progression and chemoresistance. In the solid tumor microenvironment, altered metabolite levels contribute to cancer progression. We performed a metabolomic analysis of AML patient bone marrow serum, revealing increased metabolites compared to age- and sex-matched controls. The most highly elevated metabolite in the AML BMME was lactate. Lactate signaling in solid tumors induces immunosuppressive tumor-associated macrophages and correlates with poor prognosis. This has not yet been studied in the leukemic BMME. Herein, we describe the role of lactate in the polarization of leukemia-associated macrophages (LAMs). …

Cracking The Shell: A Corpus-Based Analysis Of The Functions Of Shell Nouns In American Legal Contracts, Geoffrey T. Julian

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The forms and functions of shell nouns (SN), semantically abstract nouns that can package and characterize complex segments of discourse, have been documented in academic discourse and L2 English writing (e.g., Aktas & Cortes, 2008; Benitez-Castro & Thompson, 2015). The abstract nature of SNs lends itself to use where vague language might be favored to allow for a variety of contingencies (Benitez-Castro, 2015). Thus, SNs have also been found to be present in legal language where some of these functions are desirable (Ren et al., 2019). The present study examines the use of SNs in a corpus of 2,700 US …

Assessing Readiness For Point-Of-Care Ultrasound Implemenatation In A Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Stacy Lynn Brunquist

Student Projects for Graduate Degrees

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is an emerging diagnostic tool in neonatal care, yet widespread use in NICUs remains limited by provider training, confidence and organizational readiness. The purpose of this evidence-based practice project was to evaluate whether a brief POCUS educational intervention improved NICU provider readiness for adoption. Using a pre/post design, NICU providers at a regional tertiary NICU in Alaska completed the POCUS Readiness and Adoption Survey (PRAS) immediately before and after a structured 45-minute POCUS orientation presentation. The PRAS measured six domains: knowledge, attitudes, change efficacy, organizational support, intent to adopt, and perceived barriers. Twelve providers completed both surveys. …

Cv: Frank Mcnamara (Radiography), Frank Mcnamara

Health Sciences Department Curricula Vitae

No abstract provided.

Louis Librarians Certified In Open Education Librarianship, Emily Frank

Southern University and A&M College: John B. Cade Library Publications

SUBR librarians Dr. Maya Banks and Ms. Maletta Payne successfully completed an eight-month certification program in Open Educational Librarianship through the Open Education Network, offered via the LOUIS Consortium. This professional development program is designed to prepare librarians to become effective leaders in open education initiatives and to serve as stewards and advocates for Open Educational Resources (OER).

Booked At Cade: Building Community Through Story, Scholarship, And Voice, Quiana Wright

Southern University and A&M College: John B. Cade Library Publications

Booked at Cade Author Series Launches at John B. Cade Library In this article, SUBR Librarian Quiana Wright introduces the newly named Booked at Cade Author Series, an initiative designed to connect authors and readers through conversation, reflection, and community engagement. This season featured an impressive lineup of local, regional, and nationally recognized authors whose works celebrate Louisiana’s culture, explore the human experience, and showcase the power of storytelling. Highlights included Dr. Robert Livingston (Play the Game. Change the Game. Leave the Game), Barbara Ruffin-Robertson (The Memoirs of a Southern Creole Woman), Dr. Albert Samuels’ …

Expressing Diversity And Anxiety Among Graduate Psychology Students, Selenda Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Gender-based distinctions between leaders create differences in leadership methods that reshape their choices and teamwork approaches. Human Resource Administrators are concerned with how the lack of organizational support for Emotional Intelligence (EI) in female leaders influences them to leave, potentially leading to increased organizational costs. Grounded in Emotional Intelligence theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic study was to explore EI strategies used by healthcare administrators in the Southeastern United States to increase female leadership retention in their organizations. The participants were 6 HR administrators with at least 2 years of experience from healthcare organizations who successfully implemented EI strategies …

Writing The Community: How Christian Texts Construct Belief, Belonging, And Identity, Emma Rodgers

Student Work

This project investigates how the Christian church community functions as a discourse community through its writing practices— its liturgies, sermons, governance documents, and everyday texts such as newsletters.

An Exploratory Evaluation Of The Kalamazoo River Watershed Council: Assessing Organizational Impact And Value, Alexander Mendez

Honors Theses

The Kalamazoo River Watershed Council (KRWC) plays a central role in protecting, restoring, and promoting the long-term health of the Kalamazoo River watershed, a geographically expansive and ecologically complex system facing persistent challenges from legacy contamination, nonpoint source pollution, land-use pressures, and inequitable access to watershed resources. This honors thesis presents an exploratory organizational evaluation of the KRWC, assessing its role and relevance within the watershed, the effectiveness of its programs and partnerships, the strengths and limitations of its governance structure, and opportunities to strengthen its long-term sustainability and impact.

Guided by principles of Practical Participatory Evaluation (PP-E) and Fourth …

Ole Miss Senior Joins Elite Ranks With Marshall Scholarship Win, Marisa C. Atkinson

University of Mississippi News

OXFORD, Miss. – The British government has awarded University of Mississippi senior Sophia Toner a prestigious Marshall Scholarship.

December 9, 2025, Pacific Global

Pacific Global Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Gwtc-4.0: An Introduction To Version 4.0 Of The Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalog, A. G. Abac, Teviet Creighton, Mario C. Diaz, Raul Alberto Espinosa Perez, J. Lawrence, Francisco Llamas Villarreal, Soma Mukherjee, Volker Quetschke, Wenhui Wang

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

The Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalog (GWTC) is a collection of short-duration (transient) gravitational-wave signals identified by the LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA Collaboration in gravitational-wave data produced by the eponymous detectors. The catalog provides information about the identified candidates, such as the arrival time and amplitude of the signal and properties of the signal’s source as inferred from the observational data. GWTC is the data release of this dataset, and version 4.0 extends the catalog to include observations made during the first part of the fourth LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA observing run up until 2024 January 31. This Letter marks an introduction to a collection of articles related …

State Of Nevada Cannabis Testing, University Of Mississippi – National Center For Cannabis Research And Education, Yasha Kahn, Mcr Labs

Nevada

No abstract provided.

State Of California Cannabis Reporting, University Of Mississippi – National Center For Cannabis Research And Education

California

No abstract provided.

Reward-Based Prioritization In Working Memory Is Distinct From Recency And Due To A Resource Trade-Off, Timothy J. Ricker, Christopher J. Cagna, Tien T. Tong, Ekaterina Dobryakova, Joshua Sandry

Department of Psychology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Prioritized items within working memory often show higher accuracy or faster response times at test. This prioritization benefit is thought to reflect the memory representation being within the focus of attention. The literature on prioritization effects lacks consistency in whether prioritization benefits manifest as a benefit to speed, accuracy, or both, implying that some findings may reflect a speed-accuracy tradeoff rather than improved memory representation. In the present work, we use drift-diffusion modeling to test two theoretical questions regarding prioritization effects without the possibility of a confounding speed-accuracy tradeoff. First, we test whether prioritization effects rely on shifting limited working …

Disease Burden Attributable To Intimate Partner Violence Against Females And Sexual Violence Against Children In 204 Countries And Territories, 1990–2023: A Systematic Analysis For The Global Burden Of Disease Study 2023, Gbd 2023 Intimate Partner Violence And Sexual Violence Against Children Collaborators, Sarvenaz Taridashti

Department of Psychology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Background

Violence against women and against children are human rights violations with lasting harms to survivors and societies at large. Intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual violence against children (SVAC) are two major forms of such abuse. Despite their wide-reaching effects on individual and community health, these risk factors have not been adequately prioritised as key drivers of global health burden. Comprehensive x§and reliable estimates of the comparative health burden of IPV and SVAC are urgently needed to inform investments in prevention and support for survivors at both national and global levels.

Methods

We estimated the prevalence and attributable burden …

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Impact Of Novel Rheumatic Heart Disease Education On Rwandan Nurses' Knowledge And Skills, Julie Carragher

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Untreated group A streptococcus pharyngitis, along with the resulting post-infection sequelae of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) of young susceptible individuals occurs in lower income countries, including Rwanda. This is largely due to limited access health care and inadequate knowledge about the detection and treatment of the infection. Approximately 33 million people worldwide live with RHD. In Rwanda, the prevalence of RHD is estimated at 6.8 per 1000 school children. With only nine cardiologists serving a population of nearly fourteen million, there is a significant gap in accessible RHD care across the country. In Rwanda, nurses, …

Analytical Assessment Of Pedestrian Crashes On Low-Speed Corridors, Therezia Matongo, Deo Chimba

Civil and Architectural Engineering Faculty Research

This study presents a comprehensive statewide analysis of pedestrian-involved crashes recorded in Tennessee between 2002 and 2025. We evaluated the influence of roadway, traffic, environmental, and socioeconomic factors on pedestrian crash frequency and severity with substantial components focused on lighting impacts including dark and nighttime. A multi-method analytical framework was implemented, combining descriptive statistics, non-parametric tests, regression analysis, and advanced machine learning techniques including the Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) and the gradient boosting model (XGBoost). Results indicated that dark and nighttime conditions accounted for a disproportionate share of severe crashes—fatal and serious injuries under dark conditions reached over 40%, …

The Breakdown Of Neurovascular Barriers: Molecular Mechanisms Of Tight Junction Dysfunction, Sowmya Shree Gopal, Mandeep Kaur, Sophie Lanzkron, Amit K. Srivastava

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

The central nervous system (CNS) relies on tightly regulated barriers to maintain homeostasis and protect neural tissue from blood-borne toxins, pathogens, and inflammatory mediators. Tight junctions (TJs) are critical components of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB), forming selective paracellular seals that regulate molecular trafficking. These structures comprise transmembrane proteins and cytoplasmic scaffolding proteins, which anchor TJs to the actin cytoskeleton. The spatial organization and function of TJs are dynamically regulated by calcium-dependent signaling, phosphorylation events, and G-protein-mediated pathways, which govern their assembly, disassembly, and response to physiological and pathological stimuli. The integrity of TJ complexes is …

Inferring Disease Progression Networks To Predict Comorbidities, Nolan Stuessy

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

December 9, 2025 Ereporter, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

eReporter (campus newsletter)

No abstract provided.