Digital Commons Network^™

Mitigating Cancer Therapy-Related Cognitive Impairment By Targeted Activation Of Undruggable Phosphatase., Zhimeng Yao, Yuhua Meng, Huanyi Li, Yinhui Jiang, Xiaona Lin, Mengyuan Hu, Qing Liu, Xiaofu Qiu, Hongzheng Ren, Yunlong Pan, Bin Pan, Zexiong Guo, Shuyao Zhang, Dianzheng Zhang, Li Yang, Shegan Gao, Weijing Deng, Jianfan Chen, Hao Zhang

PCOM Scholarly Works

Cancer therapy-related cognitive impairment (CTRCI) is a debilitating neurotoxic condition adversely impacting cancer patients during and post-cancer treatments. The cancer treatments linked to CTRCI include chemotherapy, hormone therapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. Despite CTRCI severely affecting the psychological and social, cognitive functions, and the overall quality of life of cancer survivors, no effective medications are available currently. Our prior studies have indicated hippocampal tyrosine phosphatase protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor type O (PTPRO) as a putative target for CTRCI. However, phosphatase is historically considered undruggable, and delivering drugs across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is challenging. Here, we developed a novel delivery …

The Fourth Trimester: Enhancing Postpartum Depression Detection In Primary Care Through Early Screening And Patient Education, Riley Goldschmidt

DNP Projects

Background:
Postpartum depression (PPD) is a common and often underrecognized complication, with many cases going undetected due to inconsistent screening practices in primary care. Delayed identification can negatively impact maternal well-being, infant bonding, and overall family health outcomes. This quality improvement project aimed to improve early detection of PPD by implementing routine screening and patient education during newborn visits in a primary care clinic.

Methods:
The intervention integrated the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) into the existing newborn visit workflow and introduced an evidence-based educational toolkit containing information on PPD symptoms, guidance for seeking care, and a QR code for …

Improving Outpatient Provider Preparedness Through Simulation-Based Training: A Quality Improvement Project, Kristina Weyer

DNP Projects

Introduction:
Simulation-based training is an effective educational strategy, particularly for high-acuity, low-frequency events such as patient decompensation in outpatient settings. However, there is a gap in both literature and practice regarding provider participation in simulation, as competing clinical demands often limit engagement. Local organizational leaders identified limited opportunities for outpatient providers to practice management of acute decompensating patients. The purpose of this project was to evaluate provider competence and confidence in managing a decompensating patient in the outpatient setting and to assess perceptions of the value of time spent in simulation.

Methods:
This quality improvement project evaluated providers who participated …

Targeted Nursing Bootcamps For Critical Access Hospital Nurses: A Program Evaluation., Nicholas Popp

DNP Projects

Background: Registered Nurses employed in critical access hospital settings are required to care for patients across the lifespan with varying levels of acuity. The registered nurse (RN) must be competent in providing medical, surgical, pediatric, obstetric, and intensive care-level services. However, the additional training they receive to care for their patients may be minimal or nonexistent, leading them to seek employment at other facilities due to safety concerns. Leadership within the organization believed that implementing targeted monthly nursing skills boot camps could increase nurses’ competence, confidence, and retention in critical access hospital settings.

Aims: This program evaluation project aimed to …

Bridging The Gap: Development And Implementation Of A Caregiver Educational Guide For Post-Lung Transplant Caregivers, Megan Aller

DNP Projects

Background: Caregivers of post-lung transplant recipients play a critical role in postoperative recovery, as patients require continuous support during the first three months after transplant. Despite this responsibility, caregivers frequently experience burden, stress, and challenges adapting to the complex demands of the caregiving role.

Aim: To evaluate the feasibility and preliminary outcomes of a tailored caregiver education and support guide for caregivers of lung transplant recipients.

Local Problem: Within the local transplant program, caregiver education primarily relied on verbal instruction with limited caregiver-specific take-home resources.

Methods: This quality improvement project used a two-group pretest–posttest design to evaluate the …

Integrated Construction Uncertainty Quantification Framework Icuqf, Felix Delmonte

Mechanical and Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

This study develops ICUQF, an integrated uncertainty framework for digitally instrumented construction megaprojects that unite probabilistic simulation, fuzzy reasoning, Bayesian networks, AI-driven anomaly detection, BIM-linked digital twins, and organizational learning into a single operational architecture. The framework classifies uncertainty into aleatory variability, epistemic gaps, data-centric and model-centric risks, and cognitive or cultural sources, mapping each class to computational treatments such as Monte Carlo engines for stochastic variability, fuzzy intervals and p-boxes for imprecise expert judgments, and hierarchical Bayesian models for coherent evidence aggregation and online updating. ICUQF specifies data pipelines that connect IoT sensing, edge processing, cloud storage, and Common …

Ai-Powered Resume Screening, Sang Suh, Numery Zaber

Faculty Publications

Traditional resume screening is manual, slow, and susceptible to bias, and it struggles to keep pace with today’s application volumes. This paper presents a dual-engine, AI-powered resume screening system designed for transparency and reproducibility. The primary (classical) pipeline encodes resumes and job descriptions using Sentence-BERT (SBERT), computes a resume–job match score via cosine similarity, classifies candidates into 25 job categories using XGBoost, and provides model interpretability through SHAP. In parallel, a prompted large language model (LLM) baseline (GPT-4o/4o-mini) outputs a match score and predicted category for comparative analysis. A Streamlit-based interface integrates both engines to support recruiter workflows and human-in-the-loop …

July 28, 2026 Ereporter, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

eReporter (campus newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Editors' Introduction

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

No abstract provided.

Full Issue 20.1

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

No abstract provided.

Genocide In Gaza? Social Media Discussions Of Violence In Israel And Gaza, Timothy Williams, Andreas Dafnos

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

This article conducts social network and topic analyses of German-language posts on X that discuss genocide and terrorism in Israel and Gaza in the first six months after the October 7 attacks and compares these to broader English-language discourses on the platform. The comparison reveals subtle differences in how Israeli violence and governance and Palestinians are discussed and who is seen as complicit in supporting violence. Markedly, German-language posts discuss what constitutes antisemitism more and employ a more restrained language towards Israel as a state and its political actors than English-language posts. We tie these findings back to the idiosyncrasies …

Genocidal Criminology: My Testimony, Yarin Eski

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

This article is a testimony on the entanglement of my personal biography, responsibility, and lived experience of genocide denial and, subsequently, developing criminologies of genocide and its denial, based on my formative experiences, ranging from encountering Armenian genocide denial as a student, to dealing with institutional constraints and careerism, to my academic activism, raising awareness about the Gaza genocide, to, finally, prospecting genocide and ecocide in outer space: astrocide. These experiences configure a genealogy of what I term genocidal criminology that unpacks and criticizes criminological knowledge, institutions, and practices that produce genocide (denial), both epistemically and structurally. Essentially, I argue …

Arts & Literature: Gaza And The Question Of Prevention—An Interview With Bruce Robbins, Luis Gonzalez-Aponte

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: A People Destroyed: New Research On The Roma Genocide, 1941–1945, Elizabeth Graham

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

No abstract provided.

Nurse-Led Quality Improvement Asthma Self-Management In Primary Care, Jolene Steinert-Abderhalden

DNP Projects

Background:
Poorly controlled asthma contributes to preventable morbidity, yet many adults lack consistent self-management support. Local Problem: Baseline assessment at a rural Midwestern clinic revealed limited asthma knowledge, inconsistent action-plan use, and low confidence among adults with Asthma Control Test (ACT) scores below 20.

Methods:
This quality improvement project used a pre- and post-intervention design guided by Lean methodology and the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) framework. Interventions: Registered nurses delivered standardized asthma education, inhaler-technique review, and action plan reinforcement with monthly structured follow-up for 16 weeks.

Results:
Among four enrolled participants, three completed follow-up. Mean ACT scores improved from 17.5 at baseline …

Evaluating Preoperative Education Modalities For Orthopedic Surgery Patients, Hannah Johnson

DNP Projects

Effective preoperative education is essential as total joint arthroplasty (TJA) procedures shift to outpatient care, yet traditional education methods may not be meeting patients’ diverse learning styles. This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project aimed to evaluate the impact of multimodal preoperative education (in-person, virtual, hybrid video modules, or a combination) on patient-reported anxiety and discharge readiness, as well as length of stay (LOS), surgical site infections (SSIs), and 30-day readmissions. The in-person portion could not be implemented due to staffing constraints. The pre-post evaluation was conducted with a sample of 273 patients undergoing elective hip and knee arthroplasty (pre …

Bridging The Gap: Empowering Primary Care Providers With Nonpharmalogical Strategies For Adhd Management, Grace Sawyer

DNP Projects

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects many adults and children and is commonly managed with pharmaceutical drugs. Although evidence supports the use of nonpharmacological, many providers may not know or have the confidence to use these modalities to incorporate these into practice. This educational gap could contribute to an overreliance on medication when there are other options available for comprehensive ADHD care.  This quality improvement pretest-posttest design aimed to bridge the gap in provider knowledge and confidence regarding evidence-based nonpharmacological ADHD management at two college health clinics.  The intervention consisted of four pre-recorded modules delivered over four weeks that focused on exercise, …

Evaluating An Educational Intervention On Penicillin Allergy De-Labeling Among Graduate Nursing Students, Allison Desmond

DNP Projects

Background
Approximately 10% of patients report a penicillin allergy; however, up to 90% of these individuals are not truly allergic. Inaccurate penicillin allergy labels contribute to inappropriate antibiotic use, increased healthcare costs, and antimicrobial resistance. Education on penicillin allergy testing remains limited among future Family Nurse Practitioners (FNPs).

Methods
A quantitative quality improvement project using a pretest-posttest design was conducted among second- and third-year Doctor of Nursing Practice–Family Nurse Practitioner (DNP-FNP) students enrolled in Pharmacology II or Advanced Practice Nursing III at a Midwestern liberal arts college. Participants completed a 15-minute voiceover PowerPoint educational intervention on penicillin allergy testing and …

Improving Provider Knowledge And Confidence In Hormone Replacement Therapy Through A Quality Improvement Educational Intervention, Caitlin Schmidt

DNP Projects

Background
Menopause is associated with symptoms that can significantly diminish quality of life. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) remains the most effective intervention for moderate to severe menopausal symptoms. Despite evidence-based guidelines endorsing its use in appropriately selected patients, HRT utilization remains limited.

Local Problem
A gap in provider knowledge and confidence regarding HRT prescribing was identified in a rural primary care clinic in the Midwestern United States. The clinical needs assessment revealed an absence of standardized menopause-specific education and highlighted an opportunity to improve evidence-based menopause management.

Methods
This quality improvement project employed a pre-post educational design guided by the …

Registered Nurse Procedural Sedation In Operating Room: An Analysis Of Patient Safety And Nurse Confidence Efficacy Of 2 Years Post Implementation, Cassandra Fredrickson

DNP Projects

Background
A Midwest hospital implemented a registered nurse (RN) procedural sedation program to provide safe, cost-effective sedation for selected operating room procedures under physician supervision, improving patient access while optimizing anesthesia resources.

Methods
A retrospective descriptive program evaluation examined 1,117 patients who received RN-administered procedural sedation for vascular and neurovascular procedures during 2022 and 2024. Outcomes included anesthesia consultation, anesthesia takeover, reversal agent use, and adverse events. Patient demographics and procedure duration were analyzed. Six procedural sedation nurses completed a self-efficacy survey assessing confidence in sedation-related competencies. Descriptive statistics and qualitative review of adverse event narratives were performed.

Results
Among …

The Mediating Role Of Moral Disengagement In The Relationship Between Facets Of Empathy And Aggression, Romiere J. Horace

Theses

Aggression is a major social and public health concern with economic, psychological, and interpersonal implications. Extensive research has examined the potential antecedents for aggressive behavior, with many different environmental, biological, and intrapsychic factors being significantly associated with aggression. Researchers have also focused on cognitive mechanisms, like empathy, as a protective factor for aggression. More specifically, research has linked lower levels of empathy to higher levels of aggression; however, the underlying mechanisms of this relationship remain underexplored. A potential explanatory mechanism is moral disengagement, which allows individuals to justify harmful behaviors and avoid self-sanctions. However, limited research has examined these constructs …

In Re: Alecto Healthcare Services Llc

2026 Decisions

USDC for the District of Delaware

Usa V. Brandon Mcintyre

2026 Decisions

USDC for the District of New Jersey

Order Re: Motion For Derivative Standing

Catholic Dioceses in Bankruptcy

No abstract provided.

Biologically-Based Alternatives To Plastic Mulch Enrich Microbiome And Buffer Yield In Small-Scale Strawberry Production, Olivia L. Fragiacomo

Master's Theses

Much of commercial agriculture has used plastic mulch since the 1950s to contain fungicides and fertilizers, control weeds, retain soil moisture, and warm the top soil to start the growing season earlier. Research suggests that small-scale strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) growers may be able to incorporate biological techniques, such as wheat straw mulch with microbial amendments, to reduce the use of single-use plastic mulch with a comparable yield. For this study, I carried out a randomized complete block comparison of five strawberry management techniques: plastic mulch (PM), straw mulch alone, and straw mulch inoculated with either arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), …

Load Balancing Algorithms For Cloud Computing Systems, Mark Rakesh Christian

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cloud computing depends on load balancing to allocate user requests among virtual machines (VMs), affecting response time, utilization, and scalability. Round Robin, Equally Spread Current Execution, and standard Throttled scheduling are widely used; however, standard Throttled selects among eligible VMs using an implementation-dependent order with no explicit preference. This thesis proposes the Weighted Throttled Load Balancing (WTLB) algorithm, which introduces an explicit, deterministic selection priority among eligible VMs, implemented by modifying the Throttled scheduler within CloudAnalyst.

Evaluated under an identical six-region, multi-data-center configuration against Round Robin, ESCE, and standard Throttled, WTLB preserves the aggregate response-time, processing-time, and cost profile of …

Clinicopathologic Spectrum Of Renal Disease In Sars-Cov-2 Infection And Post-Covid-19 Vaccination, Naya Williams, Mohammed S. Razzaque

School of Medicine Publications

Both SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination have been associated with renal complications. In the context of SARS-CoV-2 infection, kidney injury is primarily attributed to a complex interplay of systemic immune dysregulation and vascular damage. Severe infection triggers a cytokine-mediated inflammatory response characterized by elevated levels of pro-inflammatory mediators, resulting in systemic hemodynamic instability, increased capillary permeability, and renal hypoperfusion, ultimately leading to acute tubular injury. In addition, virus-induced endothelial activation promotes a prothrombotic state, microvascular injury, and further impairment of renal perfusion. Collectively, these processes converge to produce acute kidney injury (AKI) and, in severe or prolonged cases, may contribute …

Metastatic Large Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma: A Rare Cause Of Hypopituitarism, Smriti Nair, Taskeen Ahmed, Jessica Watari

Division of Internal Medicine Faculty Papers & Presentations

Pituitary metastases from pulmonary large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) are exceedingly rare but should be considered in patients presenting with arginine vasopressin deficiency and panhypopituitarism in the context of known or suspected metastatic lung cancer. Early recognition and prompt initiation of hormonal replacement therapy are essential to prevent life-threatening endocrine crises and to improve symptom burden. We describe a case of a 43-year-old male who presented with dyspnea, weight loss, and weakness who was found to have metastatic LCNEC involving the liver. Endocrine evaluation revealed central hypothyroidism, central adrenal insufficiency, and later arginine vasopressin deficiency manifested by polyuria and hypernatremia. …

Notch Signaling Regulates The Secretion Of Pro-Metastatic Factors In Extracellular Vesicles In Liposarcoma, Menchus Quan, Yi-Kai Liu, Ying Zhao, Madeline Kay, Kai Sun, Timothy P Gavin, Raphael E Pollock, W Andy Tao, Shihuan Kuang

The Brown Foundation: Institute of Molecular Medicine

Notch signaling is an emerging regulator of liposarcoma (LPS), but its role in mediating communication with the tumor microenvironment (TME) is unclear. Here, we investigate how Notch activation (NICD overexpression) alters the proteomes of LPS-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs). We used quantitative mass spectrometry to profile the EV proteome in multiple contexts: cultured LPS cells, LPS tumor, circulating EVs of LPS-bearing mice, and human LPS samples. We found that Notch signaling increases the secretion of EV proteins that favor tumor progression and metastasis but suppresses immune responses in murine LPS cells. Overlapping murine and human LPS data identifies 18 proteins that …

Investigation Of Radiation And Heavy Metal Hazards In Nutritional Supplements For Athletes, Sarah Amir Abdalabass, Ahmed Fadhil Mkhaiber

Baghdad Science Journal

Nutritional supplements are widely consumed worldwide. This study assesses uranium isotopes and radon concentrations in nutritional supplements using CR-39 detectors to evaluate potential radiological health risks. In addition, the concentrations of selected heavy metals were quantified using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), The results indicated that the activity concentrations of uranium isotopes (U²³⁸, U²³⁵, and U²³⁴) were (6.07 ± 0.5 Bq/kg), (0.2 ± 0.02 Bq/kg), and (6.2 Bq/kg), respectively. The average total annual effective dose (AED) and the risk of excess fatal cancer per million population (RECFPMP) were (0.0006 ± 0.00005 mSv/y) and (2.2 ± …