Digital Commons Network^™

Changes In Child Placement After Child Abuse Pediatrics Consultation For Suspected Physical Abuse., Kristine A. Campbell, Antoinette L. Laskey, Daniel M. Lindberg, M Katherine Henry, Porcia Vaughn, James Anderst, Megan M. Letson, Angela N. Bachim, Nancy S. Harper, Carmen M. Coombs, Lori D. Frasier, Joanne N. Wood

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: The association between child abuse pediatric (CAP) assessments and child welfare outcomes is unknown.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between a CAP determination of the likelihood of physical abuse and change in child placement. We hypothesized that child race would be associated with CAP determination of abuse likelihood and child welfare outcomes.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Children under age ten years with in-person CAP consultation and referral to child protective services for suspected physical abuse at a U.S. pediatric referral center participating in CAPNET, a CAP research network, from 02/2021 to 01/2023.

METHODS: We created a series of generalized estimating …

Association Between Chd And Cerebral Abscess: Insights From A National Database., Keats Ewing, Rohit Seath Loomba, Saul Flores, Enrique G. Villarreal, Juan S. Farias, Matthew Taylor Coghill

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

CHD has been historically associated with the development of cerebral abscess. This retrospective cohort study examines the association of CHD with the occurrence of cerebral abscess in an inpatient paediatric population. We analysed data from the Pediatric Health Information System database, an administrative database that captures data from participating children's hospitals in the United States. We included all patients admitted to participating paediatric ICUs between 2016 and 2021 for a total of 426,029 admissions. Including all admissions, 1,387 (0.3%) patients experienced a cerebral abscess, and of 80,927 (19%) patients with CHD, only 88 (0.1%) experienced a cerebral abscess (odds ratio …

Tradition, Individuality, And Innovation In Western Classical Music Performance: A Quantitative Analysis Of Bach’S Fourth Cello Suite Prelude, Clare Monfredo

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Why do we seek out new performances of a commonly performed piece of music? An essential tradition of Western classical music (WCM) is the performance of canonical works by composers, an activity that requires the interpretation and execution of written scores by individual performers. In this practice, performers are not only expected to determine the composer’s “intentions,” but also somehow (paradoxically) share these in a “unique” performance interpretation. In musical education, performers are trained by teachers to create these “unique” interpretations by learning how to intuit composers’ intentions in a system that passes down interpretative traditions through master-apprentice one-on-one lessons. …

Scspatialsim: A Simulator Of Spatial Single-Cell Molecular Data, Alex C. Soupir, Julia Wrobel, Jordan H. Creed, Oscar E. Ospina, Christopher M. Wilson, Brandon J. Manley, Lauren C. Peres, Brooke L. Fridley

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

The increasing use of spatial molecular technologies such as multiplex immunofluorescence (mIF) and spatial transcriptomics (SRT) has driven the need for robust statistical methods to analyze the spatial architecture of tissues. However, a lack of consensus on “gold standard” approaches present challenges for benchmarking and comparison. To address this gap, we developed “scSpatialSIM”, an R package for simulating biologically realistic spatial single-cell molecular data. “scSpatialSIM” enables users to efficiently simulate single-cell spatial patterns without requiring reference datasets, incorporating features such as cell clustering, cell co-localization, tissue compartments, and tissue holes. Additionally, the package supports simulation of both categorical data (e.g., …

Stolen Moments: Jazz And The Opportunity To Capture Hip Hop Fans, Fahiym Abdul-Wasi

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis explores the intricate relationship between jazz and hip-hop, examining how these two influential genres intersect culturally and musically. Jazz, with its rich history and expressive improvisation, laid the groundwork for hip-hop, a genre that emerged as a powerful voice for Black Americans and other disenfranchised communities. The thesis highlights the impact of sampling, a fundamental technique in hip-hop that allows artists to repurpose jazz recordings and thereby preserve their legacy while infusing contemporary narratives. By analyzing key albums and the contributions of notable artists, this study underscores the potential for reintroducing jazz to new audiences through hip-hop. As …

Disability Theatre Communities: Engaging Artists And Audiences In Contemporary International Performance, Joseph Paul Hill

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

“Disability Theatre Communities” examines how communities are constructed in, through, and around contemporary international disability theatre performances. It explores ideas of community formation and intersection across three case studies to elucidate the various ways in which disability theatre artists, productions, companies, and organizations attract, engage, and educate variable artist and audience communities. The project analyzes Rome, Italy’s Teatro Patologico and its Integrated Theatre of Emotion, a theatrical training program for neurodivergent performers; Wales-based writer, theatre-maker, and dramaturg Kaite O’Reilly, whose international collaborations center d/Deaf and disabled performers and foreground audience accessibility; and the biennial BIT (Blind in Theatre) International Festival …

The Effect Of Tbi On Working Memory And Anxiety In Rats, Mariola Sobolewska

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a significant public health concern, often leading to cognitive and emotional impairments. This study examined the effects of TBI on working memory and anxiety-like behavior in young male Sprague-Dawley rats using the Radial Arm Maze (RAM) and Elevated Plus Maze (EPM), which are behavioral assessments. The RAM tests spatial working memory by evaluating the animal’s ability to remember and efficiently navigate multiple arms to retrieve rewards. The EPM assesses anxiety-like behavior based on the animal’s preference for open versus closed arms. The study utilized young male Sprague-Dawley rats, a well-established rodent model known for its …

Asian American Artists, Improvisation, And Collaboration, Johnna Wu

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The purpose of my dissertation is to explore how contemporary Asian Americans artist-performers have formulated their identities through collaborations with the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). The project addresses issues in the existing literature on this topic and provides an alternative framework of cosmopolitanism to understanding the multidimensional aspects of artistic collaborations. The dissertation examines the history of the AACM and the Asian American improvisers and reveals ideological differences among its members on how music should reflect their identities. These histories paved the way for the artist subjects of my three case studies: Miya Masaoka, Vijay Iyer, …

Performance Practice As Compositional Style: Wet Ink’S Collaborative Work, Carrie Frey

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In its twenty-five years in New York City’s new music scene, Wet Ink Ensemble has established a distinctive approach in which members blend the roles of performer, composer, and improviser. This dissertation investigates how the ensemble’s beginnings at the nexus of the experimental rock and avant-garde music scenes prepared it for a turn towards collaborative composition and improvisation. After defining essential elements of the ensemble’s performance practice, I analyze Eric Wubbels’ Auditory Scene Analysis (I) and Sam Pluta’s Lines on Black—compositions that exemplify opposing poles of notational specificity. I then trace the defined elements through two “Performance Practice” works, …

Between The Buffer And The Black Box: Ed(1), Invisible Text, And Delegation In Word Processing, Kai Prenger

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis provides a media archaeological and theoretical examination of ed(1), the Unix line editor developed by Ken Thompson at Bell Labs in 1969, arguing that its approach to "invisible text" processing established lasting patterns of human-computer collaboration that persist in contemporary digital systems. Through historical research, technical analysis, and critical interpretation, this study demonstrates how ed(1) embodied a particular epistemology of text processing that appears alien in a contemporary context, but proves insightful in the age of generative text creation.

ed(1) emerged from the unique convergence of Bell Labs' collaborative research culture, severe hardware constraints of early Unix systems, …

Some Puzzles Concerning Gujarati Nominalized Verbs In Before And After Sentences, Priya P. Patel

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Aspect, which relates events to time periods, interacts in complex ways with temporal operators. This complexity is exemplified in the Gujarati language, where certain imperfective nominalized verbal forms are considered unacceptable with the temporal operator pachi (after) but not with pehlaa (before). This paper aims to shed light on this semantic unacceptability by combining insights from prior studies relating to aspect in other Indo-Aryan langauages with previous work done on English before and after.

Effect Of Equation Of State On The Formation Of Binary Black Holes In Active Galactic Nucleus Disks, Theodore Edwards

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Active galactic nucleus disks have been proposed as a possibly dominant location of the mergers of binary black holes detected by gravitational wave observatories. The nonlinear interactions between stellar mass black holes and disk gas determine when binaries will form from single objects on nearby orbits. Prior work has used smoothed particle hydrodynamics models in an isothermal disk to study this problem. However, the local equation of state near the midplane of an optically thick accretion disk is adiabatic rather than isothermal, even if the radiative equilibrium temperature is azimuthally isothermal. Therefore, we investigate the use of an adiabatic equation …

Re-Envisioning Digital Agency: From Representationalism To Interpretant-Driven Epistemology, Michael C. Lee

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis examines the epistemological and ethical foundations of digital technologies, particularly code and algorithmic systems, by considering their entanglement with representationalism. Arguing that code now functions as a dominant social agent and epistemic subject, through the concept of the Code’s-eye view, I explore how automated datafication reduces human experience to quantifiable inputs, reinforcing epistemic closure and social fragmentation. Drawing on pragmatist philosophy, including Peirce’s semiotics, Dewey’s democratic ethics, and Rorty’s conversational inquiry, I propose an interpretant-driven epistemology grounded in communal inquiry and interpretive openness. This alternative framework resists the binary logic of algorithmic rationality by emphasizing conflict and the …

Detecting Sonic Hedgehog Expression In The Adult Mouse Brain Using A Gene Expression Tracer, Kendra Stephens-Jones

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) is best known for its role in development, yet evidence supports Shh signaling plays a functional role in the adult brain. Previous work demonstrated that Shh is expressed by dopamine (DA) neurons in the ventral midbrain and that loss of Shh from these neurons leads to late-onset motor and structural abnormalities resembling Parkinson’s disease. However, the extent of Shh expression and its connectivity to the striatum in the adult mouse brain remain unclear due to the lack of reliable antibodies for Shh detection. To address this gap, the present study employed Shh ^L/L and DAT-Cre^+/- mice …

Investigating The Behavior Of Dwarf-Hosting Cosmic Filaments In Regions Of Average Density Within The Universe, Manuel E. Ramirez Hernandez

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The cosmic web is the large-scale structure of the universe, composed of elongated, overdense areas held together by gravity known as cosmic filaments. Within these filaments, dwarf galaxies are ubiquitous and make for excellent laboratories due to their small size. to determine the effects of cosmic web structures on dwarf galaxies. In this thesis, I laid the groundwork to investigate whether dwarf galaxy populations vary across different types of filaments. Filaments were extracted from the gas density field in the New Horizon simulation at $z=0$ using the topological feature finder DisPerSE. I determined the distances of galaxies to their nearest …

The Georgian Of Heritage Speaker Children, Cass Lowry

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation presents three research articles united in the goal of describing the Georgian language as it is spoken by heritage speakers in the Brooklyn diaspora. The Georgian heritage speaker subjects recruited for these studies were children due to immigration patterns at the time when experimental data was collected. Their production of morphosyntactic inflection and pronouns is compared to adult and child homeland speakers.

Heritage speakers of Georgian demonstrate the following divergences from homeland and standard language comparisons. Nominal case inflection is most affected in heritage production, as heritage speakers use a default case or collapse Georgian's split-ergative and inverse …

Digital Odyssey: Navigating Culture, Structure, And Agency In The Transformation Of A Public University, Lisa Santa-Coloma

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Digital transformation broadly refers to the process of enacting digital technologies to fundamentally change how an organization creates value, enhancing the customer experience, increasing efficiency, and achieving a sustained competitive advantage. Current industry research estimates that over 90 percent of large organizations globally are undertaking digital transformation initiatives, yet a surprisingly low percentage of them report a resulting lift in revenue or improved efficiency. This trend is particularly pronounced in the education sector, where universities, navigating the pressure of lower enrollment rates following the global pandemic and the impact of disruptive technology such as artificial intelligence and online learning platforms, …

Using Machine Learning Methods To Evaluate Undergraduates’ Executive Function In The Context Of Game-Based Measurement, Ming Chen

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Traditional performance-based measurements have faced criticism due to their potential to induce test fatigue and their limited ecological validity. In contrast, game-based assessments have demonstrated the capacity to engage participants effectively in tests and enhance ecological validity by replicating real-world scenarios. Nevertheless, conventional statistical approaches may prove insufficient in capturing the intricate, non-linear associations between participants' gaming performance and their cognitive capabilities. Leveraging the potential of machine learning (ML) techniques, which can model complex problems, offers a promising avenue for estimating students' performance in video games. This dissertation aims to explore various ML methods for the validation of three game-based …

Love Amid The Rage: Feminist Affect In Women's Life-Writing, Genesis Siverio

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The aim of this thesis is to show the ways women’s emotions or affect, particularly rage and love, are described by women writers in their most intimate stories. I discuss the way emotion has been demeaned, and how feminist scholars have instead viewed the body as a place of insight, reclaiming a knowledge from the senses. In the midst of white supremacy and heteropatriarchy, women give voice to their affectual experiences and cultivate the feelings they have so often been denied. Focusing on the particular ways women’s anger manifests in their lives and in their bodies, I zoom in on …

Rsif Uganda Country Report 2025, Regional Scholarship And Innovation Fund (Rsif)

Rsif Country Progress Reports

Uganda’s GDP grew by an estimated 6.3% in 2024 driven by strong growth in all sectors, including agriculture and services. Investment in higher education would contribute to more productive employment and uptake of digital and other innovative technologies. Revenue from crude oil could be channeled into green technologies. Uganda’s green metals and iron-ore deposits could be developed using technologies for greening manufacturing and construction to provide the basis for transforming to a green economy. Uganda is one of eleven African countries that are active in the Partnership for skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET), and has expressed its …

Rsif Kenya Country Report 2025, Regional Scholarship And Innovation Fund (Rsif)

Rsif Country Progress Reports

Kenya is the leading economy in East Africa. World Bank projects average GDP growth of 4.9% from 2025-27. Kenya pursues its Vision 2030 and a bottom-up economic model, which prioritizes agriculture, healthcare, affordable housing, micro and small enterprises, and the digital and creative economy. Consistent investment in human capital and higher education is paving the way for a skilled labour force that is contributing to sustainable inclusive growth, job creation and socio-economic transformation. Kenya is one of the nine African countries that is contributing to the Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (Rsif) of the Partnership for skills in Applied Sciences, …

Rsif Senegal Country Report 2025, Regional Scholarship And Innovation Fund (Rsif)

Rsif Country Progress Reports

Senegal’s economy is expected to be among the fastest growing in the world, with 10.3% real GDP growth expected in 2025 and 7.1% in 2026 according to the African Development Bank. Highly qualified human capital is the driver for implementation of the Senegal 2050 National Transformation Agenda. Senegal is one of the nine African countries that is contributing to the Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (Rsif) of the Partnership for skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET) since 2020. Its contribution of USD 2 million is financed through the World Bank supported Africa Centres of Excellence for Higher Education …

Rsif Rwanda Country Report 2025, Regional Scholarship And Innovation Fund (Rsif)

Rsif Country Progress Reports

Rwanda is among the world’s fastest growing economies. GDP growth is expected to maintain momentum at more than 8% in 2025–26, thanks to a recovery in global tourism, new construction projects, and manufacturing activities. The need for highly skilled human capital is a driver for Rwanda’s Vision 2050. Investing in higher education, research and innovation will enable Rwanda to close the skills gap and contribute to sustainable economic growth and development. Rwanda is one of the nine African countries that are contributing to the Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (Rsif) of the Partnership for skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and …

Rsif Ethiopia Country Report 2025, Regional Scholarship And Innovation Fund (Rsif)

Rsif Country Progress Reports

Ethiopia is the second most populous nation in Africa, and one of the fastest-growing economies in the region. Ethiopia has roughly 2 million people reaching working age each year. The government has launched a Ten-Year Development Plan, which runs until 2030. Ethiopia seeks to chart a development path that is sustainable and inclusive to accelerate poverty reduction and boost shared prosperity. Ethiopia is a founding member of the Partnership for skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET), and have expressed its intention to invest through the PASET flagship programme, the Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (Rsif). Rsif provides benefits …

Rsif Benin Country Report 2025 - English, Regional Scholarship And Innovation Fund (Rsif)

Rsif Country Progress Reports

Benin is among the world’s fastest growing economies. Highly skilled human capital will boost this growth rate and drive implementation of Benin’s National Development Plan. Benin is one of the nine African countries that is contributing to the Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (Rsif) of the Partnership for skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET) since 2021. Its contribution is USD 2 million to train Beninese PhD students in selected African host universities and collaborating with international partner institutions. Through PASET-Rsif Benin will build strong institutions and future science leaders to drive a science and technology-led growth and development. …

Rsif Korea Country Report 2025, Regional Scholarship And Innovation Fund (Rsif)

Rsif Country Progress Reports

Korea is the world’s second most R&D intensive country with a GERD of more than 5% according to UNESCO and is a global leader in innovation and transformative technologies for jobs and skills development. Korea’s development experience and technical expertise can be adapted in priority sectors in Africa for inclusive and sustainable development. Korea is contributing to the Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (Rsif) of the Partnership for skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET), since 2018. Its contribution of USD 9 million is through the Korea-World Bank Group Partnership Facility to train Sub-Saharan African PhD students and to …

Rsif Bénin Rapport Pays 2025 - French, Regional Scholarship And Innovation Fund (Rsif)

Rsif Country Progress Reports

Le Bénin figure parmi les économies connaissant la croissance la plus rapide au monde. Un capital humain hautement qualifié stimulera ce taux de croissance et favorisera la mise en œuvre du Plan national de développement du pays. Le Bénin est l'un des neuf pays africains qui contribuent au Fonds Régional de Bourses d’études et d'Innovations (Rsif) du Partenariat pour le Développement des Compétences en Sciences Appliquées, Ingénierie et Technologies (PASET) depuis 2021. Sa contribution s’élève à 2 millions de dollars destinées à la formation des doctorants béninois dans des universités d’accueil africaines sélectionnées et en collaboration avec des institutions partenaires …

Rsif Nigeria Country Report 2025, Regional Scholarship And Innovation Fund (Rsif)

Rsif Country Progress Reports

Nigeria is Africa’s biggest economy. Investment in higher education and research can be a catalyst for positive change and innovation. Moreover, Nigeria’s participation in Rsif is advancing a Pan-African approach, internationalization and intra-Africa mobility. Nigeria is one of the nine African countries that is contributing to the Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (Rsif) of the Partnership for skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET) since 2022. Its contribution of USD 4 million is through the World Bank supported Africa Centres of Excellence for Higher Education for Development Impact (ACE Impact) project, to train Nigerian PhD students in selected African …

Rsif Ghana Country Report 2025, Regional Scholarship And Innovation Fund (Rsif)

Rsif Country Progress Reports

Science, technology, and innovation are key drivers in Ghana’s transition to a sustainable economic model, with high prospects of value addition and diversification. Ghana is one of the nine African countries that is contributing to the Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (Rsif) of the Partnership for skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET) since 2019. Its contribution is USD 2 million to train Ghanaian PhD students in selected African host universities and collaborating with international partner institutions. Through PASET-Rsif, Ghana is building strong institutions and future science leaders to drive a science and technology-led growth and development. University of …

Rsif Sénégal Rapport Pays 2025 - French, Regional Scholarship And Innovation Fund (Rsif)

Rsif Country Progress Reports

L’économie du Sénégal devrait connaître la croissance rapide, avec une croissance du PIB réel de 10.3% en 2025 et 7.1% en 2026, selon la Banque africaine de développement. Un capital humain hautement qualifié est le moteur de la mise en œuvre du plan Sénégal émergent. Le Sénégal est l'un des neuf pays africains qui contribuent au Fonds Régional de Bourses d’études et d'Innovations (Rsif) du Partenariat pour le Développement des Compétences en Sciences Appliquées, Ingénierie et Technologies (PASET) depuis 2020. Sa contribution de 2 millions de dollars est financé par le projet de Centres d’excellence d’éducation supérieure africains pour un …