Digital Commons Network^™

Progressive Release Of Informational Materials For People Living With Dementia And Their Informal Carers, Jonathan Turner, Siobhán O’Neill, Damon Berry, Julie Doyle, Harish Kambampati, Orla Moran, Suzanne Smith, Michael Wilson, Dympna O’Sullivan

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

We describe a process for selecting informational material for people living with dementia that is most appropriate for their stage of dementia. This material provides information on the disease, on ways of living with the disease, and on activities that may delay the progression of the disease, with a view to maintaining an individual’s independent living at home. Informational material is suggested according to both an individual’s overall clinical disease progression and progression along seven cognitive domain axes that contribute to the overall progression, for example ‘working memory’ performance or ‘attention’, with scores for these axes being derived from clinical …

Lepage & Golden Deadlocked In Early Snapshot Of Possible Maine Cd2 Matchup 6/26/2025, Unh Survey Center

All UNH Survey Center Polls

A prospective matchup between Maine Congressman Jared Golden and former Maine Governor Paul LePage in Maine's 2nd Congressional District is statistically tied at this early date. However, LePage is more popular than Golden in the 2nd district as Golden enjoys only modest popularity among his fellow Democrats. A majority of Mainers approve of Governor Janet Mills' performance and she is considerably more popular than Senator Susan Collins, who some speculate may be her opponent in the 2026 U.S. Senate race. Most Mainers have heard about and understand a possible 2025 ballot question concerning election procedures, but relatively few have heard …

Retrospective Study Of Elective Intracranial Tumor Surgery Waiting Time At A National Referral Hospital In Indonesia, Sayyid Abdil Hakam Perkasa, Habibah Nurul Rahmah, Abrar Arham

Jurnal ARSI : Administrasi Rumah Sakit Indonesia

Elective surgery waiting times are a key measure of healthcare system performance and service quality. Long wait times can lower patients’ quality of life, worsen symptoms, reduce treatment effectiveness, and increase financial stress. We aimed to provide a descriptive analysis of elective surgery waiting time for Intracranial Tumors at Mahar Mardjono National Brain Center Hospital in 2023. This study is a descriptive retrospective cross-sectional study using data from Electronic Health Records (EHR). The study sample included all elective intracranial tumor surgeries performed in 2023. A total of 371 elective intracranial tumor surgeries were analyzed. The median age of patients was …

Analisis Hubungan Sikap Dan Tuning Dengan Kepatuhan Perawat Dalam Ketepatan Identifikasi Pasien Di Rumah Sakit X Kabupaten Banyuwangi Tahun 2024, Lusyana Putri Kusuma Wardhani, Ica Imelida, Syifa’Ul Lailiyah, Nyoman Anita Damayanti, Dian Santo Prayoga

Jurnal ARSI : Administrasi Rumah Sakit Indonesia

Patient safety is a top priority in healthcare services, including in the prevention of identification errors. Accurate patient identification is one of the Patient Safety Goals mandated by the Joint Commission International (JCI) 2024. The issue addressed in this study is the low compliance of nurses with patient identification procedures at Hospital X in Banyuwangi Regency. This study aims to analyze the relationship between nurses’ attitudes and tuning with compliance in implementing patient identification. A quantitative approach with a cross-sectional design was used. Data on attitudes and tuning were collected through questionnaires, while compliance data were obtained from direct observations …

Impact Of Optimal Medical Therapy In Heart Failure Certification For Hospitalists On Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy Utilization, Farhan Ishaq, Duc T Nguyen, Edward A Graviss, Ebun Ebunlomo, Arvind Bhimaraj, Nadia Fida

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Significant gaps in guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) for heart failure (HF) stem from shortages of cardiologists and advanced HF providers, as well as a lack of optimal HF management knowledge among hospitalists. This study compared the impact of optimal medical therapy in HF (OMT-HF) certification on GDMT implementation and patient outcomes between an intervention group (IG) of hospitalists and a standard-of-care comparison group (SOC-CG).

Aim: To evaluate if OMT-HF has a difference in GDMT and patients in outcomes between IG and SOC-CG.

Methods: This study was implemented from November 2022 to May 2023. Hospitalized cardiology patients with HF and …

Secondary Youth-Level Mechanisms Of Change In Parent Training For Anxious Youth, Jacey L Anderberg, Kelly Barry, Blake M Upshaw, Katie H Mangen, Samuel D Spencer, Andrew G Guzick, Daphne M Ayton, Amanda D Palo, Abigail E Candelari, Eric A Storch

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Parent-focused treatments are a promising approach for addressing youth anxiety outside of traditional therapist-delivered modalities. Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) has preliminarily demonstrated efficacy for reducing family accommodation (FA), a key treatment outcome for youth anxiety.

Objective: Since the mechanisms of SPACE remain relatively understudied, we examined youth-reported distress tolerance (DT), anxiety sensitivity (AS), and negative automatic thoughts as candidate mechanisms of SPACE using data from a previously conducted clinical trial.

Methods: In a sample of N = 68 youth (M age = 10.2; 52% male; 62% White), we examined: (a) associations among candidate mechanisms and …

3d Nano-Architected Polymer Shell Enables Reconfigurable Stabilized Blue Phase Soft Crystals, Sephideh Norouzi, Yazael R. Morales-Flores, Tadej Emersic, Jeremy Money, Otillo E. Rodriguez-Lopez, Andrew Casale, Juan J. De Pablo, Jose A. Martinez-Gonzalez, Monirosadat Sadati

Faculty Publications

Blue phases (BPs), formed through the self-assembly of chiral liquid crystal molecules into 3D nanolattices with cubic symmetries, exhibit dynamic photonic bandgaps in the visible spectrum, offering transformative opportunities for advanced optical circuits, sensing and communication technologies. However, their thermal stability is restricted to a narrow temperature range (0.5–1.0 K), limiting practical applications. Polymer stabilization of bulk BPs has extended thermal stability but often compromises the dynamic behavior essential for fast-response functionalities. Here, experimental and computational approaches are integrated to investigate the effect of curvature and interfacial interactions on BP polymer stabilization. It is demonstrated that photo-polymerization of reactive monomers …

Social Communication Implementable And Applicable Lens: A Framework For Addressing Assessment Of Social Communication, Louise C. Keegan, Jerry K. Hoepner, Leanne Togher, Mary Kennedy, Elise Bogart, Melissa Brunner, Sheila Macdonald

Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Articles and Research

Purpose:

Method:

Utilization Of Watermelon Rind Waste Powder For Developing Bakery Products, Babar Khan, Asadullah Marri, Nida Shaikh, Asif Irshad

Journal of Bioresource Management

Watermelon rind waste powder (WRWP) is a rich source of dietary fiber and bioactive compounds; hence it could be used to develop functional foods such as bakery products. The present study aimed to utilize WRWP in bakery products development. The treatments included: T₁ = Cake without WRWP, T₂ = Cake with 10 % WRWP, T₃= Cake with 20 % WRWP, T₄= Biscuit without WRWP, T₅ = Biscuit with 10 % WRWP, T₆ = Biscuit with 20 % WRWP. The physicochemical and nutritional properties of watermelon rind waste powder were also determined. The …

Prawo Klimatyczne I Jego Nowe Instrumenty Oddziaływania Na Gospodarkę, Tomasz Bojar-Fijałkowski

internetowy Kwartalnik Antymonopolowy i Regulacyjny (internet Quarterly on Antitrust and Regulation)

The European Union has set ambitious environmental climate targets for itself, and thus for its Member States and businesses operating within it. Their implementation requires significant changes in the EU economy. The rapidly developing climate law brings with it new public law instruments to influence entrepreneurs and the economy overall. This article is devoted to an analysis of the evolution of climate law and aims to identify the directions of the development of EU regulation in this area. The objective of the author is to systematise concepts relevant to the legal side of the climate discourse. After characterising the European …

Bilansowanie Handlowe W Świetle Nowych Regulacji – Aspekty Cywilnoprawne, Tadeusz Zieliński

internetowy Kwartalnik Antymonopolowy i Regulacyjny (internet Quarterly on Antitrust and Regulation)

Commercial balancing and the role of the balance responsible party, as one of the basic elements of the electricity market, do not raise practical doubts among market participants, in particular those carrying out related tasks. At the same time, said institutions, and the regulations that concern them, have not been the subject of a more extensive discussion in legal terms. The consequence of this state of affairs was the formation of misconceptions among both entities acting on the electricity market and the energy regulator, regarding the subject matter of commercial balancing, the capacity in which the balance responsible party operates, …

Innowacje W Rolnictwie – Agrofotowoltaika, Emilia Nawrotek

internetowy Kwartalnik Antymonopolowy i Regulacyjny (internet Quarterly on Antitrust and Regulation)

The aim of the article is to present the principles of the agrophotovoltaics concept (agrivoltaics or APV), and the possibilities of its development in selected countries of the European Union. The adoption of innovations in agriculture is crucial for meeting challenges related to food security, and the goals of sustainable agriculture development. The growing global demand for food and electricity forces the development of photovoltaic agriculture. It is a way to maintain valuable agricultural land, secure food production, and to maintain supply chains without straining the energy system. The introduction of certain legal solutions in EU Member States has brought …

Energy In The Portuguese Climate Framework Law, Rute Saraiva

internetowy Kwartalnik Antymonopolowy i Regulacyjny (internet Quarterly on Antitrust and Regulation)

The Portuguese Climate Framework Law of 2021 has been underassessed by legal scholars. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to evaluate it through an energy lens. Through a close analysis of the legal text, the article seeks, firstly, to determine how the climate-energy relationship is treated, and then to understand the challenges that arise in implementing this Law, especially its interaction with the Environmental Policy Basis Law of 2014.

Strategies Health Care Leaders Use For Telemedicine Utilization And Subsequent Revenue Enhancement, Wesley Raymond Wingate

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Health care leaders face challenges in increasing the utilization of alternative synchronous health care platforms, such as telemedicine, which enable real-time virtual consultations, which can influence in-person clinic visits and impact organizational revenue. Rising demand for accessible health care, and ineffective telemedicine implementation limits patient access and overall organizational sustainability, increasing the need for evidence-based strategies critical for health care leaders to improve both service delivery and financial outcomes. This qualitative pragmatic inquiry, grounded in the health belief model, aimed to explore strategies used by health care leaders in the South Texas region to implement telemedicine effectively. The participants included …

Burrows V. 75-25 153rd St., Llc

All Decisions

The Appellate Division affirmed the denial of a landlord's motion to dismiss a putative class action for rent overcharges. The court permitted examination of rent history beyond the four-year lookback period due to allegations of improper use of preferential rents to inflate registered legal rents in a 421-a building. It also found the complaint adequately alleged that a rent concession was a disguised preferential rent, allowing this claim and declaratory relief to proceed to discovery.

Comparing Sodium Fusidate And Petrolatum For Electrosurgery-Related Wound Healing: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial, Firman Parrol, Larisa Paramitha Wibawa, Irma Bernadette Simbolon Sitohang, Siti Rizny Fitriana Saldi

Journal of General - Procedural Dermatology and Venereology Indonesia

Background: Electrosurgery is a common surgical technique used to treat skin tumors. This procedure produces necrotic skin, which might impair the wound healing process, prompting physicians to prescribe topical antibiotics to prevent infection. This study aims to analyze the efficacy of sodium fusidate ointment compared to petrolatum for wound healing after electrosurgery.

Methods: We conducted a double-blind, randomized, controlled study with a within-person design. The inclusion criteria were adult subjects with seborrheic keratosis or acrochordon with a size of 4 mm to 10 mm on the face and neck, with a minimum of 2 lesions. Electrodessication was performed on the …

Combination Of 1064 Nm Qs Nd:Yag Photoacoustic Technology And Exosome For Facial Rejuvenation, Stanley Setiawan, Samuel Septrian Putranto, Angela Maria Linata, Stephanie Salim, Novia Sari Andriati Mertosono, Shelly Nobel, Flora Asri Wardianti, Ita Anggraini, Zulaikha Rizqina Rahmawati

Journal of General - Procedural Dermatology and Venereology Indonesia

Background: Facial rejuvenation has become a global trend in cosmetic and aesthetic dermatology to restore youthful skin. The combination of 1064 nm Q-Switched Neodymium:Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (QS Nd:YAG) laser and exosomes as a facial rejuvenation procedure restores youthfulness by increasing collagen and elastin.

Case Illustration: This case series evaluated the effectiveness of 1064 nm QS Nd:YAG laser with and without human amniotic fluid stem cell-derived exosomes (hAFSC-exo) for facial rejuvenation in six adults aged 24–39 years with Fitzpatrick skin types III-IV. Participants were randomized to receive either laser treatment alone or combined with intradermal hAFSC-exo injections every two weeks for …

Skin Rejuvenation With Microbotox: A Review, Ifen Ayu Malinda, Nelva Karmila Jusuf

Journal of General - Procedural Dermatology and Venereology Indonesia

Background: Skin aging is characterized by a gradual loss of tissue and organ function. Skin aging can be classified into two types: intrinsic aging, associated with the aging process itself, and extrinsic aging, which is linked to external factors. Microbotox—an intradermal injection of diluted botulinum toxin—has emerged as a promising technique for rejuvenation by improving skin texture, pore size, and sebum control. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the microbotox technique in the context of skin aging, emphasizing its mechanisms, indications, and clinical outcomes.

Discussion: In Asia, intradermal injection of botulinum toxin or microbotox has been widely …

Unveiling Endoscopic Procedures In Maude: An Etl-Llm Method, Yuheng Shi, Eric Yang, Yang Gong

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The increased dependence on patient safety studies using the MAUDE database underscores the critical need to define and standardize the methods for extracting and analyzing event reports. The lack of reproducible methods leads to an inconsistent understanding of reported events and diminishes their effectiveness in informing clinicians. Thus, an ETL pipeline combined with LLMs was proposed to standardize the identification and interpretation of the reports. Using endoscopic clip reports as an example, the ETL-LLM method demonstrates the effectiveness of extracting and analyzing categorical and narrative reports, helping uncover insights related to patient complications, surgical procedures, and device uses. This innovative …

Cybersecurity Strategies For Effective Proactive Response To Cyber Attacks, Tony L. Perry

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Malicious cybersecurity attacks threaten the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of organizational data. This issue concerns organizational leaders and cybersecurity professionals who must address these threats to prevent operational disruptions, financial losses, reputational damage, and declining stakeholder trust. Grounded in organizational learning theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to explore the strategies information technology security professionals use to proactively respond to evolving cybersecurity threats. The study involved 16 cybersecurity professionals, each with a minimum of five years of experience in implementing both offensive and defensive cybersecurity strategies within their organizations. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and a …

Associations Between Daytime Sleepiness, Obesity, And Sleep Apnea Severity Among Caribbean Women, Melaine F. Mcleod

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type of sleep-disordered breathing. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a global health epidemic that is associated with the obesity pandemic and daytime sleepiness. This quantitative cross-sectional descriptive study aimed to examine associations between daytime sleepiness measured by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, obesity measured by body mass index (BMI), and severity of OSA measured by the apnea-hypopnea index among Caribbean women residing in the Cayman Islands. The health belief model served as the theoretical framework to guide this research. Daytime sleepiness and obesity were independent variables; the dependent variable was the severity of OSA, …

Provision Of Transportation To Psychiatric Follow-Up Appointments, Eliane Sandrine Tueche Fankam

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This quality improvement initiative is focused on the lack of transportation as a significant barrier to obtaining health care services for patients with severe psychiatric disorders. Transportation issues remain an important factor that hinders the attainment of health care services by the members of this population. Transportation challenges should be addressed as much as possible for improving healthcare accessibility and providing timely care. Prior to the implementation of the transportation service, only 30% of patients with severe mental illness (SMI) attended their scheduled appointments, demonstrating the need for intervention. This project focused on whether providing transportation services would improve compliance …

Cultural And Structural Barriers Influencing The Mental-Health-Seeking Behaviors Of South Asians In Dallas, Texas, Judith Jose

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite being one of the fastest growing immigrant populations in the United States, South Asians experience disproportionately high rates of untreated mental health conditions while reporting low utilization of professional mental health services. This qualitative phenomenological study explored the cultural and structural barriers that influence mental-health-seeking behaviors among South Asians residing in Dallas, Texas. Guided by the health belief model and principles of cultural competency, this research investigated how perceived susceptibility, severity, benefits, barriers, cues to action, and self-efficacy intersect with cultural stigma, religious beliefs, generational dynamics, and systemic obstacles. Semistructured interviews with 12 South Asian adults revealed seven major …

Examination Of Evidence-Based Practices Implementation And Perceived Job Satisfaction With Mental Health Providers, Rafael Montoya

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Job satisfaction among mental health providers continues to be an important area of inquiry, particularly in relation to professional development and training. However, limited studies have evaluated whether training in evidence-based practices (EBPs) is associated with different levels of job satisfaction compared to traditional training models. The purpose of this cross-sectional, quantitative study was to examine whether a statistically significant difference in job satisfaction exists between mental health providers trained in EBPs and those trained using traditional approaches. The study was guided by Spector’s multidimensional job satisfaction model, which categorizes job satisfaction into nine key domains. Data from 81 mental …

Physical Activity And Functional Mobility In Adults With Hearing Loss: A Series Of Embedded Studies Within A 6-Month Clinical Trial With Hearing Aids, Sarah L. Bochat

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Adults with hearing loss engage in low levels of physical activity and demonstrate poor performance on measures of functional mobility. The impact of hearing rehabilitation on these outcomes is not fully understood. Previous investigations were largely quantitative and focused on older adults ≥ 65 years of age who may respond differently to hearing intervention than relatively younger adults. They also tended to focus on exercise rather than global engagement in physical activities and did not report hours of hearing aid use, an important indicator of intervention success. One purpose of this dissertation was to determine the feasibility of collecting accelerometry-assessed …

Room-Temperature Multiferroic Epsilon Iron Oxide Semiconductors: Thin-Film Growth And Characterization, Derick Detellem

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is an ever-growing need for larger computing power, nonvolatile memory and energy efficient devices as the number of applications that draw upon the current base of computer resources increases. At the forefront of research aiming to meet this need is the field of multiferroics. If it is possible to leverage the fast and energy efficient application of an electric field with the data storage capabilities of magnetic materials, then it would be possible to not only increase the robustness and energy efficiency of current memory, but possibly present new types of device components for computation application as well. Currently, …

Teaching Word Combinations Using Matrix Training Via Serious Gaming In Minimally Verbal Children, Nataly Innamorato

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation addresses the communication challenges faced by minimally verbal children who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), often limited to one-word expressions. The approach used involves gamifying matrix training, an empirically supported method for teaching word combinations and promoting the generalization of language skills. Across three studies, the development of an instructional game is described and evaluated with two populations, typically developing children and children who are minimally verbal. First, it introduces a gamified application of matrix training that provides training in an interactive digital environment. Second, a proof-of-concept was obtained via a multiple baseline across participants with typically …

Changes In Immune-Regulated Gene Methylation Over Time In Women Who Do And Do Not Develop Breast Cancer, Kyle Laney

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Breast cancer survivors face elevated risks of chronic inflammatory conditions and immunedysfunction compared to the general population. These elevated health risks in survivors are well-documented but mechanistically poorly understood. This study aimed to characterize longitudinal changes in DNA methylation patterns of immune-regulatory genes in women who developed breast cancer compared to cancer-free controls. We conducted an EWAS using Sister Study cohort data, analyzing longitudinal changes in DNA methylation by comparing the difference in beta values between pre- and post-diagnosis time points in breast cancer cases versus changes over the same period in cancer-free controls. The analysis included 414 participants: 189 …

Isotopic Fingerprints Of The Coastal Margins: Tracing Dissolved Iron Sources From Land To Sea, Hannah R. Hunt

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Dissolved iron (dFe) is an essential micronutrient for sustaining life in the surface ocean. Nearly four decades of research dedicated to understanding sources, cycling and biogeochemical modifications of Fe sources in the global oceans has generated a significant body of research supporting the idea that the concentration of Fe in the surface ocean exerts significant controls on primary production and carbon uptake in the surface ocean. Creation of the GEOTRACES program greatly increased the spatial and temporal resolution of high-quality trace element and trace element isotope data revealing new insights into the global Fe cycle, especially through the use of …

Applications Of Contracting Self-Similar Groups To Cryptography And Scale Groups, Arsalan Akram Malik

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Given their peculiar properties, self-similar groups are of great interest both from applications and theoretical standpoints. In this work we study the scope of their applications in post-quantum cryptography and in constructing scale groups via lifting maps.

We propose self-similar contracting groups as a platform for cryptographic schemes based on simultaneous conjugacy search problem (SCSP). This class of groups admits fast polynomial-time algorithms for the word problem and element multiplication that can be used for effective encryption and decryption of messages. It contains extraordinary examples like the Grigorchuk group, which is known to be non-linear, thus making some of existing …