Digital Commons Network^™

Radiant Love And Knowledge: Near-Death Experiences In Modern America, Carsen Grave

Arts & Sciences Undergraduate Showcase

Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) are vivid, often transformative recollections of the dying process. Up to 23 percent of surviving critical patients and as many as 88 percent of lucid individuals on their deathbeds report such experiences. Most of these narratives describe an encounter with a radiant “Being of Light,” a godlike figure associated with profound and lasting improvements in well-being and spiritual outlook. Philosopher Raymond Moody introduced a systematic framework for NDEs in his 1975 book Life After Life, where he first labeled and popularized this figure. Since then, scholars have debated whether Moody’s framework described actual experiences or shaped …

Explaining The Feedback Effect In Stuttering: A New Thesis, Manish Rami

Communication Sciences & Disorders Faculty Publications

Conditions such as choral reading, delayed or frequency altered auditory feedback, and masking with noise decrease the frequency of stuttering in people who stutter. This effect is known as the feedback effect. This paper proposes that the speech module mediates these effects. When speech stimuli -as feedback, actively engages the speech module in perceptual processes while the module is in the act of producing speech, the speech module enhances fluency in people who stutter. The characteristics of modules and their implications are considered and some suggestions for investigations are made.

Increasing Global South Knowledge Representation With Oa And Library Resource Sharing, J. Silvia Cho

Publications and Research

In this peer-review session, I present ideas to study and overcome barriers to digital interlibrary loan exchange with Latin America under Fair Use (and equivalent provisions). Materials published in Latin America and the Caribbean are more difficult to discover and access from the United States, creating silos and under-representation of points of view from these regions in Global North scholarship. Open Access is key towards overcoming barriers to access, but much of Southern knowledge continues to be in non-Open Access publications with traditional copyright. As a result, library resource sharing and interlibrary loan must facilitate a greater flow of Southern …

Nurturing Belonging: A Qualitative Study Of Participation In A Gardening Group For People Living With And Beyond Cancer, Melissa Jacobs, Kerryann Steele, Alison Warren

School of Health Professions

PurposeThe incidence of cancer is increasing globally and engagement in meaningful occupations is fundamental for people living with and beyond cancer. There is a growing body of evidence regarding the health and well-being benefits of engaging in nature-based occupations, however, there is limited evidence specific to this population. This study aims to explore the experiences of engaging in Blooming Well, a gardening group created to provide opportunities for people recovering from or living with cancer.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative case study methodology was used to explore perspectives of both group leaders and participants of the Blooming Well group. Study participants included two group …

Monochromatic Empty Triangles In Two-Colored Point Sets, Adrish Paik

Master’s Dissertations

A key problem in combinatorial geometry is the identification of properties of a subset of a point set which has properties like convexity, monochromaticity, and emptiness. This thesis actual works on this sides of combinatorial geometry: efficiently finding empty monochromatic triangles in two-colored point sets on the plane. While earlier research focused on counting empty triangles in point set without any color, our work takes an optimal algorithm to explicitly detect them. By using geometric insights and visibility-based techniques. We then address a relaxed but equally compelling variant: monochromatic triangles containing at most one point of the opposite color. For …

Understanding Batch-Normalization In Deep Neural Networks, Pendyala Sai Srujan

Master’s Dissertations

Batch Normalization (BN) is a commonly used technique in various deep learning architectures for tasks such as image classification and object detection. It stabilizes and accelerates training by normalizing the activations of intermediate layers using mean and variance of the batch, allowing the use of higher learning rates and often improving generalization through implicit regularization. During inference, BN uses running estimates of batch statistics accumulated during training. However, if individual batches are not representative of the overall data distribution, these accumulated statistics may not accurately approximate the population statistics. This discrepancy can lead to a phenomenon known as **estimation shift**, …

Detection Of Fake News In Short Videos: A Multimodal Approach, Mona Kumari

Master’s Dissertations

The rise of generative models and affordable video editing tools has fueled the spread of fake and manipulated videos, undermining information reliabilityespecially on social media. Traditional detection methods, focused on single modalities like visual artifacts or text cues, often struggle with diverse, user-generated content. This dissertation presents a unified framework for fake video detection that integrates multimodal semantics, narrative structure, and propagation behavior. Visual, audio, text, and OCR features are extracted using pretrained models (CLIP, Wav2Vec2), and segment-level graphs are built to model narrative flow using Graph Attention Networks (GATv2Conv). User engagement dynamics are modeled via a bidirectional LSTM. A …

A Study On Planar 2-Center Problem, Shince K. Baby

Master’s Dissertations

The Planar-k-Centre problem is an important problem in the class of Optimal Facility Location problems, where given n points in the planar, the objective is finding the smallest k congruent discs such that their union encompasses all points. This dissertation examines a variant of this problem in which the L1 metric is used to determine the distances rather than the standard Euclidean metric, which we call L1P2C and a closely related problem which we call Undirected k Square Coverage where there is no directional constraint for the k squares which contain the given set of points. We have found two …

Rethinking Large-Scale Phylogenomics With Eukphylo V.1.0, A Flexible Toolkit To Enable Phylogeny-Informed Data Curation And Analyses Of Diverse Eukaryotic Lineages, Laura A. Katz, Marie Leleu, Godwin Ani, Rebecca Gawron, Auden Cote-L'Heureux

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Eukaryotic diversity is largely microbial, with macroscopic lineages (plants, animals, and fungi) nesting among a plethora of diverse protists. Our understanding of the evolutionary relationships among eukaryotes is rapidly advancing through ’omics analyses, but phylogenomic analyses are challenging for microeukaryotes, particularly uncultivable lineages, as single-cell sequencing approaches generate a mixture of sequences from hosts, associated microbiomes, and contaminants. Moreover, many analyses of eukaryotic gene families and phylogenies rely on boutique data sets and methods that are challenging for other research groups to replicate. To address these challenges, we present EukPhylo v.1.0, a modular, user-friendly pipeline that enables effective data curation …

Fsec Meeting Minutes June 11, 2025, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Minutes

No abstract provided.

Climate Change And Digital Nations: Harnessing The Metaverse To Perpetuate Small Island Statehood, Nicole Bessette

Villanova Environmental Law Journal (1991 - )

No abstract provided.

Panel 2: Environmental Rights Amendment And Environmental Justice, Samantha Phillips Beers, John C, Dernbach, Emma H. Bast, Margaret O. Murphy

Villanova Environmental Law Journal (1991 - )

No abstract provided.

A Monumental Tug Of War: The Clash Over Presidential Authority And National Monuments In Murphy Co. V. Biden, Benjamin S. Levy

Villanova Environmental Law Journal (1991 - )

No abstract provided.

Pressure In The Pipeline? Hidden Tensions Beneath The Surface In The D.C. Circuit's Analysis Of Alabama Municipal Distributors Group V. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Marina Campo

Villanova Environmental Law Journal (1991 - )

No abstract provided.

Office Of Research, Economic Engagement And Outreach Update, June 11, 2025, Office Of Research, Economic Engagement And Outreach

Office of Research, Economic Engagement and Outreach

No abstract provided.

Relocation Post-Dobbs Among Clinicians Providing Abortions, Dana Howard, Marta Bornstein Phd, Mph, Jocelyn Wascher, Alison H. Norris, Katherine Rivlin

Faculty Publications

Introduction

Intensifying state-level abortion restrictions following the Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022) decision could lead clinicians to leave states that ban abortion.¹ While large-scale changes are not yet apparent among obstetrician-gynecologists, the abortion care workforce may be uniquely at risk.² We examined the proportion of abortion-providing clinicians who changed primary state of practice, comparing those who left states that banned abortion with those who left states that did not ban abortion after Dobbs, and the ban status of the states to which they relocated.

Methods

This survey study was approved by The Ohio State University …

Draft Final 2025 Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) Quality Assurance Project Plan (Qapp) Annual Update (Non-Residential Parcels And Residential Daycares), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Electric Weed Control—How Does It Compare To Conventional Weed Control Methods?, Catherine Borger, Miranda J. Slaven

Journal articles

Weed management practices in agroecosystems mainly rely on herbicide, mowing, or tillage. Electric weed control offers a novel alternative, with a range of commercially available products for weed management in agricultural environments. However, electrical weed control efficacy has not been effectively compared with conventional weed management practices. Further, electrical weed control products may have a fire risk, as highlighted but not assessed in prior studies. The current study evaluated an electric weed control machine (Zasso™ XPower) for weed management in four vineyard sites (in 2022 and 2023) in comparison to mowing and herbicide applications. Weed control tactics were applied in …

Morphology Based Galaxy Classification, Ayan Mukherjee

Master’s Dissertations

Galaxy evolution is an area of vital importance in current research as it is believed to hold vital clues of the past as well as the future of the universe. The structure or morphology of a galaxy acts as an indicator of its stage of evolution and may also shed light on the course of its future evolution. The deployment of high-resolution telescopes like James Webb Telescope has made available large amount of high-resolution images, thereby, facilitating the deployment of high-performance Machine Learning and Deep Learning techniques. In the proposed work, two different methods have been assessed to achieve better …

Multi-Modal Large Language Model For Visual Question Answering On Medical Domain, Srimanta Singha

Master’s Dissertations

Artificial intelligence (AI) strategies such as Multimodal learning, which can integrate inputs of multiple modes, e.g., image and text, have shown significant promise in medical applications. In this dissertation, we present our related study of a Multimodal Large Language Model (MLLM) designed for Visual Question Answering (VQA) in the medical domain, based on both image and text input modalities to improve diagnostic reasoning and decision support. Our model processes medical images (e.g., chest Xrays, CT scans, and ultrasound images) along with clinical text to answer complex, domain-specific questions. We employ a cross-modal fusion mechanism to align visual features with textual …

The Multifunctional Ascorbate Peroxidase Moapx1 Secreted By Magnaporthe Oryzae Mediates The Suppression Of Rice Immunity, Muxing Liu, Ziqian Guo, Jiexiong Hu, Yuke Chen, Fang Chen, Weizhong Chen, Wenya Wang, Boyang Ye, Zhixiang Yang, Gang Li, Xinyu Liu, Haifeng Zhang, Ping Wang, Zhengguang Zhang

School of Graduate Studies Faculty Publications

Fungi secrete effector proteins, including extracellular redox enzymes, to inhibit host immunity. Redox enzymes have been hypothesized to inhibit host reactive oxygen species (ROS); however, how they suppress host immunity remains unknown. We characterized an extracellular ascorbate peroxidase (MoApx1) that is secreted into rice chloroplasts by the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. MoApx1 displays multifunctional capabilities that significantly contribute to fungal virulence. Firstly, MoApx1 neutralizes host-derived H2O2 within the chloroplast through its peroxidase activity, thereby inhibiting chloroplast ROS (cROS)-mediated defense responses. Secondly, MoApx1 targets the photosystem I subunit OsPsaD, disrupting photosynthetic electron transport to further suppress cROS production. Most importantly, …

Cosmic Force: A Framework For Applying The Prohibition Of The Use Of Force In Outer Space, Erin Pobjie

International Law Studies

Outer space is becoming increasingly contested and existing approaches to identifying prohibited force in outer space lack a systematic foundation, hindering their application to novel challenges such as temporary interference with critical satellites or threats involving commercial space actors. This article addresses this gap by developing the first comprehensive, multifactorial legal framework for identifying a prohibited use of force in outer space. This framework provides a structured method for analyzing non-kinetic actions, temporary effects, and persistent hazards like space debris. It fundamentally advances existing legal approaches in three ways. First, it establishes when States can be implicated in a violation …

Parallel Use Of Low-Complexity Automated Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests On Respiratory And Stool Samples With Or Without Lateral Flow Lipoarabinomannan Assays To Detect Pulmonary Tuberculosis Disease In Children, Laura Olbrich, Bada Yang, Hayley Poore, Alia Razid, Brittney Sweetser, Mathias Weis Damkjær, Alexander W Kay, Johanna Åhsberg, Ruvandhi R Nathavitharana, Ian Schiller, Nandini Dendukuri, Andreas Lundh, Maunank Shah, Stephanie Bjerrum, Devan Jaganath

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Low-complexity automated nucleic acid amplification tests (LC-aNAATs) are molecular assays widely used to diagnose tuberculosis disease in children. The lateral flow urine lipoarabinomannan assay (LF-LAM) is recommended for use amongst children with HIV. Previous systematic reviews have assessed the diagnostic accuracy of LC-aNAATs and LF-LAM separately in children, but in clinical practice the tests may be used concurrently, i.e. in 'parallel'.

Objectives: To compare the diagnostic accuracy of the parallel use of LC-aNAAT on respiratory and stool specimens in children, and with LF-LAM on urine amongst children with HIV, versus each assay alone for detecting pulmonary tuberculosis disease.

Search …

Multigenerational Exposure To Glyphosate Has Only Modest Effects On Life-History Traits, Stress Tolerance And Microbiome In A Field Cricket, J. W. Whitlock, P. M. Orwin, Z. R. Stahlschmidt

Pacific Faculty Work

Glyphosate is the most used herbicide worldwide, and it can be toxic to off-target species, such as insects. Although GLY-based herbicides (GBHs) can influence insect microbiomes, little is known about its cascading effects on fitness-related traits, such as life history or stress tolerance, especially in the context of long-term, multigenerational exposure. Thus, we exposed the variable field cricket, Gryllus lineaticeps, to GBH within and across generations to examine the potential role of GBH in developmental plasticity and evolution. Specifically, we measured its effects on life-history traits (e.g. developmental duration, adult body size and mass, and a life-history trade-off between investment …

The Rise Of Faint, Red Active Galactic Nuclei At Z > 4: A Sample Of Little Red Dots In The Jwst Extragalactic Legacy Fields, Dale D. Kocevski, Steven L. Finkelstein, Guillermo Barro, Anthony J. Taylor, Antonello Calabrò, Brivael Laloux, Johannes Buchner, Jonathan R. Trump, Gene C.K. Leung, Guang Yang, Mark Dickinson, Pablo G. Pérez-González, Fabio Pacucci, Kohei Inayoshi, Rachel S. Somerville, Elizabeth J. Mcgrath, Hollis B. Akins, Micaela B. Bagley, Rebecca A.A. Bowler, Laura Bisigello, Adam Carnall

Pacific Faculty Work

We present a sample of 341 “little red dots” (LRDs) spanning the redshift range z ∼ 2-11 using data from the CEERS, PRIMER, JADES, UNCOVER, and NGDEEP surveys. Unlike past use of color indices to identify LRDs, we employ continuum slope fitting using shifting bandpasses to sample the same rest-frame emission blueward and redward of the Balmer break. This enables the detection of LRDs over a wider redshift range and with less contamination from galaxies with strong breaks that otherwise lack a rising red continuum. The redshift distribution of our sample increases at z < 8 and then undergoes a rapid decline at z ∼ 4.5, which may tie the emergence of these sources to the inside-out growth that galaxies experience during this epoch. We find that LRDs are ∼1 dex more numerous than X-ray- and UV-selected active galactic nuclei (AGN) at z ∼ 5-7. Within our sample, we have identified the first two X-ray-detected LRDs. An X-ray spectral analysis confirms that these AGN are moderately obscured with log ( N H / cm 2 ) of 23 . 3 − 1.3 + 0.4 and 22.7 2 − 0.16 + 0.13 . Our analysis reveals that reddened AGN emission dominates their rest-optical light, while the rest-UV originates from their host galaxies. We also present NIRSpec observations from the RUBIES survey of 17 LRDs that show broad emission lines consistent with AGN activity. The confirmed AGN fraction of our sample is 71% for sources with F444W < 26.5. In addition, we find three LRDs with blueshifted Balmer absorption features in their spectra, suggesting an outflow of high-density, low-ionization gas from near the central engine of these faint, red AGN.

Experiences Of Black Women In Black Colleges Voluntarily Seeking Psychiatric Services, Linda Jarvis Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Black Americans face significant barriers to psychiatric services including a lack of access to culturally competent care. Mental illnesses continue to be the leading causes of disability in the United States. This qualitative phenomenological study, guided by the health belief model, explored the experiences of Black women in Black colleges who voluntarily seek psychiatric services. My study addressed a gap in understanding the facilitators and barriers for Black women voluntarily seeking mental health services. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with nine participants who were Black women attending Black colleges who voluntarily sought psychiatric services. Data analysis was accomplished using …

Leadership Strategies To Enhance Funding Performance In Pre-K -12 Public School Districts, Cynthia W. Williams Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some school leaders lack strategies to impact educational funding performance in prekindergarten through 12th grade (PK-12) public schools and increase students’ academic achievement and performance. School leaders and policymakers are concerned with improving educational funding, student achievement, and student performance in PK-12 public schools. Grounded in the Baldrige excellence framework, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry study was to identify effective strategies that school leaders use to improve educational funding performance in PK-12 public schools and increase students’ academic achievement and performance. Participants were six PK-12 public school leaders with at least 5 years of leadership experience who had …

Animal Well-Being, Sentience And The Rights Of Nature, Andrew N. Rowan

WellBeing News

The article highlights how acknowledging animal sentience supports the growing movement to grant legal rights to nature. This shift encourages a more compassionate and sustainable relationship between humans, animals, and the environment.

Antimicrobial Resistance: Protecting Antimicrobial Effectiveness (Part 3), Andrew N. Rowan

WellBeing News

Antimicrobial resistance threatens global health by reducing the effectiveness of essential drugs. This article outlines critical solutions including stewardship programs, stronger monitoring, policy reform, and a unified One Health approach to ensure sustainable antimicrobial use.

U.S. Animal Shelter Demographics: Trends & Issues, Andrew N. Rowan

WellBeing News

This article reviews key trends in U.S. animal sheltering, including major declines in euthanasia and intake. It also highlights ongoing issues like regional disparities and resource gaps that impact shelter operations.