Digital Commons Network^™

From Camps To Communities, Briyonna A. Reid

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

This thesis explores the potential to reimagine refugee camps not as temporary settlements, but as long-term, resilient communities that foster hope, dignity, and social cohesion for displaced populations. While refugee camps have historically provided critical emergency shelter from violence, persecution, and economic instability, their design and infrastructure often prioritize short-term survival over long-term well-being. As protracted displacement becomes increasingly common, there is an urgent need to rethink how these spaces function and evolve. This research argues that through innovative, inclusive design and planning, refugee camps can become sustainable environments that promote self-sufficiency, stability, and integration with host communities.

The thesis …

Urban Refuge: Plausible Architectural Solution For The Unhoused, Cameron Lewis

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Growing up in and around Atlanta, the presence of unhoused individuals has always been a stark reality. My dad often recounted how many people experiencing homelessness he would pass on his commute downtown, and as a child, I vividly recall seeing groups of unhoused individuals at MARTA stops and on the streets. Even as I’ve grown older, these same scenes are still there. According to the 2023 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, over 653,000 people nationwide were reported homeless, with 256,610 of them unsheltered. In Atlanta, the 2024 Point-In-Time count revealed a …

Origami Lunar Habitation Unfolding A Future Colony In Space, Andrew Fields

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

What is origami? Origami is the ancient Japanese art of folding paper into decorative pieces. Today we use origami as a way to compact things for better storage or transportation and still to create decorative pieces of art. Origami is a must in space travel as it allows for large satellites to be folded and compacted down into a rocket and then unfolded in space to allow for the most surface area for solar absorption.

How can origami help? By making it possible to create lightweight, expandable structures that can be used in alien environments and by enabling the repair …

Revitalizing Oncology By Transforming Treatment Environments By Reconnecting To Life, Lindsey Garcia

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

There is a growing consensus among researchers that human activities have profoundly reshaped the Earth's environment, to the point that our modes of living and their ecological footprint have given rise to new conditions of habitability. This transformation marks not merely the continuation of human dominance, but the emergence of a new era in which human and non-human actors are linked in shaping the future of life on Earth. Our collective actions from urban expansion to industrial processes exert influence not only on the built environment but also on the health and vitality of all species. A critical example of …

Wheelchair Worlds: [Re]Imagining Architecture For A Mobility-Centered Society, Stephanie Kim Le

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

This thesis reimagines architecture from the perspective of wheelchair users, proposing a mobility-centered design approach where ramps, movement, and sensory experience are the foundation of form — not afterthoughts. Rather than adding accessibility features to an able-bodied norm, the project designs entirely from the experience of wheeled movement. Through the creation of a Wellness and Recreation Center at East Montlake Park in Seattle, the thesis investigates how ramps can become architectural generators, how sensory-responsive materials can shape spatial dignity, and how buildings can welcome all bodies through seamless, inclusive circulation.

Drawing from both research and real-world challenges, the design replaces …

Viewing From The Sidelines: Tackling Temporality Impacting Displaced Refugees By Humanizing Border Design, Robinson Badell-Garcia

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Every day, you follow a routine that brings comfort- be it work, errands, or family care. Now, imagine the unthinkable: your stable world collapses around you, leaving you homeless and adrift. Stripped of job and shelter, what’s the best option? To leave and seek answers in unfamiliar places while grappling with the profound isolation and discrimination that comes from being displaced.

As architects, our role is to communicate people's dreams and realities, striving for a sustainable future while fostering dialogue and care. This thesis focuses on the architectural response to the increasing displacement along the Türkiye-Syria border, exacerbated by ongoing …

Weaving Of Spaces: Designing Spaces That Create Opportunities For Communication And Freedom Though Ease Of Access., Fiona Louise Duvall

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Suburban environments frequently experience spatial and temporal, fragmentation, resulting in disjointed landscapes, limited social interaction, and a weakened sense of place. This thesis explores how the strategic design and integration of interconnected destinations can counteract these issues by fostering continuous, accessible, and engaging public spaces. Focusing on an area just outside Marietta Square in Georgia, the project proposes a network of vibrant, multipurpose nodes linked through walkable corridors and green infrastructure. By enhancing physical and social connectivity, the design aims to create rhythms of use that span different times of day and appeal to a diverse range of residents. Through …

A Work[Play]Ce For All: Working Hard And Playing Hard Shouldn't Be This Hard, Mary E. Caldwell

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

62% of the United States Labor Force goes to an office every day. That means that nearly 6 out of every 10 Americans spend most of their days experiencing an ordinary office environment every week. Children, on the other hand, spend most of their days in school, where they are constantly given playful and enjoyable tasks to promote their learning. Why does this concept of promoting pleasant emotions in a person’s everyday life seem to disappear as we become older and our everyday life becomes more critical to well-being? Imagine if offices were designed to promote pleasant experiences.

This thesis …

Genomic, Transcriptomic, And Immunogenomic Landscape Of Over 1300 Sarcomas Of Diverse Histology Subtypes., Alex Soupir, Oscar E. Ospina, Oliver Hampton, Michelle Churchman, Michael Radmacher, Dale Hedges, David Mckean, Phaedra Agius, Saman Zeeshan, Nathan D. Seligson, Raphael Pollock, David Liebner, James L. Chen, Gabriel Tinoco, Bodour Salhia, Martin Mccarter, Breelyn A. Wilky, Benjamin J. Miller, Michael J. Cavnar, John S. Groundland, Bryan P. Schneider, Gregory Riedlinger, Stephen B. Edge, Christopher A. Moskaluk, Kenneth Cardona, Abdul Rafeh Naqash, Ricardo J. Gonzalez, John E. Mullinax, David M. Joyce, Odion Binitie, G Douglas Letson, Arash O. Naghavi, Mihaela Druta, Damon R. Reed, Erin M. Siegel, Jamie K. Teer, Brooke L. Fridley, Andrew S. Brohl

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Given their rarity and diversity, a fundamental understanding of the genomic underpinnings for many sarcoma subtypes is still lacking. To better define the molecular landscape of this group of diseases, we perform matched whole exome sequencing and RNA sequencing on a cohort of 1340 sarcoma tumor specimens. We identify recurrent somatic mutations and observe an increased mutational burden in metastatic vs. primary samples (p <  0.001). We observe frequent copy number alterations including whole genome doubling, with this feature being more common in metastatic tumors (p = 0.026). Estimation of immune cell abundances followed by hierarchical clustering identifies five immune subtypes ranging from low to high and we observe inferior overall survival in immune deplete clusters compared to immune enriched (p <  0.01). Interestingly, GIST predominantly form a distinct "immune intermediate" cluster that is marked by a specific enrichment for NK cells (FDR <  0.01).

Spectrum Of Coronary Artery Involvement With Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome In Children Versus Kawasaki Disease., Simon Lee, Ashraf S. Harahsheh, Geetha Raghuveer, Michael A. Portman, Arash A. Sabati, Michael Khoury, Nagib Dahdah, Marianna Fabi, Supriya S. Jain, Audrey Dionne, Kyle Runeckles, Frederic Dallaire, Nadine F. Choueiter, Tyler H. Harris, Matthew D. Elias, Anji T. Yetman, Balasubramanian Sundaram, Luis M. Garrido-Garcia, Nilanjana Misra, Cedric Manlhiot, Pedrom Farid, Brian W. Mccrindle

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: There is significant overlap in clinical features between multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) and Kawasaki disease (KD). We sought to compare the prevalence, severity, and associated factors for coronary artery (CA) involvement.

METHODS AND RESULTS: From January 1, 2020 through January 31, 2023, 1191 patients with MIS-C and 554 patients contemporaneously diagnosed with KD were enrolled into the International Kawasaki Disease Registry. Demographic and clinical features, laboratory values, maximum Z score in any CA branch +2.5 or greater) were determined separately for each diagnosis using multivariable logistic regression analyses. The prevalence of CA aneurysms was lower for MIS-C …

Lifespan Reference Curves For Harmonizing Multi-Site Regional Brain White Matter Metrics From Diffusion Mri, Alyssa H Zhu, Talia M Nir, Shayan Javid, Julio E Villalón-Reina, Amanda L Rodrigue, Lachlan T Strike, Greig I De Zubicaray, Katie L Mcmahon, Margaret J Wright, Sarah E Medland, John Blangero, David C Glahn, Peter Kochunov, Douglas E Williamson, Asta K Håberg, Paul M Thompson, Neda Jahanshad

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Age-related white matter (WM) microstructure maturation and decline occur throughout the human lifespan, complementing the process of gray matter development and degeneration. Here, we create normative lifespan reference curves for global and regional WM microstructure by harmonizing diffusion MRI (dMRI)-derived data from ten public datasets (N = 40,898 subjects; age: 3-95 years; 47.6% male). We tested three harmonization methods on regional diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) based fractional anisotropy (FA), a metric of WM microstructure, extracted using the ENIGMA-DTI pipeline. ComBat-GAM harmonization provided multi-study trajectories most consistent with known WM maturation peaks. Lifespan FA reference curves were validated with test-retest data …

Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy In Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy Recipients: A Case Study, Michelly Abreu, Chirag B Patel, Krina Patel, Fareed Khawaja, Sudhakar Tummala

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is a novel immunotherapy modality that has shown remarkable response rates in refractory hematologic malignancies, including multiple myeloma (MM). Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurotoxicity are well-described side effects of this therapy. CAR T-cell therapy recipients are also at increased risk for infections due to immune dysfunction, history of multiple lines of therapy, history of lymphodepleting chemotherapy prior to cell infusion, and prolonged B-cell aplasia. Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is an opportunistic disease of the central nervous system caused by the reactivation of JC virus (JCV) in the setting of immunosuppression, which leads to …

How College Affordability Has Changed For Different Families, Peter Hinrichs

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Using Sustained Silent Reading In The Secondary English Language Arts Classroom To Increase Reading Engagement, Hannah S. Burwell

Dissertations

Reading scores have dropped precipitously over the past twenty years, and English Language Arts (ELA) teachers are looking for in-school academic interventions to mitigate this decline. This descriptive case study explored classroom experiences and student engagement with reading in a choice-based Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) program in a high school. The study examines student experiences through Expectancy-Value Theory (EVT). EVT suggests that a student’s engagement with reading will increase when they find the task valuable and believe success is achievable. The study explores how providing students with the independence to select their reading materials influences their experience in class and …

Perspectives On Using Multimedia In Social Studies For Student Engagement In Marginalized Youth: A Case Study, Dorrian Swinger

Dissertations

Abstract

Marginalized youth are currently facing an academic crisis in schools. Research has shown that marginalized youth are statistically more likely to drop out of school and not graduate from high school (defined as the academic crisis in this study). One reason for these high drop-out rates is disengagement in what is taught and how content is delivered in school. When students cannot relate or connect to their studies, it causes disengagement and uninterest in school. The disengagement can lead to a lack of academic success, which creates negative motivation to drop out of school. The more marginalized youth are …

An Endangered Profession: Elevating The Lived Experiences Of Current And Retired Black Teachers In Georgia To Confront Retention Challenges And Reimagine The Legacy Of Teaching, Thelma Sharese Colbert

Dissertations

Black teachers have always played a critical role in shaping the educational journeys and cultural identities of students of color, yet their presence in U.S. public schools continues to decline. This study investigates what compels Black/African American educators to remain in the profession despite systemic barriers, racism, and marginalization. It centers the voices of Black/African American teachers in Georgia, a state with a long and complex history of educational inequity.

Ten participants, all self-identified Black/African American educators with at least three years of experience, shared their lived experiences through semi-structured interviews, pre-interview surveys, and observational field notes. Participants were recruited …

The Impact Of Flipped Classroom With Active Learning Model Of Instruction In Teaching Stoichiometry In Chemistry Among Black And Brown Students, Lawrence Femi Akintokun

Dissertations

Students pursuing professions in STEM sometimes encounter difficulties in General Chemistry, a semester-long foundational subject. A fundamental subject in this course is stoichiometry, which pertains to the mathematical connections between elements and compounds in chemical processes. This fundamental notion is essential for comprehending advanced chemistry subjects, although it may provide challenges for students because of its dependence on algorithms and prior knowledge. Research has predominantly concentrated on the conceptualization of stoichiometry through models endorsed by educators, rather than on student involvement. This project sought to investigate the interactions of Black and Brown students with essential stoichiometry ideas in General Chemistry …

"You Know The Rules": A Dramatic Experiment In Aromantic Literary Theory, April Chronowski

English

This paper proposes a new literary theory framework based on the zine "an aromantic manifesto" by yingchen and yingtong, as well as the work of Erving Goffman, using theater as a device to examine romantic relationships. Blending English and sociology, I focus each chapter on a different literary period and examine two plays each: early modern (Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus and William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing), modern (Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Djuna Barnes' "To The Dogs"), and contemporary (Caryl Churchill's Cloud 9 and Margaret Edson's W;t). In tandem with analysis of formal elements---like …

2025-05-06 Minutes, Morehead State University. Staff Congress.

Staff Congress Records

Staff Congress meeting minutes from May 6, 2025.

Reduced Vns Settings Paradoxically Decreases Seizure Burden In A Patient Following Resolution Of Sleep Disordered Breathing, Austin Sponaugle, Rebecca Stainman, Christopher M. Carosella

Abington Jefferson Health Papers

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) can be a highly effective treatment option for patients with drug resistant epilepsy. Notably, VNS has demonstrated side effects including a unique form of sleep disordered breathing known as vagus nerve stimulator associated sleep disordered breathing (VaS). However, the ways in which VaS interacts with seizure frequency is unknown. We report a case of a 28-year-old woman who presented to our department with complaints of worsening sleep quality 3 years following VNS implantation. Upon polysomnographic (PSG) evaluation, it was discovered that she suffered from VaS. The patient’s VNS output current was then down titrated during a …

Children’S Privacy In Xr Applications – A Rights-Based Approach, Witzleb, Normann

Santa Clara High Technology Law Journal

In the extended reality (XR) of Metaverse applications, several innovative technologies converge and interconnect to blur the lines between the digital and physical worlds. The seamless operation of XR applications requires the collection and processing of huge quantities of data, including personal data, to give users a truly immersive virtual experience. One of the major intended user groups of the Metaverse are children, who increasingly use XR spaces to learn, play, create content, and engage in a wide range of other activities. This article considers the challenges to safeguarding children’s privacy in this evolving digital landscape and makes recommendations for …

Seeking Healthcare In Many Different Places: Mental Health Strengths And Challenges Among Omani Female Adolescents, Zeyana Al Ismaili, Faye Gary, Cheryl M. Killion, Diana Lynn Morris, Sharon E. Milligan

Student Scholarship

Background: Adolescents undergo overwhelming physiological, psychological, social, and cognitive changes. The stress can be worse when they must meet cultural expectations. However, there is a paucity of literature regarding the cultural impact on adolescent mental health. Purpose: The phenomenological study aimed to describe Omani female adolescents' lived experiences with mental health issues within their cultural context and future well-being. Methods: The study employed semi-structured individual interview questions using a secured videoconferencing Zoom meeting. The participants were recruited using purposive sampling. The participants included single female Omani adolescents (aged: 18–24 years). A horizontalization analysis followed the transcription, translation, and backward translation …

Targeting Nonsense-Mediated Rna Decay In Splicing Factor Mutant Myeloid Malignancies, Claudia Cabrera

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Approximately 50% of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) (which frequently progresses to secondary acute myeloid leukemia [AML]), 60% of chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) and 20% of de novo AML harbor heterozygous somatic mutations in spliceosome genes. We and others have shown that mutations in spliceosome genes U2AF1, SF3B1, SRSF2 and ZRSR2 cause alterations in RNA splicing, leading to production of numerous aberrant RNAs. Interestingly, spliceosome mutant cells are more sensitive to genetic alterations or drugs that further perturb RNA splicing, compared to wild-type cells. The sensitivity of spliceosome mutant cells to further perturbations in RNA splicing raises the possibility that …

Afflicted Epistemology: Knowledge, Illness, And New Media After “Truth”, Annika Nilsson

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

This study examines how people living with complex, medically underdetermined chronic illnesses make sense of their experiences through self-experimentation mediated by online forums and self-help groups in a cultural context characterized by significant controversy surrounding the status of science, expertise, and conventionally authoritative knowledge-producing institutions. Using virtual and conventional ethnography and critical media studies methods, it finds that the fragmentary and decentralized nature of the U.S. healthcare system intensified the interpretive challenges associated with complex chronic illnesses: information was extremely abundant, but deciphering its accuracy, reliability, and relevance proved difficult. In this context, participants relied on experiential knowledge to filter, …

Effects Of Angptl3 Deficiency On The Regulation Of Hepatic Lipoprotein Production And Lipid Metabolism, Kendall Helene Burks

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. A major treatment goal is to lower plasma lipids, especially low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), the cardinal risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD). Patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) experience early-onset CAD due to extremely high LDL. Underdiagnosis and undertreatment of FH are exacerbated by limited therapeutic options. However, one strategy has successfully lowered LDL in FH patients: Inhibition of the hepatically secreted protein Angiopoietin-like protein 3 (ANGPTL3). Despite promising clinical data, the mechanism by which ANGPTL3 inhibition lowers LDL has not been fully described. Although ANGPTL3 has been shown to modulate …

Jarid2-Mediated Reprogramming Of Human Hematopoietic Progenitors For Stem Cell Transplantation, Wentao Han

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a well-established treatment for various hematological disorders. Umbilical cord blood (UCB) has emerged as an alternative source of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). However, the limited number of functional repopulating cells in UCB units has encouraged researchers to develop methods to expand them ex vivo. Hematopoiesis is strictly regulated by epigenetic modifiers. JARID2 is a co-factor of the Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2), which recruits the complex to specific genomic loci and promotes the deposition of Histone 3 lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3), a repressive epigenetic mark that mediates condensed chromatin packing to silence …

The Role Of Il-33 In Itch, Anna M. Trier

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Chronic itch is associated with a broad range of medical conditions, from inflammatory skin diseases to cancer and organ dysfunction, and has a lifetime prevalence of up to 20%. Despite being common and debilitating, the cellular and molecular mechanisms that drive chronic itch are just beginning to be elucidated. Thus, therapeutic options are limited. Recent studies have identified that various pro-inflammatory cytokines can directly activate sensory neurons. This has resulted in mounting interest in the therapeutic potential of inhibiting these neuro-immune interactions. IL-33 is constitutively expressed by epithelial cells, which allows for its rapid release upon tissue damage or stress. …

Functional Diversification Of Rice Ago1 Proteins, Rachel Elie Jouni

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Global demand for food is outpacing gains from conventional plant breeding. Scientists have turned to molecular crop breeding techniques to increase crop output and mitigate global hunger; however, a common setback in this process is the pleiotropic effects of target genes. We need to develop strategies to specifically modulate desired traits without incurring undesired penalties. Natural evolution frequently balances such tradeoffs through extensive regulation, which we can leverage to produce more specific results. Reproductive development is an important target of breeding efforts due to its direct effect on yield. Rice, a major staple food crop for half the world’s population, …

Developing A Protective Pcm Layer For An Aluminum Sheet, Rachel Foulk

Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Independent Study

As electric vehicles (EVs) become increasingly prevalent, improving the thermal safety of battery systems is essential. This study investigates the development of a high-temperature-resistant coating for aluminum sheets, aimed at mitigating thermal runaway events by incorporating carbonate-based phase change materials (PCMs). Using a PTFE binder and calcium carbonate as the primary PCM, the coating was applied via airbrush to maintain a thin, even layer. Initial results showed the coating was thermally resilient but suffered from poor adhesion and mechanical strength, as demonstrated by failed hardness tests and inconsistent thermoconductivity data. Surface etching with sulfuric acid improved visual adhesion, suggesting potential …

Mapping The Key Players In Kawasaki Disease; Role Of Inflammatory Genes And Protein-Protein Interactions, Wael Hafez, Feras Al-Obeidat, Asrar Rashid, Afsheen Raza, Nouran Hamza, Nesma Ahmed, Marwa M. Abdeljawad, Raziya Kadwa, Abdelhameed Elmesery, Muneir Gador, Dina Khair, Gihan Zina, Fatema Abdulaal, Mina Wassef Girgiss, Maha Abdelhadi, Ahmed Abdelrahman, Mahmad Anwar Ibrahim, Mohamed El Sherbiny

All Works

Background: Kawasaki disease (KD) is a complex acquired condition characterized by systemic blood vessel inflammation that primarily affects children under five years of age. It is clinically diagnosed as a syndrome, making it susceptible to misdiagnoses. Severe complications such as myocardial damage and coronary artery abnormalities can be fatal; thus, early diagnosis is critical for preventing disease progression. Currently, no specific diagnostic test can distinguish KD from viral or bacterial infections. Additionally, the molecular mechanisms underlying the disease remain unclear, hindering the development of targeted therapies. Objective: This study aimed to identify the genetic patterns and molecular mechanisms associated with …