Digital Commons Network^™

Spatial Correspondence Of Cortical Activity Measured With Whole Head Fnirs And Fmri Toward Clinical Use Within Subject, Anthony Zinos, Julie C. Wagner, Scott A. Beardsley, Wei-Liang Chen, Lisa Conant, Marsha Malloy, Joseph Heffernan, Brendan Quirk, Robert W. Prost, Mohit Maheshwari, Jeffrey Sugar, Harry T. Whelan

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) both measure the hemodynamic response, and so both imaging modalities are expected to have a strong correspondence in regions of cortex adjacent to the scalp. To assess whether fNIRS can be used clinically in a manner similar to fMRI, 22 healthy adult participants underwent same-day fMRI and whole-head fNIRS testing while they performed separate motor (finger tapping) and visual (flashing checkerboard) tasks. Analyses were conducted within and across subjects for each imaging approach, and regions of significant task-related activity were compared on the cortical surface. The spatial correspondence between …

Influence Of Birthsex On Readmissions Due To Nonadherence To Psychotropic Medications, Moro Osumanu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hospital directors at psychiatric hospitals in Ghana are struggling to reduce readmissions that are caused by nonadherence to psychotropic medications. Hospital readmissions and their associated costs have become an increasing concern over the last several years. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the influence of birthsex on readmissions due to nonadherence to psychotropic medications. The Donabedian model was used as the theoretical framework for this study. The research question was developed to determine which birthsex category has the greatest positive influence on readmissions due to nonadherence to psychotropic medications at the psychiatric hospital study site. The …

Relationship Between Knowledge, Years Of Licensure, And Attitudes Of Midwives About Female Genital Mutilation And Its Prevalence Among Their Patients In Bawku, Ghana, Frank Debrah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is one of the hindrances to girls' development. FGM is often a rite of passage between childhood and adulthood. This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between the knowledge, years of licensure, and attitudes of midwives regarding FGM and the prevalence of FGM among their patients in Bawku, Ghana. Bronfenbrenner's social ecological model served as the theoretical framework to describe the link between midwives' knowledge, attitude, years of licensure, and FGM prevalence. The knowledge and attitude of midwives were classified as exosystem factors. Hence, their direct interaction with patients is likely to affect the patient's practice of …

Teaching "Is This Case Rightly Decided?", Steven Arrigg Koh

Faculty Scholarship

“Is this case rightly decided?” From the first week of law school, every law student must grapple with this classroom question. This Essay argues that this vital question is problematically under-specified, creating imprecision in thinking about law. This Essay thus advocates that law professors should present students with a three-part framework: whether a case is rightly decided legally, morally, or sociologically.

Additionally, this Essay argues that disaggregating the question exposes deeper deficiencies in legal education. Many law professors do not provide students with serious grounding to engage in rigorous thinking about the relationship between law, morality, and justice, not to …

Influence Of Eco-Friendly Agar-Derivatives On The Electrochemical Performance Of Carbon Felts Electrodes Of Vanadium Redox Flow Battery, Abdulmonem Fetyan, Ayoob Alhammadi, Zineb Matouk, Anugrah Andisetiawan, Ahmed Bahaa

All Works

In this study, bio-derived natural agar powder was used as an electrocatalyst for application as an electrode in all‑vanadium redox flow batteries. Different concentrations of agar solution were tested, and cyclic voltammetry studies confirmed that agar loaded felts have good catalytic activity toward both redox couples V4+/V5+ at the positive and V2+/V3+ at the negative side. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy demonstrated the presence of higher amount of oxygen-functional groups on the surface of the fibers. Contact angle measurements demonstrated an enormous increase in hydrophilicity of the felts treated with agar. Long-term charge/discharge profiles revealed 6 % …

Modelling The Building-Related Photovoltaic Power Production Potential In The Light Of The Eu's Solar Rooftop Initiative, Gergely Molnár, Luisa F. Cabeza, Souran Chatterjee, Diana Ürge-Vorsatz

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Decarbonizing the building sector is key to meet the EU climate goals by 2050. Although the recent policies recognized the importance of on-site solar energy production in the energy transition, there are only a few modelling studies analyzing how much the gap between the technically possible and policy-driven power generation of rooftop photovoltaic (PV) panels can be reduced. This study, therefore, uses geospatial techniques and the high-resolution Building Integrated Solar Energy (BISE) supply model to estimate the main spatial and temporal characteristics of the rooftop PV energy production potential. To support decision-making, important implications of the Solar Rooftop Initiative action …

China Maritime Report No. 37: Re-Engaging With The World: China's Military Diplomacy In 2023, Jie Gao, Kenneth W. Allen

CMSI China Maritime Reports

China’s military diplomacy plays a crucial role in advancing the nation's foreign policy objectives and safeguarding its strategic interests. This report highlights a diverse array of activities within military diplomacy, including senior-level meetings, joint military exercises, naval port calls, UN peacekeeping operations, and academic exchanges. Our findings reveal a significant—but incomplete—recovery in China's military diplomacy activities in 2023, following a period of reduced contacts with foreign militaries during the COVID-19 pandemic. Southeast Asia and Russia remain primary partners for China, with emerging strategic importance also seen in Africa, Oceania, and the Middle East. Overall, China's military diplomacy underscores its efforts …

The Role Internships Play In Political Science Education, Madaline Lankford

Honors Theses

This project will explore the critical role internships play in undergraduate education, with a particular focus on political science, by examining the history and impact of Western Michigan University’s Capital Internship Program. The study aims to shed light on the diverse experiences of past participants and conduct comprehensive research into the significance of internships in shaping the academic and professional trajectories of countless students. By delving into the stories and reflections of former interns, this research will provide testimonials that underscore the value of experiential learning. These personal accounts will highlight how internships bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge acquired …

Chimes: April 15, 2024, Calvin University

Chimes

Wiebe and Joanna Boer sue Calvin for breach of contract, defamation by Savannah Shustack

Professors circulate petition to divest from Israel by Nolan Cowan

Board of Trustees selects chair of presidential search committee by Savannah Shustack

Smoke reported in CFAC due to mechanical failure by Liana Hirner & Ewan Parker

Moving out: Not for every student by Ashley Hamons

Calvin Esports looks to build off first tournament win by Dillion Baumchen

Proposal for Calvin "Center for Faith and Technology" in the works by Jacob Westra

How far is too far? Manifestation cleverly handles questions of success and achievement by Maya …

State Of Utah, Plaintiff/ Appellee V. Cory Jason Thomas, Defendant/ Appellant : Brief Of Appellant, Utah Court Of Appeals

Utah Court of Appeals Briefs (2020 –)

On appeal from the Second Judicial District Court, Weber County, Honorable Judge Hyde, District Court No. 211900875

Christopher F. Allred, Benjamin Gabbert, Counsel for Appellee

Hannah Leavitt-Howell, Jessica Hyde Holzer, Counsel for Appellant

Trisha Dawn Small, Appellee/Petitioner And, Nathan Dale Small., Appellant/Respondent: Brief Of Appellee, Utah Court Of Appeals

Utah Court of Appeals Briefs (2020 –)

INTERLOCUTORY APPEAL FROM THE FIRST DISTRICT COURT. BOX ELDER COUNTY, STATE OF UTAН THE HONORABLE SPENCER WALSIH, PRESIDING

Jeremy G. Jones, Attorney for Respondent/Appellant

Michael E. Christiansen, Attorney for Petitioner/Appellee

Predictors Of Adherence To A Publicly Available Self-Guided Digital Mental Health Intervention, Mercedes G. Woolley, Korena S. Klimczak, Carter H. Davis, Michael E. Levin

Psychology Faculty Publications

Low adherence to self-guided digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) have raised concerns about their real-world effectiveness. Naturalistic data from self-guided DMHIs are often not available, hindering our ability to assess adherence among real-world users. This study aimed to analyze 3 years of user data from the public launch of an empirically supported 12-session self-guided DMHI, to assess overall program adherence rates and explore predictors of adherence. Data from 984 registered users were analyzed. Results showed that only 14.8% of users completed all 12 modules and 68.6% completed less than half of the modules. Users who were younger, had milder depression, …

Retrospective Consecutive Controlled Case Series Of Outcomes For Functional Analyses Of Severe Destructive Behavior, Jessie K. Weber, Katherine R. Brown, Billie J. Retzlaff, Alyssa M. Hurd, Heather J. Anderson, Kendra Smallwood

Psychology Faculty Publications

Functional analysis methods allow clinicians to determine the variable(s) that maintain destructive behavior. Previous reviews of functional analysis outcomes have included large samples of published and unpublished datasets (i.e., clinical samples). The purpose of this review was to conduct a large retrospective consecutive controlled case series of clinical functional analyses. We sought to identify the prevalence of differentiation, procedural modifications for undifferentiated and differentiated cases, and identified function(s) of destructive behavior. In addition, we extended the existing literature by determining whether functional analysis differentiation and function varied when single or multiple behavior topographies were consequated in the functional analysis. We …

Personality Traits And Depressive Symptoms Among Chinese Older People: A Network Approach, Jia Lee, Jihong Zhang

Counseling, Leadership, and Research Methods Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background

The present study aims to investigate the network structure of depressive symptoms, the interrelationships between individual personality traits and depressive symptoms, and gender differencesamong Chinese older people aged 60 and above.

Method

We performed network analyses with a regularized Graphical GaussianModel and a case-dropping bootstrap approach. A sample of 4876 older Chinese people aged 60+ was included in the analyses. We investigated the central symptoms in the depression network and the bridge nodes that connect personality facets and depressive symptoms. Gender differences were investigated by testing the global strength, network invariance, and edge weights.

Results

Sadness …

Islamophobia In Public Schools: A Mixed Methods Look At The Effectiveness Of Parental Ethnic-Racial Strategies In Promoting Resilience Among Muslim Children, Lallia Allali

Dissertations

The ongoing Islamophobic ideology in the United States has magnified discriminatory practices, exclusion, and increased violence toward Muslims (Esposito & Kalin, 2011; Trudo, 2021), and Islamophobia has further disadvantaged Muslim American adolescents through various forms of discrimination against them in schools. In fact, Muslim American students report the highest rate of discrimination across all religious groups, and researchers have found that active family ethnic-racial socialization can often mitigate the negative impacts of discrimination (Hughes et al., 2006; Hughly et al., 2019).

To test this hypothesis, this study was designed to focus on Muslim families’ ethnic-racial socialization practices and the implications …

Ml/Ai Enabled Intelligent Next Generation Autonomous Network System: Performance Enhancement And Management, Harsh Kumar

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

The smart next generation autonomous system for network performance enhancement and management, specifically suitable for networks like 5G, B5G, 6G, and SDN, is presented in this PhD dissertation powered by ML/AI. The dissertation has been divided into six critical parts. First, it focuses on QoS monitoring and provisioning using intelligent QoS agent design in 6G network. Second, it elaborates on LSTM and SP-LSTM comparative analysis towards network traffic prediction in 6G networks. Third, digging into 6G frontier navigation using SE-DO for intelligent Agent Optimization. Fourth, the dissertation delves into role delegation function as a service to improve reliability and latency …

Impacts Of Fire And Prospects For Recovery In A Tropical Peat Forest Ecosystem, Me Harrison, Nj Deere, Ma Imron, D Nasir, Adul, Ha Asti, Ja Soler, Nc Boyd, Sm Cheyne, Sa Collins, Lj D'Arcy, Wm Erb, H Green, W Healy, Hendri, B Holly, Pr Houlihan, Sj Husson, Iwan, Ka Jeffers, Ip Kulu, K Kusin, Nc Marchant, Hc Morrogh-Bernard, Se Page, A Purwanto, Br Capilla, Ord Ortega, Santiano, Kl Spencer

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Uncontrolled fires place considerable burdens on forest ecosystems, compromising our ability to meet conservation and restoration goals. A poor understanding of the impacts of fire on ecosystems and their biodiversity exacerbates this challenge, particularly in tropical regions where few studies have applied consistent analytical techniques to examine a broad range of ecological impacts over multiyear time frames. We compiled 16 y of data on ecosystem properties (17 variables) and biodiversity (21 variables) from a tropical peatland in Indonesia to assess fire impacts and infer the potential for recovery. Burned forest experienced altered structural and microclimatic conditions, resulting in a proliferation …

Scaling Of Buccal Mass Growth And Muscle Activation Determine The Duration Of Feeding Behaviours In The Marine Mollusc Aplysia Californica, Jeffery P. Gill, Anna Skalski De Campos, Katherine X. Wang, Isha V. Kaza, Victoria X. Fan, Hillel J. Chiel

Faculty Scholarship

The mechanical forces experienced during movement and the time constants of muscle activation are important determinants of the durations of behaviours, which may both be affected by size-dependent scaling. The mechanics of slow movements in small animals are dominated by elastic forces and are thus quasistatic (i.e. always near mechanical equilibrium). Muscular forces producing movement and elastic forces resisting movement should scale identically (proportional to mass^2/3), leaving the scaling of the time constant of muscle activation to play a critical role in determining behavioural duration. We tested this hypothesis by measuring the duration of feeding behaviours in the …

Non-Adherent Dressings To Make Skin Flaps Stick, Yelena Dokic, Suzanna Alkul, Ikue Shimizu, Jennifer Song Ranario

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Refractory Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria After Heterologous Covid-19 Booster Vaccination, Miranda Crista Tomaras, Leah Michelle Douglas, Rosa Michelle Schmidt, Maria Suzanne Bloomquist, Abdul Hafeez Diwan, Soo Jung Kim

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) involves recurrent, pruritic wheals lasting more than 6 weeks in response to various etiologies, including unknown causality. Though most cutaneous reactions to the COVID-19 vaccine series are self-limited and of short duration, more complex presentations including chronic spontaneous urticaria have been described. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of chronic spontaneous urticaria following heterologous mRNA COVID-19 booster vaccination that includes vaccination with both forms of the mRNA vaccine. Our patient received Pfizer-BioNTech for the primary series and Moderna for the booster. After failing several therapies, our patient's urticaria was refractory even …

Clearing The Air: Innovations In Imaging For Early Detection And Management Of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Francesca Polverino

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Grazing On The Arizona Strip: Catchment History And Repair, Melanie Heaton

All Current Publications

Water, not forage, is the limiting factor for wildlife and livestock grazing the Arizona Strip, a nearly 3-million-acre piece of land located north of the Grand Canyon and south of the Utah border. Since springs and groundwater are rare or absent, harvesting of natural precipitation is the main source of water for animals. Catchment systems, which capture precipitation on a sloped rubber apron and contain it in a large tank or lined pond, are used by government agencies and grazing permittees to efficiently provide water for wildlife and livestock. As catchments reach the end of their useful lives, tank replacement …

Treating Sex And Gender Differences As A Continuous Variable Can Improve Precision Cancer Treatments, Wei Yang, Joshua B Rubin

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: The significant sex and gender differences that exist in cancer mechanisms, incidence, and survival, have yet to impact clinical practice. One barrier to translation is that cancer phenotypes cannot be segregated into distinct male versus female categories. Instead, within this convenient but contrived dichotomy, male and female cancer phenotypes are highly overlapping and vary between female- and male- skewed extremes. Thus, sex and gender-specific treatments are unrealistic, and our translational goal should be adaptation of treatment to the variable effects of sex and gender on targetable pathways.

METHODS: To overcome this obstacle, we profiled the similarities in 8370 transcriptomes …

Electrodeposition Of Gadolinium Metal Thin Films For Neutron Phase Contrast Imaging, Mary Louise Gucik

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

A rare earth metal, gadolinium has unique magnetic properties and the largest neutron absorption cross section making it highly sought after in emerging technology. However, unlike most metals, it is difficult to work with and lacks a damascene process. When incorporated into alloys, gadolinium’s properties are muted and the film thickness must increase to account for the low concentration. Gadolinium metal films have been deposited successfully through sputter coating, but these films have density deficiencies and are limited to line-of-sight substrates. In this work, the deposition of gadolinium metal thin films was investigated for use on complex geometries via electrophoretic …

Clinical Implications Of Inaccurate Potassium Determination In Hemolyzed Pediatric Blood Specimens, Dennis J Dietzen, Ronald Jackups, Mark A Zaydman

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Analysis of whole blood specimens is rapid and saves blood, but hemolysis may go undetected and compromise the accuracy of potassium measurement. We aimed to define the frequency and magnitude of error in whole blood potassium measurement.

METHODS: 34 months of whole blood and plasma potassium data were extracted from patients aged less than 2 years at the time of sample acquisition. Hemolysis was detected using the plasma "H index." The magnitude of potassium bias was estimated from the difference between paired whole blood and plasma measurement separated by less than 2 h.

RESULTS: 56,000 of the 105,000 data …

Brief Report: Substance Use Care Continuum In Women With And Without Hiv In The Southern United States, Aditi Ramakrishnan, Ayako W. Fujita, C. Christina Mehta, Tracey E. Wilson, Steve Shoptaw, Adam Carrico, Adaora A. Adimora, Ellen F. Eaton, Deborah L. Jones, Aruna Chandran, Anandi N. Sheth

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Substance use (SU) contributes to poor outcomes among persons living with HIV. Women living with HIV (WWH) in the United States are disproportionately affected in the South, and examining SU patterns, treatment, and HIV outcomes in this population is integral to addressing HIV and SU disparities.

METHODS: WWH and comparable women without HIV (WWOH) who enrolled 2013-2015 in the Women's Interagency HIV Study Southern sites (Atlanta, Birmingham/Jackson, Chapel Hill, and Miami) and reported SU (self-reported nonmedical use of drugs) in the past year were included. SU and treatment were described annually from enrollment to the end of follow-up. HIV …

Finite Rigid Sets In Sphere Complexes, Edgar A. Bering, Christopher J. Leininger

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

A subcomplex X≤C of a simplicial complex is strongly rigid if every locally injective, simplicial map X→C is the restriction of a unique automorphism of C. Aramayona and the second author proved that the curve complex of an orientable surface can be exhausted by finite strongly rigid sets. The Hatcher sphere complex is an analog of the curve complex for isotopy classes of essential spheres in a connect sum of n copies of S1×S2. We show that there is an exhaustion of the sphere complex by finite strongly rigid sets for all n≥3 and that when n=2 the sphere complex …

Generalized Q-Fock Spaces And Structural Identities, Daniel Alpay, Paula Cerejeiras, Uwe Kaehler, Baruch Schneider

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Using 𝑞-calculus we study a family of reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces which interpolate between the Hardy space and the Fock space. We give characterizations of these spaces in terms of classical operators such as integration and backward-shift operators, and their 𝑞-calculus counterparts. Furthermore, these new spaces allow us to study intertwining operators between classic backward-shift operators and the q-Jackson derivative.

Integrative Assessment And Prediction Modeling For Injury Risk Mitigation In Division 1 Female Soccer Athletes: A Comprehensive Approach Utilizing Wearable Technology, Joseph Amitrano, Juqi Lin, Gina Lewandowski, Lauren Calabrese, Dhruv Seshadri

International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings

There is a pressing need for effective injury prevention methods to mitigate time-loss injuries. This study aims to develop a predictive recovery model for Division 1 female soccer athletes by integrating physiological, biomechanical, and subjective wellbeing assessments. PURPOSE The growing popularity of women's sports, particularly soccer, has brought the critical issue of injury risk management. While existing literature underscores the importance of maintaining an optimal acute to chronic workload ratio (ACWR) to mitigate injury risks, there remains a gap in understanding additional predictive metrics for athlete health. This deficit is pronounced in the context of women's soccer, where research focusing …

Leveraging Wearable Technology For Physiological Modeling In Guiding Return To Play Protocols For Athletes Post-Acl Reconstruction Surgery, Dhruv Seshadri, Milad Zarrinfar, Marco Giuliani, Kevin Cahill, Joseph Amitrano

International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings

There is a clinical need to quantify return to play when assessing athletes’ post-surgery. This study aims at developing physiological models to predict recovery time post-Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) surgery in Division 1 Football players by integration of physiological and subjective data. PURPOSE Amidst the pressure to excel in top athletic competitions, athletes frequently endure ligamentous injuries, notably ACL tears. Yet, there's no standard method for quantifying return-to-play post-ACL reconstruction, leaving rehabilitation without an objective measure to assess athletes' readiness. Holistic assessment integrating physiological and subjective measurements can facilitate return prediction. METHODS This case study evaluates two Division 1 football …