Digital Commons Network^™

An Evaluation Of Methods To Reduce Inframammary Surface Dose In Prone Breast Irradiation, Seth Alvarado

Masters Projects

In cases of breast radiation treatments via external beam radiation therapy, the incidence of radiation dermatitis has been reported. In prior studies, this acute radiation side-effect has been correlated with the immobilization devices in cases of prone breast irradiation. They attribute this to the bolus effect that occurs with the interaction of the incident photon beam at different projections causing an increase in measured surface dose. The type of radiation planning technique, and patient positioning during the undertaking of these techniques, have also shown to influence this bolus effect. This study focuses on these factors in treatment planning in order …

Adolescents With Depression Capstone Benchmark Project, Myeshia Salter

MSN Capstone Projects

This change project promotes the inclusion of adolescent involvement within the informed consenting process for recommended treatment plans for symptoms of depression. This project proposal will include the adolescent throughout the development of the treatment plan to promote compliance. The incorporation of this plan will encourage autonomy in the adolescent and aid with developing a plan that the adolescent agrees with. The current process does not include the adolescents' desires or opinions, which results in poor efficacy of the treatment plan, thus exacerbating the symptoms of depression.

Polypharmacy Teaching In The Acute Setting, Brandy Marie Duncan

MSN Capstone Projects

Within stable economic societies, polypharmacy has become a phenomenon that can be more harmful, although medications prescribed are with good intentions. Education is integral to nursing responsibilities; it is an intervention tool to help patients affected by polypharmacy. The interest in polypharmacy stems from witnessing the lack of patient education within the acute setting, and the lack poses a greater risk for adverse drug events (ADEs). The healthcare industry’s responsibility is to help alleviate the adverse effects that polypharmacy causes, such as falls, adverse drug reactions, hospitalizations, mortality, and cognitive mental (Fried, 2014).

A new performance improvement project (PI) will …

Canton Through Western Eyes: Resources & Wood’S Sketches Of China, Sai Deng

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This book talk was organized by the Guangzhou Book Club and it was aimed to introduce the newly translated and published book《洋记者的广州城记》(English title: Sketches of China: with Illustrations from Original Drawings). The original English book was written by William Wightman Wood (1804-), an American journalist, businessman and cartoonist, who went to Canton, China in 1825 and created one of the first English newspapers in China, The Canton Register. This book is about his impressions and experiences of Canton and the southern China in the 1820s, all based on his travel notes. Canton was the only city which was open …

Space And Existential Risk: The Need For Global Coordination And Caution In Space Development, Chase Hamilton

Duke Law & Technology Review

This Article examines urgent risks resulting from outer space activities under the current space law regime. Emerging literature alarmingly predicts that the risk of a catastrophe that ends the human species this century is approximately 10–25%. Continued space development may increase, rather than decrease, overall existential risk due in part to crucial and identifiable market failures. Addressing these shortcomings should take priority over the competing commercial, scientific, and geopolitical interests that currently dominate in space policy. Sensible changes, including shifting space into a closed-access commons as envisioned by the 1979 Moon Treaty, may help in achieving existential security.

A Quantitative Comparison Of Linac Vs. Cyberknife For Sbrt Prostate Boost: A Retrospective Study, Vicente Miguel Ornelas

Masters Projects

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to retrospectively evaluate the quantitative difference of prostate SBRT boost between LINAC boost and CK boost treatments, with a primary plan using LINAC volumetric modulated arc therapy.

Materials and Methods: Nine prostate cancer patients were treated with a SBRT fractionated schedule of 21 Gy in 3 fractions, given every other day over the course of a week. The LINAC-BOOST were created by the researcher followed the same fractionation schedule, treatment volumes, OAR, and dose constraints as the original CK-BOOST treatment. The CK-BOOST was completed on the Multiplan (v14) TPS, while the LINAC-BOOST was …

Supporting Early Childhood Educators, Lindsey Selby

Masters Projects

This is an exploration into the causes for increasingly high turnover and burnout rates in staffing Early Childhood Educators. Current teachers are leaving the field for numerous reasons; mainly low compensation, lack of supports, and stress in the workplace. The project itself seeks to find alternative solutions to increasing retention rates for ECE teachers when there is not an option for higher compensation packages in the budget. This is a compilation of what the research has shown to be successful retention tools for educators, providing resources for those in leadership positions within an early learning program. An introductory document provided …

(2022 Revision) Chapter 3: Essential Aspects Of Physical Design And Implementation Of Relational Databases, Tatiana Malyuta, Ashwin Satyanarayana

Open Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

(2022 Revision) Chapter 2: Essential Aspects Of Physical Design And Implementation Of Relational Databases, Tatiana Malyuta, Ashwin Satyanarayana

Open Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

(2022 Revision) Chapter 7: Essential Aspects Of Physical Design And Implementation Of Relational Databases, Tatiana Malyuta, Ashwin Satyanarayana

Open Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

Psychometric Properties Of The Urdu Version Of The Eortc Qlq-H&N35 (European Organization For Research And Treatment Of Cancer Head And Neck Module) Quality Of Life Tool, Nida Zahid, Russell Seth Martins, Wajeeha Zahid, Iqbal Azam Syed, Mubasher Ikram, Aneesa Hassan, Shireen Shehzad Bhamani, Adnan Abdul Jabbar, Nargis Asad, Shabbir Akhtar, Moghira Iqbaluddin Siddiqui, Mohammad Sohail Awan, Khabir Ahmad

Department of Surgery Docs

Background: We translated and validated the Urdu version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life (QoL) Questionnaire's Head and Neck (H&N) Cancer Module (EORTC QLQ-H&N35) and assessed its convergent and discriminant validity by examining correlations of QoL with depression, anxiety, and resilience.
Methods: We translated the EORTC QLQ-H&N35 according to EORTC instructions. Patients at a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan completed a survey consisting of Urdu versions of EORTC QLQ-C30 (core QoL tool), QLQ-H&N35, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Wagnild and Young Resilience Scale (RS-14). Content validity, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and reliability …

An Evaluation Of Methods To Reduce Inframammary Surface Dose In Prone Breast Irradiation, Seth Alvarado

Doctoral Dissertations & Projects

In cases of breast radiation treatments via external beam radiation therapy, the incidence of radiation dermatitis has been reported. In prior studies, this acute radiation side-effect has been correlated with the immobilization devices in cases of prone breast irradiation. They attribute this to the bolus effect that occurs with the interaction of the incident photon beam at different projections causing an increase in measured surface dose. The type of radiation planning technique, and patient positioning during the undertaking of these techniques, have also shown to influence this bolus effect. This study focuses on these factors in treatment planning in order …

Understanding Intelligent Non-Adherence By Measuring The Differences In Knowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs, And Behaviors Of Self-Care In Heart Failure Patients, Marco Mimbela

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Background and Purpose of the Study: Research shows that six in ten U.S. adults have a chronic disease and four in ten have two or more (CDC, 2018). Of all chronic diseases, heart failure is the leading cause of hospitalization and mortality in the U.S. (Kilgore, Patel, Kielhorn, Maya, & Sharma, 2017). Luckily, this condition can be managed through various self-care practices. Although healthcare providers are educating their patients on these self-care practices, patients are making a conscious decision to non-adhere. This phenomenon is known as intelligent non-adherence and is mostly affected by an individual’s level of knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, …

Smokejumper Obituary: Brown, Malvin L. (Pendleton 1945), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.

Team Building Without Boundaries, Andy Perkins, Joan Peckham, Tayo Obafemi-Ajayi, Xiuzhen Huang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Team building can be challenging when participants are from the same discipline or sub-discipline, but needs special attention when participants use a different vocabulary and have different cultural views on what constitutes viable problems and solutions. Essential to No Boundary Thinking (NBT) teams is proper formulation of the problem to be solved, and a basic tenant is that the NBT team must come together with diverse perspectives to decide the problem before solutions can be considered. Given that participants come with different views on problem formulation and solution, it is important to consider a robust process for team formation and …

Nbt (No-Boundary Thinking): Needed To Attend To Ethical Implications Of Data And Ai, Joan Peckham, Andy Perkins, Tayo Obafemi-Ajayi, Xiuzhen Huang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this era of Big Data and AI, expertise in multiple aspects of data, computing, and the domains of application is needed. This calls for teams of experts with different training and perspectives. Because data analysis can have serious ethical implications, it is important that these teams are well and deeply integrated. No-Boundary Thinking (NBT) teams can provide support for team formation and maintenance, thereby attending to the many dimensions of the ethics of data and analysis. In this NBT workshop session, we discuss the ethical concerns that arise from the use of data and AI, and the implications for …

Democracy Or Capitalism? The United States And Latin America, Grace Burgener

Theses and Dissertations

The democratic peace theory holds that democracies rarely, if ever, go to war with one another based on the institutional and normative features of democratic governments. Alternatively, the capitalist peace theory insists that, rather than the democratic nature of a government, states opt out of warfare when their economic interests are at play – whether that be trade interdependence or general market features. Traditionally, scholars have focused on explaining the causes of Militarized Interstate Disputes (MIDs) among advanced industrialized democracies. Based on the tenets of capitalism and a new outcome variable of intervention (e.g., coups), this thesis uses two instances …

Helping Hand For Health Equity In Nabwendo, Uganda, Dana Allsop

Theoretical Foundation in Advanced Practice Nursing

No abstract provided.

Demolishing Systemic Ableism: Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd) In Adults, Jessica L. Belisle

Theoretical Foundation in Advanced Practice Nursing

No abstract provided.

Emancipatory Nursing Praxis: Applying The Social Justice Theory To Implement Harm Reduction In Prison Substance Use Disorder, Veronica A. Holmes

Theoretical Foundation in Advanced Practice Nursing

The United States has the highest rate of incarceration in the world. Inmates suffer from chronic health conditions and substance use disorder (SUD) at a higher rate than the rest of the population yet, often do not receive sufficient medical care during incarceration. The theory of Emancipatory Nursing Praxis (ENP) calls for the integration of social justice within the profession of nursing. This theory provides a framework in which nurses can awaken and serve as agents of change, working to ameliorate issues of systemic oppression. Harm reduction refers to policies, programs, and strategies aimed at reducing the negative health, economic, …

The Association Of Cuzd1 And Stat5 In Adipocytes, Zachary Wigger

LSU Master's Theses

Obesity is a metabolic disorder that has turned into a global epidemic over the past few decades. Adipocyte dysfunction brought on by obesity can lead to increased risk of metabolic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Knowing how adipocytes function to regulate metabolic homeostasis is critical. CUZD1 (CUB and Zona Pellucida-like Domain-containing protein 1) has not been studied in the context of adipocyte biology but could play a role in several metabolic processes. CUZD1 has been suggested to be a biomarker for several inflammatory diseases and cancers but little functional data has been published. There …

Spectral Library-Based Single-Cell Proteomics Resolves Cellular Heterogeneity, Sheng Pan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Dissecting the proteome of cell types and states at single-cell resolution, while being highly challenging, has significant implications in basic science and biomedicine. Mass spectrometry (MS)-based single-cell proteomics represents an emerging technology for system-wide, unbiased profiling of proteins in single cells. However, significant challenges remain in analyzing an extremely small amount of proteins collected from a single cell, as a proteome-wide amplification of proteins is not currently feasible. Here, we report an integrated spectral library-based single-cell proteomics (SLB-SCP) platform that is ultrasensitive and well suited for a large-scale analysis. To overcome the low MS/MS signal intensity intrinsically associated with a …

Flight Envelope Assessment Of Smallsat Aerocapture Trajectories At Venus And Mars, Jack A. Joshi, Rohan G. Deskmukh, Soumyo Dutta, Angela Bowes

Small Satellite Conference

Aerocapture is an increasingly studied orbit insertion concept for small satellite (SmallSat) missions beyond low Earth orbit (LEO). Compared to fully propulsive methods, aerocapture reduces the orbit-insertion propellant mass by approaching on a hyperbolic path and using the planetary atmosphere to reduce the vehicle’s velocity such that the final target orbit is achieved. This allows for an increase in payload mass delivered to orbit and a reduction in launch-to -orbit time. To analyze the feasibility at Venus and Mars, aerocapture flight envelope analysis is conducted by assessing the guidable trajectory space during atmospheric flight given entry conditions, vehicle properties, target …

Mo Services And Cfdp In Action On Ops-Sat, Dominik Marszk, David Evans, Tom Mladenov, Georges Labrèche, Vladimir Zelenevskiy, Vasundhara Shiradhonkar

Small Satellite Conference

OPS-SAT is a 3U CubeSat launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) on December 18, 2019. It is the first nanosatellite to be directly owned and operated by ESA. The spacecraft is a flying platform that is easily accessible to European industry, institutions, and individuals enabling rapid prototyping, testing, and validation of their software and firmware experiments in space at no cost and no bureaucracy. Conceived to break the “has not flown, will not fly” cycle, OPS-SAT has spearheaded many firsts in both space and ground segments. For instance, its uplink rate is four times higher than any ESA spacecraft; …

Radio-Source Tracker: Autonomous Attitude, Knowledge, And Recovery On A Radio Interferometric Swam, Erwan Rouillé, Baptiste Cecconi, Boris Segret

Small Satellite Conference

The development of satellite swarm technology offers new possibilities for space studies and comes with new challenges. Among them is the need for knowledge on the swarm topology and attitude, especially in the context of space based radio interferometry. This paper presents an algorithm that recovers the absolute swarm attitude without the need for an external system such as GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems). This algorithm uses the imaging capability of a low frequency radio interferometer in order to function like a star-tracker using the main radio sources in the sky. The recovery of the source directions for the Lost-In-Space …

Machine Learning Image Processing Algorithms Onboard Ops-Sat, Shreeyam Kacker, Alex Meredith, Kerri Cahoy, Georges Labrèche

Small Satellite Conference

We discuss the deployment of image processing algorithms developed for BeaverCube-2, a project under development between the MIT Space Telecommunications, Astronomy, Radiation (STAR) Lab and the Northrop Grumman Corporation. The algorithms were uploaded to and executed on OPS-SAT, a 3U CubeSat owned and operated by ESA with a processing payload that allows rapid prototyping, testing, and validation of software and firmware experiments in space at no cost to the experimenter. Testing these algorithms onboard OPS-SAT significantly reduces risk for future on-orbit image processing missions such as BeaverCube-2. We focus on four image processing algorithms used for cloud detection: a luminosity-thresholding …

High-Fidelity Spacecraft Thermal Modeling: Synthesis Of Stk, Spenvis, Matlab, Simulink, And Thermal Desktop Using Model-Based Systems Engineering, Michael Halvorson, Jackson Cho, Sean Farkas, Landon Boyd, Nolan Cartier, Kasey Cole, Nicholas Deangelo, Tristian Edwards, Tanner Middleton, Cole Moquin, Ben May, William Kilpatrick, Matt Taylor, Henry Tsai, Colin Cameron, Nicholas Tsolas

Small Satellite Conference

Verification and Validation (V&V) by analysis for required spacecraft Heater Wattage (HW) and Radiator Area (RA) is a rigorous, iterative procedure highly dependent on spacecraft areas, surface absorptivity, surface emissivity, orbital position, orbital attitude, and operational heat generation. The Alabama Burst Energetics eXplorer (ABEX) mission adopts a Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) approach to analysis wherein model strengths and weaknesses are considered synergistically and integrated using SysML parametric and structural diagrams to create a System of Models (SoM). In this work, a procedure for comprehensive spacecraft thermal modeling is detailed using MBSE-centric Modeling and Simulation (M&S) practices. The SysML model is …

Small Satellite-Sized Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerators For Interplanetary Science Missions, Shelly C. Mann, Angela Bowes, Rohan G. Deshmukh, Soumyo Dutta

Small Satellite Conference

To make the most of ridesharing opportunities, small satellite (SmallSat) mission designers endeavor to pack as much payload into a SmallSat-class form factor as possible. The mass and volume constraints of this smaller vehicle class present a challenge for interplanetary mission sets that require a means of achieving orbit insertion at their destination of interest. For a fully propulsive orbit insertion design, this may translate to the propellant mass being a significant fraction of the overall vehicle mass and prolonged insertion time. Aerocapture is a single quick maneuver that can significantly reduce the required propellant mass for orbit insertion. Because …

Windcube: A Cubesat Thermospheric Wind Instrument Utilizing Fabry-Pérot Interferometry, Scott Sewell, Qian Wu, Pat Zmarzly, Andrew Carlile, Alice Lecinski, Damon Burke, Mitch Jeffers, Michael Mcguirk, Caitlyn Quinn, Nir Patel, John Sobtzak, Ruth Lieberman, Karen Holland

Small Satellite Conference

WindCube is a 6U CubeSat mission selected for implementation through NASA’s HFORT program. Starting in 2022 and following ~36 months of development, integration and testing, the spacecraft will operate for ~12 months in low earth orbit to study the influence of thermospheric winds on the earth’s ionosphere. Its scientific payload is a limb viewing Fabry Pérot Interferometer (étalon) specially designed to fit into a 10cm x 10cm cross-sectional assembly. WindCube will make global maps of wind speed derived from the doppler shifted emission of the 630.0nm oxygen line (¹D > ³P), at altitudes near 250km. Projected performance includes …

The Nasa Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System Smallsat Constellation, Christopher Ruf, Hugo Carreno Luengo, Clara Chew, Mahta Moghaddam, Derek Posselt, Juan Crespo, Zhaoxia Pu, April Warnock

Small Satellite Conference

The NASA Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) mission consists of a constellation of eight microsatellites launched on 15 December 2016 into a common circular orbit at ~525 km altitude and 35 deg inclination. Each observatory carries a four channel bistatic radar receiver to measure GPS signals scattered by the Earth surface. Over ocean, near-surface wind speed, air-sea latent and sensible heat flux, and ocean microplastic concentration are derived from the measurements. Over land, near-surface soil moisture and inland water bodies extent are derived. The measurements penetrate through all levels of precipitation and most vegetation due to the 19 cm …