Digital Commons Network^™

Optimizing Electrode Placement And Information Capacity For Local Field Potentials In Cortex, Jace A Willis, Christopher E Wright, Ruoqian Zhu, Yilan Ruan, Joshua Stallings, Amada M Abrego, Takfarinas Medani, Promit Moitra, Arjun Ramakrishnan, Charles E Schroeder, Anand A Joshi, Nitin Tandon, Richard M Leahy, John C Mosher, John P Seymour

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Recent neurosurgery advancements include improved stereotactic targeting and increased density and specificity of electrophysiological evaluation. This study introduces a subject-specific, in silico modeling tool for optimizing electrode placement and maximizing coverage with a variety of devices. The basis for optimization is the Shannon-Hartley information capacity of field potentials derived from dipolar sources. The approach integrates subject-specific MRI data with finite element modeling (FEM) used to simulate the sensitivity of subdural and intracortical devices. Sensitivity maps, or lead fields, from these models enable the comparison of different electrode placements, contact sizes, contact configurations, and substrate properties, which are often overlooked factors. …

P-15 Peptide Enhanced Bone Graft In Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion: A Randomized, Controlled, Investigational Device Exemption Study Demonstrating Improved Composite Clinical Success, James Harrop, John E. O'Toole, Michael P. Steinmetz, Rick C. Sasso, Christopher D. Chaput, K. Brandon Strenge, Greg Maislin, Jeffrey P. Mullin, Thomas B. Freeman, Anthony Guanciale, Howard Lantner, Michael E. Janssen, David G. Schwartz, John M. Small, Wellington K. Hsu, Paul M. Arnold

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Faculty Papers

STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, multicenter, single-blind, randomized, controlled pivotal study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether P-15L (PearlMatrix P-15 Peptide Enhanced Bone Graft) is noninferior in effectiveness to local autograft when applied in single-level instrumented transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF).

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: P-15L, an FDA-designated Breakthrough Drug-Device, is a composite drug-device combination bone graft containing P-15, a 15-amino acid polypeptide, which enhances cell binding, proliferation, and differentiation, resulting in bone formation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Skeletally mature patients, aged 22 to 80 years, with degenerative disc disease (DDD) were randomized 1:1 to P-15L (investigational) or to the local autograft (control) during single-level …

How The Rhetoric Of Borders Justifies The Erosion Of Rights, Richard Sherwin

Other Publications

Originally published in https://merotribune.com/2026/02/15/how-the-rhetoric-of-borders-justifies-the-erosion-of-rights/

Clear And Concise: Technical Writing For Biological Engineers, Abigail S. Engelberth

Purdue University Press Books

Clear and Concise: Technical Writing for Biological Engineers is a practical guide designed to help students and early career engineers communicate their work with clarity and confidence. Drawing on years of teaching experience, Abigail S. Engelberth breaks down the essentials of technical writing into approachable steps, showing readers how to organize ideas, present data effectively, and write reports that meet professional standards.

Rather than overwhelming readers with theory, the book focuses on real-world application. It includes examples, checklists, and strategies for common engineering documents including formal and memo-style lab reports. Special attention is given to visuals, formatting, and the role …

Horse Evaluation: A Multibreed Text For Competitive Youth Equine Judges, Colleen M. Brady

Purdue University Press Books

Horse judging is one of the most popular activities in 4-H, FFA, and other youth-development organizations. Judging teaches youth how to both critically analyze animals based on a specific set of criteria and justify their decisions through oral reasoning. This book includes information on examining a wide variety of breeds—from quarter horses and Arabians to Saddlebreds, Drafts, and Miniatures—and covers a range of disciplines. Both halter and performance classes are explored, and the rules and regulations used to govern contests at the national level are provided. Example sets of reasons are supplied for most classes, as are lists of potential …

Psycholinguistic Factors And Technology Appropriation In Efl Learning: An Instrumental Case Study, Marlon Vanegas Rojas, Claudia María Uribe Hoyos

The Qualitative Report

This instrumental case study described the psycholinguistic factors related to technology appropriation and language learning among English as a foreign language university students in Medellín, Colombia. Conducted at a private university’s language department, the 64-hour English course combined traditional and digital teaching methods with 22 participants from diverse undergraduate programs. Employing maximum variation sampling, the study captured perspectives across age, gender, technology appropriation, academic performance, and cultural background. Data collection included interviews, a technology appropriation self-perception survey, language proficiency tests, and classroom observations. Using the analytical framework of Miles et al. (2014) the analysis revealed that students relied on digital …

Emerging Trends In Photocatalyst-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks For Pfas Degradation, Ahmad Najafidoust, Roham Ghanbari, Javad Farahbakhsh, Ratish Permala, Stefan Iglauer, Masoumeh Zargar

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are highly persistent pollutants in the environment that pose significant health hazards due to their strong chemical resilience and widespread industrial use. Traditional treatment techniques, such as adsorption and reverse osmosis, often struggle with drawbacks like high energy requirements and limited effectiveness against both short- and long-chain PFAS compounds. Among the innovative degradation methods, photocatalysis has gained attention as a viable solution, especially when coupled with metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). MOFs are particularly suited for this purpose due to their high surface area, customizable structures, and superior light absorption properties. This review highlights the latest developments …

Efektivitas Pertemuan Tim Multidisiplin Dalam Meningkatkan Outcome Tata Laksana Kanker Di Rumah Sakit: Literature Review, Ngakan Putu Daksa Ganapati, Wahyu Sulistiadi

Jurnal ARSI : Administrasi Rumah Sakit Indonesia

Optimal cancer management requires a multidisciplinary approach to improve the quality of patient care. Multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) enable interprofessional collaboration in designing comprehensive, patient-centered care. However, the implementation of MDTs in Indonesia still faces various challenges, necessitating a systematic review to understand their effectiveness in improving cancer management outcomes. This systematic review employed the PRISMA method, searching articles from the ScienceDirect, Semantic Scholar, and PubMed databases, published between 2014 and 2024. Ten scientific articles were analyzed from 745 articles retrieved to understand the effectiveness of MDTs in improving cancer management outcomes. The results indicate that MDTs improve the quality of …

Human Versus Machine: Can Generative Ai Anticipate Insect Biological Control Outcomes?, Kris A.G. Wyckhuys, Komivi S. Akutse, Divina M. Amalin, Salah Eddin Araj, Marie Joy B. Beltran, Ibtissem Ben Fekih, Paul André Calatayud, Lizette Cicero, Marcellin C. Cokola, Yelitza C. Colmenarez, Kenza Dessauvages, Thomas Dubois, Léna Durocher-Granger, José L. Fernández-Triana, Frederic Francis, Khalid Haddi, Rhett D. Harrison, Muhammad Haseeb, Natasha S.A. Iwanicki

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) could transform evidence synthesis and revolutionize the global scientific enterprise, yet its agricultural applications are understudied. Here, we systematically assess the performance of three web-grounded AI engines (ChatGPT, ScholarAI and DeepSeek) in synthesizing the global literature on biological control of the fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda, and benchmark their outputs against a recent, near-exhaustive human review. Though all engines rapidly screened vast literature corpora, they exhibited shortcomings in factual accuracy, reporting reliability and data consistency. In machine-run syntheses, natural enemy prevalence and performance data often diverged from published records while the level of agreement in enumerating top-performing …

Clinical, Genetic, And Familial Features Of Pot1 Tumor Predisposition Syndrome, Courtney D Dinardo, Jennifer Croden, Hiam M Abdel-Salam, Tapan Kadia, Matteo Molica, Alexandre Bazinet, Prithviraj Bose, Abhishek Maiti, Fadi Haddad, Jan Burger, Hagop Kantarjian, William Wierda, Nitin Jain, Alessandra Ferrajoli

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Protection of telomere 1 (POT1) tumor predisposition syndrome (POT1-TPD) is a hereditary leukemia syndrome that is identified in ∼5% of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and is characterized by a predisposition to other cancers, including gliomas, melanomas, and angiosarcomas. This study reports clinical and genetic characteristics of a large cohort of individuals with POT1-TPD.

Materials and methods: Individuals with pathogenic/likely pathogenic germline POT1 variants referred to the Hereditary Hematologic Malignancy Clinic at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center were included. Individuals with variants of uncertain significance were included if found to have telomeres >90th percentile of …

Exploring Artificial Intelligence Governance In Higher Education: Policy Design, Implementation And Adaptability In Egypt, Rolane Eissa

Theses and Dissertations

The rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education (HE) underscores the need for effective governance frameworks that ensure ethical use and academic integrity. Despite increased policy attention, universities face significant challenges in translating AI governance (AIG) principles and policies into coherent, practical practices within complex organizational settings. Existing research on AIG remains conceptual and focused on the Global North. It offers limited empirical insight into how AI policies are interpreted and enacted at the institutional level, particularly in HE systems in the Global South. This study addresses these gaps by examining AIG in Egyptian universities, thereby providing empirically …

Emergency-Use Vaccine Mandates And Bodily Integrity: Assessing The Validity Of Proportionality Test In Legal Frameworks, Eman Hussien Khalil

Theses and Dissertations

Courts confronting emergency-use vaccine mandates during pandemics have revealed that existing legal frameworks are not equipped to handle the emergency context, as seen in their inconsistent description of government measures and their limited capacity to integrate evolving scientific developments on EUA vaccines into proportionality analysis. This thesis argues that when mandates concern Emergency Use Authorized COVID-19 vaccines, courts must abandon the formalistic distinction between “mandatory” and “compulsory” measures and instead focus on whether the practical consequences of non-compliance remove an individual’s genuine choice; where they do, the measure is coercive in substance and triggers the examination of proportionality. Drawing on …

Control Arm Overperformance In Phase 3 Oncology Clinical Trials, Ansel P Nalin, Pavlos Msaouel, Adam J Grippin, Ramez Kouzy, Joseph Abi Jaoude, Timothy A Lin, Avital M Miller, Noah S Meimoun, Ethan B Ludmir, Alexander D Sherry

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: In randomized clinical trials (RCTs), anticipating control arm outcomes is important for power calculations and enrollment goals. Unexpected overperformance of the control arm can underpower RCTs. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of control arm overperformance in phase 3 oncology RCTs.

Methods: The authors conducted a meta-epidemiological study of two-arm, superiority-design, phase 3 oncology RCTs. They reviewed articles/publications and protocols for power calculations, justification, and outcomes. Control arm performance was measured as the ratio of observed control arm outcomes relative to pretrial estimates, and overperformance was defined as a 10% improvement.

Results: In total, 385 …

Antidepressant Use In Older Age Bipolar Disorder (Oabd): Results From The Gage-Bd International Consortium, Christina Rigas, Paola Lavin, P J Chen, Susana G Torres-Platas, Chien-Lin Su, Lisa T Eyler, Andrew T Olagunju, Antonio L Teixeira, Annemieke Dols, Martin Alda, Osvaldo P Almeida, Kursat Altinbas, Vicent Balanzá-Martínez, Izabela G Barbosa, Hilary P Blumberg, Farren B S Briggs, Cynthia V Calkin, Brent P Forester, Orestes V Forlenza, Tomas Hajek, Barthomeus C M Haarman, Esther Jimenez, Beny Lafer, Benoit Mulsant, Stephen O Oluwaniyi, Regan Patrick, Joaquim Radua, Kaylee Sarna, Sigfried Schouws, Christian Simhandl, Jair C Soares, Ashley N Sutherland, Shang-Ying Tsai, Eduard Vieta, Luca M Villa, Nicole Fiorelli, Paula Villela Nunes, Joy M Yala, Martha Sajatovic, Soham Rej, All Gage-Bd Investigators

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Antidepressants are still commonly prescribed in bipolar disorders, despite ongoing controversy of the potential risk of inducing hypomania/mania. There is limited knowledge about the characteristics of antidepressant use in older age bipolar disorder (OABD; age ≥50) in the current literature.

Aim: To describe antidepressant use, sociodemographic and clinical correlates of a global sample of OABD individuals.

Methods: The Global Aging and Geriatric Experiments in Bipolar Disorder (GAGE-BD) consortium provided cross-sectional international data on OABD individuals (n = 746) and younger-age bipolar disorder (YABD, age < 50 years; n = 692) regarding antidepressant use. Multivariate logistic regression was employed to assess the association between AD use with demographic and clinical variables.

Results: Of 1252 participants, 33.1 % of OABD individuals and 38.1 % of YABD individuals …

Sustainable Construction Materials In The Middle East: Model Development For Materials Selection, Taha Ahmed Omar Madu

Theses and Dissertations

The construction industry, a major driver of economic development in the Middle East, is simultaneously a leading contributor to carbon emissions, resource depletion, and environmental degradation. Amid rapid urbanization in countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, the adoption of sustainable construction materials has emerged as a critical strategy for mitigating environmental and societal impacts while advancing regional development objectives. This thesis is organized along two interrelated directions: first, it delivers a comprehensive assessment of the current adoption, challenges, and opportunities associated with the use of sustainable construction materials across the three target countries; second, it …

The Impact Of Universities’ Social Media Content And Digital Brand Equity On Potential Students’ Perception, Engagement And Trust: The Case Of Egyptian Private Universities, Mahy Shoukry

Theses and Dissertations

Universities are increasingly using social media platforms as tools for marketing, brand building, and student engagement as a result of the digital transformation in higher education. This study investigates how prospective students' perceptions, levels of engagement, and trust are impacted by universities' digital brand equity and social media content. This study attempts to close the knowledge gap on how visual and user-generated information influences the decision-making processes of potential students, given the competitive environment among Egyptian private institutions. Particular focus is placed on how authenticity, video content, and images influence educational institutions' online appearance and reputation. The methodology used a …

The Impact Of Violent Content Media Exposure On Behavioral Outcomes: The Mediating Role Of Media Engagement, Melissia Emad Eskander

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores how repeated exposure to violent content in films, television series, and video games may influence behavioral outcomes among Egyptian media consumers. Drawing on the General Aggression Model, Social Learning Theory, and Cultivation Theory, it examines how individual interpretation, emotional involvement, and narrative absorption mediate the effects of media violence. It also considers how personality traits shape audience responses, specifically aggression, empathy, and narrative immersion.

A mixed-methods approach was adopted. A structured survey of 200 Egyptians aged 18 and above assessed media exposure, aggression, empathy, narrative engagement, and behavioral outcomes. In parallel, a content analysis of Egyptian films …

Self-Medication And Pharmaceutical Dispensing In Egypt: Practices, Policies, And Regulatory Challenges, Lobna Fawzy Ali Shaheen

Theses and Dissertations

Access to safe and appropriate medications is a critical component of public health, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. In Egypt, self-medication and informal pharmaceutical dispensing have become deeply embedded practices shaped by systemic, economic, and cultural factors. This research explores the complex interplay between self-medication behaviors, pharmaceutical regulation, and healthcare access in Egypt. Through qualitative interviews with policymakers, pharmacists, physicians, industry professionals, and citizens, the research uncovers widespread informal dispensing of prescription-only medicines, driven by high out-of-pocket costs, limited insurance coverage, and high public reliance on pharmacists as primary care providers. Despite the presence of regulatory frameworks, weak enforcement, …

Under The Guardianship: Experiences Of Mothers In Egypt’S El Nayaba El Hesbaya, Hana Khayry

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the intersectional lived experience of El Nayaba El Hesbaya in Egypt. El Nayaba El Hesbaya, operating under Law 119/1952, is the administrative and judicial body responsible for overseeing the financial and legal affairs of minors whose father or mother had passed. Hundreds of thousands of mothers in Egypt have (had) children under the guardianship of El Nayaba El Hesbaya. This research delves into the experience of mothers whose children are or were under the guardianship of El Nayaba El Hesbaya, examining how it shape(s/d) their everyday life as women, mothers, widows or ex-wives, citizens, and legal subjects. …

Journeys Of Emancipation, Struggle, Or Both? Accounts From Professional Egyptian Migrant Women In Germany, Adam Eddouss

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the migration experiences of a group of professional Egyptian migrant women living in Germany. By employing a qualitative approach, primarily through semi-structured interviews, and guided by migration literature, this research attempts to move away from the oversimplistic approach that migration is an ‘either or’ reality. Mainstream migration scholarship, specifically that focusing on migrant women, tends to focus on depicting migration within an emancipation-struggle binary, presenting migrant women either as victims or as heroines. This work, antithetically, describes how migrant women experiences can be complex, highlighting, both instances of strength and struggle. Grounded in the words of the …

Effect Of Fintech Adoption On Commercial Banks’ Stability: Evidence From Gcc And North Africa, Ibrahim Ahmed

Theses and Dissertations

This paper looks at how financial technology (FinTech) adoption affects bank stability, measured by distance to default. It uses a unbalanced panel of listed banks from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and North Africa over the period from 2010 to 2024. To consider differences in bank risk and institutional traits, the study uses random-effects panel regressions along with quantile regression models and interaction specifications. These methods allow the effects of FinTech to change depending on the level of bank risk and the size of the bank. The results indicate that FinTech development does not have the same effect on banks’ …

Greenhouse Gas Emissions And Stock Market Volatility In The Eurozone: Evidence From Sectoral Structure And Climate Policy, Toulin Mohamed Albostany

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and stock market volatility in the Eurozone from 2000 to 2023. The analysis is driven by increasing concerns regarding climate related financial risks, investigating whether various types of emissions induce financial market instability and whether this relationship is influenced by the economic frameworks and climate policy contexts. Utilizing annual panel data from 20 Eurozone countries, stock market volatility is assessed by a Dynamic Conditional Correlation Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (DCC-GARCH) framework, which accounts for time-varying volatility and inter-market dependence. The empirical strategy integrates pooled OLS, fixed-effects models, and instrumental-variables Generalized …

Duties To The Self (Body And Mind), Rasha Essam

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis contends that self-duties are of vital significance, representing the obligations we owe to ourselves, and examines them through different life phenomena. Chapter One defends the existence of self-duties against a challenge raised by an (alleged) paradox. Chapters Two and Three then explore two particular self-duties related to the body and the mind, analyzed through the philosophical notions of self-objectification and moral testimony. Each chapter elaborates on these concepts with detailed real-life examples that illustrate how such experiences can undermine one’s humanity—as preserving one’s humanity is a core duty toward oneself. The purpose of this thesis is not only …

Investigating Tau Pathology In The Retina And Anterior Segment Structures Of The Eye In A 3-Nitropropionic Acid–Induced Tauopathy Mouse Model, Mohamed Sayed Ahmed Abdel-Kader Qasem

Theses and Dissertations

Background and Objectives: Alzheimer's disease, the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder in older adults, is characterized by accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau and amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques in the central nervous system. Given the retina's shared embryological origin with the brain, its direct neural connectivity via the optic nerve, and similarities in vasculature and age-related degeneration patterns, retinal pathology may serve as an early, non-invasive biomarker for Alzheimer's disease. This study employed 3-nitropropionic acid (3NP) as a pathway-specific tauopathy model driven by mitochondrial dysfunction. The study particularly aimed to investigate whether retinal and corneal tau pathology reflects underlying tau-related neurodegeneration triggered by …

Securing Or Securitizing? Unveiling The Role Of Securitization “Audience” In Israel’S 2007 Bombing Of The Syrian Nuclear Site., Dunia Essam Hassanin

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the 2007 Israeli bombing on Syria's Al-Kibar nuclear reactor through the lens of securitization theory, concluding that intelligence served as crucial audiences in legitimizing the operation. Building on the Copenhagen School's paradigm, which defines securitization as the process by which actors build issues as existential threats necessitating extreme measures, this study fills a critical theoretical gap: the underdeveloped role of the audience. While classic formulations focus on public approval, this study suggests a more sophisticated notion of the Political Intelligence Audience: intelligence agencies that validate and operationalize securitization moves. The concept contends that groups such as the …

Exploring Academic Note Taking Practices Of Multilingual University Students: Perceptions And Practices, Alice M. Findlay Ms.

Theses and Dissertations

Note taking is a fundamental academic skill that records information and supports the identification, selection and organization of information for understanding and knowledge creation, yet it is often overlooked in higher education. Research has explored the role of note taking in supporting learning and examined similarities and differences between L1 and L2 note taking. However, few studies have focused on multilingual students in English Medium Instruction (EMI) contexts despite the additional cognitive challenges of managing information across languages and navigating Western-centric academic conventions. This study investigates how multilingual students at an Egyptian EMI university take notes in their learning contexts. …

Metagenomic Profiling Of Gut Microbiome Signatures Across Liver Disease Stages And Hcv-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma In Egyptian Patients, Marwa A. Zahra

Theses and Dissertations

Dysbiosis in the gut microbiome, particularly concerning the synchronous crosstalk between the gut and the liver, has been associated with various diseases. This study profiles the gut microbiome in liver diseases among Egyptian patients, with a focus on the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), both of which are highly prevalent in Egypt. Utilizing shotgun metagenomic sequencing, we analyzed microbial gene catalogs and taxonomic profiles from 46 Egyptian patients categorized into five groups: healthy individuals, liver disease patients of different etiologies, post-HCV, treated HCV, and HCV-HCC patients. Healthy and treated HCV patients exhibited distinct microbial profiles characterized by …

Flexible Fault-Tolerant Multi-Die Fpga-Based Architectures For Varying Space Environments, Yosof Ali Seif El Din Ali Maklad

Theses and Dissertations

It is well-known fact that spacecraft’s electronic components operate in an extreme harsh and varying space environments, beside changing orbit or passing through Van Allan Belts during orbital course results of radiation levels change. This thesis focuses on SRAM-based FPGA systems on-board of such spacecrafts, that are commonly utilized in space applications’ critical applications due to their capabilities and flexibility to reconfigure, since these systems are vulnerable to frequent negative impacts of ionizing radiation, thus inducing soft and hard errors leading to disastrous failures that could jeopardize the entire spacecraft. The soft errors’ effects are frequent yet can be mitigated, …

Post Tension Losses: A Comparative Study Of Different Codes Of Practice, Hana Moataz Tolba

Theses and Dissertations

Pre-stressed post-tensioned concrete has become a cornerstone of contemporary structural design due to its ability to enhance load-bearing capacity, minimize deflections, and extend span lengths efficiently. Accurate estimation of pre-stress losses is essential for ensuring structural reliability and serviceability over the lifespan of such systems. This study presents a comprehensive evaluation of initial and long-term pre-stress losses in post-tensioned concrete elements, applying and comparing provisions from four major international design codes: The Egyptian Code for Design and Construction of Concrete Structures (ECP 203-2007), the American Concrete Institute's ACI 423.10R-16, Euro code 2, and the Canadian CSA A23.3 standards as detailed …

Global Public Health Feasibility: Digital Dentistry In Geriatric Population, Merna Amr Saleh

Theses and Dissertations

Oral health is a critical yet often overlooked determinant of well-being among older adults in Egypt, where mobility limitations, geographic barriers, and low awareness of preventive practices exacerbate dental disparities. DentalPal, a teledentistry-based mobile application, was developed to provide older adults with remote dental consultations, oral hygiene advice, and triage guidance. The platform enables users to submit oral photographs or radiographs for assessment, seek second opinions, and initiate follow-up chats directly with the healthcare provider. This flexible design allows users to access dental consultations on demand while ensuring continuity of care The question that guided this study was how older …