Digital Commons Network^™

Improved Foraminal Expansion And Pain Scores Following Placement Of Novel Expandable Interlaminar Stabilization Device For Lumbar Spinal Stenosis, Robert P. Norton, Ian Koch, Kendra Primavera, Roy Y. Miloh, Alex R. Vaccaro, Mitchell K. Ng

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Faculty Papers

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate radiographic durability and clinical outcomes following placement of a novel expandable interlaminar stabilization device for single-level lumbar spinal stenosis. Specifically, we aimed to: 1) quantify immediate postoperative posterior column distraction; 2) determine whether foraminal expansion is improved postoperatively without radiographic subsidence; and (3) assess potential improvements in patient-reported pain/clinical outcomes.

METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of adult patients undergoing single-level decompression supplemented by an interlaminar device for symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis by a single surgeon from 2024 to 2025. Radiographic parameters included anterior, middle, and posterior disc height, foraminal height, and …

Remarkable Seizure Reduction With Trofinetide Treatment In An Adult With Rett Syndrome: A Case Report, Semihan Adegbite, Pooneh Memar Ardestani, Maromi Nei

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Emerging Aiot-Based Approaches For Early Detection Of Cardiac Diseases: A Review, Balqees Talal Hasan, Zaid J. Al-Araji, Zainab Al-Badrany, Sarah Kanaan Hamzah, Abdulmajeed Sulaiman

Mesopotamian Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare

Cardiovascular disease continues to pose a serious global health burden, emphasizing the need for smart, ongoing, and clinically trustworthy systems for early detection of this condition. The convergence of IoT-enabled sensing technologies with AI has led to the rise of an innovative paradigm known as AIoT, integrating technologies such as machine learning, deep learning, edge and fog computing, and cloud-based analytics with the aim of real-time cardiac monitoring and diagnostic decision support. Despite rapid expansion, current literature appears disparate in its coverage of sensing modalities, learning algorithms, system architectures, data sets, evaluation criteria, and clinical applications. To remedy this, a …

Immigration Stress And Inequities Driving Diabetes Distress In Hispanic Adults: A Scoping Review, Rachell Nguyen

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background: Hispanic adults in the United States experience disproportionately high rates of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and co-occurring mental health conditions. These disparities are intensified by immigration-related stress, acculturation challenges, and minority stress, all of which contribute to heightened diabetes distress and reduced self-management capacity.

Purpose: This scoping review examined how immigration stressors, acculturation processes, and minority stress influence diabetes distress and mental health outcomes among Hispanic adults with T2DM.

Methods: Using Arksey and O’Malley’s six-step scoping review framework and PRISMA-ScR guidelines, a comprehensive search of PubMed, CINAHL Complete, MEDLINE (OVID), and ScienceDirect identified studies published between 2015 and …

Bridging Theory And Innovation: Cultivating Nursing Scholars Through Research, Ai And Mentorship, Charlene Whitaker-Brown, Judy Cornelius

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

As a newly R1 Carnegie Classification institution, in the Southeastern part of the United States, there is renewed emphasis on expanding research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students. In response, the Research Explorer Program commencing in Winter 2025 is being launched as a pilot initiative to enhance student research engagement within the School of Nursing.

This program introduces a cohort of 10 undergraduate nursing students to the fundamentals of nursing research through mentorship with graduate nursing students. Grounded in the belief that early exposure to research strengthens clinical reasoning, evidence-based practice, and leadership, the initiative will provide undergraduates with hands-on …

Learning Challenges And Their Correlation Among Nursing Students Using Artificial Intelligence Bots, Sofia Magdalena Norbe Robles, Francine Isabel M. Adarne, Astrid Jaide Arellano, Charlene Azucenav, Ianne Jasmine A. Bayan, Luis Manuel M. Caudal, Angelica S. De Guzman, Jan Philip Dela Cruz, Gweneth E. Gabon, Adrian Paolo P. Mabahague, Rebeka L. Ricabierta, Andru Nicolas P. Rosal, Jodi Darla S. Taroc, Sheena Margaret B. Valera

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

The rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has profoundly transformed the digital age, bringing notable implications for nursing education. AI, defined as the simulation of human intelligence in machines (Duggal, 2023), has revolutionized nursing, where students face various challenges related to Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes (KSA) when using AI bots for academic purposes. This study examines the learning challenges encountered by nursing students in the domains of knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSA) when using AI bots for academic purposes, particularly in relation to ethical considerations.

A descriptive-correlational research design was employed, using structured questionnaires to analyze the relationship between demographic profiles, …

Multi-Interactive Teaching For Clinical Nursing Preceptors: Impact On Learning Styles And Competence, Shui-Tao Hu, Shu-Ling Yeh, Yi-Ling Chang

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background: Newly recruited nurses face high turnover and adaptation challenges, requiring clinical preceptors to possess diversified teaching competencies. Multi-interactive teaching, integrating simulation, discussion, and immediate feedback, can enhance teaching reflection and professional development.

Purpose: To examine the effects of multi-interactive teaching on clinical preceptors’ learning styles and teaching competence.

Design: Quasi-experimental, one-group pretest-posttest design.

Methods: Six multi-interactive workshops were conducted for experienced clinical preceptors, covering preceptor characteristics, learner learning styles, teaching competence, and strategies for coaching difficult learners. Workshops included seminars and real-time interactive communities. Participants were registered nurses (clinical ladder 3 or above, or ladder 2 with >5 years’ …

The Obligation Of Owner Of An Electronic Store To Protect The Client’S Personal Data: A Comparative Study, Raad Hashim Ameen

Imam Ja'afar Al-Sadiq University Journal of Legal Studies

The worlds nowadays witness the emerge of information and communication revolution, which is resulted in the flourish of electronic trade. One of the revolution’s manifestations lies in that an increase in electronic (digital) stores by which a considerable consumers prefer to deal with a merchant via the internet and other means of communications.The circumstances surrounding the contracts of electronic the provision of goods and services necessitates from a consumer to provide a merchant with his personal data. The risk is stem from that the merchant may exercise illegal exploitation on a consumer’s personal data, and thus could cause reluctant by …

The Principle Of Legal Certainty In Criminal Legislation As A Pillar Of The Legality Of Crimes And Punishments, Ali Qasim Abu Al-Hail, Jalal Al-Din Qiyasi

Imam Ja'afar Al-Sadiq University Journal of Legal Studies

This study examines and analyzes the “Principle of Legal Certainty in Criminal Text” as an indispensable substantive pillar for activating the principle of legality of crimes and punishments in contemporary legal systems. The research problem stems from the reality of legislative practice, which frequently falls into the trap of using vague and elastic formulations under the pretext of combating evolving crimes. This vagueness destroys legal certainty, deprives individuals of the predictability of criminal behavior, and implicitly shifts the de facto power of incrimination from the legislator to the judge. To address this issue, the study adopts an analytical-rooting approach, supported …

Acemannan/Alginate Composite Hydrogels Promote Sto Cell Spreading And Metabolic Activity, Hong Yongxing, Tharasanit Theerawat

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

Alginate-based hydrogels are widely used as biocompatible scaffolds. However, their limited cell-adhesive properties restrict their application in tissue engineering. This study aimed to fabricate acemannan/alginate (ACE/ALG) composite hydrogels and evaluate their cytocompatibility and ability to support STO cell spreading and metabolic activity. Composite hydrogels were prepared by blending different concentrations of ACE with alginate, followed by Ca²⁺-mediated ionic crosslinking. Rheological analysis showed that ACE incorporation increased both the storage modulus (G′) and loss modulus (G″) of the hydrogels. Cell viability and morphology were evaluated using Live/Dead staining on day 7, and cellular growth was assessed using an MTT assay on …

Multidrug Resistance, Extended-Spectrum Β-Lactamase (Esbl) Production, And Colistin Resistance In Escherichia Coli From Retail Chicken Meat In Fresh Markets In Bangkok, Thailand, Htet Lin Oo, Nawaphorn Roongrojmongkhon, Suwanee Chalermchainukul, Sirawit Pagdepanichkit

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

Contamination of chicken meat with antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, particularly multidrug-resistant (MDR), colistin-resistant, and extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli (E. coli), threatens its safety for human consumption. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) profiles, particularly ESBL production and colistin resistance in E. coli isolated from retail chicken meat in fresh markets in Bangkok, Thailand. A total of 200 (81.6%) E. coli isolates were recovered from 245 chicken meat samples collected from fresh markets across six regions of Bangkok. Among the isolates, 189 (94.5%) exhibited resistance to at least one antimicrobial agent tested, with the …

The Lottery You Do Not Want To Win: The Role Of Local Institutional Quality In Brazil's Fight Against The Persistent Transmission Of Poverty, Adaye Sosthene Yvan N'Guettia

Economics Honors Projects

When does improving local institutions increase the poverty-reducing effectiveness of transfers? This paper examines whether federal oversight strengthens municipal administration of anti-poverty programs in Brazil. I develop a governance model in which incumbents allocate resources across diversion, effort, and institutional investment under audits and incentives. Using exogenous variation from Brazil's random CGU audit lottery across 5,500 municipalities, I find audits reduce irregularities, strengthen capacity, improve nutritional monitoring and school infrastructure, and reduce extreme poverty — with effects largest in municipalities with weakest institutions. A marginal-value-of-public-funds analysis confirms the program is self-financing. Results show the poverty-reducing power of transfers depends critically …

Postscript To Gatherings, Volume 3, Farha Ternikar, Heather Mooney

Gatherings

We write this postscript as we are approaching the 25^th anniversary of 9/11. We don’t take this lightly as feminists or sociologists.  The War on Terror has shaped both Islamophobia and anti-Arab discrimination for decades. And after October 7, 2023, we were again devastated to see escalating tragedies in the Middle East. Farha Ternikar and Heather Mooney, as co-editors of this volume, went into this endeavor with heavy hearts.

Afterword: Palestinian Solidarity As Feminist Labor, Dana Olwan

Gatherings

This afterword was completed in February 2026. Leqaa Kordia was released from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody on March 16, 2026, after spending a year of her life in detention.

University Policies In An Unjust World: Typographic Illustrations, Layal Shuman, Nina Rastgar

Gatherings

In this research-creation project, we use typographic illustrations as a visual method to portray how universities in Canada enable genocide in Gaza and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians while suppressing their rights to protest these injustices on campuses over the past three years. We conceptualize institutional policies as weapons, especially those covering codes of conduct, discrimination, harassment, and freedom of speech. The goal is first to show how universities are directly invested in the manufacturing and selling of weapons currently used in Palestine and Lebanon, and second, to argue that the strategic wording of institutional policies on diversity and inclusion …

Spaces Of Transformation, Love, And Poetry: Autoethnographic Reflections On Learning During The 2024 Student Solidarity Encampments And The 2019 Lebanese Thawra, Anna Wessels

Gatherings

This paper utilizes autoethnographic modes to reflect on the student movement in solidarity with Palestine, specifically the spring 2024 student encampment in Washington, DC. I frame this reflection through my experience as a student in a Women and Gender Studies class during the semester of the encampment, as well as through feminist theories of teaching and learning as liberatory practices. I analyze two sites of learning that moved beyond the ideological and physical boundaries of the university into public protest spaces during times of political mobilization: downtown Beirut during the October 2019 Lebanese thawra (revolution) and the student encampments for …

Symbol Of Defiance: Cultural Reclamation And Resilience In The Symbolism Of The Watermelon, Shukri Mohamed

Gatherings

This paper examines the watermelon as a cross-cultural symbol of nonviolent resistance and identity reclamation in both Palestinian and African American contexts. In Palestine, the watermelon embodies defiant cultural identity amidst occupation, symbolizing resistance against erasure. Within African American communities, it has evolved from a racially charged stereotype to a reclaimed symbol of pride and agency. Through postcolonial theory, intersectionality, transnational feminism, and visual cultural critique, this article examines how marginalized groups repurpose familiar objects to assert identity and reclaim autonomy under oppressive conditions. Drawing on Lila Abu-Lughod's work on media and everyday resistance, Ania Loomba's postcolonial perspectives, Patricia Hill …

Embodying Palestinian Freedom: Yogis For Palestine As A Site Of Transnational And Anti-Imperial Feminist Solidarity, Sheena Sood

Gatherings

In a climate marked by the rise of global fascism, yoga is often appropriated toward the reproduction of caste supremacist and ethnonational agendas, colonial and racial capitalist relations, and neoliberal spirituality. Still, it has also been harnessed for collective liberation. We see this through the effort of Gaza-based yoga teacher, Hadeel Al-Gharbawi, using trauma-informed yoga to help the children of Al-Jawad Camp cultivate endurance during a genocide, and the solidarity of practitioners activating yoga toward Palestinian self-determination. This article examines the social and political activities of Yogis for Palestine (YFP), a Philadelphia-based collective whose vision for collective liberation includes unwavering …

A Poem For Palestinian Liberation From Låguas Yan Gåni, Ha'Åni San Nicolas

Gatherings

Despite our difference and distance to each other, people of Guåhan and the Pacific must intently and critically center Palestine in our work. We make it matter, and we listen.

Roots That Refuse To Die: Narratives Of Displacement And Solidarity In Palestinian And Chicanx Feminist Traditions, R. H., Lea Colchado-Joaquín

Gatherings

Amidst the recent passing of Senate Bill 17 and increasing restrictions on academic freedom, and efforts to shut down encampments, political tensions have been on the rise at Texas university campuses. As women of color scholars learning to navigate these challenges, we are committed to fostering safe pedagogical spaces that honor minoritized students’ voices. This paper examines interpretations of solidarity narratives between Chicanx and Palestinian feminist authors through a decolonial feminist lens and employs an autoethnographic methodological approach such as autohistoria-teoría to highlight parallels between the authors' lived realities. Authors begin this conversation by using their own narratives of resistance …

Kinship As Ethical Caring In Genocidal Times, Khawla Badwan, Sunny Singh Prof

Gatherings

As the world bears witness to the first live-streamed genocide¹ in history with full collaboration of the so-called free world, whatever ethics had been defined and legally encoded by imperial powers in the aftermath of the Second World War are no longer functioning or indeed relevant. Instead at individual and collective levels, we must develop a more relational and nested approach to ethical caring; one that moves beyond saviourism and distant witnessing. To demonstrate this relationality, we present our thinking through a dialogic genre of creative and critical reflections and interventions. This dialogue draws and builds on entanglements of …

"In-Dialogue” As Feminist Praxis: Palestine, Poetry, And Affective Knowing, Besan Jaber, Natalie El-Eid

Gatherings

Presenting a methodological praxis of being “in dialogue,’ this essay questions what it means today to be in feminist solidarity with Palestine via an intimate conversation inspired by a set of poems written by [one of the authors to this piece]. In this conversation, two feminist Arab scholars reflect on their professional and lived experiences in the US amidst the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the friendships and love they found, including with one another, as well as the paradoxical feelings of disappointment and frustration they experienced watching many feminists in the West completely abandon their feminist values when it came …

Echoes Of Loss: Exploring Palestine And Feminism Through Art, Alaa Shadfan

Gatherings

My body of work is an exploration of raw human emotion, psychological states, and the resilience of the human spirit, shaped profoundly by the ongoing suffering and resistance of the Palestinian people. Through this series of paintings, I strive to give voice to collective grief, inner struggle, and quiet strength. Much of the emotional palette I draw from grief, fear, resistance, and hope is deeply influenced by witnessing the genocide[1]and systemic oppression in Palestine. The red in my paintings is deliberate, my way of symbolizing standing in solidarity with Palestine, and more specifically, with Palestinian women whose strength, …

Gatherings 3.2 (Complete Issue), Besan Jaber, Asmaa Malik

Gatherings

p. 111: Echoes of Loss: Exploring Palestine and Feminism Through Art / Ala Alshadfan -- p. 117: In-Dialogue as Feminist Praxis: Palestine, Poetry, and Affective Knowing / Besan Jaber and Natalie El-Eid -- p. 130: Kinship as Ethical Caring in Genocidal Times / Khawla Badwan and Sunny Singh --  p.150: Roots That Refuse to Die: Narratives of Displacement and Solidarity in Palestinian and Chicanx Feminist Traditions / R. K. and Lea Colchado-Joaquín -- p.169: A Poem for Palestinian Liberation from Låguas yan Gåni / Ha’åni Lucia Falo San Nicolas -- p. 171: Embodying Palestinian Freedom: Yogis for Palestine as a …

Ruins And Remedies: Hospital Site Archaeology In Medieval Southeast Asia, Karen Hill

Classical Mediterranean and Middle East Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

Action Steps Toward Equity In Communication Sciences And Disorders: A Program Evaluation Of Student Self-Efficacy, Monica Bellon-Harn, Lekeitha Morris, Mark Trahan

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

Abstract

Purpose: Within communication sciences and disorders (CSD), preparing students for equitable practice requires instruction aligned with social justice principles. Because students’ confidence in engaging in these practices may influence future behavior, this study examined the effects of an asynchronous program, Action Steps toward Equity (ASE-CSD) on undergraduate and graduate CSD students’ self-efficacy for practices aligned with social justice principles.

Method: A pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design was used with undergraduate (n = 16) and graduate (n = 33) CSD students who completed ASE-CSD. Participants completed the Social Justice Scale (SJS; Torres-Harding et al., 2012), which assessed self-efficacy associated with …

Equity In Evaluation: Examining Grading Practices And Student Experiences In Speech-Language Pathology Education, Jennifer Essig

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

Traditional grading practices remain the norm in communication sciences and disorders (CSD) education, despite evidence these systems may exacerbate inequities and affect motivation and perceptions of learning. This study examined how traditional and alternative grading practices are experienced by undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in CSD programs. Using a convergent mixed-methods design, survey data were collected from 73 students regarding perceptions of grading, motivation to learn, and emotional responses to assessment. Quantitative analyses indicated that students in alternatively graded classrooms reported significantly higher perceptions of fairness, clarity, and learning than those in traditionally graded settings. Qualitative analysis revealed contrasting emotional …

Targeted Interprofessional Education (Ipe) Curriculum For First-Year Speech-Language Pathology (Slp) Graduate Students, Cody Marie Busch

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

ASHA requires that SLP graduate programs facilitate opportunities for interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP). Research suggests that IPCP initiatives should be integrated throughout the curriculum, rather than isolated interprofessional education (IPE) experiences. 15 first-year SLP graduate students participated in a year-long IPE curriculum focused on the IPEC Core Competencies. Quantitative and qualitative data revealed improved perception of IPCP and appreciation of opportunities to interact with other disciplines. Students noted that SLP graduate programs should integrate IPCP opportunities because they set them up for success with collaboration and help remove the SLP “silo.” Finally, students reported that they plan to use the …

An Exploration Of Case-Based Teaching And Learning In Aac Courses: Student Data Analysis And Reflections On Engaging In Academic Research, Kayla Lorance, Claire Almos, Abigail Spudich, Alli Sauerwein, Kristen Muller

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

Case-based learning is a beneficial pedagogical approach because it offers opportunities for students to apply constructs and frameworks and to develop clinical reasoning and decision-making skills. Clinical cases have been used to explore students' clinical reasoning skills in AAC research studies; however, few instructors have published about the use of case-based learning in their AAC courses. Thus, this study aimed to understand how and why faculty and instructors use case-based learning in graduate-level AAC courses as well as their recommendations for colleagues.

A total of twelve faculty participated in the study by completing an interview. Qualitative data analysis was completed. …

Supporting Neurodivergent Students In Communication Sciences And Disorders: Best Practices Integrating Udl And Tilt In Academic Courses, Jacqueline A. Towson, Nancy Mcintyre, Alexis Cunha

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

In this tutorial, we explore effective andragogical strategies to support neurodivergent students in higher education programs, specifically within academic course in the field of communication sciences and disorders (CSD). By integrating the evidence-based education practices of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and the Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT) framework, faculty can create inclusive and supportive learning environments in academic courses to better support neurodivergent students in CSD programs. We discuss practical applications of these frameworks through two sample assignments, supported by recent research, and provide actionable recommendations for faculty in higher education. The goal of this tutorial is to …