Digital Commons Network^™

In Search Of The Unknown Mimic Of Abusive Head Trauma., Ruairi Smith-Dewey, Angela N. Bachim, Colleen Bressler, Kristine Campbell, Lori Frasier, Danielle Horton, Nicole Johnson, Jan Leonard, Megan Letson, Caitlin Mcnamara, Shalon Nienow, Ashley K. Sherman, Stuart Sommers, Joanne Wood, James Anderst

Research Days

Background:

Some claim that Child Abuse Pediatricians (CAPs) are misdiagnosing a yet-to-be-identified mimic as abusive head trauma (AHT), particularly in ill children with isolated subdural hemorrhage (SDH). Though not diagnostic criteria, specific social stressors have been identified as AHT risk factors. If a yet-to-be-identified mimic is meaningfully present within a group being evaluated for AHT, that group should have fewer AHT risk factors than children with actual AHT. The existence of such a mimic can be assessed by comparing the prevalence of AHT risk factors across groups: CAP-identified mimics, non-ill SDH only, ill SDH only, and SDH plus concomitant suspicious …

Engineering A Novel Treg Population To Control Autoimmune Diabetes, Sofia Colon Guzman, Elly Puckett, Mary A. Markiewicz, Ryan T. Fischer

Research Days

We created a model to test the immunosuppressive capacity of Helios+FOXP3+ eTregs compared to nTregs against islet-specific autoreactive T cells. We also showed that nTregs decrease the response of these cytotoxic T cells when co-cultured with BetaLox5 cells.

Improving Adherence To Evidence Based Sti Care For Patients Who Tested Positive At Ed Index Visit Qi Project, Noelle Tran, Melissa Miller, Kim Barbee, Julie Jost, Christopher Kaberline, M Smith

Research Days

Problem Statement/Question:

Previous work improved clinician sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing behaviors, but overlooked treatment interventions needed to facilitate risk reduction, HIV and syphilis (RPR) testing, and STI retesting at three months—critical components that reduce morbidity and disease spread. We are not adhering to evidence-based STI care for adolescents who tested positive for STIs at the ED index visit.

Background/Project Intent (Aim Statement):

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2023, over 2.4 million cases of RPR, gonorrhea (GC), and chlamydia (CT) were diagnosed; about half of reported cases were among adolescents and young adults aged …

Food Insecurity In Adolescent Athletes, Andrew Donaldson, Shannon Margherio, Jay Roberson, Kevin Latz

Research Days

Background: The prevalence of food insecurity among children in the United States is estimated at 21%. Food insecurity during childhood leads to worse school performance, more emotional and behavioral health concerns, and increased suicide attempts. Further, food insecurity has been noted to have multiple deleterious effects on the collegiate student athlete, including lower GPA, disordered eating, and substance use.

Hypothesis: Food insecurity is prevalent in the adolescent athlete population and exists across demographics.

Methods: Voluntary surveys were distributed to parents at all sports medicine clinics at our institution. Demographic data was collected including athlete age, race, school and school district, …

A Psychocosocial Behavior Modification That Impacts Social Belonging In College Students, Julia Roland

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Disparities in educational attainment have been at the forefront of many educational leaders' minds. For those in higher education, finding solutions to eliminate these disparities is critical to their viability. Research on these disparities has led to an encouraging discovery centered around the psychological construct of social belonging. Studies have been finding evidence that a student's sense of social belonging impacts their academic success in college. Furthermore, researchers have discovered an intervention that fosters a student's sense of belonging. This intervention has been shown to increase a student's sense of belonging at college and, in turn, has increased the students' …

Where To Deposit Your Master’S Thesis Or Doctoral Dissertation In The Unl Digital Commons, Sue Ann Gardner, Paul Royster

Thesis and Dissertation Deposit Information Resources

A list of degree-granting programs with links to the proper series for thesis and dissertation deposit in the UNL Digital Commons.

UNL = University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Updated May 2025.

Find your degree-granting program in the list, then click on the link to go to the proper series to deposit your thesis, dissertation, or other student work.

If you have questions about the process or problems finding the correct series or uploading your work, contact Sue Gardner.

Voices Of Leadership: The Perceptions And Lived Experiences Of Principals Amid The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jeri Johnson

Graduate Theses & Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic created a crisis in schools. The purpose of this research is to explore the phenomenon and lived experiences of principals as they led their schools during COVID-19. This qualitative research will explore how principals navigated the complexity of leadership to sustain academic achievement. Principals will share how the three levels of crisis, danger and opportunity created a pathway for principal actions of effectiveness. Additionally, this research explored how principals made sense of the crisis to promote community, collaboration and compassion. Principals were asked to describe their perceptions of leadership and to share their lived experiences from March …

Enhancing Documentation Proficiency: Feasibility Of Integrating Ehr Go & Unfolding Case Studies In Occupational Therapy Education, Jeffery D. Holland Jr.

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Objective: This capstone project evaluated the feasibility of integrating EHR Go and Unfolding Case Studies (UCS) into the first-year curriculum of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) program. The goal was to enhance students’ SOAP (Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan) note documentation proficiency and critical thinking skills through simulation-based learning and increased exposure to real-world documentation expectations and examples. Feedback from 33 clinicians at Dignity Health St. Rose Dominican Hospital – Siena Campus informed the workshop design, and OTD faculty and graduate assistants at UNLV provided input on curriculum integration feasibility.Methods: A quasi-experimental, non-equivalent groups pretest-posttest …

Item Response Predictors Of Disengagement On The Pisa, Juste M. Mehou

Masters Theses, 2020-current

International assessments, such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), are instrumental in understanding educational progress, assessing teaching effectiveness, and ensuring institutional accountability (OECD, 2023). Central to the validity of these assessments is the assumption that students will exert sufficient effort and perform to the best of their abilities (AERA, APA, & NCME, 2014). This assumption is essential to ensure that scores accurately reflect students' true abilities (Wise & Kong, 2005). However, there is a documented concern that students often exhibit low effort in low-stakes tests, such as the PISA, where individual results have no direct consequences (Wise & …

Exploring The Application Of Complexity Theory And Interdisciplinary Study In Clinical Psychology, Iman Motlagh Arani

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study explores the integration of complexity theory and interdisciplinary approaches in clinical psychology education and training. Responding to growing concerns about the fragmentation of knowledge and the limitations of reductionist models in mental health education, this qualitative research investigates how faculty and graduate students conceptualize and engage with complexity, systems thinking, ethics, culture, and curricular innovation. Using semi-structured interviews with clinical psychology professors and students, the study applies thematic analysis grounded in interpretive paradigms and educational philosophy. Findings reveal widespread epistemological fragmentation, varied familiarity with complexity theory, institutional resistance to interdisciplinary integration, and emerging calls for curricular transformation. Participants …

School Leadership’S Impact On Teacher Turnover Post Covid-19, Andrea C. Womack

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This qualitative dissertation involved investigating the pivotal role of school leadership in shaping teacher turnover and support in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was situated within the broader context of educational challenges, where teacher retention remains a critical concern. The pandemic introduced unprecedented disruptions to the education system, underscoring the need to understand how school leadership practices influence teacher retention and support in this new landscape. The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally transformed the teaching profession, impacting every aspect of educators’ careers as evidenced by responses across the structural, human resource, political, and symbolic frames. Structurally, educators had to …

Undergraduate Student Experiences Of Flow In Culturally Relevant And Contextual Digital Math Games, Kaylie Kurland

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Students in co-requisite mathematics classes represent a diverse group of learners, with one thing in common: their previous math performance. This research investigates how playing culturally responsive educational games is associated with students' learning and experience of flow. Quantitative analyses revealed no significant differences in flow scores across demographic groups. However, students with stronger STEM identities reported experiencing higher levels of flow, on average. Math self-efficacy was not significantly associated with flow experiences. ANOVA results indicated that flow was not significantly related to final course grades (F = 0.465, p = 0.707, η² = 0.008), suggesting that students’ self-reported flow …

Elevating Education: Leveling Up Individual Learning Plans, Maximum Mgrdich-Ararat Sirabian

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This three-article dissertation investigated the effectiveness, implementation quality, and automation of Individual Learning Plans (ILPs) in promoting college and career readiness. Article 1 analyzed High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 data and found that ILPs did not significantly guide course alignment. Article 2 examined ILP implementation across Nevada high schools, revealing inconsistent quality, limited standardization, and few culturally responsive practices. These findings informed the creation of a new high-quality ILP framework. Article 3 employed a convergent parallel mixed methods design to assess an automated ILP prototype based on this framework. Participants in the automated group reported significantly higher scores in …

Musical Language And Communication: Students Connect Music Streams To Literacy, Mathematics, Science, And Movement, Kelly Collier

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation discusses how music and literacy claim many of the same skills, ways music may be used as a motivational tool to help promote strategies for skill development, and how teachers working in teams have the innovation to generate strategic learning. By combining music symbolism with the literacy curriculum, one can create a set of elementary school lessons that integrate musical melody with the facets of literacy, mathematics, science, and movement to formulate beneficial opportunities for student engagement and learning. Students cultivate learning by using the elements of rhythmic literacy, such as identifying beat values in conjunction with their …

Advanced Literacies In The 21st Century: Examining A Narrative-Based Video Game As A Stealth Assessment For Comprehension, Joseph Paul Fiorentini

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In our technology-rich 21st Century, the need for valid, reliable, and fair literacy assessments remains pertinent to the field of education. This study defines literacy as advanced literacy where comprehension is considered a holistic product of applying acquired knowledge, skills, or abilities (KSA) to contextualized situations. Conventional assessment methods have traditionally parceled out the construct into its component parts (i.e., vocabulary, phonics, fluency, etc.) as a means of understanding the meaning making process from a traditional literacy perspective. Stealth assessments utilize the Evidence-Centered Design (ECD) framework as a robust method for assessing complex constructs holistically within technology rich environments. Adapting …

Accelerating Initial Cardiac Arrest Response In Medical-Surgical Nurses Through Virtual Reality Training, Carissa A. Hernandez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background: Through their limited exposure, non-critical care nurses may feel unprepared to respond when faced with a sudden emergency such as cardiac arrest. This Quality Improvement (QI) project employed virtual reality (VR) technology to improve nurse confidence, adherence to the American Heart Association (AHA) basic life support (BLS) algorithm, and documentation accuracy among medical-surgical nurses in a Veterans Affairs hospital in Nevada. The project addressed their ability to react promptly and effectively during these high-stakes emergencies. Methods: Following a scoping literature review from the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Medline, and PubMed databases, this Evidence Based …

Exploring Arabic, Russian, And Spanish Native Language Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Flipped Classroom Model Through The Lens Of The Technology Acceptance Model (Tam2), David I. Daoud

Doctoral Dissertations

The flipped classroom has become increasingly popular across various educational settings over the last two decades. In the flipped classroom model (FCM), the teacher spends less time on traditional in-classroom activities like lecturing and giving tests, which are instead assigned as homework, and more time on hands-on learning. Although research has shown the FCM is effective in a variety of learning settings, little is known about native language teachers' perceptions of the FCM. This study explored the perceptions of 41 native Arabic, Russian, and Spanish foreign language instructors regarding the FCM at a college-level language institution. The study aimed to …

Variation In Blood Culture Testing And Outcomes In Children Hospitalized With Three Common Infections., Smit Shah, Jessica L. Markham, Jennifer Goldman, Matt Hall, Jillian Cotter, Samantha A. House, Matthew J. Molloy, Michelle Polich, Michael J. Steiner, John R. Stephens, Michael J. Tchou, Ronald J. Teufel Ii, Irma Ugalde, Andrew Yu

Research Days

Background: Prior studies of blood culture (BC) testing in uncomplicated community acquired pneumonia (CAP), skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI), and urinary tract infections (UTI) have demonstrated low utility of routine testing given similar rates of pathogen versus contaminant detection and little effect on clinical management. Understanding patterns and outcomes of BC testing can identify opportunities to curb unnecessary testing.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to: 1) Evaluate BC testing trends over time for children hospitalized for CAP, SSTI, and UTI; and 2) describe differences in clinical outcomes between hospital groups with low, moderate, or high testing rates. …

Reducing Vancomycin Use In The Cicu, Karoline Krzywda, Ali Taber, Lauren Johnson

Research Days

Background/Aim Statement: In the CICU empiric vancomycin is frequently prescribed. This practice occurs without broad knowledge of the actual rates of methicillin resistant staph aureus (MRSA) and methicillin resistant staph epidermidis (MRSE) infections. Given the potential for harmful side effects of vancomycin as well as concern for growing antibiotic resistance, we sought to better characterize local unit prescribing practices and MRSA/MRSE infection rates to guide our QI project with an aim of reducing vancomycin use in the CICU.

Methods (include PDSA cycles): Patient data from January 2021 to January 2023 was analyzed. The number of monthly days spent on vancomycin …

A Risk Score To Predict Recurrent High Intensity Inpatient Resource Utilization For Children With Medical Complexity., Charles Maloy, Matthew Hall, Jessica L. Bettenhausen, Yui-Yee Chan, Leah Jones, Kathryn Kyler, Laura Plencner Md, Jessica Markham, Jacqueline M. Walker, Smit Shah, Sîan Best, Jonathan Ermer, Shelby Chesbro, Maria Newmaster, Henry T. Puls

Research Days

Background: Children with medical complexity (CMC) use a greater amount of inpatient resources and stand to benefit from unique care models and coordination. However, hospital resources can be limited, and a better understanding of which CMC are high resource users could improve hospital and staff planning.

Objectives/Goal: To develop a risk score predictive of recurrent high intensity inpatient utilization among CMC.

Methods/Design: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of children <18 years old with ≥3 complex chronic conditions (CCC) discharged from one of 48 children’s hospitals in the Pediatric Health Information System during 2021 and 2022. To reflect CMC typically cared for by a general medical service, children with cardiac procedures, dialysis, oncology, or transplant CCCs, and index hospitalization mortality were excluded. We used multivariable logistic regression to determine factors present on the index hospitalization associated with ≥5 hospitalizations or ≥3 hospitalizations with one lasting ≥25 days within any 365-day period (high inpatient utilization) in 2021-2023. We developed risk scoring system using model coefficients and defined the optimal risk score cutoff to maximize sensitivity and specificity. We then applied the risk score cutoff to children discharged to determine (a) ratio of predicted:actual CMC with recurrent high resource use and (b) the total predicted daily volume on 50th, 75th, and 90th percentile days for each hospital.

Results: Of 44,432 included children, 9,596 (21.6%) had high inpatient utilization (Table). Children under 1 year of age had the highest odds of high inpatient utilization (OR 2.26 [95% CI: …

Failure To Launch: Pediatric Colorectal Surgery Center Utilization By Patients Over 18 Years Of Age, Vatche Melkonian, Andres Gonzalez Salazar, Cory Nonnemacher, Seth Saylors, Margaret Martin-Mclain, Iris Lim-Beutel, Rebecca Rentea

Research Days

Background: As patients with childhood colorectal diseases transition into adulthood, many continue to seek care at pediatric colorectal centers rather than transitioning to adult hospital systems. This preference often stems from a sense of comfort and familiarity with their pediatric care teams. Additionally, patients often perceive inadequacies in adult healthcare systems in managing their specific conditions. As these numbers of patients continue to grow, pediatric colorectal centers may face increasing demands on their resources, potentially diverting attention away from pediatric patients.

Objectives/Goal: The objective of this study was to assess the utilization of our pediatric colorectal center by patients aged …

Patterns And Growth Of A Dedicated Pediatric Coagulation Consult Service In A Freestanding Children's Hospital, Nicole Demarco, Shannon Carpenter, Brian Lee

Research Days

Background: Hospital-acquired thrombosis remains a significant concern in pediatric care, contributing to morbidity and extended hospital stays. At Children’s Mercy, a dedicated inpatient coagulation consultation service has existed for many years. Efforts have been made to implement prophylactic measures aimed at reducing the incidence of hospital-acquired thrombosis. With the recent COVID pandemic we saw an influx in prophylactic anticoagulation due to recommended guidelines.

Objectives: To characterize the impact increased efforts in thromboprophylaxis during and after the COVID-19 pandemic on care delivery and the development of thrombosis among pediatric hospitalized patients.

Methods: This retrospective review included all pediatric inpatients with a …

Multi-Omic Analysis Of Kmt2a-Rearranged Pediatric Acute Myeloid Leukemia Reveals Novel Pathways Of Interest, Trenton Edwards, Irina Pushel, Thomas Gremminger, Lisa Lansdon, Byunggil Yoo, Michaella Rekowski, Michael Washburn, Midhat Farooqi

Research Days

Objectives/Goals

Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is the second most common leukemia among pediatric populations. Approximately 15% of pediatric AML cases have KMT2A gene rearrangements (KMT2A-r), which carry a worse prognosis. Our goal is to better characterize the biologic landscape of KMT2A-r pediatric AML. We hypothesize that a multi-omic approach will reveal mechanisms underlying the aggressive nature of KMT2A-r AML.

Methods/Study Population

This study makes use of deidentified peripheral blood and/or bone marrow samples banked in the Children’s Mercy Tumor Bank Biorepository. For this study, we used samples at diagnosis and remission from four KMT2A-r pediatric AML …

No Suspicion For Nocarh: A Cautionary Tale Of Anchoring Bias, Nicole Demarco, Shannon Haines, Julia Allyson Hays, Bonnie Sullivan, Michael Price, Kimberly A. Horii

Research Days

Neonatal onset of cytopenia autoinflammation rash and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis syndrome (NOCARH), a subset of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), is a rare and life-threatening condition characterized by uncontrolled immune response. It presents a diagnostic challenge in neonates due to the overlap of clinical features with other conditions, particularly congenital infections.

Nrp And Pals In Icu Code Events At A Quaternary Care Pediatric Hospital: A ‘Compressed’ Analysis, Deepa Kumar, Mitch Kinkor, Stephen Pfeiffer, Allison Taber, Janelle R. Noel-Macdonnell Phd, Jessica Brunkhorst, Danielle Reed

Research Days

This is a retrospective observational study comparing code events in children less than 18 months of age who were resuscitated in the NICU, PICU, and CICU using neonatal resuscitation program (NRP) and pediatric advance life support (PALS).

Toward Discussion Facilitation That Enacts Collective Care. A Response To “Teaching Dobbs Where Divisive Concepts And Abortion Are Restricted”, Jenni Conrad

Democracy & Education

For both teacher candidates and teacher educators, facilitating discussions of contested issues in hyper-polarized climates remains a heavy lift. This response to “Teaching Dobbs…” celebrates the successes apparent in Geller’s team’s work and identifies key features that supported it. While cautioning readers against adopting avatar rehearsals elsewhere, I distill four themes of planning and enactment that show clear promise for broad transference in teacher education. Drawing from research exploring the interfaces of justice-oriented, practice-based, and democratic social studies scholarship, I offer pedagogical and logistical considerations for other teacher educators and researchers engaged in this ambitious and necessary work to sustain …

Teaching Dobbs Where Divisive Concepts And Abortion Are Restricted: Teacher Learning, Controversial Issues, And Mixed-Reality Technology, Rebecca C. Geller

Democracy & Education

Though scholarship has long championed the positive impacts of classroom considerations of controversial or difficult issues, teachers have often hesitated to broach divisive topics for numerous reasons, including legislation purporting to limit controversy in classrooms and, often, that they had limited or no preparation to teach controversies, especially not politically contentious sociopolitical contexts. I worked with a research team to use a mixed-reality teaching simulation of a controversial issue discussion as a low-stakes learning context for developing skills for collective pedagogical reasoning. The teaching simulation centered on Dobbs v. Jackson, the 2022 Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. …

How Open Source Digital Repositories Increased Visibility Of Coursework Worldwide, Ashanthi Maxworth Phd

USM Faculty Teaching Symposium

I started teaching ELE 452 Antennas course for engineering undergraduates in the spring of 2022. As a strong advocate of active learning techniques, I was incorporating antenna simulations using a software called ANSYS-HFSS. HFSS has a lot of moving parts hence I needed a method to make sure the students follow the steps correctly, so I created worksheets with step-by-step instructions. Since I put a lot of time and effort into creating these worksheets, I published those as an open source digital collection via the USM Libraries. Currently, the readership of these worksheets is almost 4000 worldwide.

Backed by this …

Exploring The Relationship Of Program Type On Multilingual Learners Students’ English Growth And Promotion In Secondary School, Simone M. Wilkinson

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This study explores the relationships between tenure as Multilingual Learners (MLs), English proficiency, academic performance, and promotion among middle and high school students. This study is grounded in Bourdieu’s (1967, 2018) theory, which emphasizes that schools perpetuate cultural norms by limiting ML’s language access and post-secondary success. Also informed by Krashen’s (1982, 1985, 2003) theory of Input Hypothesis, this study investigates how meaningful interaction is key for language learning. The primary research questions explore: (1) Is there a relationship between students’ tenure as a ML, English proficiency, and promotion through secondary school? (2) Is the EL program type for MLs …

Data In The Classroom: The Impact Of A Data-Centric, High School Program To Motivate Career Interest In Stem Fields, Tyler Stabiler

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation proposes to analyze the importance of introducing data-centric STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) studies at the high school level. In today's digital age, the importance of studying data-centric STEM in high school cannot be overstated. This dissertation looks to discover educational capabilities of high school students in various grade levels by understanding their drive, desire, and ambitions in a different STEM course than what is currently offered at the high school. Finally, the study analyzes the students’ participation in lectures, laboratory environment, and model/simulations to identify the significance in high schools adding data-centric curriculums to their academic …