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I Think, Therefore I Can: Self-Efficacy, Self-Regulation, And Sense Of Belonging In Introductory Physics, Danielle Christine Maldonado

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Cognitive and affective beliefs in physics classrooms are important indicators of student success beyond traditional measurements of academic performance. This body of work explores major beliefs and processes, including self-efficacy, self-regulation, and sense of belonging, as they relate to academic achievement among introductory undergraduate physics students. First, this dissertation explores the development of physics self-efficacy and physics sense of belonging, two highly correlated variables. This work identifies unique sources of physics self-efficacy and sense of belonging development from current and prior academic experiences, personality factors, and demographic variables. Then, relationships between early- semester self-efficacy and sense of belonging, mid-semester …

The Chemistry Of Red Lipstick: The Impact Red Lipstick Has On Society, Lilliana Weldeslassie

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Cosmetic chemistry is deeply embedded in everyday life, shaping the products people use from morning to night. Among these, red lipstick stands out as a formulation that blends complex chemistry with a cultural meaning. This thesis examines the scientific foundations of red lipstick through its chemical composition, pigment structure, toxicological history, analytical methods, and evolving sustainability practices. Historically, red lipsticks relied on high-risk ingredients such as lead, mercury, and other toxic metals, reflecting an era before chemical safety and regulatory oversight were incorporated.²¹ Modern formulations have established safer synthetic dyes, natural waxes, plant-based oils, and stabilizers created to optimize …

Beyond Words: A Systematic Multimodal Framework For Text, Images, And Extreme Helpfulness In Online Reviews, Alvaro J. Aguado Marin

Dissertations

Online product reviews have become increasingly multimodal, combining text with media-rich elements such as images. However, academic research has largely examined textual features in isolation, overlooking how visual content and its interaction with text shape perceived helpfulness. This dissertation addresses that gap by developing and empirically validating a comprehensive framework capturing how textual, visual, and contextual features collectively influence review evaluation. Grounded in the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) and extended through the Text-Image Elaboration Likelihood Model (TI-ELM), the framework advances understanding of how consumers process content from both user- and business-generated sources. It also lays the foundation for examining emerging …

Analysis Of Students' Problem-Solving Skills In Work And Energy Based On Gender, Miftahuljannah Muslimin

Jurnal Pendidikan Sains

This study analyzes students’ problem-solving skills on Work and Energy using a quantitative descriptive design, profiling performance across five indicators without causal claims. Participants were 85 students from SMA Negeri 1 Barru, South Sulawesi (30 males, 55 females) who answered five essay items scored on useful description, physics approach, specific application, mathematical procedure, and logical progression. Overall means were 57.73 (females) and 60.73 (males); an independent t-test showed p = .333 > .05 with Cohen’s d = 0.22 (small), indicating no meaningful overall difference. By indicator, ANOVA showed no gender differences (α > .05) except for logical progression (p = .029). …

Empowering Youth In A Changing Climate: Design, Implementation, And Evaluation Of A Salt Marsh Summer Science Program, Dan Levesque

Graduate Masters Theses

Climate change presents not only environmental challenges but also emotional challenges for today’s youth. This thesis documents the design, implementation, and evaluation of a field-based summer science program aimed at empowering adolescents with coastal salt marsh ecology while addressing climate change emotions and science identity development. The program, based in a Massachusetts salt marsh, was adapted from existing public environmental curricula and guided by place- and experience-based learning principles. Over Spring and Summer 2025, 13 students (ages 13-18) participated in extra-curricular field trips, hands-on research activities, and reflective discussions about the environment and the emotions it brings forth. Pre- and …

Environmental Science And Sustainable Development: Behavioral Transformation To Knowledge System Integration For Sustainability Action, Ahyahudin Sodri, Herdis Herdiansyah

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Sustainability issues are now a global concern. However, knowing the root causes of problems and the target is not the only factor that constantly motivates change for the better (Wamsle & Osberg, 2022) as such change also requires encouragement from actors, including individuals, organizations, and communities. Therefore, the human aspect is crucial for the successful achievement of sustainability (Hariram et al., 2023). In other words, questions on sustainability are not just about "what should be done?" and also on “how to get people to do it?” and “why are currently available interventions not yet fully utilized?” …

From Enhancement To Substitution: A Strategic Provocation On Simulation-Based Sport, Grant B. Morgan, Andreas Stamatis

Journal of Applied Sport Management

Advances in artificial intelligence, large-scale machine learning, and simulation technologies are rapidly transforming how sport is played, analyzed, and consumed. To date, most scholarly and industry discussions frame these technologies as tools that enhance embodied sport by improving performance, officiating, media production, and fan engagement. This paper extends that conversation by posing a more provocative strategic question: under what conditions might simulation move from enhancement to substitution? Focusing explicitly on sport as a business and entertainment enterprise, we argue that many of sport’s core sources of cultural and economic value—uncertainty of outcome, narrative continuity, legitimacy, and collective meaning—are structurally …

Memo Metodológico: Elaboración De La Investigación Titulada “Ser Deseo. El Deseo Femenino Como Abyecto En El Filme Thelma.” [Reporte De Investigación], Ximena Diaz Santillán, Romano Ponce Díaz

Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM

Realizar una tesis de grado siempre constituye un reto, pero también una oportunidad para desarrollar las habilidades y métodos de investigación que serán la base de futuros trabajos. Pese a que, en apariencia, la elección de un filme como objeto de estudio en la licenciatura en Lengua y Literaturas Hispánicas puede resultar extraña, las herramientas adquiridas a lo largo de la formación permiten explorar diversos productos culturales como textos; es decir, se trata de entramados sígnicos que se interrelacionan para generar un sentido dirigido a un público. Si bien existen teorías como la estética de la recepción en la que …

Role-Playing Game Studies: A Transmedia Approach Por José Pablo Zagal, Y Sebastian Deterding, (Editores). (2018). [Reseña], Cristo Leon, Edgar Meritano

Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM

"Role-Playing Game Studies: A Transmedia Approach," editado por José P. Zagal y Sebastian Deterding (2018b), es una recopilación exhaustiva del estado actual de la investigación sobre los juegos de rol a través de diversas disciplinas, culturas y medios. El libro traza la historia de los juegos de rol desde sus precursores en los juegos de guerra (wargames) hasta los juegos de mesa (Tabletop), el juego de rol en vivo (live-action role-play), y los juegos de rol contemporáneos de computadora y en línea. Cada capítulo ofrece perspectivas y hallazgos de disciplinas clave como …

Hate Speech Detection Using Optimized Feature Representation Via Spiral-Grey Wolf Optimizer-Based Machine Learning Approaches, Noor S. Farhan, Matheel E. Abdulmunim, Hasanen S. Abdullah

Journal of Soft Computing and Computer Applications

Hate speech detection is crucial as social media diversifies. This research present a lightweight, scalable system using traditional machine learning methods along with a new approach called Spiral-Grey Wolf Optimizer (S-GWO).

S-GWO effectively selects key features that consider both meaning and content from the Term Frequency Inverse Document Frequency (TF-IDF) space, leading to high-quality representation without excessive computing power.

The propoused system was tested on Arabic and another English datasets using six machine learning methods: SVM, RF, LR, KNN, NB, and SGD. It achieved 92% accuracy and F1 score on the Arabic dataset, while reaching 100% accuracy on the English …

Evaluation Method For Nighttime Visual Space Improvement On Mountain Roads, Zhao Yan, Chen Yanli, Chen Jiale

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To address issues such as poor visual guidance,narrow field of view,and short sight distance during nighttime driving on mountain roads,this study proposed a visual space enhancement evaluation method applicable to mountainous roads at night.By integrating active and passive traffic safety facilities,a visual space enhancement strategy adapted to the nighttime environment of mountain roads was proposed.A multidimensional evaluation indicator for visual space was established based on co-simulation.The effectiveness of the strategy was verified from the perspectives of visual space expansion and driving safety improvement by taking a trunk highway in the Qinling mountainous region as a case study.The results show that …

Mathematical Modeling Of Awareness-Driven Interventions For Gender-Based Violence Control In A Closed Population, Furaha M. Chuma, Edward K. Ngailo, Zubeda S. Mussa

Tanzania Journal of Science

Gender-based violence (GBV) remains a critical global health issue with profound social, economic, and psychological implications. Despite concerted efforts to address this challenge, traditional intervention approaches often fall short of effectively mitigating its prevalence. In recent years, there has been growing recognition of the potential impact of awareness-based interventions in addressing various social and health crises. This paper introduces a modeling framework to explore the efficacy of awareness-based interventions in influencing the dynamics of the GBV epidemic within a closed population. A detailed sensitivity analysis, utilizing a normalized sensitivity index method, reveals that the violence transfer rate between perpetrators and …

Developing A Tool To Measure Resistance To Sustainable Food Choices: A Pilot Study In Ireland And The Netherlands, Kate Flanagan, Bart Sinteur, Patricia J. Bulsing, John M. Kearney

SURE Journal: Science Undergraduate Research Experience Journal

Consumer uptake of a sustainable diet is critical for addressing environmental challenges and promoting public health. Understanding why consumers resist adopting sustainable eating habits can inform targeted interventions and policies. This pilot study examines whether a newly developed scale can effectively detect consumer resistance to a sustainable diet. Currently, there is a lack of research on a tool to measure consumer resistance to a sustainable diet, highlighting the need for a reliable instrument.

The aim of this study is to develop a scale, based on existing literature, to measure consumer resistance to a sustainable diet. Additionally, the study aims to …

Editorial-Sure Journal Volume 7, Issue 2, Geraldine M. Dowling, Eva Campion, Sinead Loughran, Ariane Perez-Gavilan, Josephine Treacy

SURE Journal: Science Undergraduate Research Experience Journal

No abstract provided.

Mapping Sustainability To Cybernetic-Generative Artificial Intelligence-Based Education: An Innovative Neutrosophic Orbifold-Lattice Methodology, Mona Mohamed, Ahmed A. Metwaly

Neutrosophic Systems with Applications

The lightning-fast development of artificial intelligence (AI), notably generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) technologies, has intrigued multiple disciplines, particularly education. In this context, Large Language Models (LLMs) serve as beneficial cognitive resources that address knowledge deficits and provide tailored educational support for learners and staff. For learners, LLMs are regarded as knowledgeable educators who offer prompt, focused responses and rationales to tricky queries. Whereby LLMs for staff, Strength enhancer, automating tedious tasks, and creating intelligent resources.Gen AI’s rapid growth offers enormous obstacles for educational systems, compelling them to discover solutions for these obstacles.

Conceptually, cybernetics is leveraged for bridging the …

Green Nudging: Psychology Facilitates Environmental Protection And Climate Policy, Fuming Xu, Anning Liu, Xinjing Li

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Environmental pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and global warming are the major realities threatening all mankind today, urging all countries in the world to take immediate actions to protect the environment, save energy, reduce emissions, and curb global warming. In practice, it is difficult to completely solve these urgent problems by relying only on laws and regulations, administrative orders and other coercive means, as well as incentives such as monetary incentives. Hence, it is necessary to use the results of relevant research in psychology and behavioral sciences to facilitate environmental protection, energy conservation, and climate policy, and to play an important …

Black Women And Latinas In Stem: A Systematic Review Of Literature, Karin Moore

The Scholarship Without Borders Journal

This systematic review of literature examines scholarly studies conducted on Black women and Latinas in STEM fields and in STEM higher education. Women are underrepresented in STEM, and on average they comprise 27% of the STEM population (National Science Foundation, 2017). Black women and Latinas are even further underrepresented in STEM by making up only 14.58 % and 3% of the employees in STEM industries (Hispanic Heritage Foundation, 2020; National Science Foundation, 2021). Barriers for all women are the focus of much of the body of literature in STEM (Beach et al., 2024; Moore, 2024). Isolating specific challenges Black women …

A Systematic Study Of Passkey User Experience Consistency, Bernhardt Ramat

Theses and Dissertations

Passkeys have emerged as a more secure authentication method than passwords, providing a passwordless alternative resistant to phishing and credential theft attacks. Despite their growing adoption, a systematic study into the user experience of passkeys across various websites has yet to be conducted. Usability heuristics suggest that users transfer their expectations from one product to another, and therefore, inconsistencies in passkey deployments can increase cognitive load, resulting in frustration and possible rejection. To address this knowledge gap, this paper presents a comparative analysis of the external functional consistency of the passkey user experience across 111 websites. Our research reveals that …

Wild Robots: Humans, Wilderness, And Technology In Becky Chambers’ Monk And Robot Series, Melissa Moore

Honors Theses

As technology advances and the environment deteriorates, the way people view the relationships between technology, wilderness, and humans becomes essential for society to move forward. To investigate perceptions about technology’s place in an environmentally conscious society, this project examines manifestations of wilderness/wildness and technology in Becky Chambers’ Monk and Robot series through the lens of ecocriticism. Using Timothy Morton's concept of the ecological thought as a framework for analysis, the circumstances present in the novel suggest that the triangle separating humans, wilderness, and technology has actually collapsed, replaced by an enmeshment of technology, wilderness, and humanity.

Face Value: A Computational Approach To Subjective Impressions Of Faces, Kevin Kpankou

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Various computational models of first impressions have been developed to uncover the mechanisms driving these judgments. However, the implicit notion of a singular ``human'' often overlooks meaningful individual differences in beliefs, attitudes, and associations, as well as culturally grounded group-level constructs. In this paper, we extend Cultural Consensus Theory (CCT) to estimate culturally shared beliefs about faces by incorporating latent constructs structured around interpretable facial features extracted via computer vision algorithms. We apply our model to a large-scale dataset of people’s first impressions of faces. Our approach reveals a robust mapping between facial features and culturally constructed impressions, allowing us …

Tests Without Borders: A Global Approach To Measuring Visualization Literacy, Olivia A. Guess

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Visualization literacy assessments shape how we understand people's ability to interpret data, yet most existing instruments embed Western datasets and assumptions that limit their relevance for global audiences. This thesis argues that because data is personal, assessments must also be culturally grounded. We introduce a unified framework for adapting the Mini-VLAT into 22 regionally responsive short-form assessments, each retaining the structure of the original test while incorporating datasets and scenarios tailored to specific regions around the world. To demonstrate how such adaptations can be customized and validated, we present a detailed case study of a Ghana-adapted Mini-VLAT, developed in collaboration …

Predicting The Attitudes Towards Mathematical Modeling Of Primary Math Teachers: The Role Of Self-Efficacy And Motivation, Brenden Rawls

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this non-experimental quantitative predictive correlational study was to investigate the extent to which efficacy for pedagogy in mathematics, efficacy for teaching mathematics content, effectance motivation in mathematics, years of experience, and access to statistics, data science, or mathematical modeling courses predict attitudes toward constructivist practices in mathematical modeling of Virginia primary school mathematics teachers. The goal of the research was to understand what affective characteristics support effective adoption Virginia's mathematics curriculum change. Higher levels of mathematics teacher self-efficacy have been associated with constructivist instructional practices and higher levels of student achievement. The sample included kindergarten through fifth-grade …

Testing For Dice Control At Craps, Stewart N. Ethier

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

Dice control involves “setting” the dice and then throwing them carefully, in the hope of influencing the outcomes and gaining an advantage at craps. How does one test for this ability? To specify the alternative hypothesis, we need a statistical model of dice control. Two have been suggested in the gambling literature, namely the Smith–Scott model and the Wong–Shackleford model. Both models are parameterized by θ ∈ [0, 1], which measures the shooter’s level of control. We propose and compare four test statistics: (a) the sample proportion of 7s; (b) the sample proportion of pass-line wins; (c) the sample mean …

A Comparison Of Airborne Tree Pollen In The Las Vegas Valley From 2017 – 2021, Asma Tahir

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Airborne pollen are a predominant cause of asthma, allergic disease, and respiratory infections. The strong allergenic potential of tree pollen is of a public health concern. Several allergenic trees grow in the Mojave Desert, but not all are native to the region. Concentrations of airborne tree pollen are affected by atmospheric, environmental, ecological, and geospatial factors. Previous research has reported high tree pollen concentrations in the Las Vegas Valley, but long-term comparison studies are lacking. This study measured and compared tree pollen concentrations from five different collection stations in Las Vegas. Pollen samples collected from January 1, 2017, to December …

Modeling The Mojave: A Multiphase, Mixed Methods Phenomenological Investigation Of Novice Understanding Of A Complex Ecological System, Nicole Juliana Thomas

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This research explores early college science majors’ conceptions of the Mojave Desert ecosystem as a complex system. A multi-level, explanatory sequential mixed methods design was employed to study college science majors’ understanding of the Mojave Desert ecosystem to better inform science pedagogy. The first level, the quantitative phase of the study, consisted of developing a mathematical representation of twelve ecosystem variables present within the Mojave Desert. The second level, the qualitative phase of the study, consisted of phenomenological semi-structured interviews with 23 early college science majors. The findings of this research suggest that the Mojave Desert operates as a complex, …

Ankimedbench: Evaluating Hierarchical Medical Knowledge In Language Model Embeddings, Neel Patel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Despite achieving over 90% accuracy on medical benchmarks, recent studies show physicians cannot effectively leverage language models to improve clinical reasoning. Current benchmarks test isolated factual recall, but clinical practice requires hierarchical navigation through diagnostic categories—starting broad and narrowing systematically from chest pain to cardiovascular pathology to myocardial infarction to specific STEMI types. Existing evaluations cannot measure whether models preserve this taxonomic structure essential for clinical reasoning.

We introduce AnkiMedBench, built from 16,512 medical flashcards used by students preparing for licensing exams. Cards are organized across six hierarchy levels spanning 16 broad medical specialties to 672 specific diseases and conditions. …

Modern Technology Addiction: Developer Duty Of Care, Jonah Hampton

Honors College Theses

Technology addiction includes any frequent use of technology which interferes in the user’s life. The subject continues growth as an epidemic and research field, yet prior literature does not often analyze the role of technology developers. This study performs a literature and legal synthesis to evaluate user and company responsibility, implications of responsibility, and promising solutions. Post 2020 literature was selected for coverage on context, addictive features, effects, solutions, or perspectives on law. Legal examples from different addiction industries were also selected for analysis to understand previous precedents. The study found a pattern of addictive traits, persuasive design, and recurring …

Application Of Augmented Reality Technology As A Dietary Monitoring And Control Measure Among Adults: A Systematic Review, Gabrielle Victoria Gonzalez, Bingjing Mao, Ruxin Wang, Wen Liu, Chen Wang, Tung Sung Tseng

School of Public Health Faculty Publications

Background/Objectives: Traditional dietary monitoring methods such as 24 h recalls rely on self-report, leading to recall bias and underreporting. Similarly, dietary control approaches, including portion control and calorie restriction, depend on user accuracy and consistency. Augmented reality (AR) offers a promising alternative for improving dietary monitoring and control by enhancing engagement, feedback accuracy, and user learning. This systematic review aimed to examine how AR technologies are implemented to support dietary monitoring and control and to evaluate their usability and effectiveness among adults. Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, CINAHL, and Embase identified studies published between 2000 and 2025 that evaluated …

From Textbook To Classroom: Gaps In Mathematical Representation And Translation In Nepali Education, Deepak Basyal

Mathematics and Statistics

Translating real-world problem contexts into mathematical symbols is a key skill in curricula worldwide. This study examines Nepali students’ abilities to translate words into symbols and how Nepali textbooks from earlier grades support the development of these skills. To investigate this phenomenon, a sequential explanatory study was conducted with a test for 10th graders and an analysis of Grades 6—9 textbooks. Results show that students struggle to convert real-world contexts into mathematical symbols, while textbooks provide limited opportunities for practice. In particular, students have difficulty translating symbols back into real-world situations, suggesting a link between textbook opportunities and achievement. These …

Book Of Abstracts, Seton Hall University

2025 Augustine Undergraduate Research Symposium

No abstract provided.