Digital Commons Network^™

Immigration Securitization And Educational Access: The Impact Of U.S. Immigration Policy On International Students, Cossir Carter

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study examines the securitization of international students within the broader transformation of United States immigration policy from the post-9/11 era to the present administration. Following the September 11 attacks, immigration governance was increasingly reorganized under a national security framework, significantly altering the regulatory environment surrounding student visas. Subsequent policy shifts have intensified monitoring mechanisms and administrative controls that directly shape international students’ access to education and mobility. Given the sensitivity of immigration-related participation in the current political climate, this research employs qualitative policy analysis rather than direct student surveys. Under the Trump administration, this securitization intensified through stricter visa …

Preserve Democracy By Teaching Social Action, Cheyenne C. Luzynski

2026 Scholarly Teaching Conference: Concurrent Session Papers

This presentation introduces social action pedagogy aimed to empower students to lead campaigns on pressing social issues and strengthen their participation in democracy. Teaching social action has enhanced the knowledge, practice, and skills of leadership and civic engagement. America’s Promise Alliance conducted a research study on the state of young people in 2024 and found that young people have low trust in American institutions and adults and feel negatively affected by the current social and political climate (Flanagan et al., 2025). The report also found that young people want access to civic education and engagement opportunities to correct inequalities and …

A Two-Stage Changepoint-Copula Framework For Non-Stationary Count Time Series: Application To Tropical Cyclones, Md Iqbal Hossain, Norou Diawara

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

Cross-basin tropical cyclone variability may exhibit complex, non-linear dependence structures influenced by large-scale climate modes and potential regime shifts. Reliance on traditional linear correlation measures without accounting for structural changes can therefore lead to misleading interpretations of global storm relationships. This study investigates the regional dependence structures of tropical cyclone counts across six major ocean basins (NA, ENP, WNP, NI, SI, and SP) from 1980 to 2024. We adopt a two-stage analytical framework integrating changepoint detection and copula modeling to address non-stationarity in both marginal distributions and dependence structures. First, we identify a significant structural break in the year 2000 …

Financing Global Health Governance: The World Health Organization, The Who Foundation, And The Shifting Landscape Of Development Financing, Johanny O. Reyes

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis analyzes the structural financing challenges facing the World Health Organization (WHO) and their implications for global health governance. It argues that WHO’s financial fragility is not merely a technical problem but the result of long-standing political and institutional choices that have shifted the Organization away from predictable public financing toward donor-driven, earmarked voluntary contributions. Drawing on WHO constitutional provisions, programme budget data, governance documents, and academic literature, the study traces the evolution of WHO’s financing model and examines how this transformation has constrained the Organization’s priority-setting authority, operational flexibility, and normative leadership.

The COVID-19 pandemic serves as a …

Assessing Climate Change Impacts On Wildfire Risk In Central Appalachian Forests Of The Eastern United States, Imiya Mudiyanselage Chathuranika, Dalya Ismael

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Wildfire risk is increasing in the eastern U.S., yet spatial and climate-driven assessments remain limited. This study evaluates climate change impacts on wildfire risk in the Upper James Watershed (UJW) using baseline (2000–2019), near-future (2021–2040), and far-future (2061–2080) projections from a 12-model CMIP6 global climate model (GCM) ensemble under SSP2–4.5 and SSP5–8.5. A wildfire risk model was developed in ArcGIS Pro using nine key factors and validated with MODIS hotspot data, showing good agreement between modeled risk patterns and observed fire occurrences (NOF = 0.21, RMSE = 4.20, MAE = 3.37). Baseline risk was primarily driven by land cover, fire-lookout …

Tilting The Playing Field: Executive Attacks On Big Law Firms As A Mechanism Of American Competitive Authoritarianism, Sajah Ali

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines how President Donald Trump’s executive campaign against elite law firms, collectively known as “Big Law,” serves as a concrete case study of competitive authoritarianism in action. Drawing on Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way’s framework in their work The Path to American Authoritarianism, this thesis applies their four pillars of competitive authoritarianism to the administration’s executive orders targeting major law firms and maps those pillars onto three distinct firm responses: fighting back, capitulation, and quiet retreat. Situating this case study within the broader political context of Trump’s second term, this thesis finds that while the United States has …

From Coverage To Care: Evaluating The Effects Of Aca Medicaid Expansion On Birth Outcomes, Bailey R. Lengfelder

Economics Honors Projects

I examine the impact of the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion on maternal and fetal health outcomes using National Center for Health Statistics Natality data from 2006 to 2023. I exploit staggered state adoption as a quasi-experiment, and the staggered differences-in-differences estimates indicate an increase in the share of Medicaid births but broadly no impact on maternal prenatal care, maternal health, and fetal health. The absence of statistically significant effects is consistent across heterogeneity groups. These null findings indicate that expanded insurance access through the Affordable Care Act may be insufficient to improve health outcomes. I do find a statistically …

Design Considerations For Development Of A Youth Advisory Board, Michelle I. Graef, Penny Putnam Collins

Center on Children, Families, and the Law (and Related Organizations): Publications

This guide provides an overview of youth advisory board (YAB) design components. The guide is organized around key design components, with examples from States across the country to illustrate different approaches. A range of examples are provided that highlight diverse and instructive models of the various ways YABs have been structured. Each section describes approaches that states have used in practice, offering jurisdictions a menu of options to consider when developing or strengthening their own YABs. Descriptive information about state YABs was gathered through interviews conducted with state YAB administrators and contractors from 8 states, conducted from October–December 2024. Examples …

Bridging The Gap: Predictors Of Alignment Of Parent And Caseworker Perceptions Of Engagement, Jianchao Lai, Michelle I. Graef

Center on Children, Families, and the Law: Faculty Publications

This study examined predictors of alignment between parents’ and caseworkers’ perceptions of family engagement in child welfare services. Using data from 2,274 Alternative Response (AR)–eligible families randomized to AR or Traditional Response, engagement was assessed across the domains of Receptivity, Buy-in, Worker-family Relationship, and Mistrust using a modified Yatchmenoff (2005) scale. Multinomial logistic regression models identified factors associated with agreement and discrepancy between ratings of family engagement within the parent and worker dyad. While both parents and workers valued engagement, workers were more likely to provide higher overall engagement ratings, although the direction of discrepancy varied across specific subscales. Greater …

Resilience By Design: Evidence From The Richmond Resilience Initiative, Research Institute For Social Equity Rise, Morgan Woodle Phd, Albert Okwei, Yali Pang, Nakeina E. Douglas-Glenn

Research Institute for Social Equity

This report presents a programmatic evaluation of the Richmond Resilience Initiative (RRI), a guaranteed income program designed to support economic stability among Richmond Residents experiencing financial hardship. The evaluation focuses on participants in Cohort Two and Cohort Three, examining program impacts over the two-year periods during which participants received cash transfers. Guaranteed income (GI), the provision of recurring, unconditional cash transfers, has grown in popularity as a significant policy innovation for addressing economic insecurity and inequality in the United States.

Establishing A Nonmedical Cannabis Market In Virginia: Implications For Equity, Craig Dearield Phd, Anna Grace Causey, Rowan Baylosis, Nakeina E. Douglas-Glenn Phd

Research Institute for Social Equity

Virginia passed an adult-use (recreational; non-medical) cannabis law that went into effect on July 1, 2021. Allowing adult possession of cannabis requires the passage of laws and regulations that govern this market (often similar to tobacco or alcohol) due to the intoxicating nature of cannabis and to ensuring the safety of the production processes. Establishing a formal retail market can also address harms related to public health and criminal justice, and benefit state agencies and residents. In order to maximize benefits, Virginia must implement the market with an equity perspective to ensure just treatment for all residents and organizations.

Towards Supporting Real-Time Estimation Of Vehicle Fuel Consumption And Co2 Emissions In Smart City Applications, Abrar Alali, Stephan Olariu

Computer Science Faculty Publications

This paper evaluates a simplified physics-based energy demand model designed to estimate vehicle fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions—a critical tool for sustainable transportation planning and smart city applications. Unlike data-driven regression models that lack generalizability for user-defined conditions or complex physics-based approaches that rely on extensive, often proprietary data, the simplified model is distinguished by its minimal parameter requirements, depending primarily on a single, overarching powertrain efficiency value. A key contribution is the comprehensive empirical evaluation of the simplified model against official Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) test data across multiple driving cycles and vehicle types, providing a rigorous validation previously …

The Influence Of Scale In Modeling Social Vulnerability And Disaster Assistance, Sina Razzaghi Asl, Oronde Drakes, Eric Tate, Samuel Brody, Wesley Highfield, Kayode Atoba

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

Understanding how social vulnerability relates to disaster impacts is critical for addressing social equity, yet the role of spatial scale in this relationship is often overlooked. Most studies use aggregated data, risking ecological fallacy-misinterpreting individual outcomes from group-level data. This study examines how spatial scale influences the relationship between social vulnerability and federal disaster assistance after Hurricane Harvey. Using spatial econometric models at both household and census tract levels, we assessed the strength of key vulnerability indicators in explaining disaster assistance. Results show that disability, housing tenure, household size, and income predict assistance at the household level, but their influence …

Governing Harm: Three Essays On Anti-Lgbtq+ Legislation In The United States, Kathryn Hickey

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

In the United States, over 140 state bills were passed between 2014 and 2024 that directly targeted the lives of LGBTQ+ individuals. Drawing on administrative evil and the minority stress model, this dissertation demonstrates how policy environments that normalize discrimination through the passage of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation can lead to devastating consequences. Using a three-essay format, the first study conducts a qualitative content analysis of state level anti-LGBTQ+ laws passed between 2015 and 2024 to identify how administrative evil is woven into the language of the legislation. The results of this analysis show these laws systematically dehumanize LGBTQ+ individuals, restrict their …

Building A Digital Altar For The Justice-Centered Torch-Bearers: The Role Of Digital Networks In Supporting Contemporary Racial Justice Activists Through Contemplative Practices, Renée L. Bradford

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This mixed-methods study aimed to identify factors critical in building a digital support network employing contemplative practices to support activists engaging in racial justice work in the United States. The research question that guided this study was: What factors do racial justice activists regard as critical in building a digital support network employing contemplative practices? The study’s importance lies in addressing the evolving landscape of digital activism while honoring the spiritual and relational foundations that have historically sustained social justice movements, particularly as contemporary activists navigate new technological tools while seeking to maintain authentic connection and contemplative grounding. Key findings …

Navigating Financial Futures: A Case Study Of A Targeted Financial Literacy Program For African American College Students, Michael L. James

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation presents a qualitative analysis of a targeted financial literacy program designed for African American college students. The dissertation examined how African American college students describe and make meaning of their participation in a targeted financial literacy program, particularly in relation to the program’s structure, content, and delivery. Despite growing interest in financial literacy education, interventions that acknowledge the persistent wealth gap and systemic financial inequities faced by African Americans remain underexplored. Employing a case study research method within a program understanding framework, this study investigated a program at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Findings reveal that the …

Antecedents Of Emergency Services’ Street Level Bureaucrats’ (Slbs) Delivery Of Public Value: An Exploratory Study, Yvonne Brunetto, Ben Farr-Wharton, Aglae Hernandez Grande, Fleur Sharafizad, Matthew Richman

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Street Level Organisations (SLOs) determine the Psychosocial Safety Climate (PSC) in their workplaces and we examine pathways from SLBs’ PSC and Public Service Motivation (PSM) to discretionary power, work stress, wellbeing and the subsequent delivery of public value. The structural equation modelling results from 195 Australian police, fire, ambulance, and emergency services workers indicate that PSC had a more significant role in explaining SLBs’ delivery of public value compared with PSM. The implication is that SLOs’ management must ensure psychosocially safe and supportive workplaces conducive to building SLBs’ wellbeing, because that is the pathway for delivering public value.

Yk-4-250, A Synthetic Telmisartan-Tempol Conjugate: Crystal Structure Of A Stabilized Free Radical Containing An Angiotensin At₁ Receptor Inhibitor, Simon Friedrich, Yali Kong, Faik N. Musayev, Milton L. Brown, B. Frank Gupton

Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences Faculty Publications

We report the first crystal structure of the telmisartan-tempol conjugate 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-(λ'-oxidaneyl)piperidin-4-yl 4'-[(1,7'-dimethyl-2'-propyl-1H,3'H-[2,5'-bibenzo[d]imidazol]-3'-yl)methyl]-[1,1'-biphenyl]-2-carboxylate free radical (YK-4-250, C₄₂H₄₆N₅O₃), a dual-function inhibitor designed to target both the angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT₁R) and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Structural analysis reveals a unique crystal architecture in which the nitroxide radical is stabilized within a sterically protected environment while preserving the telmisartan pharmacophore essential for high-affinity receptor antagonism. YK-4-250 is a novel small-molecule conjugate of telmisartan and tempol that incorporates a catalytic stabilized nitroxide radical and was rationally designed to mitigate gastrointestinal acute radiation syndrome (GI-ARS).

Scoring Equitable Transit: A Data-Driven Framework For Affordable Transit-Oriented Development In California, Ahoura Zandiatashbar, Anton Rozhkov, Stephanie Nemet, Atticus Washington, Mounashree Prasanna

Mineta Transportation Institute

Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) is a cornerstone of California’s climate and land use policy, promising walkable, compact neighborhoods near high-quality transit. However, these benefits are not always distributed equitably. This study introduces a scalable framework for identifying and scoring Affordable Transit-Oriented Development (A-TOD) across the state’s High-Quality Transit Areas (HQTAs). The goal is to equip policymakers, planners, and housing agencies with tools to evaluate station areas based on their physical form, affordability, and equity outcomes. Using a 1.5-mile network-based pedestrian buffer around over 66,000 transit stations, the research team developed a three-stage clustering and scoring system. Station areas were classified by …

Numerical Modeling Of Climate Change Impacts On Transportation Embankments, Amr Morsy, Mamata Sapkota, Emma Varela, Odalys Portillo

Mineta Transportation Institute

Embankments are essential components of transportation infrastructure, providing crucial support for long stretches of highways, railways, and other routes in California and around the world. Clay embankments are susceptible to weather-related deterioration processes that can gradually compromise their stability and, in some cases, lead to unexpected failures. Climate change, along with the associated shifts in weather patterns, is projected to adversely impact the weather-related deterioration processes, leading to exacerbated failures and/or shorter service life. Additionally, climate change is projected to increase the frequency of extreme precipitation events, leading to an increase in embankment failure potential. This study evaluated (1) the …

Enhancing Traffic State Estimation At Bottlenecks Through Improved Demand Modeling: A Greenshields-Grounded Approach, Yuyan Annie Pan, Xianbiao Hu, Qing Tang, Yanyan Chen, Xuesong (Simon) Zhou

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Accurate estimation of traffic state under oversaturated conditions is fundamental to a wide range of transportation applications. While intuitive, volume-to-capacity (q/qc) ratio-based link performance functions (LPF) are challenged by the U-shaped pattern of real-world speed-flow plots, which contradict the monotonic assumptions of link performance models such as the Bureau of Public Roads (BPR) function, particularly when q/q_c ≥ 1. This study addresses this critical gap by proposing an enhanced demand estimation method grounded in the Greenshields model, incorporating a real-time inflow correction factor to more accurately capture traffic demand at bottlenecks. In parallel, a modified LPF is introduced, replacing …

Swimming In Uncertainty: Filling Data Gaps And Providing An Educational Platform For Beach Water Quality At Tybee Island, Georgia, Lukas Roberson

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

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Swimming in beaches water contaminated with high levels of bacteria can make you sick. Current monitoring at the public beaches on Tybee Island consists of weekly monitoring and enumeration of fecal indicator bacteria that takes 24 hours for results. If the number of bacteria exceed regulatory limits, a public health advisory is issued, and affected waters are retested until …

Association Between Neighborhood Social Determinants Of Health And Stillbirth, Tetsuya Kawakita, Misa Hayasaka, Ann M. Harper, John Brush, George Saade

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVE:

To examine the association between neighborhood-level social determinants of health and stillbirth.

METHODS:

We performed a retrospective cohort study of deliveries that occurred at a gestational age of at least 20 weeks within a five-hospital system (2012-2022). Electronic health record data mapped to the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership Common Data Model were geocoded using addresses at the time of delivery and linked to neighborhood health indices, which included the Area Deprivation Index (ADI), Maternal Vulnerability Index (MVI), and Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) at the Census tract level. Stillbirths were adjudicated by medical record review. Modified Poisson regression generated relative …

Racial Differences In Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes And Incident Hypertension: A Mediation Analysis, Lucia C. Petito, Xiaoning Huang, C. Noel Bairey, Natalie Bello, Janet Catov, Ernesto Licon, Abbi Lane, David M. Haas, Lisa D. Levine, Rebecca B. Mcneil, Eliza Miller, Uma M. Reddy, Bethany Barone Gibbs, George Saade, Lauren Theilen, Laura E. Wiener, Brian M. Mercer, Hyagriv N. Simhan, Lynn M. Yee, Philip Greenland, William A. Grobman, Sadiya S. Khan

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology Faculty Publications

Background

Adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) are associated with increased hypertension risk. Black women experience higher rates of APOs and hypertension compared with White women, but whether APOs contribute to Black-White hypertension disparities remains unknown.

Methods

The nuMoM2b-HHS (Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study: Monitoring Mothers-To-Be-Heart Health Study) prospectively recruited nulliparous pregnant people at 8 US centers (2010-2013) with follow-up 2 to 7 years postpartum (2014-2017). Race, which represents a social construct, was self-identified. The primary outcome was incident hypertension at follow-up. APOs included hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, preterm birth, and small-for-gestational age birth. Potential confounders (psychological health, social factors, and health behaviors) …

The Impact Of Substance Abuse Problems And Serious Mental Illness/Serious Emotional Distress On Post-Discharge Residential Status Among Clients With Behavioral And Cognitive Disorders: Evidence From Samhsa Mh-Cld Data, Eden Moges, Norma Rochez, William Peycha, Aditya Chakraborty

Epidemiology, Biostatistics, & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Behavioral and cognitive disorders can undermine housing stability, a key determinant of mental health recovery, with persistent disparities across demographic and socioeconomic groups. This study examined the associations of substance abuse problems (SAP) and serious mental illness/serious emotional distress (SMISED) with residential status at discharge from mental health facilities.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study used the utilized data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Descriptive statistics were used to summarize demographic characteristics, whereas univariate and multivariable logistic regression models were employed to assess associations between the covariates and the residential outcome, adjusting for a variety of …

The Effect Of The Affordable Care Act Medicaid Expansion On The Risk Of Hospital Closure And Adolescent Hpv Immunization In Rural Counties, Juliette Des Rosiers

Scripps Senior Theses

From 2005 to 2025, over 200 rural hospitals shut their doors, often citing increased operational costs, staffing shortages, low patient volume, regulatory barriers, financial challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and uncompensated care as common contributors to the closures. Rural patients are often referred by their primary care physician to a hospital for regular immunizations, since smaller clinics have less capacity to provide immunizations due to a shortage of pediatricians and limited vaccine stock. A crucial vaccine that is not required by schools and underutilized in rural areas is that against human papillomavirus (HPV), a virus that infects cutaneous and …

Can An Experienced Qualitative Researcher Distinguish Ai From Human Qualitative Content Analysis?, Alexandra T. Lucas, Jianna Ramos, Maria Bajwa, Aaron Calhoun, Mark W. Scerbo, Janice C. Palaganas

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become increasingly embedded in research workflows. Large language models (LLMs) are being used to code segments of text, organise codes into themes and interpret patterns within contexts. Recent comparisons between human and AI analyses demonstrate up to 80% thematic overlap, yet humans consistently exhibit deeper interpretive integration and contextual understanding. This study assesses whether experienced researchers can distinguish between entirely human-generated and AI-generated qualitative content analyses of a simulation debriefing.

Methods

We conducted a qualitative descriptive study comparing human-generated qualitative content analysis (QCA) with ChatGPT-4o-generated QCA using a single focus group transcript on emotion management …

A Modular Virtual Reality Training Framework For Multi-Target Drone Defense, Susann Schleupner

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Unmanned aerial systems (UAS), commonly referred to as drones, have become a rapidly growing challenge in modern military operations. In particular, the increasing use of small, agile, and low-cost systems—such as first-person-view (FPV) drones and coordinated multi-drone deployments—places high cognitive demands on operators, requiring rapid target detection, prioritization, and decision-making under time pressure.

Existing training approaches either rely on costly and logistically constrained live exercises or focus primarily on isolated piloting and shooting tasks, without sufficiently addressing these cognitive demands. At the same time, advances in commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) virtual reality (VR) hardware enable scalable, flexible, and repeatable training environments. …

Exploring Barriers And Facilitators Of Mental Health Treatment For Law Enforcement Officers: The Impact Of Police Occupational Culture, April Reed

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Prior research has explored the impact of police culture on mental health stigma among law enforcement, however, a deeper understanding about how different aspects of police culture may inhibit or facilitate mental health treatment utilization is needed to inform policy and practice. This dissertation explores the relationship between police culture and mental health using a qualitative research design. Twenty-five (n=25) law enforcement officers from a county sheriff’s office in Central Florida were interviewed and participant observations were conducted during a three-month period. The present study sought to address the following research questions: What are the experiences of the job and …

The Intersection Of Abuse, Child Welfare, And The Law For Intimate Partner Violence Survivors: Gender Violence As An Antagonistic Social Force, Julio Montanez

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Intimate partner violence (IPV)—as gender violence—pits children’s civil rights and women’s civil liberties against each other. To explore this phenomenon, the current work features five (5) studies that aim to understand the systemic consequences of IPV and child maltreatment for victims and survivors of both types of abuse.

• Study 1 is a qualitative-deductive study featuring a directed content analysis of news media pertaining to a trial court case on lethal child maltreatment and IPV.
• Study 2 is a qualitative-inductive study featuring a feminist critical discourse analysis of trial court data on lethal child maltreatment and IPV.
• Study 3 is a …