Digital Commons Network^™

The Ones Who Watched: Technology, Proxy Warfare, And The Testing Ground Hypothesis, Sean J. Oliver

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Great powers need laboratories for war. This thesis argues that great powers find these laboratories in proxy forces. Proxy warfare is not just a tool for strategic influence. It is a machine for experimentation. This study posits a central testing-ground hypothesis. It contends that great powers deliberately use surrogates to vet emerging technologies, doctrines, and mobilization schemes under the pressure of real combat. The analytical methodology is historical. It traces patterns from the ancient world's proxy forces and the innovations of the Crusades to the Cold War and the digital age. The thesis examines enduring patterns, including the tension between …

Beyond Interests And Ideas: Institutions And The Persistence Of Trade Protectionism In Brazil, Samo Sérgio Gonçalves Tosatti

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

Despite decades of economic reforms and growing international integration since the 1990s, Brazil has remained one of the most protectionist large economies in the global trading system. Tariff levels remain relatively high, the country maintains a limited network of trade agreements, and non-tariff barriers play a significant role in shaping market access. Existing explanations for this persistence have focused primarily on the influence of organized interests, particularly import-competing industries, and the enduring influence of developmentalist ideas rooted in Brazil’s import-substitution industrialization (ISI) legacy.

This dissertation argues that these explanations are incomplete without accounting for a third explanatory dimension: institutions. It …

Experiences With The Criminal Justice System: How Discriminatory Policing Impact Minorities Economically, Gerard I. Boykin

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

Systemic racism is an ailment that has plagued the United States since its inception. This research will highlight previous studies on the topic of race relating to discriminatory policing and injustices within the criminal justice system. Solutions will be offered as to the best remedies to rid the criminal justice system of inequalities faced by those within minority communities. Over-policing is one tactic used within the criminal justice system that targets minorities. Further, minorities are significantly more likely to receive longer prison sentences than White male counterparts for otherwise similar crimes. This study will also engage recently released prisoners to …

The Evolution Of Ethical Conviction, Tracy Henry

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

There is a steady decline in public opinion polling when it comes to the public’s perspective of public officials. In 2023, the combined unfavourability rating of Congress was at 72%.  There are ongoing unfavorable ratings, by issue, for the judiciary, and by individual for the executive. The researcher went in search of the reasons behind the declining opinions. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to identify those reasons and to answer the research question: To what extent do the ethical philosophies of consequentialism, deontology, and virtue inform the perceptions of the American public when they scrutinize the decision-making and conduct of public …

The 2025 American Society Of Pediatric Otolaryngology Workforce And Compensation Survey: Current State And Future Directions, Lyndy J. Wilcox, Cristina M. Baldassari, Amy C. Brenski, Emily Boss, John Carter, David H. Chi, William O. Collins, Charles E. Elmaraghy, Andrew J. Tompkins, Craig S. Derkay, The Aspo 2025 Workforce And Compensation Committee

Department of Otolaryngology (ENT) Faculty Publications

Objective

To provide an updated comprehensive assessment of the Pediatric Otolaryngology workforce in the United States inclusive of compensation, productivity, practice patterns, and on-call burden.

Study Design

Cross-sectional electronic survey.

Methods

A structured electronic survey was developed by members of the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology (ASPO) Workforce and Compensation Committee. The survey evaluated six domains: demographics, compensation, workforce dynamics, productivity, on-call burden, and future priorities, and was distributed to all 480 presumedly actively-practicing, domestic ASPO members.

Results

The survey response rate was 68% (327/480). Ninety-one percent of respondents held an academic appointment with relatively equal percentages of each rank …

Lived Experiences Of Black Girls In The City Of Richmond, Va, Nakeina E. Douglas-Glenn, Yali Pang, Charity Scott, Morgan Woodle, Craig Dearfield, Mariam Ai-Khafaji, T'Niyah Baylor, Faith Holmes, Jin Dorjderem, Rise

Research Institute for Social Equity

The VCU Research Institute for Social Equity (RISE) partnered with Girls For A Change (GFAC), a nonprofit youth development organization, to explore the lived experiences of Black girls in Richmond, Virginia. The report offers a comprehensive understanding of the lives of Black girls by working closely with them and their communities, including their guardians/parents and Black emerging adult women. The voices of Black girls and emerging adult Black women were heard directly through surveys and focus groups, and their parents and guardians provided further insights through interviews. This approach allows us to understand their lived experiences, individual strengths, and community …

Children Past Curfew: Surveillance, Resistance, And Childhood In Philippine Martial Law Children's Literature, Krisna Marie T. Balolong

Children's Literature (MA) Theses

This paper examines how two Philippine children's books depict state surveillance and its effects on a child's perspective of family, authority figures, and childhood. Through analysis of Augie Rivera's Isang Harding Papel and Sandra Nicole Roldan's At the School Gate, this project makes a connection between children's literature and surveillance studies, offering new framework to engage with children’s literature depicting authoritarian regimes and state violence, especially in cases where children were targets of their governments. Each book is examined by their representations of state surveillance during the Martial Law era of the Philippines, as well as each characters’ individual …

Localized Air Pollution Impacts From Data Centers In Northern Virginia, Damian Pitt, Ivan Suen, Ellie Plisko

Institute for Sustainable Energy and Environment Publications and Presentations

This report examins the extent of air pollution emissions resulting from the use of backup generators at data centers in Northern Virginia, including both actual current emissions and potential future emissions, and how those emissions totals compare to other sources of air pollution in the Northern Virginia region. It also examines how exposure to data center emissions correlates with demographic characteristics such as race, income, and education.

We while the air pollution emissions from individual data centers is minor, the collective impact from the 100+ such facilities in the Northern Virginia region is significant. Notably, the cumulative emissions exposure in …

Cpaf In Focus Vol. 11 One On One : Reflections On Change And Impact, Michiko Karissa M. Buot, Johnnelda P. Cosep, Paulo C. Aquino, Therese Marie L. Quilnat, V. Bruce J. Tolentino, Agustin L. Arcenas, Samantha Geraldine G. De Los Santos, Guinevere T. Madlangbayan, Raizza F. Acuzar

IN FOCUS: Development & Governance

This volume of In Focus invites its readers to have a one-on-one with stories exploring how small acts of change can grow into waves of impact in governance and development -- From alumni who continue to excel beyond the university, to students recognized for academic achievements, to field notes from our research centers that ground theory in practice. We will also feature reflective think pieces from experts in governance and development, alongside an infographic highlighting the recently concluded ICGD4. At its core, the magazine asks its readers to reflect: how can individual acts of change create lasting impact? 

Editorial Team …

Computational Clinical Judgment: Predicting Risk With Large Language Models, Hannah Laqueur, Ryan W. Copus

Faculty Works

For seventy years, research has shown actuarial methods outperform clinical judgment. Yet actuarial approaches have limitations: they generally rely on structured data; cannot exploit rare case-specific details; have limited accuracy where outcome data are scarce or incomplete; and cannot offer case-level justifications. Large language models (LLMs) offer a different approach. Like actuarial methods, they aggregate information algorithmically, but like clinicians, they bring general knowledge and can provide case-level justifications. We prompted seven LLMs to assess rearrest risk from 113 parole hearing transcripts and compared their predictions to a machine learning model trained on 4,000 cases with 91 administrative variables. GPT-5 …

Deterrence Without Peace: Nuclear Weapons And The Rising Threshold Of Warfare, Catie Clarke

CISLA Senior Integrative Projects

Nuclear weapons fundamentally changed the international political landscape, leading to the emergence of deterrence theory and the notion of the Long Peace. This paper challenges these claims, arguing that nuclear weapons facilitated a more violent and volatile international system rather than stability. Drawing on constructivist theory, this paper develops the Threshold of Violence framework – a normative model which asserts that nuclear weapons elevated the perceived upper limit of tolerable violence in international politics. This raised threshold generated three trends in the nuclear era: increased frequency of proxy wars, escalating levels of benefactor involvement, and greater severity of conflicts fought …

Recommended Budget, Expenditures By Object And Funding By Source, Fiscal Year 2026-2027, Tennessee. Department Of Finance And Administration

Recommended Budget

In developing the Governor’s budget recommendation, the Division of Budget in the Department of Finance and Administration analyzes agency budget requests and prepares final recommendations at a lower level of detail.

Fiscal Decentralization, Foreign Capital, And Economic Development In Sub-Saharan Africa, Kwadwo D. Frempong

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

Economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa has been shaped by two transformative policy shifts: widespread fiscal decentralization reforms transferring revenue and expenditure authority to subnational governments, and the pursuit of foreign direct investment to supplement domestic capital. Despite the breadth of these reforms, their effectiveness in promoting sustainable economic development remains empirically contested. This dissertation examines three interconnected questions about fiscal governance and capital flows in Sub-Saharan Africa: what determines the extent to which governments decentralize fiscal authority; how county fiscal composition and revenue autonomy shape subnational economic performance; and how foreign direct investment interacts with domestic investment and growth.

The …

Implementing Impact Data Collection And Program Evaluation In A Nonprofit, Jamie Devellis

OTD Capstones

This doctoral capstone highlights a gap between data collection practices and nonprofits, which impacts participation rates of children experiencing poverty. This gap is an issue for nonprofits because stakeholders and donors are more likely to fund organizations that can provide impact data about their services. This capstone addresses that gap through creating and implementing data collection and program evaluation for a grassroots nonprofit that funds enrichment programs for children experiencing poverty in southeastern Massachusetts. Data collected found that the program has a positive effect on the children and families of whom they serve that surpass their main goal of building …

From Intention To Enactment: Action Planning And Habit Automaticity Distinguish Successful From Unsuccessful Intenders To Engage In Regular Leisure-Time Moderate-To-Vigorous Physical Activity, Yaogang Han, Yubing Wang, Pan Li, Binn Zhang

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

University students often intend to exercise regularly but fail to translate intention into action. The present study tested which post-intentional processes distinguish successful from unsuccessful intenders in self-reported regular leisure-time moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) enactment. Chinese undergraduates from 10 universities completed a three-wave survey administered at roughly two-week intervals. Habit automaticity was assessed at Wave 1, intention together with action planning and coping planning at Wave 2, and self-reported regular-exercise status at Wave 3. Because the dependent variable was assessed using a single stage-based self-report item, the findings should be interpreted as explaining self-reported regular-exercise status rather than objectively measured …

Digital Diplomacy And Activism: Sustaining Institutional Legacy Through State-Proxy Discursive Competition In The Aftermath Of The Usaid 2025 Suspension, Maryam Alaa Elprince

Capstone and Graduation Projects

This study examines how the 2025 suspension of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) transformed the arena of U.S. foreign-aid diplomacy by eliminating the agency’s operational capacity and erasing its digital presence, thereby redistributing discursive authority across a fragmented communicative field. The research aims to determine how diplomacy adapts when a bilateral institution central to American soft power is dismantled through top-down decision, and whether discursive power exercised online can extend institutional relevance and legitimacy beyond structural collapse. Using an interpretivist qualitative design that combines digital-forensic reconstruction, document-based content analysis, and elite interviews  with top ranking officials, the …

Beyond The Meter: Frameworks For Evaluating The Broad Spectrum Of Microgrid Benefits, Elias Henderson

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Community-scale microgrids can create a range of social benefits. These include resilient electricity, cleaner air, decarbonization, and economic development, alongside more qualitative values like energy sovereignty and community self-determination. Many such benefits, however, are illegible to California’s market and regulatory frameworks. This thesis traces this disconnect, with particular attention to grid-edge communities in Northern California.

Microgrid benefits are classified as monetized, modeled, or incommensurable according to their inclusion/exclusion in existing regulatory and revenue mechanisms. To explore each category, a mixed-methods analytic approach is employed, pairing Tribal and stakeholder interviews with the development of a microgrid valuation calculator. This tool is …

Stitched In Precarity: Labor Exploitation, Immigration Policy, And Resistance In The L.A Garment Industry, Reyna Guadalupe Silva Carrillo

Scripps Senior Theses

Los Angeles hosts one of the largest garment manufacturing industries in the U.S., built on the labor of undocumented immigrants who often work under exploitative and unsafe conditions. This paper explores how the intersection of broken labor laws and punitive immigration enforcement creates systemic vulnerability for these workers. Despite recent reforms—such as California’s SB 62, which bans piece-rate wages and holds brands accountable—enforcement remains weak, and wage theft continues to persist. State-level protections for undocumented immigrants clash with federal policies that prioritize detention and deportation, leaving workers in a state of constant precarity. While grassroots movements have secured important legislative …

The Economics Of Accountability: Learning From German Holocaust Reparations, Grace I. Gates

Scripps Senior Theses

Drawing on microdata from the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe, this study compares European Holocaust survivors who received reparations with similar Europeans who did not. It finds that, decades on, recipients are not systematically better or worse off on core outcomes like life satisfaction, savings, and debt. This is consistent with the argument that reparations restore parity rather than create new advantages. Where differences emerge, they point to stabilization in more vulnerable settings (e.g., lower likelihood of high debt in parts of Eastern Europe). The main takeaway from effective reparations is applicable to the United States debate: …

Understanding Resilience In Children In Out-Of-Home Care: Using Person-Centered Health Services Research, Hyeeun K. Shin

Theses and Dissertations--Health Services Research (HSR)

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), which refer to exposure to traumatic life events before age 18, and instability in caregiving experiences contribute to poor physical, mental, behavioral, and developmental health outcomes for both children and adults. Previous research shows that these experiences can have negative effects both in the short term and throughout a person’s life. However, children’s strengths, which are the internal and external assets that support their development, can help protect against the impact of ACEs. Effective parenting, positive social support, and self-regulation skills are essential factors that build resilience, helping individuals adapt to challenges that may affect their …

Catching The Forgotten: Repairing The Safety Net For Cofa Migrants In The United States, Brian Aguilar

Lewis & Clark Law Review

Citizens of the Freely Associated States—the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Belau—are permitted to live and work in the United States without a visa under the Compacts of Free Association (COFA). Yet, for nearly three decades, COFA migrants were excluded from the federal public benefits safety net. This exclusion, a product of legislative oversight in the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, devastated communities like the Marshallese in Springdale, Arkansas, who endured dangerous working conditions, poverty, and severe health vulnerabilities without access to critical federal benefits programs. While …

"What Does It Mean If I Am Silent?”: Bipoc And Lgbtq+ Educators’ Narratives Of Identity, Responsibility, And Student Protection, Julie Nicole Von Stein

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This qualitative study examined how BIPOC and LGBTQ+ educators describe their experiences navigating curriculum restrictions and book bans in politically restrictive educational environments, their perceptions of administrator support, and how their identities uniquely shape their decisions about resistance and risk. Grounded in Scott’s theory of everyday resistance, the study explored the ways BIPOC and LGBTQ+ educators make decisions about resistance when curricular content connected to race, gender, sexuality, and marginalized identities is challenged or restricted. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with educators who identify as BIPOC and/or LGBTQ+, allowing participants to describe their experiences, decision-making processes, perceived risks, and …

Understanding Child Welfare, Richard P. Barth, Jill Duerr Berrick, Melissa Jonson-Reid, Antonio R. Garcia, Johanna Greeson, John Gyourko, Brett Drake

Faculty Scholarship

This volume provides a foundational overview of the means by which the United States (and, to a more limited extent in coverage, other peer nations) endeavor to protect children from child maltreatment and related harms. Readers will be exposed to the best evidence available on the ways that child welfare and ancillary services operate and the results they achieve. This entails a comprehensive review of recent scholarship on scores of child welfare topics.

Feeding Missoula: Food Insecurity In Rural Children And Youth, Chani Brammer, Braelee Cheeks, Jordin Holland, Rayne Mccollough, Laurel Palmer, Therese Solomon

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

In Montana, approximately one in seven children live in a food-insecure household, with rural Montanans in particular facing significant barriers. Existing needs-based food assistance programs, such as SNAP and WIC, have structural weaknesses: SNAP benefits are often not sufficient to last through the month, and those eligible for these programs face a confusing application process, shame and stigma, and logistical hurdles, such as limited transportation.

“Feeding Missoula” began with an evaluation of how current food assistance programs met or failed to meet the needs of rural youth. Our methodology integrated a comprehensive review of existing literature and structured interviews with …

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 …

Mediating Effect Of Social Determinants Of Health Between Race And Phthalate Biomarkers In Pregnancy, Tetsuya Kawakita, Misa Hayasaka, Carole Barake, Trinity Soto, Jillian Fleming, Amir Lueth, Stevens Danielle, Alfred Abuhamad, Ann Pryzybylska, Elena Sinkovskaya, Kelly K. Ferguson, George Saade

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology Faculty Publications

Introduction

Prenatal phthalate exposure is linked to adverse reproductive and developmental outcomes and is consistently higher among non‐Hispanic Black compared to non‐Hispanic White pregnant individuals, yet the factors responsible for these disparities are poorly characterized. We sought to quantify Black–White differences in repeated urinary concentrations of phthalate biomarkers during pregnancy and to estimate the extent to which neighborhood‐level social determinants of health (SDoH) mediate these disparities.

Methods

This secondary analysis used data from the Human Placenta Project Study, a prospective observational cohort study conducted at two academic institutions between 2016 and 2018. Eligible participants had singleton pregnancies, were recruited before …

Biomechanical Integrity Of The Female Pelvic Floor: A Comparison Of Military And Civilian Women, Vladimir Egorov, Peter Takacs, Vincent Lucente, Heather Van Raalte, Joy A. Greer, Noune Sarvazyan

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology Faculty Publications

Introduction

The health of the pelvic floor depends on the integrity of its muscles, connective tissue, ligaments, and their innervation. The female pelvic floor may be more vulnerable to repetitive heavy loads in a military environment than the male pelvic floor because of anatomical and physiological differences. The study aim was to identify and explore possible differences in the female pelvic floor conditions between active military and civilian women with similar demographics.To identify and explore possible differences in the conditions of the female pelvic floor between active military women and civilian women with similar demographics.

Materials and Methods

Military active …

The Impact Of The 7th October War On Preterm Birth Rates And Neonatal Outcomes: A Retrospective Comparative Study From Northern Israel, Raghda Zidan Sweid, Adi Sharabi Nov, Hana Helfgot, Steven L. Warsof, Inbar Ben-Shachar

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology Faculty Publications

PURPOSE: Maternal psychological stress is associated with adverse obstetric and neonatal outcomes, including preterm birth and low birthweight. Warfare represents a significant source of acute and chronic stress, yet its impact on pregnancy outcomes remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the association between a 6-month period of continuous wartime exposure following October 7, 2023, during the "Iron Swords" conflict and preterm birth, neonatal outcomes, and obstetric management.

METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included all deliveries at ZIV Medical Center during the 6-month conflict period, compared with a pre-war cohort from 2021 until October 6, 2023. The primary outcome was …

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) …

Examining Inclusive Computing Education For Blind Students In India, Akshay Kolgar Nayak, Yash Prakash, Md Javedul Ferdous, Sampath Jayarathna, Hae-Na Lee, Vikas Ashok

Computer Science Faculty Publications

The growing demand for computer professionals, driven by the expanding Information Technology industry, has led to numerous inclusive computing education efforts. These efforts have even included blind or visually-impaired (BVI) students, who are being increasingly encouraged to pursue education and a career in computing, despite the visually-oriented nature of the discipline. Extant literature has predominantly focused on identifying and addressing the accessibility barriers faced by BVI students to promote more inclusive learning environments. While few studies have also investigated the accessibility of computing education from the perspectives of BVI learners and instructors, these have been primarily situated in the Global …