Digital Commons Network^™

Moodify: A Mood-Based Music Recommendation System, Meghana Kagitha

Theses and Dissertations

Music has long been recognised as a powerful tool for emotional regulation, yet existing music streaming platforms often fail to align song recommendations with a user's current emotional state. Moodify is a mood-based music recommendation system designed to bridge this gap by delivering personalised playlists that reflect how a user feels in real time.

This project presents the design, development, and evaluation of Moodify, a mobile application that leverages the Circumplex Model of Emotion to capture user mood through an intuitive two-dimensional valence-arousal interface. Rather than relying on text input or manual search, users plot their emotional state directly onto …

Volume 17, Christian O’Neill, Kyara Greene, Savva Sidorov, Laura Bisaillon, Luke Clemmer, Hannah Gordon, Kitt Benson, Taylor Blount, Rachel Danzitz, Nicholas Duellman, Chase Gionis, Hima Fernando, Seth Franzyshen, Onyx Gonzalez, Bryan Lin, Samantha Start, Ysabel Wells, Maggie Duncan

Incite: The Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Introduction Dr. Amorette Barber, Director, Office of Student Research

From the Editor Dr. Hannah Dudley-Shotwell

Cover Artist’s Statement Maggie Duncan

On Mentoring Dr. Yulia Uryadova

Ukrainian Resistance in the Face of Russification: Nestor Makhno and Anarchism

by Christian O’Neill

Life Vest by Kyara Greene

Isolation and 16S rRNA Identification of Bacteria from Fire Department Connection Pipe by Savva Sidorov

The Effectiveness of Planned Exercise in Reducing ADHD Symptoms in Children by Laura Bisaillon & Luke Clemmer

Linguistic Analysis on Confidence and Communication Strategies with Disparities Between Sign Fluency and Hearing Impairment by Hannah Gordon

Freedmen in Indian Territory by Kitt …

How Academic Pressure Is Declining The Mental Health Of South Korean Students, Lilyanne Boyland

East Asian Studies

South Korea’s education system is widely recognized for its academic excellence; however, this may highly impact students’ mental health and overall well-being, which can hinder their academic performance. Students are known to dedicate long hours of their day to their education, in addition to their daily academic schedules. This study focuses on how academic pressure, that is mostly driven by parents and educators, as well as traditional cultural values on education, affects the mental health of South Korean students. This thesis is divided into three sections: Historical and Cultural Contexts, South Korea’s Current Educational Environment, and Next Steps for South …

Intersectionality And Belonging: Higher Education Mathematics, Ashley Natalie

Mathematics and Statistics

Students with intersecting marginalized identities (such as race, gender, socioeconomic status, disability, or first-generation background) often face unique challenges in advanced mathematics that affect confidence, participation, amounting to a sense of belonging. These experiences remain underrepresented in mathematics education research. This qualitative, narrative-based study examines how these students experience classroom dynamics and belonging in upper-level mathematics courses. Semi-structured interviews will be analyzed thematically to identify patterns related to identity, classroom culture, instructor behavior, and peer interactions. Findings aim to highlight barriers and supportive practices, informing more inclusive teaching strategies and equitable learning environments in advanced mathematics.

Intersectionality And Belonging: Higher Education Mathematics, Ashley Williams

Mathematics and Statistics

Students with intersecting marginalized identities (such as race, gender, socioeconomic status, disability, or first-generation background) often face unique challenges in advanced mathematics that affect confidence, participation, amounting to a sense of belonging. These experiences remain underrepresented in mathematics education research. This qualitative, narrative-based study examines how these students experience classroom dynamics and belonging in upper-level mathematics courses. Semi-structured interviews will be analyzed thematically to identify patterns related to identity, classroom culture, instructor behavior, and peer interactions. Findings aim to highlight barriers and supportive practices, informing more inclusive teaching strategies and equitable learning environments in advanced mathematics.

Narcissism And Eyewitness Identification, Haley M. Hearn

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

According to the Innocence Project, 69% of individuals exonerated by DNA evidence were initially found guilty due to an eyewitness misidentification (Innocence Project, n.d.-a). A way that investigators attempt to prevent misidentification is by assessing how confident eyewitnesses are in their identifications. There is a large body of research suggesting that these confidence estimates can, in many instances, operate as reliable barometers of accuracy. However, what if an eyewitness is overconfident? Narcissism is a personality trait characterized by overconfidence. If a narcissistic eyewitness reports confidence in their identification of a suspect, should this report be trusted? Two studies were conducted …

Passive Microwave Remote Sensing Of Flash Drought Impacts On Vegetation, Quinton R. Deppert

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In 2002, Dr. Mark Svoboda characterized a new form of drought known as flash drought. Flash drought was defined as a rapid decline in vegetation health caused by severe heat and drought. In recent years, attempts to quantify the impacts of flash drought via precipitation, soil moisture, evapotranspiration, and temperature indicators have proliferated. What has rarely been quantified is what the rapid decline in vegetation health amid flash drought looks like through remote sensing. This is because vegetation health indices like the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) are derived from the visible and infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum and …

The Artificial Artist: Considering Ai’S Impact On Image Copyright, Alyse Mandelblatt

Communication Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis seeks to create empirical results to ground what has been a largely theoretical discussion about the effect of artificial intelligence (AI) on copyright law in the United States. AI has disrupted traditional ideas of creativity and expression, which are vital communication tools. Copyright is a regulatory agent to encourage the production of unique communication products by giving owners complete rights to their work. Copyright principles conflict with current AI model training practices. This research considers how AI literacy may provide insight into copyright knowledge and AI attitudes for prediction of how common law and AI regulation policy may …

Analyzing Social Implications Of The Gender Wage Gap, Jessie A. Clarke

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The researcher seeks to understand the gender wage gap in the United States. The research question studied is “Why do women in the United States on average earn less income than men?” Women gain less power and resources as they earn less income than men. The researcher explores the phenomenon in this paper. This research proposal utilizes qualitative methods via interviews, and analysis through coding. In previous research, there is a lack of inclusion on the gender wage gap regarding various identities such as sexual orientation, other gender identities, and race/ethnicity. The researcher hopes to fill in these gaps in …

Potential Impact That Generative Artificial Intelligence Has On Adolescents' Relationship With Parents, David Jimenez Jr., Christal Pelayo, Rebecca Evans

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The development of generative artificial intelligence (AI) into adolescents’ daily lives has introduced both opportunities and concerns regarding family dynamics and psychosocial development. Increasingly, adolescents are using AI tools for academic assistance, emotional support, and transparency on sensitive topics. This study examines adolescents’ attitudes toward discussing personal issues with parents compared to AI platforms and explores the potential relational impacts of AI use on parent–child relationships. Guided by Attachment Theory and Erikson’s Psychosocial Development Theory, this research focuses on adolescents ages 12–16, a developmental stage marked by identity formation and evolving autonomy. The study will include a sequence of recruitment, …

Foster Youth Perspectives On The Effectiveness Of School-Based Academic Support, Stephanie Monroy

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This research aims to explore how foster youth perceive the effectiveness of various evidence-based interventions that have previously been used to support their education. Due to the various barriers that foster youth face, they often experience significantly lower academic performance than their non-foster youth peers. Consequently, high school graduation rates among foster youth remain significantly lower than those of their non-foster youth peers. Much of the existing literature is outdated and does not adequately reflect current educational realities for foster youth. Additionally, existing literature primarily focuses on measurable outcomes and program evaluations, with less emphasis on ensuring the lived experiences …

Building Bridges: Evaluating Teacher Preparation And Program Activation Of Ethnic Studies In California’S K-12 High Schools Through An Autoethnography, Jose Aguilera-Lopez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study examines the lived experiences of secondary Social Science educators teaching Ethnic Studies in the early stages of program activation, with particular attention to the challenges that are often invisible to policymakers, institutions of higher education, and K-12 school districts. Using an autoethnographic approach, the research examines key elements of Ethnic Studies Program Activation, including infrastructure support, capacity building, professional development led by experienced Ethnic Studies practitioners, and teaching with fidelity. The findings aim to provide actionable guidance for educators and district leaders to support new Ethnic Studies teachers at the secondary level and to inform leadership teams at …

Clawing Our Way To Inclusion: Identifying Minority Students’ Barriers To Entering The Veterinary Medicine Profession, Danielle Reeves

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Veterinary services are being utilized more each year as pet owners are increasingly viewing and treating their pets like family members. Due to this changing perspective, the veterinary profession has grown significantly. Yet, despite this change, there is a lack of ethnic/racial diversity within the veterinary field. The purpose of this study was to determine the factors and/or barriers associated with minority students' desire or lack of desire to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. This study used an online survey tool to collect qualitative and quantitative data from 423 undergraduate students at the University of Arkansas during the spring …

(Wp 2026-02) Behavioral Macroeconomics, Kaleckian Post-Keynesian Economics, And Stratification Economics: Incorporating Social Identity, John B. Davis

Economics Working Papers

Behavioral Macroeconomics draws on cognitive psychology’s errors and biases approach to argue that psychological factors acting on individual choice affect how the economy functions. Keynes drew on psychology in his ‘beauty contest’ account of convention to explain individual investor expectations in terms of the average expectation of all investors. This assumes individual investors identify with the group of all investors, anticipating social psychology social identity analysis. Kaleckian Post-Keynesian Economics focuses on distributional conflict between capital and labor. This also assumes individual capitalists and laborers identify with groups of capitalists and laborers. Stratification Economics makes social group identity the basis on …

Open Space Management Planning: A Framework And Case Study From Eagle Mountain City, Utah, Nathan K. Shumway

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Open Space Management Plans (OSMPs) are increasingly used by municipalities to guide the long-term stewardship of natural lands; however, little formal guidance exists regarding how these plans are structured, developed, or organized in practice. While numerous OSMPs are publicly available, their compositional logic, procedural workflows, and thematic priorities remain largely undocumented within academic literature. This study addresses that gap through a qualitative document analysis of fifteen publicly accessible OSMPs from the western United States, published between 2015 and 2024.

Using manual matrix-based coding in Microsoft Excel, each plan was analyzed through three lenses: structural composition, procedural development, and thematic content. …

Additive Manufacturing Of Spatially Variant Actuating Structures From Shape Memory Polymers., Katia Lizbeth Delgado Ramos

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation studies the structure-processing-function relationships of additively manufactured shape memory polymer blends, with emphasis on mechanical anisotropy. Chemical exposure, thermally activated recovery, self-healing behavior, and 4D printed functional response. Two polyester-based blends were studied: a binary blend composed of polycaprolactone and thermoplastic polyurethane (PCL/TPU) blend, and a ternary blend composed of polycaprolactone/thermoplastic polyurethane/ polylactic acid (PCL/TPU/PLA) blend. The materials were melt-compounded using a twin-extruder to produce filament for fused filament fabrication (FFF). Specimens were fabricated using four different raster orientations, 0°,90°, 0/90°, and 45°, to investigate the influence of processing architecture and composition on the mechanical performance, recovery behavior, …

The Role Of Response Time In Math Anxiety, Christine K. Hartmann

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Math anxiety is characterized by feelings of discomfort or distress that are triggered when an individual is tasked with using numbers. Math anxiety impacts people at all ages, from early elementary school into adulthood (for review see Ramirez et al., 2018). In these studies, we investigated the cognitive impact that math anxiety has on both children and adults by measuring their math anxiety and reaction time on two tasks. The first task was the arithmetic affective priming task (AAPT), which purportedly shows that those with math anxiety tend to complete math tasks more efficiently (faster) when they are primed to …

Housing Markets In The American West: A Dynamic Time Warping Analysis Of Inter-City Relationships, Daniel Johnson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Housing markets revolve around perhaps the most consequential good to the average person, yet the relationships between local housing markets remain understudied. While major American cities appear to follow similar patterns, the nature of these connections is not fully understood. This project looks at housing markets across the western United States, using Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) to identify which cities tend to lead or lag others in price movements, and look at the overall similarity of their market movements. We also explore whether geographic distance, population growth, and income growth help explain why some markets are more similar than others. …

Environmental Movements In El Paso And Ciudad Juarez: Possibilities And Limitations Of Cross-Border Organization At The U.S.-Mexico Border, Vanessa Maria Almada

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

At the U.S.-Mexico border, the anthropogenic and nationalistic construction of the landscape has accelerated urbanization and unequal development without establishing effective binational institutions for governance over a shared commons. Borderlanders, then, contest unsustainable development with the added complexity of navigating a barrier which creates diverse socioeconomic and political realities that challenge cross-border cooperation. This qualitative research analyzes environmental organizations in El Paso and Ciudad Juarez. Through ethnographic study of mobilization in response to environmental legislation and administrative action in each city, the immediate barriers to cross-border cooperation and limitations of nationalistic institutions in the borderlands can be better understood.

The Use And Implications Of Visual Production Choices: Evidence From Presidential Debates And Political Interview, Emma Lorraine Rasmussen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Live television production has long been a powerful tool for broadcasting media to curate what an audience sees and understands about aired material. Production techniques used by broadcasting companies have the power to influence how audiences perceive and interpret political candidates. In Study One, the two 2024 presidential debates were analyzed for a variety of different trends including: who was on screen, the different camera shots used, and camera movement. Video formats of the 2024 CNN and ABC debates were coded using Observer XT, a content analysis software and were examined for the frequency and duration of each behavior. Patterns …

From Reactive To Predictive: A Hybrid Trust-Mediated Adoption Framework For Data-Driven Maintenance In Distributed-Authority Aviation Environments, Dustin J. Foote

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Modern aviation maintenance operates within increasingly data-intensive technological environments, yet the operational integration of predictive maintenance into routine decision-making remains inconsistent across sectors. Contemporary aircraft incorporate centralized maintenance computers and condition monitoring architectures capable of fault aggregation, exceedance capture, and trend-based data collection. Although prognostics and health management research continues to advance detection and prediction methods, implementation outcomes often depend on factors beyond analytical performance alone.

This paper examines predictive maintenance adoption in distributed-authority aviation environments and argues that constraints emerge less from sensing capability than from organizational structure, decision authority dispersion, and institutional trust dynamics. For purposes of analysis, …

Bipoc Stem Scholarship And Mentorship Initiative: A Community Based Approach To Expanding Access And Equity In Stem Education, Raymond Davis Jr.

Master of Public Administration for Senior Leadership

Across the United States, persistent inequities continue to limit access to Science,  Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education for Black, Indigenous, and  People of Color (BIPOC) students. Despite increased national attention toward diversity,  equity, and inclusion over the past decade, measurable improvements in participation,  retention, and degree completion in STEM fields have not kept pace. These disparities  remain deeply rooted in structural inequalities that influence educational access, resource  distribution, and long-term career opportunities.

The issue is frequently described as a“pipeline problem,”suggesting that students enter  STEM pathways but fail to persist through to completion. While this metaphor is useful, it  oversimplifies …

Real-Time Adaptable Residential Kitchen: A Plug-In Standard, Rachel Fuelberth

Masters in Architecture Program: Theses

This thesis looks at how a real-time adaptable standard could be put in place within the modern kitchen to allow for equitable use of the space by numerous members of the household and their differing physical characteristics. The residential kitchen is a fundamentally exclusionary architectural construction designed around able-bodied, average-height adults. This excludes children, the elderly, anyone outside of the average height, and people with mobility differences. The kitchen has never been a place of equity. It has been designed to be used by an average-height female, and it does not account for the discomfort of those outside this norm. …

Integrating Incentive Design And Spatial Prioritization For Climate-Smart Forestry Adoption In South Carolina, United States, Miah Maye Pormon

All Dissertations

Forests provide essential ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration, water regulation, timber production, and habitat provision. However, increasing development pressures and land-use changes threaten forest persistence and long-run ecosystem service provision. Climate-smart forestry (CSF) practices, such as improved forest management and extended rotation, offer opportunities to enhance carbon storage, forest resilience, and economic livelihoods. The effectiveness of these practices depends on forest owners’ participation and the strategic allocation of financial resources or incentives. This dissertation develops an integrated framework that combines behavioral economic analysis and mapping to improve the design of current incentive programs. The first chapter employs the Contingent Valuation …

Geography, Income, And The Incidence Of A Massachusetts Carbon Tax, Susan Stratton Sayre

Economics: Faculty Publications

I use spatial microsimulation to estimate the geographic incidence of the consumer-facing portion of various revenue-neutral carbon tax designs in Massachusetts. I identify a substantial urban-rural disparity in impacts that is reduced, but not eliminated, by proposed revenue-targeting mechanisms. I further demonstrate that seemingly small variations in the definition of rural households can have substantial impacts on urban-rural equity and the distribution of gains and losses. Proposed policies are highly progressive in the aggregate with most low-income households receiving more in rebates than they pay in taxes, but notable numbers of low-income households are likely to experience significant losses. Methodologically, …

2026 May, Morehead State University. Office Of Communications & Marketing.

Morehead State Press Release Archive, 1961 to the Present

Press releases for May of 2026.

Long Run Effect Of Industrial Place-Based Policy On County Level Complexity, An Investigation Of The Tennessee Valley Authority, Anita Ifeyinwa Umunnah

Master's Theses

This paper studies the long-term effects of large federal investments in place-based industrial policies on regional economic development, contributing new evidence on how industrial policies shape regional local productive capabilities over time. While extensive research show that industrial policies impact regional development by advancing productive technology (capabilities), the fundamental question remains how to measure this technological transformation. The study employs the use of Economic Complexity Index (ECI) as a measure of “technological advancements” resulting from large federal investments in place-based industrial policies. Previous evaluations of such investment were based on livelihood, employment and income outcomes, with productive capability of receiving …

Analysis Of Volumetric Reconstruction Methods In Archaeology, Cade O'Fallon

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The use of Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetry in archaeological projects is entering a period of transition; a method of producing 3D data that is traditionally embraced as tool for documentation is being explored for its analytic potential. One such way SfM photogrammetry can be used analytically is through the calculation of volumes using photogrammetric data. The tools exist for archaeologists to be able to create and quantify volumetric models; however, the discourse on these methods is still so new there is no consensus on the best method for conducting volumetric work. Different methods of creating and isolating volumetric space …

Brief Virtual Reality And Mixed Reality Mindfulness Breathing Exercise For Emotional Well-Being And Cognitive Functions In University Students: Within-Subjects Experimental Design Study, Zoey Khai Yee Eun, Charmaine Jiali Koh, Hwajin Yang, Adalia Yin Hui Goh, Meilan Hu, K Tennakoon Appuhamillage Sandeeshwara Kasturiratna, Andree Hartanto

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Background: Mindfulness has been shown to enhance emotional well-being and cognitive performance, yet much of this evidence stems from interventions requiring prolonged practice, making them time-consuming and less accessible. Recent studies suggest that brief mindfulness sessions may also yield positive outcomes, but the effectiveness of such interventions in virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR) remains underexplored. Objective: This study investigates the effects of brief mindfulness breathing exercises delivered through VR and MR on attentional and emotional restoration and self-control capacity. Methods: Using a within-subjects experimental design, 102 undergraduate participants (n=83, 81.4% female; mean age 20.87, SD 1.89) completed a …

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The Bridge

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