Digital Commons Network^™

Passenger Pigeons, Dodos, Neanderthals, Jordan Alexander

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Passenger Pigeons, Dodos, Neanderthals is a short story collection rooted in Afrofuturism and Southern literature. Passenger Pigeons centers the experiences of queer Black American women in various settings, from Mars to rural Florida. The title story of the collection follows Teri, a human on Mars, attempting to integrate into a society of Martians who exoticize and tokenize her. In this story, I use science fiction as a vehicle to confront the microaggressions and overt racism people of color often experience in professional environments. “Rather Be the Devil,” is a fabulist story detailing the character Man’s journey to find his missing …

Un Lugar A Donde No Puedo Volver: Perteneciendo En La Distancia, Alberto J. Alonso

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

“A Place I Cannot Return To: Distance and Belonging” investigates how home is not limited to a fixed place, but instead a reconstruction sustained through memory and longing, which focuses on personal experiences of being away from Puerto Rico. I contribute to this broader dialogue by offering a deeply personal perspective shaped by the complexities of cultural belonging. Through photography, collage, and painting, my art practice reconstructs fragmented visual narratives of lived experience to explore homesickness, nostalgia, and displacement, examining how personal and shared histories become anchors to what continually slips away. Although I can physically return to Puerto Rico, …

Making Art For The Love Of The Game, Alissa Beth Burch

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

“Making Art for the Love of the Game” interweaves visual aesthetics from video games and associated online fan community practices with self-portraiture to reflect and process personal past medical trauma, a developmental period in online interactive environments, and showcases self-expressive fan content which joins an underrepresented and emerging sub-culture to contemporary art. Working through an interdisciplinary studio practice, combining printmaking, found-sticker collage, and painting refracts digital aesthetics found in online communities. I intentionally juxtaposed these physical modes of making with digital subjects to examine these subjects’ merit as artistic mediums.  It reflects a contemporary mode of art making, and acts …

En Tiempos De Extinción, Adialyz Del Valle Berríos

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

En Tiempos de Extinción is a collection of short, mostly speculative, stories exploring themes of community, exploitation, resistance, and the ever-present effects of colonialism in nearly every aspect of life. “El Amor de una Diosa es Amor Suficiente” centers on a young girl’s initiation into a community that will do whatever it takes to indoctrinate the young. “Al Aire Libre” focuses on two tenured professors determined to enjoy their last day on the job, navigating the complicated feelings of what progress means in a world that prioritizes capital. In “OVNI,” the history of a wacky television dating show unravels …

Multi-Scale Drivers Of Beetle Biodiversity In A Rapidly Urbanizing Region, Alessandra Pandolfi

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

As cities continue to expand, designing urban landscapes that balance ecological resilience with biodiversity conservation has emerged as a pressing challenge. This dissertation examines urban ecosystems as complex and dynamic environments shaping plant and animal communities, with a particular focus on ground-dwelling beetles as ecologically significant indicators of environmental change. Conducted across the Orlando metropolitan area, one of the fastest-growing regions in the United States, this dissertation integrates experimental and observational approaches. Specifically, it aims to (1) test sustainable landscaping practices, (2) compare the ecological outcomes of conventional and alternative residential landscape designs, and (3) assess how gradients of urbanization …

“I Call For The Resurgence And Reclamation Of Our Indigenous Ways”: Institutional Landscapes, Resistance, And The Experiences Of Mmir Advocates, Sara Tehrani

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Indigenous Peoples across Turtle Island experience disproportionately high rates of violence and homicide compared to other racial groups. Rooted in coloniality and sustained by Western institutions, this epidemic is recognized as the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR) crisis. In response, Indigenous women have mobilized the MMIR Movement to raise awareness and advocate for institutional change. Although scholarship on MMIR has expanded, limited research has explored the experiences of MMIR advocates. This study interrogates the institutional landscapes that shape MMIR advocacy and explores the resistance strategies advocates employ to address the crisis. Using reflexive thematic analysis, this study examines semi-structured …

Two Papers Exploring Cognitive Fit Theory And Data Visualization In Accounting, Kelly Wellman

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This dissertation examines how data visualization design influences judgment and decision making in accounting using cognitive fit theory as a unifying framework. As visualization tools such as dashboards, Excel, Tableau, and Power BI become increasingly prevalent, understanding which design choices improve performance has become critical. The first paper provides a structured literature review of cognitive fit theory from 1991 through 2025, synthesizing research across accounting and related disciplines and tracing its evolution from early graph vs tables comparisons to mor recent work incorporating task complexity, individual differences, and design-specific features. The review identifies key gaps, including limited attention to difference …

Unmasking Impression Management: Large Language Models For Detecting Socially Desirable Responding In Open-Ended Situational Judgment Tests, Barret Vermilion

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Socially desirable responding (SDR) — the tendency to present oneself in an overly favorable light — remains a persistent validity concern in industrial-organizational psychology. Contemporary theory frames SDR as multidimensional, distinguishing agentic impression management (AM; inflating competence, dominance, and achievement) from communal impression management (CM; inflating warmth, cooperation, and prosocial qualities). Existing measures of AM and CM rely on self-report, which captures these constructs only at the level of generalized trait-like tendencies rather than as they naturally unfold in applicants' own language. This dissertation proposes a text-based alternative: detecting AM and CM in open-ended situational judgment tests (SJTs) of Big …

A Sensory Ecology Of Fear: Moonlight-Mediated Predation Risk And Foraging Behavior In Neotropical Electric Fish, Chiu Lok Poon

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Animals must forage to acquire energy for survival and reproduction, yet foraging exposes them to predators. This creates a trade-off between energy intake and safety, wherein the perception of predation risk alone can alter activity patterns. Within this trade-off, risk, energetic needs, and sensory adaptations vary, shifting the balance and favoring different foraging strategies. Using Neotropical electric fish as a study system, I investigated how foraging under predation risk is shaped across biological scales, including environmental dynamics, interspecific sensory differences, activity-timing mechanisms, and intraspecific variations. These nocturnal fish emit continuous electric signals to sense their environment, allowing non-invasive monitoring of …

Advancing Multi-Modal Learning, Swetha Sirnam

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Multimodal learning aims to develop systems that understand and reason across multiple sources of information such as images, videos, audio, and text. These capabilities are central to applications including visual search, digital assistants, robotics, and visual question answering. Despite recent progress in multimodal large language models, current approaches struggle to capture the structured complexity of real-world visual data. Fine-grained visual details are often lost during multimodal alignment, models frequently fail to capture nuanced human intent, and existing methods remain limited in understanding long-form videos with complex temporal dynamics. Furthermore, many evaluation benchmarks rely heavily on explicit visual cues, which can …

Emotional Support Friends: Creating Social Impact Through Art And Polite Humor, Kenyari Gil Rosario

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This thesis aims to provide new imagery to the conversation of mental health and neurodivergence. It does this through forms of soft sculpture, digital paintings, marker drawings, and community murals. Inspired by the practices of Keith Haring, iconographic characters are used to portray common struggles and coping habits of mental conditions in an endearing light. With the goal of social impact, this project is affiliated with the non-profit organization Providing Autism Links and Support (P.A.L.S). This partnership has given the community an opportunity to share their compassion through art and donations and uses art as a means of social impact …

Hunter. Hunted. Human: Warfighters' Emotional Responses To Weapons In Tactical & Strategic Context, Simon Mace

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Human emotional responses to weapons have long been assumed to be relatively parsimonious, comprised predominately of aggression, anxiety, and fear responses. However, most research on this weapons effect has focused on civilians – who are notably more likely to be targeted by than to employ weapons. So, there is reason to speculate that emotional responses to weapons vary more than previously believed. This is significant for three reasons. First, positive emotional responses generate more desirable combat behaviors, specifically the willingness to engage adversaries. Second, negative emotional responses catalyze an unpredictable range of behaviors, many of which are tactically and operationally …

The Role Of The Amygdala In Huntington Disease-Associated Aggression, Luis Torres

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Huntington disease (HD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder caused by a trinucleotide CAG expansion in the huntingtin gene (HTT). HD is characterized by motor, cognitive, and psychiatric symptoms that significantly impact patient and caregiver quality of life. Psychiatric symptoms, including depression, anxiety, and irritability, are common manifestations of HD and can emerge years before the onset is clinically diagnosed. Aggression is a common and challenging psychiatric symptom in HD, often misunderstood and associated with caregiver stress, early institutionalization, and reduced quality of life. Despite its clinical impact, aggression in HD lacks effective, targeted treatment options. Similar to HD …

Rhetoric Of Opportunity: An Analysis Of Gullah Geechee Histories Through The Lens Of Counterstory, Xaria Arthur

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Counterstory as a method/ology has been used in a variety of disciplines to share experiences of individuals and communities whose voices have been historically silenced or suppressed. Utilizing this methodological framework, my study shares the stories of six Gullah Geechee descendants with ancestral roots in the unincorporated community of Nesmith in Williamsburg County, SC. Treating these minoritized and individual stories as experiential knowledge, I trace the counterstories as topoi to introduce and develop the theoretical concept that I call the rhetoric of opportunity, which refers to memories or stories that have come to motivate individuals toward or away from …

It's All The Same, Lauren A. Bedevia

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

It’s All the Same is a collection of short stories that center around lesbian characters. The stories explore themes such as ambition, morality, karma, mental health, exploitation, and relationships. The collection opens with “Forget Her Inc.,” a short story that juggles an ensemble cast of lesbians and examines whether memory eraser therapy is an ethical practice for treating a broken heart. “It’s All the Same,” the titular story, uses lyricism to present the parallels between two women in terms of family dynamics, interests, and attachment styles; the story explores a loving friendship between a lesbian and a straight woman.

“Fun …

Carbaryl Exposure Alters Gut Microbiome Composition Without Affecting Morphometrics In Eastern Purple Martin (Progne Subis Subis) Nestlings, Stephanie A. Gaspar

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Eastern purple martins (Progne subis subis) rely entirely on human-provided nesting structures throughout their breeding range in eastern North America. To control haematophagous mites that commonly infest these nests, many landlords apply the carbamate insecticide, carbaryl. Although effective at reducing ectoparasite populations, carbaryl exposure may have unintended effects on the gut microbiome, growth, and condition of developing birds. This study examined the effects of carbaryl exposure on gut microbial communities and morphometric condition in wild nestlings. Nests were experimentally treated with carbaryl, and nestling morphometrics and fecal microbiomes were compared between treated and untreated groups at 18 days …

Baudelaire And Manet Remake, Barry J. Mauer

Teaching Repository of AI-Infused Learning

Use AI to remake either a painting from Manet or a poem from Baudelaire (or both!) in any medium: experimental writing, video, poster, song, etc.; the creativity is in your prompt. In addition, write an essay of 4-5 pages explaining and justifying your remake, describing the process and interpreting the results.

The Scoop, Vol. 12 Issue 9, December 2025, Health Sciences Library

Volume 12

Latest news and updates from the Health Sciences Library in our monthly newsletter for December 2025. Please see page 2 for a text-only version of this issue!

Transdisciplinarity Through A Functional Approach In The Content Areas: Commonalities For School Teachers, Karen L. Terrell, Luciana C. De Oliveira, Jia Gui

Journal of English Learner Education

In 2020, the WIDA Consortium released a revised English language development standards framework that integrates a functional approach to language development, grounded in systemic functional linguistics, across core subjects: English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. Central to this framework are four Key Language Uses—Narrate, Inform, Explain, and Argue. While this holistic approach is promising, it poses challenges for elementary and middle-grade teachers and ESOL specialists, who often teach multiple subjects. To ensure all teachers can implement this approach effectively, the integration of functional language must be simplified for generalist instructors. This article explores how identifying linguistic commonalities across …

The Algorithmic Public Sphere: Ai-Generated News Site As A Conduit To Social Capital, Seungahn Nah, Xinlei Wu, Ernest Makata, Jun Luo, Ian Koratsky, David Park, Seungbae Kim

Human-Machine Communication

A growing body of scholarship on AI-generated news has examined its impact on various outcomes. However, less attention has been paid to the actual implementation of AI-generated news sites and their effectiveness on civic consequences. This study examines the effects of an AI-generated, community-centered, nonprofit news site on civic outcomes such as trust in nonprofit organizations, trust in AI-generated news, social capital, and civic engagement. Data was collected from participants at a large southeastern university who visited the AI-generated news site over a four-week period and responded to a series of open-ended questions weekly. A total of 721 open-ended responses …

Team Approach To Increase Staff Happiness, Cindy Dancel, Chereeka Garner, Jason D. Phillips, Christopher Saclolo

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

"Having fun isn't hard when you've got a library card" (Arthur Read) but can be quite a challenge when you work at the library. Check out this session to discover ways an employee driven, administration supported library committee has worked to increase employee morale, build community among new and veteran library staff members, and provide off campus networking opportunities with minimal planning, building wide collaboration, and budget limitations.

Human-Machine Communication: Complete Volume. Volume 10

Human-Machine Communication

This is the complete volume of HMC Volume 10.

Creepy, Invasive, And Exploitative Algorithms: A Cpm Analysis Of Users' Privacy Breakdowns And Recalibration Practices With Social Media Algorithms, Matthew J. A. Craig, Jeffrey T. Child

Human-Machine Communication

Social media content filtering algorithms can both provide desired personalized content and ads for users. However, sometimes these recommendations can resemble individual private information. How might users navigate these experiences to best manage their private information? The present exploratory study utilizes the rules- and systems-based framework of communication privacy management (CPM) theory to explore social media users’ experiences of privacy breakdowns with social media algorithms and investigates what users do in response to said breakdowns. These responses were refined using content analysis and divided into different categories of privacy breakdowns and recalibration strategies. Implications for future research surrounding human-machine communication …

The Hai-Io Model: A Framework For Understanding The Human-Ai Communication Process, Rae Francis Quilantang

Human-Machine Communication

The increasing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into daily life calls for new theoretical frameworks that capture human-AI interaction’s dynamic, feedback-driven nature. Traditional models treat AI as a passive medium, overlooking its adaptive capabilities. This paper proposes the Human-AI Interaction Outcomes (HAI-IO) model, an interdisciplinary framework synthesizing human-machine communication, social exchange theory, dialogue systems, and computational feedback models like cybernetics and reinforcement learning. The HAI-IO model frames interaction as iterative and bidirectional—AI adapts through predictive processing while users adjust based on AI feedback. This mutual adaptation shapes trust, engagement, and system optimization. The model informs AI system design, user education, …

Socio-Technical Exchange With Machines: Worker Experiences With Complex Work Technologies, Cameron W. Piercy, Reaia Turner-Leatherman

Human-Machine Communication

Machines are now commonplace work partners and Human-Machine Communication (HMC) is part of modern work. Guided by the machine heuristic and Social Exchange Theory (SET) this paper uses interviews with 22 workers to explore the socio-technical relationships between humans and machines at work. Participants worked with complex machines across a wide variety of industries and roles and findings reveal participants see machines as part of the work ecosystem, develop everyday machine heuristics to guide repeated interactions with machines, and that elements of human uniqueness persist in evaluations of humans and machines. Discussion points emphasize situated and developing human-machine interaction scripts, …

Prompted By Me. Generated By Chatgpt, David J. Gunkel

Human-Machine Communication

This essay—which is not only about human-machine collaboration but is a performance in human-machine collaboration—interrogates the shifting terrain of authorship and creativity in the age of generative artificial intelligence (GAI). Challenging both the instrumentalist view of technology and the romantic myth of the singular genius, it argues for a reconceptualization of creative production as distributed, dialogical, and co-constituted. Drawing on both theoretical innovations in poststructuralism and the practices of pre- and post-modern content creators, the essay repositions the algorithm not as a mere tool but as an active participant in the generation of meaning. In doing so, it exposes and …

Being And Becoming In Human-Machine Communication: Core Commitments And Conceptual Foundations Of A Trans-Ontological Field, Autumn P. Edwards, Katrin Etzrodt

Human-Machine Communication

This introduction traces the emergence of Human-Machine Communication (HMC) as a distinct field centered on communication across ontological boundaries. Arguing that HMC is not merely about interacting with machines but about how communicative presence and legitimacy are constituted, the authors introduce the Act–Mean–Relate (AMR) paradigm to conceptualize how machines’ capacity for action, signification, and relation enable communication. HMC challenges human exceptionalism by shifting focus from internal states and categorical differences to symbolic and relational dynamics. It addresses the interpretive labor involved in making machine others intelligible and emphasizes communication as the co-construction of social reality. The article highlights tensions between …

Florida Fish And Wildlife Conservation Commission Comment Tool For Proposed Changes To Trapping Regulations, Amy Donley, Jacquelyn Reiss

Institute for Social and Behavioral Science (ISBS)

No abstract provided.

Differential Interferon Synthesis And Signaling Between Parainfluenza Virus Acute And Persistently Infected Cells, Vonisha Kaigler

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

RNA virus infections can transition from an initial acute infection to a prolonged or persistent infection, in which infected cells survive and continue to produce progeny virus. This presents a major clinical problem as persistently infected (PI) cells extend viral shedding, maintain inflammation, and provide potential sources for new viral variants. The RNA virus, Parainfluenza virus 5 (PIV5), with mutations in the P/V gene region (P/V mutant) is a strong inducer of antiviral responses. Interestingly, over time, there is an emergence of cells that survive as P/V mutant PI cells. Given that changes in innate immune signaling pathways can occur …

'How To Mother': Televisual Reimaginings Of Black Matriarchy In The Real Housewives Of Potomac, Kalijah Rahming

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Since the initial launch of The Real Housewives of Orange County in 2006, Bravo’s The Real Housewives franchise has soared to previously unimaginable heights. With 11 American installments, 30 international adaptations, and 25 current spin-offs, it is clear that even viewers who are relatively unfamiliar with The Real Housewives franchise may find themselves inadvertently swept up in their world due to the popularization of their catchphrases and gifs on social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. In addition to carefully shaping popular culture, members of this franchise have even altered the conditions of the entertainment industry’s practices for the …