Digital Commons Network^™

Marine Ecosystem Services Disruption And Social Violence, Rafael Hurtado-Valdivieso

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Over the past century, human activities have profoundly altered ocean and coastal ecosystems, significantly impacting communities whose livelihoods depend on these environments. This dissertation explores how disruptions in marine ecosystem services contribute to the emergence of social violence in coastal communities, with a specific focus on the Colombian Caribbean. While prior research suggests a potential link between environmental degradation and conflict, empirical evidence remains limited and inconclusive. This study addresses that gap through a multi-method, interdisciplinary approach that integrates environmental science, political science, and computational modeling to examine the mechanisms linking ecosystem disruption to social violence.

The research follows a …

Bridging Data Gaps And Forecasting Challenges In Water Quality Monitoring Using Deep Learning, Rohan Gudla

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Reliable water quality monitoring is critical for protecting public health and enabling sustainable environmental management. However, high rates of missing data often exceed 40% due to sensor failures and operational disruptions severely undermine the utility of environmental monitoring systems. To address this challenge, this thesis presents a three-stage deep learning framework designed to enhance the accuracy and resilience of water quality forecasting. First, a Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory model with Attention and Autoencoder Modules (BiLSTM-AAM) is introduced to impute long, irregular gaps in multivariate time series. Applied to real-world data from the St. Lucie River Basin, the model achieved a …

Computational Approaches For Rna Structural Motif Analysis: Similarities, Variations, And Spatial Relationships, Md Mahfuzur Rahaman

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The three-dimensional structures of RNA play a critical role in understanding their functions. One way to study the RNA 3D structure is by analyzing recurrent segments within the loop regions of RNAs, known as RNA structural motifs. These motifs can be grouped into families based on their structural features. However, the inherent structural diversity presents challenges in characterizing the similarities, variations, and spatial relationships within RNA motif families. This dissertation presents three computational methods that together provide a comprehensive framework for RNA structural motif analysis. First, RNAMotifComp establishes and visualizes relational networks among structural motif families. By analyzing instances of …

American Muslim Women’S Experiences With Pregnancy And Childbirth In The United States Healthcare System, Salema Mohamed

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Muslim women adhere to specific religious beliefs and practices, which can inform their healthcare decisions and requirements during pregnancy and childbirth. Despite an increase in the Muslim population in the U.S., there is currently limited research on Muslim women's maternity care and experiences. To address the gaps in knowledge, this study explored Muslim women’s experiences with pregnancy and childbirth in the U.S. Data consists of interviews from 20 Muslim women who had pregnancy and childbirth in the U.S. A thematic analysis was used to analyze and report the findings. The findings revealed that modesty was a significant concern during pregnancy …

“Rights Not Rescue”: How Stigma Influences Harmful Legislation Toward Sex Workers In The Deep South, Abigail Mckenzie Conover

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

In the United States, while prostitution or sex work is not explicitly illegal at a federal level, certain characteristics have been criminalized, mainly in indirect ways. This is significant when considering the different ways that sex work is regarded (both positively and negatively) at an institutional level. The current study examines the potential correlation between structural/institutional stigma regarding sex work/sex workers and legislation meant to directly or indirectly harm sex workers. The overall goal of this research was to answer the following question: How does structural/institutional stigma against sex workers present itself in legislation? To accomplish this, I conducted a …

The Association Between The Social Determinants Of Health And Shared Decision Making: An Investigation Of The National Survey Of Children's Health, Vernon T. Headley

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Objective: Shared decision-making (SDM) is defined as a clinical approach that allows both physicians and patients to communicate on the best treatment options that will improve the patient's overall health outcomes. Shared decision-making plays a vital role in how parents engage with their physicians regarding the healthcare needs of their children. This dissertation assessed the association between the social determinants of health and shared decision-making regarding children’s health-related issues.

Methods: The data for the current research were the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH), combined 2017-2020. The dependent variable was shared decision-making and included discussing treatment options, raising concerns regarding …

Podcast Narratives Of Cybercrime Perpetration, Rebeka Rocco

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The growth of the internet and cybertechnology has created the opportunity for new types of crime. Given the recency of these developments, little is known about cybercrime perpetration and there is scant existing data gathered from those who have perpetrated cybercrime. This project applied thematic analysis to 30 episodes of a popular podcast focused on cybercrime to explore pathways men take to committing and continuing to commit cybercrimes against networks and information, financial cybercrime, and sales of products on illegal online marketplaces. Findings suggest that podcast narratives of perpetration reveal shifting motivations, gradual immersion in online deviant and criminal communities, …

Chromatographic Developments For The Analysis Of Toxic Organic Chemicals In The Environment And Food Samples, Stephanie Devi Nauth

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

As awareness grows about compounds harmful to human health, the need for sensitive detection methods at low concentration levels becomes increasingly critical. Chromatography is a powerful analytical technique that enables the separation of complex mixtures, allowing for the simultaneous analysis of multiple analytes—even at trace levels. This dissertation applies chromatography in two distinct contexts: (1) Investigating the sorption of polycyclic aromatic sulfur heterocycles (PASHs) onto nylon microplastics; and (2) Detecting illegal dyes in various food matrices.

Microplastics have emerged as significant vectors for transporting pollutants into aquatic ecosystems. Due to their hydrophobic nature, many organic pollutants readily sorb onto microplastics …

"Identity (Change) Is Not A Joke, Jim!": The Role Of Change In Responsible Drinking Identity On Behavioral Change In College Alcohol Interventions, Angelina V. Leary

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Identity has long fascinated humans, and recent research has explored its role in behavioral change. Identity change may explain why some behavioral interventions are more effective than others. This dissertation examined this idea within the context of college student alcohol interventions. While numerous interventions exist for college students, only some appear to yield long-term effects. It was hypothesized that the key differentiator in effectiveness is how an intervention reshapes an individual’s responsible drinking identity. Participants (71.93% White, 59.40% Female) from a Southeastern university were randomly assigned to one of four intervention conditions: Deviance Regulation Theory (DRT), Personalized Normative Feedback (BASICS), …

Project Esperanza: A Pilot Study On Isolation, Belonging, And Hope For First-Generation Latinx College Students, Marangelie Velez

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This study is a two-part manuscript dissertation that explores and assesses culturally grounded strategies to best support first-generation Latinx college students (FGLCS), who often face unique academic and psychosocial challenges. The first manuscript is a conceptual exploration of the intersecting constructs of social isolation, belonging, and hope, and their impact on the well-being and academic success of FGLCS. Thematic analysis revealed the importance of mentorship, culturally relevant content, and opportunities for reflection and community-building. These findings informed the development of a psychoeducational intervention, Project Esperanza. The second manuscript introduces the pilot study designed to reduce social isolation and enhance belonging …

Youth Self-Injurious Thoughts And Behaviors: The Role Of Affect, Interpersonal Stress, And Parenting, Samantha J. Klaver

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITBs) are associated with numerous adverse consequences, including an increased risk of suicide, for youth populations (Castellví et al., 2017; Kiekens et al., 2018). This study developed a more nuanced understanding of the factors associated with SITBs by examining proximal intrapersonal (i.e., daily youth negative affect) and interpersonal (i.e., daily youth interpersonal conflict) factors on youth SITBs utilizing experience sampling methods (ESMs). This study also examined how specific modifiable characteristics (i.e., parent-youth attachment and parental reflective functioning) may moderate these proximal associations. Results from a series of multilevel, mixed-effects negative binomial regression analyses conducted on a …

The Burden Of Blame: Self-Blame After Sexual Victimization And Its Relation To Identity, Cassandra Andrion

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Sexual victimization is a pervasive issue with profound psychological effects. One critical factor influencing post-assault outcomes is self-blame, which can manifest as behavioral (blaming one’s actions) or characterological (blaming one’s core self). Research has shown that self-blame is more strongly associated with sexual assault than with non-interpersonal traumatic events; however, comparisons between sexual assault and other interpersonal traumas remain underexplored. Furthermore, the relationship between specific types of self-blame and different trauma types has not been thoroughly examined. This distinction may be important, as each form of self-blame is linked to different psychological outcomes. Self-blame has been associated with several negative …

It's In My Nature: A Look At The Individual Differences That Influence Perceptions Of Work Stress Recovery With Nature Breaks, Nathaly Rayo

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The purpose of this study was to explore how individual differences influence employee

perceptions of nature breaks at work. While nature provides restorative benefits to employees such

as reduced fatigue and feelings of recovery and awe, individual differences may impact the fit

between an employee and nature as a desirable work break location. We adopted a person-centered

approach and conducted a Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) using the indicators of nature

connectedness, regulatory focus, uncertainty intolerance, and openness to experience. Results

supported the emergence of four distinct profiles: break under-regulating nature adventurers,

nature-adverse break-takers, nature-loving break self-regulators, and reserved nature-neutral

break-takers. …

Pride Or Prejudice: An Examination Of Queer Content In Florida High Schools, Niamh L. Harrop

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This thesis explores how queer individuals reflect on the presence—or more often, the absence—of queer content in their high school education. Despite increasing visibility of LGBTQ+ people in popular culture and legal reform, formal educational spaces remain largely heteronormative and cisnormative structured from a heterosexual and cisgender standpoint. Through a critical qualitative approach, this study draws on semi-structured interviews with 13 queer participants who attended high school in Florida in the years between the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2015 and the passage of Florida’s H.B. 1557 (“Don’t Say Gay” law) in 2022. Using thematic analysis, four key themes were …

The Scoop, Vol. 12 Issue 5, August 2025, Health Sciences Library

Volume 12

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

Hypertension, Diabetes, And Chronic Kidney Disease In Young Adults: Nhanes Data From 2013-2018, Ashly Rodriguez Reyes

Undergraduate Scholarship and Creative Works

Background. Several studies have reported the link between diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and obesity as risk factors for the onset of chronic kidney disease (CKD), ultimately leading to renal replacement therapies such as dialysis and kidney transplantation. Although extensively researched in adults aged 55 years and older, CKD remains under-researched for young adults. Despite its emergence as a healthcare concern, limited data exists on risk factors impacting young adults without major comorbidities.

Objective. This research study aims to understand the potential risk factors unique to this population, seeking to guide prevention strategies and improve prognosis in already diagnosed individuals. Additionally, …

Multiclass Cyberbullying Detection Using Advanced Neural Network Architectures: A Comparative Study Amidst The Covid-19 Pandemic, Mahyar Alinejad

Data Science and Data Mining

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the digital communication landscape has seen an unprecedented rise in cyberbullying incidents. Addressing this critical issue, our study develops and evaluates a novel multiclass cyberbullying detection framework employing several advanced neural network architectures—namely Neural Networks (NN), Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), Long Short-Term Memory networks (LSTM), and Gated Recurrent Units (GRU). Utilizing a balanced dataset created through Dynamic Query Expansion, this research benchmarks the performance of these models in accurately classifying cyberbullying according to specific victim attributes such as age, ethnicity, gender, and religion. Our results demonstrate that LSTM and GRU models, in particular, exhibit superior performance …

Multiclass Cyberbullying Detection Using Advanced Neural Network Architectures: A Comparative Study Amidst The Covid-19 Pandemic, Mahyar Alinejad

Data Science and Data Mining

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the digital communication landscape has seen an unprecedented rise in cyberbullying incidents. Addressing this critical issue, our study develops and evaluates a novel multiclass cyberbullying detection framework employing several advanced neural network architectures—namely Neural Networks (NN), Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), Long Short-Term Memory networks (LSTM), and Gated Recurrent Units (GRU). Utilizing a balanced dataset created through Dynamic Query Expansion, this research benchmarks the performance of these models in accurately classifying cyberbullying according to specific victim attributes such as age, ethnicity, gender, and religion. Our results demonstrate that LSTM and GRU models, in particular, exhibit superior performance …

Maximizing Relief: The Benefits Of Combining Lateral Femoral Cutaneous Nerve Block With Sciatic Nerve Block In The Emergency Department, Courtney Smith, Taryn Hoffman

Florida Journal of Emergency Medicine (FJEM)

Low back pain accounts for more than 2.6 million emergency department (ED) visits annually, with 40% of Americans experiencing sciatica at some point in their lives. Our case report describes a patient presenting with atraumatic right-sided low back pain and paresthesias in her right leg. We utilized a combination of a transgluteal sciatic nerve block and a lateral femoral cutaneous nerve block to achieve improved pain relief after an initial isolated transgluteal sciatic nerve block left her with persistent anterolateral thigh pain.

We detail the technique for performing this procedure under ultrasound guidance. Our patient experienced significant pain improvement and …

"Star Sign" Of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage, Shivani Ruf

Florida Journal of Emergency Medicine (FJEM)

A 60-year-old female who was brought to the emergency department after a syncopal episode. She was found to have a subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) from a ruptured anterior communicating artery aneurysm. Her CT showed the classic "star sign" of SAH.

Elderly Woman With Bilateral Finger Pain, Eric Boccio, Claudia Risi

Florida Journal of Emergency Medicine (FJEM)

N/A

Paroxysmal, Severe, And Unilateral Facial Pain In Adult Male, Eric Boccio, Joshua Mcfarlane, Jeannine Bobadilla

Florida Journal of Emergency Medicine (FJEM)

No abstract provided.

Living In Fear: Be Empathetic (Life)-Tool Kit, Desiree A. Díaz, Heather Peralta, Samantha Stephenson, Danny Hernandez, Geraldine Luzincourt, Syretta Spears, Ann Marie Parker, Trysten Altamirano

Nursing Handouts, Tools, and Other Documents

Open source materials to immerse learners in rural and public health experiences are needed to ensure the new work force is equipped to care for a variety of people in differing circumstances. Public health remains a vital yet underemphasized component within healthcare education, specifically nursing education. This often limits opportunities for students to develop the skills necessary to become strong advocates for equity and systemic change. A

This project emerged from a commitment to provide experiential opportunities replicating the communities we serve. A Empathy Walk and LIFE Clinic (Díaz et al., 2025) was created as a strategy designed to engage …

The Scoop, Vol. 12 Issue 3/4, Summer 2025, Health Sciences Library

Volume 12

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

Teachers' Feedback And Students' Emotional Wellbeing In Writing Courses, Amar Bahadur Sherma

Journal of English Learner Education

While feedback is a corrective business in every sphere of human life, most students do not have a positive perception of teachers’ feedback. Previous studies have emphasized the relationship between students’ writing achievements and the effectiveness of teachers’ feedback. However, no substantial research on how teachers’ feedback affects students’ emotional well-being has been undertaken. This article examines the relationship between students’ understanding of their teachers’ feedback on their writing assignments and emotional wellbeing. Data was collected from (N = 63) Nepali undergraduate students through Google Forms. The Forms consisted of structured and unstructured questions. According to the data, a mismatch …

Artificial Intelligence (Ai) Literacy: A Necessity In Modern Language Education, Samarnh Pang, Engheang Nol, Kimkong Heng

Journal of English Learner Education

This article aims to discuss the importance of artificial intelligence (AI) literacy in the context of an AI-driven world and argues that it is a necessity in modern language education. The article answers a few questions, focusing on why AI literacy matters for language students and educators, what AI competencies should be promoted, and how AI literacy can be effectively integrated into the curriculum and instruction. The article also brings to the fore key considerations for implementing AI literacy in language education. These considerations include providing support to students and teachers to navigate the complexity of AI use, offering AI …

Transforming K-12 Classrooms: Ten Essential Strategies For Cultural Responsiveness, Sandra Johnson, Stephanie Johnson, Regina Reber

Journal of English Learner Education

Across the United States, in K-12 classrooms, diverse student populations continue to increase, challenging educators to meet student cultural, linguistic, and academic needs. The study examined the best practices related to culturally responsive teaching (CRT) strategies to better meet all students' needs. A qualitative approach was used to collect data from licensed K-12 educators in New Mexico and Colorado. The findings revealed three essential themes: culturally responsive pedagogy, the positive impact of CRT, and the creation of physical spaces to support inclusivity. The findings revealed the significance of building strong relational capacity, encouraging collaboration, supporting multilingualism, and creating effective physical …

Irish Environmental Humanities, Emily Reiff

James Joyce Literary Supplement

No abstract provided.

Joyce, Emotion, And Belonging, Jason Parks

James Joyce Literary Supplement

No abstract provided.

Detecting Physical Activity Using Wearable Sensor Data, Dipok Deb

Data Science and Data Mining

This study focuses on detecting physical activity using wearable sensor data, specifically distinguishing between walking and running. A dataset comprising accelerometer and gyroscope readings is used to train and evaluate various machine learning models, including logistic regression, random forest, k-nearest neighbors, naïve Bayes, and XGBoost. Extensive preprocessing, such as creating lag features and rolling statistics, is performed to enhance temporal data representation. The models are evaluated using metrics like accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 score. Incorporating lag and rolling features significantly improves model performance, with logistic regression achieving perfect scores across all metrics. These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of enhanced …