Digital Commons Network^™

Women Working Well: The Experiences Of Black Women Nonprofit Leaders In The Tristate Area, Erika K. Stanley Wesley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative narrative inquiry study examined the lived experiences, challenges, and leadership practices of Black women nonprofit leaders in the northeastern United States. Guided by Black feminist thought and positive leadership theory, the study explored how participants’ identities informed leadership enactment and how positive leadership practices influenced organizational impact and change. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with 11 Black women nonprofit leaders and analyzed using thematic analysis to identify patterns across participant narratives. Findings aligned with four research questions. Participants described unique experiences characterized by identity as power, cultural bridge-building, and the weight of representation. Key challenges included funding …

Intersecting Identities: The Leadership Journeys And Challenges Of Black Women Senior Leaders In Southern U.S. Predominantly White Institutions, Quizanae' Yvonne Cooper

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study looked at what Black women in high‑level leadership roles are experiencing at predominantly White institutions in Texas and Florida now that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies have been rolled back. Using Black feminist theory and intersectionality as the foundation, the research focused on how race and gender shape their leadership, their decision‑making, and the ways they navigate their careers. Through in‑depth interviews with 10 Black women in executive positions, the study uses a narrative approach to understand their stories. Eight major themes emerged, and many participants explained that losing DEI initiatives created new obstacles, reduced support systems, …

Impact Of The Lace Index Scoring Tool On Sepsis Readmissions, Tabitha M. Keaty Sheppard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sepsis is a life-threatening medical emergency that negatively affects patients and healthcare organizations worldwide. Consequently, sepsis survivors are presented with even greater health risks following acute hospitalizations, and the financial implications on healthcare organizations increase with each patient readmission. This quality improvement project studied the impact of the LACE Index Scoring Tool on sepsis readmissions within a single healthcare organization in the southern region of the United States. Per quality metric data, sepsis readmissions have remained a prevalent issue at the project site. The purpose of this doctoral project was to reduce 30-day sepsis readmissions following the implementation of the …

Longevity, Resilience, And Thriving Of Women In Ministry: A Case Study Of Women In Ministry From A United Pentecostal Holiness Church, Eunice Cheryl Feltus Little

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The problem of ministry attrition caused by burnout is well documented. Research attributes the impact of burnout on the resilience, longevity, and thriving of ministry workers to role-related stress and adversity. High attrition rates throughout religious organizations and a lag in longevity and resilience contribute to a shortage of ministry workers. Some ministry workers leave the vocation because of stress and burnout, yet others persevere. Despite the possible adverse effects, many men and women find a sense of well-being and joy in ministry work. This qualitative distributive case study focused on those who stayed in ministry and the strategies …

Leader Rounding For Outcomes To Improve Employee Retention, Laura R. Escobar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Intention to leave a nursing staff position, if not addressed, may lead to an increased rate of nursing turnover. High turnover rates can negatively affect staffing patterns, increase organizational costs, and disrupt the continuity of patient care. A quantitative quasi-experimental pre-/posttest design was used to evaluate the impact of the High Reliability Organization Leader Rounding for Outcomes tool to reduce the intent-to-leave scores, as measured by the Turnover Intention Scale (TIS-6), compared to current practice over 12 weeks. Implementation of the tool provided a structured leader rounding process designed to strengthen communication, recognize staff contributions, and proactively identify workplace concerns. …

Patient Wait Time And Throughput Interventions In The Cardiology Outpatient Setting, Chioma Ohiri Tawose

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Healthcare collaboration and patient care require effective communication. Poor communication impacts wait time. Inadequate communication in the outpatient cardiology clinic can lead to disruptive patient throughput, or workflow, and extend patient length of visit. The purpose of this project was to implement a means of communication for clinicians and healthcare assistants to improve patient flow and cut down idleness, ultimately reducing patient wait time. The project established the incorporation of a built-in electronic health record communication notification system, the Event Button, for asynchronous communication between staff. A quantitative quality improvement design was used to conduct this project. Inferential and descriptive …

A Taxonomy-Driven Modular Defense Against Non-Canonical Language In Vision-Language-Action Models, Viraj Samson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Vision-Language-Action (VLA) models have recently achieved strong performance across manipulation benchmarks, but these benchmarks rely on highly templated instructions on which the models are typically fine-tuned, leaving their behavior under realistic language-side perturbation unclear. It remains an open question whether the linguistic flexibility inherited from vision-language pretraining survives this fine-tuning, or whether the resulting policies become narrowly tuned to benchmark phrasing and brittle to the intent-preserving language variation that real users naturally produce. We address this gap with a systematic study of VLA robustness under non-canonical instructions, comprising three components: a structured taxonomy of intent-preserving variations spanning linguistic, orthographic, and …

The Monstrosity Of “Deor”: Apophasis In Character And Form, Ada Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

T. A. Shippey once referred to “Deor” as “that most perfect of Old English poems.” And indeed, the poem cannot help but inspire the reader to deep contemplation, even as it baffles scholars in so many ways. From its rare stanzaic structure to its anomalous refrain—“þæs ofer eode þisses swa mæg”—the elegy has inspired much debate within the scholarship. In fact, one of the few agreements among the scholars of “Deor” is the poem’s capacity to undermine all interpretations. The poem has the remarkable quality of mentioning many well-known legendary and historical figures while, at the same time, denying the …

Data-Driven Optimization Of Memory Effects And Critical Components In Cascading Failure Interaction Networks, Md Farhan Tanvir

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cascading failures are a major concern for modern power systems‚ where a small failure can cascade through the network to create a large blackout. Because such an event could have catastrophic economic and social costs it is important to understand cascading failures‚ how to model them‚ and the possibility of reducing them. In this thesis‚ we develop a data-driven framework based on actual utility outage data to model and reduce cascading failures. The proposed methodology is based on generation-dependent interaction models and in this study interaction matrices obtained from historical outage events are used to describe the interaction between generations. …

The Fertilization President: A Rhetorical Analysis Of The United States’ Rebirth Of Pronatalism, Kara Vetch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The United States experienced one of the lowest birth rates in decades in 2024 and has been blamed by policymakers for poor economic and societal outcomes. To combat this, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to encourage healthcare insurances to lower the cost of fertility treatments. Policies encouraging more births align with pronatalist ideologies, the belief that higher national birth rates are better for society. Furthermore, Vice President JD Vance and social media influencers, Malcolm and Simone Collins, have built a strong resurgence of pronatalist ideologies through public addresses and interviews long before Trump’s executive order. For an in-depth …

Computational Modeling Of Biophysical Transport: Respiratory Drug Delivery And Tissue-Level Physics, Md Tariqul Hossain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The nasopharynx, the upper part of the pharynx located at the back of the nose serves as a critical hotspot for initial respiratory infections via inhaled transmission, largely due to the presence of specific surface receptors that pathogens can exploit for cell invasion, combined with a relatively sparse local mucociliary substrate. To enhance the therapeutic efficacy against certain pathogens, such as the SARS and Influenza viruses, it is therefore essential to improve the targeted delivery of drugs to the nasopharynx. This study explores the use of intranasal sprays as a method for drug administration and models the transport of sprayed …

Numerical Investigation Of Injector Location And Equivalence Ratio In A Flame‐Holder Cavity Scramjet, Matthew Sorenson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents a CFD-based parametric study of injector location and fuel rate in an ethylene-fueled flame-holder cavity scramjet using STAR-CCM+. Simulations are performed for three injector locations (x/D = 18, 36, and 54) and nine equivalence ratios spanning from ϕ = 0.2 to 1.0 in 0.1 increments. The study aims to determine how injector placement and fueling level alter scramjet performance across a broad operating sweep. The results show a clear regime change between ϕ = 0.2 and ϕ ≥ 0.3. At ϕ = 0.2, combustor behavior is weakly sensitive to injector location compared to the higher-fueling cases. For …

Cyber Security Related To Agricultural Data Encryption Using Edge Computing Devices, Mohammad Ashik Alahe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Smart Agriculture increasingly relies on image-based sensing, edge computing, and artificial intelligence to support data-driven decision-making in modern farming systems. While these technologies improve productivity and resource efficiency, they also introduce significant cybersecurity risks, particularly agricultural images transmitted and processed in real-time on resource-constrained edge devices. Unauthorized access, data manipulation, and interception of image data can lead to incorrect agronomic decisions and severe economic consequences. Despite this risk, efficient and practical cybersecurity solutions for real-time agricultural imaging remain limited. This study addresses these challenges by developing and evaluating encryption-based cybersecurity frameworks tailored for real-time agricultural image protection on edge computing …

Personalized 3d-Printed Tablets For Diabetes And Related Complications: Design, Optimization, And Evaluation, Thirupathi Reddy Anekalla

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to explore potential use of pneumatic-based thermoplastic 3D bioprinter to create personalized tablets in a single-step process. In investigates the development of a single pill containing two model drugs: Metformin HCl (a highly soluble drug) for extended-release and Atorvastatin Calcium Trihydrate (a low-solubility drug) for immediate release with enhanced solubility. To achieve this, Eudragit RSPO as extended-release polymer and Polyethylene Oxide (PEO N10) as immediate release polymer was used, and the tablets were fabricated using Direct Powder Extrusion (DPE) Technology with pneumatic-based thermoplastic print heads. Key processing parameters, such as nozzle printing speed, infill density, printhead temperature, …

Development And Application Of Lc-Ms/Ms Methods For The Determination Of Environmental Contaminants, Mawuli Wilson-Cee Macdonald

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Environmental contaminants such as neonicotinoids and bisphenols are increasingly detected at ultratrace concentrations in environmental and consumer matrices, necessitating sensitive and efficient analytical methodologies. This dissertation presents the development, validation, and application of liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) methods coupled with simplified sample preparation techniques. In Chapter 2, a direct aqueous injection (DAI) LC–MS/MS method was developed for the analysis of five neonicotinoids in surface water, eliminating extensive sample preparation. The method demonstrated strong linearity (R² = 0.993–0.998), with limits of detection (LOD) ranging from 0.5 to 4 ng/L and lower limits of quantification (LLOQ) of 10–50 ng/L. Accuracy (80–120%) …

Defending Darnassus: Self-Disclosure Between Characters In World Of Warcraft, Molly Peterson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined why players substitute physical contact with people for virtual contact with people, why players engage in self-disclosure, and how they interact with other players. A content analysis analyzed data collected from an online questionnaire. Using data from 125 questionnaires, the research gathered information on why players self-disclose within the game World of Warcraft and if they have experienced any advantages or disadvantages from those interactions.

A Systematic Review: Comparative Analysis Of Healthcare Waste Management Practices In Kenya And In The United States, Esther Nyokabi Gathungu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This comparative study used a systematic literature review to explore waste management practices in Kenya and the USA, examining predefined concepts to identify new patterns relevant to sustainable healthcare waste management (HCWM) practices. The study aimed to understand sustainable practices in healthcare waste management and how developing nations such as Kenya can benchmark from practices in developed nations such as the USA. While the study identified challenges in waste management across Kenya and the USA, it also identified sustainable practices that could be adopted across contexts. The study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines …

Floodwater Salinity And Flood Duration Regulate Greenhouse Gas Production In High- Latitude Coastal Wetland And Tundra Soils, Mia J. Dicianna

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Coastal high-latitude ecosystems are increasingly flooded from storm surges associated with climate change, exposing soils that were historically infrequently inundated to higher-salinity waters for longer durations. Sub-Arctic wetlands and tundra store large amounts of carbon, yet how flooding characteristics, particularly flood duration, influence microbial mineralization and, consequently, greenhouse gas (GHG) production in these soils remains poorly understood. We conducted a full-factorial microcosm incubation experiment in which coastal wetland and tundra soils were subjected to simulated flooding with three durations (1, 3, and 10 days) and four salinity treatments (unflooded, freshwater, 3 ppt, and 12 ppt) and measured carbon dioxide (CO2) …

The Impact Of Communication Satisfaction On Division I Student Athletes, Gabriella Gnewuch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Communication satisfaction is vital for the motivation, retention, and interpersonal success of collegiate student-athletes. While coaches play a pivotal role in the athletic experience, current literature focuses predominantly on head coaches, leaving a significant gap regarding the influence of assistant coaches. This study utilized Confirmation Theory, comprised of the dual dimensions of acceptance and challenge. The study examined how these communication behaviors impact student-athlete satisfaction at the Division I level. A census was conducted among Division I student-athletes at South Dakota State University using the Coach Confirmation Instrument (CCI) and the Student Communication Satisfaction Scale (SCSS). Quantitative results from multiple …

Evaluating Methodologies For Estimating Enteric Emissions And Modeling Greenfeed Technology Utilization In Extensive Beef And Bison Grazing Systems, Aletta Laura Husmann

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from grazing ruminants represent a significant component of U.S. agricultural emissions. However, enteric methane (CH4) from cow– calf systems on extensive rangelands pose substantial measurement and management challenges. The Northern Great Plains (NGP) supports nearly one-quarter of the U.S. beef cow population, yet regionally representative, herd-level enteric emission data from commercial ranches remain limited. This thesis integrates empirical field measurements with modeling approaches to evaluate the feasibility of quantifying enteric emissions on extensive rangelands and to examine system-level drivers influencing data yield, costs, and operational performance. Enteric methane and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions were measured from …

Impacts Of Management Practices And Soil Properties On Free-Living Nitrogen Fixation In Eastern South Dakota, Laura Galvan Nuevo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Free-living nitrogen (N) fixation (FLNF) may represent a sustainable pathway to supplement crop N demand in agroecosystems, yet edaphic and management factors regulating this process under field conditions remain poorly understood in the Northern Great Plains. Using 15N2 direct method to quantify potential FLNF (pFLNF) and baseline FLNF (bFLNF), this thesis investigates how crop rotations (2-, 3-, and 4-year systems), tillage management (conventional vs. no-till), cover cropping, and soil properties affect the potential of free-living diazotrophs to supply N via FLNF in a long-term no-till corn-based system in Southeastern South Dakota. A two-year field study evaluated pFLNF across four growing …

Imaging-Based Colorimetric Gas Sensing For Wearable Applications, Syed Saad Ahmed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Continuous monitoring of gases is a critical challenge for wearable health monitoring systems and portable environmental gas detection. The technology used for gas detection, including electrochemical sensors, metal oxide semiconductors, and non-dispersive infrared systems, is based on bulky optical components, which limit their practicality as an ideal tool for wearable and field-deployable stages. This thesis investigates if the passive colorimetric chemistry read-out provided by a low-power CMOS imager-based architecture can provide a non-invasive alternative across two different application domains: medical transcutaneous CO₂ monitoring systems and toxic gas detection from environmental. Two sensing platforms were developed and evaluated. In the first …

Towards Optimal And Resilient Ac/Dc Microgrids: Control Design, Analysis, And Implementation, Jun Zhang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Microgrids serve as a small-scale power grid for utilizing renewable energy to enhance energy reliability, sustainability, and resilience. As an autonomous system, an islanded microgrid can disconnect from the utility grid and operate independently by maintaining system voltage and frequency. However, this new feature introduces coordination problems among distributed generators (DGs), such as 1) how to make sure the voltage profile and current sharing in DC microgrid with different types of converters; 2) how to reduce the impact of cyberattack when the system coordination is performed based on communication, and 3) how to calculate the steady state under a droop …

A Study Of Lost Pla Investment Casting For A356 Aluminum In Resource Constrained Manufacturing Environments, Maverick Beckmann

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lost PLA investment casting offers a low tooling route for producing complex aluminum parts, but repeatability depends on material use, burnout behavior, geometric process limits, and dimensional response. This thesis evaluated Lost PLA casting as a resource efficient manufacturing method for complex A356 aluminum components in resource constrained settings through four linked objectives: metal reusability, burnout and PLA selection, process limitations, and feature based dimensional shrinkage. A metal mass balance was performed on six casting trials using salvaged A356. Ash residual behavior was studied through a single tray screening test of eight commercial filaments and three invested mold burnout trials …

Evaluating Planting Methods For Native Seed Production And Exploring Granivory In The Northern Great Plains, Allison Dollen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Temperate grasslands have faced immense losses due to land use change in the last 150 years and less than half of the overall grasslands that once covered North America remain today. A portion of historic and remaining U.S. grasslands are located within the northern Great Plains (NGP) region which is home to over 1,600 species of native plants and provides many ecosystem services and economic benefits. Initiatives to restore grasslands and their ecosystem services are currently underway, but barriers such as limited native seed supply and granivory hinder restoration efforts. My first chapter addresses knowledge gaps in planting methods for …

Impact Of Water Level Fluctuations On Fish Populations In Eastern South Dakota Rivers, Benjamin Schall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Riverine systems are highly dynamic, and changes in flow conditions can impact the population dynamics of fishes. Increased flows from historical averages in eastern South Dakota rivers have likely impacted fish populations. The goals of this study were to 1) better understand the changes in resource use by Blue Suckers Cycleptus elongatus through retrospective eye lens stable isotope analysis, 2) determine the effects of record flooding in the James River on complex woody habitat and Flathead Catfish Pylodictis olivaris population structure, and 3) assess the influence of river discharge and temperature on Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus and Flathead Catfish condition …

Effect Of Corn Processing Methods On Growth Performance, Carcass Characteristics, And Gastrointestinal Health In Ruminants Fed Finishing Diets, Reanna Rae Byrnes-Schoen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this work was to evaluate different feed processing techniques and their impacts on growth performance, carcass traits, and gastrointestinal health in ruminant animals fed in confinement during the finishing phase. Two studies were conducted. The first study evaluated the effect of kernel processing high moisture ear corn (HMEC) on growth performance and carcass characteristics of finishing beef steers. The second study used feeder lambs to evaluate the effect of steam-flaking corn in a finishing diet on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and gastrointestinal tract (GIT) health. The results from the first study using steers demonstrated that feeding kernel …

Finding Value In Professional Learning: Developing Teacher Learning That Is Internalized And Implemented In Practice, Stephanie Dossett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This study was designed after the researcher engaged in multiple mandated professional learning experiences with faculty members who expressed dissatisfaction with their learning experiences, did not desire to engage in learning on the mandated topics, and wanted to engage in different types of learning opportunities. The problem was centered around dissatisfaction with professional learning among teachers and the lack of implementation of their professional learning in the classroom. The goal was to gather feedback that could help leaders design mandated learning for teachers that they would find satisfaction in and implement in their classroom. The study used semistructured qualitative …

Accessing Campus Mental Health Services In A Nigerian Southwestern University: Barriers To Academic Success, Caroline Dada

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mental health disorders are a significant health concern among higher education institutions in sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria. A substantial treatment gap exists in the Nigerian healthcare system, and this gap is further worsened by cultural and religious barriers, which reinforce stigma that discourages students from seeking professional help. This qualitative narrative inquiry explored the barriers students encountered when accessing mental health services at a university in Southwestern Nigeria, to increase service access. Qualitative semistructured interviews were conducted with seven professional mental health providers at a university counseling center between March and April 2025. Inductive thematic analysis was used to identify …

Ai-Assisted Wheat Spike And Spikelet Detection And Density Mapping Using Multiscale Remote Sensing Data To Support Wheat Grain Yield Forecasting, Hillson Ghimire

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Wheat grain yield is determined by the number of spikes per unit area, the number of grains per spike, and kernel weight. However, spike number and spikelets per spike are still measured predominantly through manual counting, a labor-intensive and subjective process that limits phenotyping throughput and selection intensity in modern wheat breeding programs. This thesis develops and evaluates a deep learning framework for automated, high-throughput phenotyping of wheat spike and spikelet traits across complementary imaging scales and implements the framework as a deployable platform. First, two large-scale benchmark datasets with oriented bounding box (OBB) annotations were established, comprising 48,521 spike …