Digital Commons Network^™

Predictive Analytics In Oncology And Ophthalmology: Machine Learning Applications For Diabetic Retinopathy And Breast Cancer, Ali Abidalkareem

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The convergence of artificial intelligence and healthcare represents one of the most transformative developments in modern medicine, with deep learning technologies emerging as powerful tools for addressing complex diagnostic challenges. This dissertation develops and validates machine learning frameworks that address critical challenges in medical diagnosis through innovative approaches to data augmentation, feature learning, and classification, focusing on two fundamental problems: Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) severity classification using multi-model convolutional neural networks (CNNs), and breast cancer stage identification using microRNA (miRNA) gene expression biomarkers. For diabetic retinopathy classification, this work proposes an ensemble deep learning framework that integrates Diffusion-based data augmentation for …

Integrating Multi-Source Data With Machine Learning Techniques To Upscale Wetland Carbon Dioxide Fluxes, Abdullah Sulaiman Abdullah Al Fazari

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Accurate quantification of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) fluxes in wetland ecosystems is essential for understanding their role in both regional and global carbon dynamics, particularly in the context of climate change. However, the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of wetlands presents major challenges for developing reliable upscaling models. This research developed and validated a comprehensive framework to upscale CO₂ fluxes across the Everglades National Park (ENP) and Big Cypress National Preserve (BCNP) in South Florida through the integration of multi-source datasets, including AmeriFlux eddy covariance (EC) tower measurements, NASA’s BlueFlux airborne CO₂ data, and multispectral satellite imagery from Landsat 8 OLI …

Trading Precarities: How Bangladeshi Freelancers Leverage The Digital Economy Amid Local Insecurity And Ai Disruption, Naim Bin Hasan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines how Bangladeshi freelancers use digital platform work to cope with precarious local labor markets and how this strategy both mitigates and reproduces insecurity. In this form of work, freelancers compete for short-term, skill-based remote jobs posted by global clients. Drawing on 30 in-depth interviews and virtual ethnography, this study challenges dominant Western understandings of the precariat that assume workers fall from stable employment into insecure work. Instead, the findings show that many freelancers enter platform labor strategically as a way out of already unstable and limited local opportunities. While freelancing carries a promise of foreign income, flexibility, …

Suppressing Saints And Suffering Sinners: An Analysis Of Reductive Tropes Through The 2025 Film Sinners, Kaila Palmer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ryan Coogler’s 2025 horror film Sinners is set in a predominantly Black Mississippi community during the Jim Crow era and explores the vulnerability and hypervisibility of Black people. Vampires and Klansmen fixate on Black bodies, treating them as consumable and dispensable sources. Prior to its Amazon Prime debut and extended theatrical run, Sinners grossed over $300 million, signaling its cultural impact and contribution to reshaping representations of Black identity in cinema. As part of Coogler’s broader array of Black storytelling, the film disrupts entrenched stereotypes by emphasizing character depth rather than caricature.

This paper analyzes the characters Annie and the …

Three-Dimensional Imaging Of Neuronal Activation Patterns In Chronic Neuropathic Pain And Opioid Pharmacology, Madeline Martinez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chronic neuropathic pain severely diminishes quality of life, yet the supraspinal neural circuits that sustain pain perception and mediate analgesic relief remain incompletely characterized. While peripheral and spinal pain pathways are well established, relatively few studies have mapped pain- or opioid-related neuronal activation across the entire brain. This dissertation employed activity-dependent genetic labeling (TRAP2/Ai9), whole-brain tissue clearing, light sheet microscopy, and graph-theoretic network analysis to characterize brain-wide activation patterns across chronic pain and analgesic conditions in mice.

In Chapter 1, we mapped supraspinal neuronal activation in a bilateral spared nerve injury model of chronic neuropathic pain. Although no individual region …

The Solar Car Challenge’S Impact On Participants’ Stem College/Career Aspirations And Nace Career-Ready Competencies Development, Allan Phipps

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study examined the impact and efficacy of the Solar Car Challenge (SCC), a secondary-level science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) competition, on alumni postsecondary educational and career outcomes. The study investigated whether participation in the SCC influenced students’ pursuit of STEM college majors, entry into STEM-related careers, and development of career-ready competencies aligned with the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) framework. While prior research has identified positive relationships between participation in national STEM competitions and STEM aspirations, no empirical studies have examined the SCC or its long-term outcomes.

Using survey data from SCC alumni, this study …

On The Drainage Vortices Of Liquid In A Container With Two Outlets, Radivoje Stankovic

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Vortices that form over multiple drainage ports may exhibit a distinct, periodic alternating behavior, whereby the air core moves periodically between different drainage ports. The physical processes which govern this behavior have not yet been explained, despite the widespread and thorough attempts to describe the flow of water through single or multiple outlets. Early experiments on the alternating behavior of this vortex resulted in a nondimensional relation between the alternating frequency and water height and container geometry with an R2 = 0.91. Subsequent 2D PIV measurements of the flow were performed at different laser heights of 25 mm and 128 …

Evaluating The Geographic Patterns In Isotopic Composition For Nesting Hawksbill Sea Turtles In The Wider Caribbean By Coupling Satellite Telemetry And Stable Isotopes, Anna Kreiger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Combining satellite telemetry and stable isotope analysis offers a framework for inferring sea turtle foraging habitats when spatial isotopic gradients exist. We evaluated this combined approach using carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ1⁵N) isotope values from critically endangered hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) nesting at Buck Island Reef National Monument, U.S. Virgin Islands (N=31), and Long Island (Jumby Bay), Antigua (N = 31). Nesting females were satellite-tracked to identify foraging areas and sampled for skin tissue, and Empirical Bayesian Kriging was used to generate basin-scale δ13C and δ1⁵N isoscapes. Tracked turtles foraged widely across the Caribbean Basin, including the Greater …

Essays On Innovation And Financial Markets Cryptoassets And Other Financial Technologies, Zachary Ethan Glatzer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this manuscript, I present essays that examine the role of innovation in financial markets. The first essay introduces a classification framework for cryptoassets. Existing approaches either apply overly broad economic-function criteria or rely on narrow legal definitions, neither of which adequately captures the diversity of digital assets. This essay proposes a two-track framework that integrates both functional roles and technical structure. By bridging the gap between traditional asset categories and emerging digital instruments, this framework offers actionable guidance for policymakers assessing regulatory treatment, practitioners evaluating risk profiles, and academics engaged in research at the intersection of digital finance and …

Testing Effects Of Acoustic Propagation, Morphology, And Intrasexual Selection On The Elaboration And Performance Of Song In Bachman’S Sparrows (Peucaea Aestivalis), Hans Kayser Gonzembach

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Birdsong is a communication signal shaped by ecological, morphological, and cultural processes. While many songbird species produce relatively simple vocal repertoires, others, such as the Bachman’s Sparrow (Peucaea aestivalis), produce moderately large repertoires with multiple distinct and context-dependent song categories. Despite this complexity, little is known about the major drivers that shape song elaboration in this species. Additionally, it is unclear whether abiotic factors play a significant role in determining how different song types are learned and shared within a population. To better understand how ecological and social pressures shape song variation, I conducted three studies using Bachman’s …

Diffeomorphisms In Quantum Black Hole Interiors, Ian William Bornhoeft

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We begin with an introduction to canonical Loop Quantum Gravity. We then introduce a notion of residual diffeomorphism covariance in quantum Kantowski–Sachs (KS), describing the interior of a Schwarzschild black hole. We solve for the family of Hamiltonian constraint operators satisfying an associated covariance condition, as well as parity invariance, preservation of the Bohr Hilbert space of Loop Quantum KS and a correct (naive) classical limit. We further explore imposing minimality of the number of momentum shift terms, and compare the solution with other Hamiltonian constraints proposed for Loop Quantum KS in the literature. In particular, we discuss a lapse …

Narrative Strategies In Presidential Environmental Policymaking: An Examination Of The Executive Impacts Of Presidential Narratives, Gorgin Mansourian

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I examine how U.S. presidents employ narrative strategies to shape environmental policymaking through both rhetorical and institutional mechanisms. Specifically, I investigate how Presidents Donald J. Trump and Joseph R. Biden constructed, communicated, and institutionalized environmental narratives during their first terms, highlighting the relationship between presidential narratives and executive orders. Using the Narrative Policy Framework (NPF) and Richard Neustadt’s Presidential Power Theory (PPT), this study conceptualizes presidential narratives as both rhetorical tools and instruments of persuasion within institutional contexts. This synthesis advances the NPF by highlighting the role of institutional positions on narrative credibility, by emphasizing the roles …

Navigating Help In Stem: How Seeking And Receiving Help Shapes Women’S Self Perceptions And Memory, Samantha A. Mckinney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Prior research suggests that help-seeking is a social process shaped by interpersonal context, yet less is known about how help type and partner characteristics influence self-related outcomes in STEM settings. The present research examined how autonomy-oriented and dependency-oriented help, partner gender, and the alignment between requested and received help relate to women’s state self-esteem, STEM self-concept, affect, and recognition sensitivity. Across two studies, participants completed a STEM task and interacted with a simulated partner who provided help.

In Study 1 (N = 215), participants received the type of help they requested, allowing for an examination of how help type and …

The Effect Of Visual And Narrative Perspective On Memory For Social Interactions, Allen Hagen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The visual perspective we experience events from is particularly important in social settings that are both referenced over time and within areas of importance such as courtroom settings, police interrogations, and workplace evaluations. The current study investigated the effect of visual encoding perspectives (first-person, observer) during valenced social interaction footage on the recognition of old or altered footage (changed perspective, valence, or all new), as well as emotional metamemory judgements for the event. The study also investigated the effect of written narrative perspective of event descriptions (first-person, second-person) on these dependent variables. The experiment revealed a significant effect of encoding …

Essays On Impact Investing And Sovereign Wealth Funds, Joy Namhee Wilkinson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines how impact investment capital is allocated and structured, focusing on geographic targeting, investor heterogeneity, and the participation of sovereign wealth funds (SWFs). The first essay investigates the geographic determinants of impact investments, assessing whether they flow to communities with lower economic connectedness—a proxy for economic mobility. It further explores how the location and type of co-investors influence investment characteristics, investor monitoring, and exit outcomes, shedding light on how traditional and impact investors interact and shape investment outcomes. The second essay examines the role of SWFs in impact investing. It analyzes the channels through which SWFs deploy impact …

Development And Application Of A Multiplex Bead-Based Platform For Quantifying Host-Pathogen Protein-Protein Interactions, Larah Gorayeb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Host-pathogen protein-protein interactions are the key drivers of infectious diseases, where events such as pathogen adhesion and signaling are directly associated with disease severity. One example of this is Malaria, in which the Plasmodium falciparum infected erythrocytes adhere to endothelial receptors to avoid splenic clearance. This study investigated interactions between PfEMP1 CIDR1 field domains and host receptor CD36 using a multiplex platform to quantitatively determine binding affinities. Variants RP18 and RP27 exhibited strong affinity, suggesting a role in cytoadherence and disease severity. To evaluate broader applicability, the platform was expanded to the interaction between host protein SIVA1 and Helicobacter pylori …

Street-Level Bureaucrats In Public Higher Education: The Ethical Obligations To Support Psychologically At-Risk Students, Michael Turtz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To fill the gap in the current literature, the purpose of this dissertation was to explain how and why Street-Level Bureaucrats (SLBs) in public higher education helped psychologically at-risk students during the pandemic. This qualitative study was intended to examine the role of SLBs in public higher education as it relates to their utilization of administrative discretion when advising psychologically at-risk students. In addition to administrative discretion, this dissertation also explored the role of ethical obligations and the use of a therapeutic lens when SLBs are faced with some of the most difficult situations for which they were not equipped …

Does Volume Cycling Elicit A Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy Re-Sensitization Effect? A Comparison Of Constant Versus Cycled Resistance Training Protocols, Joshua C. Pelland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: This study examined whether volume cycling in resistance training can elicit a skeletal muscle hypertrophy re-sensitization effect without muscle atrophy. We hypothesized that muscle size would be maintained during lower volume phases, that re-sensitization would occur following these phases, and that overall hypertrophy would be similar between cycled and constant volume conditions.

Methods: Thirty-seven trained men and women had their lower limbs randomized to either a constant volume (12 sets/week throughout) or cycled volume (alternating 4-week phases of 12 and 4 sets/week) condition for unilateral calf press training over 20 weeks. Lateral and medial gastrocnemius muscle thickness (MT), calf …

Synthesis And Evaluation Of Novel Mt5-Mmp Inhibitors For Treatment Of Alzheimer’S Disease, Nicholas Borges

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a common neurodegenerative disease that is characterized by the accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques and presence of neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) in the brain. Aβ oligomers are directly toxic to CNS synapses and can induce tau protein hyperphosphorylation, that causes NFT buildup. For these reasons, Aβ has been investigated as a therapeutic target, yet very few clinical trials have yielded effective drugs for AD treatment until now. Recently, the MT5-MMPmediated η-secretase pathway, which generates synaptotoxic Aη from amyloid precursor protein, has been reported (Wang et al 2024, Wilem et al 2015). Thus, pharmacologic inhibition of MT5-MMP …

Development, Validation, And Comparative Evaluation Of A Rheotaxis-Based Microfluidic Device To Isolate A Subpopulation Of High-Performance Human Spermatozoa, Charlene S. Fournier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fertility has declined over the past decades, and male infertility is now recognized as contributing equally to the need for Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART). Current clinical sperm processing methods rely on multiple centrifugation steps, which are time- and labor-intensive and may be detrimental to spermatozoa. Therefore, improved methodologies are needed to select functional, healthy spermatozoa while mimicking natural sperm selection. Microfluidics has expanded in reproductive biology and offers an efficient approach to selecting spermatozoa based on progressive motility and rheotaxis—their natural ability to swim against a constant flow. In this study, I developed a rheotaxis-based microfluidic device to isolate highly …

Characterizing The Diet, Movement, And Hooking Frequency Of Pier-Hooked Juvenile Green Turtles (Chelonia Mydas), Cody R. Mott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Green sea turtles are impacted by their interactions with recreational fishing piers, but how these interactions affect their diet, behavior, and hooking risk remains poorly understood. The objective of this study was to characterize and quantify interactions between juvenile green turtles (Chelonia mydas) and a recreational fishing pier in southeast Florida. The goals were to evaluate how proximity to the pier influences turtle diet, behavior, and incidental hooking. We compared pier-hooked turtles with individuals captured on an adjacent reef and at a control site lacking a nearby pier. Dietary preferences were assessed using nitrogenous blood analytes and stable isotope analysis. …

Manufacturing Collapse: American Power And The Dissolution Of The Federal Republic Of Yugoslavia, Jonah Michael Hillmann

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis argues that the United States systematically worked to destabilize the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and initiate regime change through economic sanctions, propaganda campaigns, funding of political opposition movements, and the facilitation of NATO bombing campaigns. Through an examination of recently declassified U.S. government documents, National Security Council briefings, and diplomatic correspondence, a more complicated reality of U.S. involvement in Yugoslavia emerges. Evidence reveals that the Clinton Administration leveraged the real humanitarian crisis in Kosovo to advance post-Cold War strategic interests, particularly the political and economic unification of Europe under NATO. Organized into three thematic chapters: Militaristic Involvement, Economic …

Family Support And Counseling: Predicting Family Relationship Quality And Self-Management In Women With Epilepsy, Tiffany A. Winch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Epilepsy, a neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures, can impede many aspects of daily life for individuals diagnosed with it (Beghi, 2020; Kanner & Bicchi, 2022). The problem is that women with epilepsy may struggle with family relationships and epilepsy self-management, and it is not known to what extent family support and epilepsy counseling ameliorate this detriment. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the extent to which family support and epilepsy counseling predict family relationship quality and epilepsy self-management among women who suffer from the condition. Surveys measuring the variables family support, epilepsy counseling experience, family …

Characterization Of Srsf1’S Functions In Transcription And Alternative Splicing, Elena Bisotto

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Serine/Arginine splicing factor 1 (SRSF1) is an RNA-binding protein (RBP) that serves as a central regulator of RNA biogenesis. SRSF1 has been implicated in cell replication, motility, ageing, immune function, and other physiological processes, while its dysregulation is associated with multiple cancers and autoimmune diseases. In this study, we characterized the global impact and structural requirements of SRSF1-mediated gene regulation to elucidate its proto-oncogenic functions.

Utilizing a time-course RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) approach in HEK293 cells, we identified 28 primary transcriptional targets of SRSF1, 18 of which were consistently upregulated in the established cancer cell models PC-3 and MCF-7. These targets …

Developmental Dynamics Of Frontal Alpha-Band Eeg Coherence And Fearful Temperament Across Infancy, Samantha Christiana Gott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Infancy represents a period of rapid neural development during which early temperamental traits begin to emerge. Fearful reactivity, a core dimension of temperament, has been linked to later risk for anxiety and related internalizing outcomes. The present study examined developmental patterns of frontal alpha-band electroencephalographic (EEG) coherence across infancy and tested whether neural connectivity within frontal regions was associated with fearful temperament. Participants were 61 infants recruited through a multisite longitudinal study conducted at Florida Atlantic University, Washington State University, and Virginia Tech. Infants completed laboratory visits at approximately 6, 8, 10, and 12 months of age. During each visit, …

Retreat, Renew, Reflect: Exploring Digital Marketing Strategies For Faith-Based Retreat Centers, Rebecca A. Mickler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In today’s fast-paced world, retreat centers offer a vital opportunity for rest, reflection, and spiritual renewal. Despite growing societal awareness of mental health and wellness, many religiously affiliated retreat centers face stagnant participation, aging leadership, and operational challenges that threaten their long-term sustainability. This qualitative-dominant mixed methods study uses bright spots analysis to examine how Villa Maria Education and Spirituality Center (VMESC), a Catholic retreat center, can strengthen its digital marketing strategies to attract new audiences while maintaining mission alignment.

Bright spots analysis examines positive outliers, organizations that achieve notable success despite operating within similar constraints, to identify practices that …

Exploring The Way Up: Career Paths, Challenges, And Resilience Among Women Leaders In Higher Education, Angela M. Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Women represent the majority of students and faculty in higher education students in higher education in the United States, yet they remain underrepresented in executive leadership positions. Women pursuing these roles encounter unique challenges, and institutions have increasingly recognized the value of mentoring and sponsoring women who aspire to leadership. Guided by Kumar’s CR8 resilience theory, this qualitative descriptive study explored how women leaders in higher education in the United States describe their career pathways to leadership, the challenges they encounter, and the impact of mentoring/sponsoring in developing their resilience for career progression. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 11 women …

Transformative Leadership In Action: A Narrative Study Of Principals’ Influence On Students’ Achievement, Staci Taylor Fullmighter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This narrative inquiry examined how principals in low-performing high-minority urban schools use transformational leadership to improve academic outcomes. The purpose of this research was to describe principals’ leadership behaviors that are perceived to positively influence academic achievement among students who identify as minority and low socioeconomic status and are attending or have attended urban school districts with high concentrations of the identified population. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with principals, and narratives were studied to identify trends across their experiences. Four themes emerged: (a) trust and shared accountability, (b) encouraging creativity and risk-taking, (c) communicating shared goals, and (d) …

African American Male Dual Enrollment Graduates Perceptions Of The Transition To The 4-Year University, Kendra L. Harrison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to explore how African American men who earned an associate degree from dual enrollment programs in Texas perceive the transition to a 4-year university to pursue a bachelor’s degree. The 4S model of Schlossberg’s transition theory was the conceptual framework that undergirded the study. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 20 participants. The researcher collected and triangulated data using a questionnaire and semistructured interviews and analyzed it using six-step thematic analysis. Results revealed competence and confidence from dual enrollment program resulted in a smooth transition to college, participants’ African American male …

The Impact Of Social Determinants Of Health On The Emotional Well-Being Of Lgbtq Young Adults, Bridget J. Mantooth-Urso

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current study examined whether neighborhood-based social determinants of health (SDOH) were associated with emotional health outcomes among sexual minority young adults ages 18–29, and whether perceived social support mediated this relationship. SDOH refers to the conditions in which individuals are born, grow, live, work, and age, including neighborhood and built environment characteristics that shape access to resources, safety, and well-being. Emotional health in this study was operationalized through self-reported symptoms of depression and anxiety, while social support represented perceived availability and quality of interpersonal resources that may buffer the impact of structural disadvantage. This study utilized a non-experimental, cross-sectional …