Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluating Psychosocial Stressors And Mental Well-Being Of Construction Professionals From The Management Standpoint: An Exploratory Study, Md Tauhidul Karim

Masters Theses

Construction professionals face persistent workplace stressors that undermine their mental well-being outcomes. Despite progress in general job-related stressors, social and interpersonal aspects of psychosocial stressors traditionally remain underexplored in the construction management research. The present study examines how social and interpersonal factors influence construction workers’ mental well-being and how management’s awareness, responsiveness, and strategic roles evolved in the transition of the COVID-19 pandemic at the organizational level. An integrative mixed-methods approach was employed, combining a systematic literature review, a bibliometric analysis, and an exploratory case study to capture the current landscape of mental well-being and management standpoints in the US …

"Gross Normality" And "Marked Deviation": A Qualitative Study Of Disability Theory In Three Periods Of Sociological Literature, Kelsey Sullivan

Masters Theses

In the 20th century, three theoretical perspectives concurrently dominated sociological discussions of disability. Functionalism and Talcott Parsons argued for a pathologized framework in the form of a “sick role” occupied by disabled people. Interactionism and Erving Goffman emphasized the stigmas faced by individual disabled people, and the ripple-effects of those stigmas. Finally, disabled activists, inspired by social constructionism, championed the social model of disability. This model purported that disability is a social condition, resulting from systemic barriers imposed upon people who do not fit the mental or physiological norm. This project, through a content analysis of 30 historical journal articles, …

Home Visitors Perceived Barriers To Practicing Self-Care In Personal And Professional Settings, Lexie Yancey

Masters Theses

Home visiting has the potential to support families in increasing their parenting skills, reducing incidents of child maltreatment, increasing school readiness, and improving financial sustainability (HRSA, 2023; Peacock et al., 2013). Retention of home visitors in programming is crucial to retaining families in home visiting (Damashek et al., 2020; Fifolt et al., 2017; Holm-Hansen et al., 2017; Ramakrishnan et al., 2022). While many home visitors struggle with burnout, research has found that self-care strategies are effective for social work students and are even used widely by home visitors (Begic et al., 2019; Siebert, 2008). This nested mixed-methods study examines answers …

The Effect Of Shared Decisions On Intertemporal Choice, Rosemarie M. Davidson

Masters Theses

Substance use disorders are a significant public health concern, and improving treatment outcomes requires a better understanding of the behavioral processes that influence drug consumption. Delay discounting, or the tendency to overvalue immediate reinforcers, is reliably more severe among individuals with substance use disorders. Recent work suggests that shared decision-making may increase tolerance for delayed rewards; however, prior studies used procedures that confounded delay to token delivery with delay to token exchange, limiting conclusions. The present study evaluates delay discounting across individual and social decision-making contexts using a traditional delay discounting paradigm.

Ten undergraduate participants completed sessions involving choices between …

Growing A Church Worship Band, Charmaine Landrum

Masters Theses

Many churches either leave the music to the professionals, or let untrained musicians blunder their way through the service, distracting their congregations. Little research has been done pertaining to the development of average or inexperienced musicians for Sunday Services. Considering the shift in worship music and technology, there is a need to train the next generation of worship team members. There is a lack in research pertaining to the best methods for training untrained musicians who want to volunteer but may not be ready for the platform. One particular church, Revolution Church in Canton, Georgia, is solving their dilemma by …

Desegregated Goals: Integrating Literacy And Behavioral Health In A Community Mental Health Setting To Improve Outcomes For Middle School Students, Donna M. Reed

Masters Theses

Despite an understanding that many at-risk students lack the reading and writing skills to navigate high school and post-secondary education successfully, current interventions are often inadequate. Schools are forced to focus on academic requirements, while other needs of the student are overlooked, and it is those overlooked needs that contribute to the educational failures of the student. This thesis presents an argument for holistic support of the at-risk student when remediating academics, specifically reading and writing skills, focusing on the middle school students of a rural middle school in central Kansas. It develops a curriculum that integrates physical and mental …

Examining Factors Influencing Ultra- Processed Food Consumption Among Liberty University Students Aged 18 And Older, Ginika Rosemary Muomah

Masters Theses

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are widely consumed among college students and are linked to adverse health outcomes including obesity, poor mental health, and cardiometabolic disease. Despite their rising prevalence, limited research has examined psychosocial and behavioral factors influencing UPF intake within Christian university settings. This study investigated demographic, behavioral, and psychosocial predictors of UPF consumption among Liberty University students, guided by the Health Belief Model (HBM). A cross-sectional survey of students aged 18 and older (N = 337) was conducted. After excluding incomplete or invalid responses, 276 cases remained. The 25-item survey assessed UPF intake, HBM constructs, and demographics. Descriptive statistics …

Integrating Artificial Intelligence & Purpose-Driven Design Within Spiritual, Wellness, Eco-Conscious, & Cultural Brands, Jessica Molina

Masters Theses

This visual thesis explores the practical and ethical applications of artificial intelligence in the work of designers for brands that promote wellness, spirituality, eco-consciousness, and cultural identity. The central challenge in adopting AI will be balancing the capitalization on its benefits with assessing the ethical ramifications of its adoption, while still upholding brand values, the imperative of authenticity, emotional intelligence, and integrity. As the technology and capabilities of AI continue to skyrocket, purpose-driven designers will remain under-resourced and underdeveloped in frameworks for ethical adoption. This work seeks to resolve the existing gap through a literature review, case studies, and a …

The Intersection Of Ethnomusicology And Special Education: An Exploration Of Aba-Infused World Music Play Facilitation In The Social-Emotional Development Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Jean-Pierre Ervelt Leroy

Masters Theses

Inspired by experiences across disciplines, this mixed-method study peered into a possible intersection of ethnomusicology and special education. An innovative ABA-infused world music play facilitation program for children was created to examine how culturally diverse musical intervention in combination with Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) principles could enhance the social-emotional development in children diagnosed with ASD. To gain an informed context on worldview and structure, this research was conducted within both sacred and secular communities. To gain a comprehensive understanding of how interdisciplinary intervention can impact the self-expression, self-regulation skills, and cultural awareness of children, both quantitative assessments and qualitative observations …

Design Of Non-Invasive Device To Measure Differential Flow In The Carotid Arteries, Rachel Elisabeth Jacquay

Masters Theses

A stroke is categorized as quickly developing symptoms of cerebral function loss with no apparent cause other than that of vascular origin. Stroke detection in prehospital settings, such as an ambulance, is subjective and often requires additional imaging methods to obtain a definitive conclusion. Common non-invasive methods for stroke detection include Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computed Tomography (CT) scans. Still, these techniques can be expensive, time-consuming, and dangerous due to exposure to strong magnetic fields and radiation. Two additional methods have been proposed for quick, inexpensive, and non-invasive stroke detection, namely Ultrasound Doppler and Pressure Transducer. A simplified physical …

Cyberbullying Defensive Strategy In Social Media Sessions Via Machine Learning And Cyber Deception, Mohammad Shafiqul Islam

Masters Theses

Cyberbullying poses a significant challenge on social media, where traditional detection systems struggle with the nuanced and dynamic nature of online abuse. This thesis proposes an integrated framework that combines large language model (LLM)-based detection with generative decoy responses to enable real-time protection for victims on platforms like Instagram and WhatsApp. Using models such as Mistral 7B, GPT-3.5 Turbo, and Phi-3 Mini, prompt-based one-shot learning achieved 87% detection accuracy and a 5% F1-score improvement over zero-shot approaches, demonstrating robust identification of text-based bullying. A novel synthetic dataset of 98 multi-turn conversations, designed with diverse subtypes and evaluated for realism, addressed …

Empowering Youth Tackle Football Athletes: A Content Analysis Of Nonlinear Pedagogy’S Influence On Autonomy And Practical Applications In Youth Tackle Football, Benjamin Jay Andelman

Masters Theses

Youth tackle football offers an environment that promotes both positive mental and physical benefits for young athletes. Despite the positive benefits associated with sports, participation is on the decline. The content analysis found connections between the prevailing prescriptive coaching methods in youth tackle football and the adverse mental effects on young athletes. This study, utilizing a qualitative content analysis of existing academic literature, proposes a practical application of Nonlinear Pedagogical principles in the youth tackle football practice context to develop a coaching model that promotes athlete autonomy, thereby increasing positive mental benefits for the youth athlete. Leveraging Ecological Dynamics, Constraints-Led …

The Path Of Preparation: Engaging The Spirit’S Work In Your Soul To Be Ready For The Life God Has For You, Janelle Koontz

Masters Theses

Spiritual preparation is the ongoing act of engaging faith and life in a way that helps a follower of Jesus become more aware of what God is doing in his or her life. With a developed sense of how God is moving, followers of Jesus are able to engage surprises, both positive and negative, in a grounded way. This grounding is rooted in the knowledge that God is with them and that He has been working from before time and through their lives to get them ready for these moments. A biblical understanding of preparation based on word studies and …

Awake And Alive: An Investigation Into Content For A Music Course Incorporating The Sciences, Harrison Boraas

Masters Theses

The purpose of this qualitative, instrumental case study was to identify the content for an interdisciplinary course about music and the brain that educates collegiate students about the benefits of lifelong music engagement. Despite increasing awareness of musical relevance to the human brain, many institutions of higher learning continue to teach music as its isolated area of study without connecting it to other fields that could benefit from incorporating it or vice versa. The sample size consisted of four to seven experts that were either community experts or Liberty University faculty in the fields of science, medicine, or music within …

Means Of Evangelization In The Catholic Church Through Music, Patrice Metcalf

Masters Theses

There are numerous resources for Catholic churches today to encourage a congregation’s full involvement in musical participation, but there is little guidance or information on how these practices help with evangelization. The evangelization process is essential to the healthy growth of the church on Earth and for the salvation of believers. Musical resources give an eclectic variety of music, all of which is methodically written by its composers. After the COVID-19 pandemic, many church choirs have struggled to return, with some churches abandoning the use of large choirs and opting for a single soloist to lead the congregation. This leads …

Abundance And Demography Of The Wood Turtle (Glyptemys Insculpta) Across Two River Systems In Michigan’S Lower Peninsula, Marianne Kelso

Masters Theses

Turtles worldwide are declining from habitat loss and fragmentation, predation, and illegal collection, and their slow life histories and sensitivity to environmental change make reliable abundance and demographic data critical for conservation. Wood turtles (Glyptemys insculpta) are declining across much of their range, yet baseline information is lacking in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. To fill that gap, we performed standardized visual mark–recapture surveys at 27 one-kilometer river reaches in two distinct watershed systems during springs of 2022 and 2023. Using hierarchical N-mixture models with negative binomial mixtures to account for imperfect detection, we estimated site-level latent abundance and evaluated …

Investigation Of A Divergent Triangle Construct For Internal Fixation Of Vertical Femoral Neck Fractures Using Experimental And Finite Element Analysis Methods, Hannah Rainey

Masters Theses

Hip fractures are a significant public health issue as they are a commonly encountered problem and have a high rate of mortality. The fracture of the femoral neck is difficult to treat due to the geometry of the proximal femur and the weight-bearing capacity that the structure must comply with. Internal fixation of the femoral neck is often accomplished with three screws inserted along the axis of the femoral neck. The optimal configuration and number of these screws is not agreed upon in the literature. The purpose of this study was to conduct a pilot investigation on the biomechanical performance …

Early Detection Of Oak Wilt Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (Uav) & Computer Vision, Muttaki I. Bismoy

Masters Theses

Forests are critical ecosystems, delivering services such as biodiversity conservation, climate regulation, timber production, and recreation. However, they face increasing threats from pathogens like Bretziella fagacearum, which causes Oak Wilt, a lethal disease that disrupts water transport in oak trees, leading to canopy dieback and eventual death. Traditional detection methods rely on manual ground surveys, which are labor-intensive, time-consuming, and prone to error, particularly in early disease stages.

This research presents an automated, scalable, high-precision Oak Wilt detection system using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) combined with deep learning-based computer vision. Expanding on earlier work with a lightweight CNN achieving an …

An Assessment Of Basic Needs Insecurities In Grand Valley State University Residence Halls, Matthew Bristol

Masters Theses

Basic needs insecurity scholarship in higher education consistently highlights the need to provide more and better support to students. Little research has been done to address basic needs insecurity in residence halls, and this study is the first to use the #RealCollege survey to evaluate basic needs insecurity among residential students. I use the results of the survey tell the story of what it is like for Grand Valley State University students to face basic needs insecurity while living on campus, to assess what resources participants use to secure their basic needs and offer recommendations for improved support offerings to …

Determining The Origin Of An Isolated Great Lakes Plant Species, Agoseris Glauca (Asteraceae), Seth Paul Hiers

Masters Theses

Small, isolated populations often have low genetic diversity and low potential for adaptation in response to environmental changes. Alternatively, isolated communities are often more likely to display local adaptations and over time speciate. The Great Lakes Region is home to over 50 vascular plant species that are disjunct from the species’ core populations. Agoseris glauca (Asteraceae) is a Great Lakes disjunct and Michigan state threatened species geographically isolated from its core range by 900 km. This study uses Genotyping by Sequencing to assess the population genetics of A. glauca for two Michigan disjunct populations and five western populations in the …

Investigating Food Web Dynamics Of Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands Using A Novel Stable Isotope Approach, Alyssa M. Smith

Masters Theses

Coastal wetlands of the Great Lakes support abundant populations of fish, invertebrates, and vegetation, though the trophic linkages connecting primary production and lower consumers is not well understood in these systems. We implemented a multiple-tracer approach, pairing traditional food web isotope tracers like carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) with total mercury concentrations (THg). We predicted that filamentous algae would be the dominant energy resource in the diet of lower trophic-level invertebrates in the Grand River Estuary, a network of riverine coastal wetlands adjacent to lake Michigan. In addition, we predicted that adding THg as a tracer would improve the resolution …

Don't Say You Love Me, Breanna Dunwell

Masters Theses

Teen dating violence is a silent epidemic that is not talked about enough or taken seriously. This shows that age does not matter when it comes to any type of abuse or harassment – physical, emotional, sexual, stalking, etc. The household that the victim lives in, race, parents marital status, and financial situation do not play a role into who is a victim versus someone who is not. The perpetrator does not care about those kinds of details. They only care about needing to be in control of the other person. Even though this is a snippet, the story shows …

Changes In Perspective - A Pov Exercise, Lauralynn Filidoro

Masters Theses

Point of view is an important tool in fiction writing, as is an exploration of how choice of POV affects how a story is experienced by an audience and what to consider as an author when making that choice. Taking the time to study not just the options for point of view, but the profound impact that a thoughtful and considered use of this device can have on one’s writing is not just an exciting endeavor, but an inspiring one.

Producing A Map Of Political Advocacy – Locational Difference And Interconnectedness In West Michigan Lgbt Advocacy, Samuel J. Darnell

Masters Theses

This study examines, through a qualitative lens, the influence of a local environment upon the operations, messaging, and perspectives of individuals within LGBT advocacy organizations and broader LGBT advocacy efforts. This was achieved via analysis of in-person and verbal interviews with individuals involved in the operation of these advocacy organizations. Interviews were analyzed with a focus on political perception, organization structure and history, funding sources, and challenges faced in operation such as political conflicts or harassment. Initially focusing on a comparison of the advocacy environment of Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids, the study expanded to several neighboring towns that hosted advocacy …

Investigation Into Intraocular Pressure Distribution Via Computer Aided Engineering (Cae), Madison Maureen Hinman

Masters Theses

The leading cause for irreversible blindness and vision loss is glaucoma - an eye condition associated with elevated intraocular pressure (IOP). Increased IOP is also seen during other pathological conditions like spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS), and non-pathological conditions as when playing a wind instrument. The study aimed to describe the influence of different vitreous cavity size as well as vitreous fluid viscosity on the IOP as measured at the back of the eye on the retina. Improved understanding of eye pressure transmission can aid in a better understanding of eye diseases. The experiment conducted included cavities of varying size and …

Brexit And The Devolution Of Uk Settlements: A Qualitative Case Study Of The Socio-Political Factors And Consequences Of Brexit On Scotland, Deborah Erioluwa Adeniji

Masters Theses

This paper takes a real in-depth look at the United Kingdom’s position in the geopolitical landscape before and after one of the most crucial votes in the nation’s history, namely the Brexit vote of 2016. To bring clarity to those who may be new to UK politics, it is important to note that Brexit is an abbreviated term for Britain’s exit, or departure, from the European Union (EU). This paper explores the position of the United Kingdom, or Britain, in the world before and after its departure from the European Union. Throughout the course of this paper, the following questions …

Immersed In The Fantastical: Creating Timeless Fantasy Realms And Stories, Kirk Kraft

Masters Theses

The first section of the thesis, my artist statement, discusses my purpose as a writer, what drives me to improve, how I hope to create lasting stories that will outlive me and how this will contribute to becoming a Christian scholar. The introduction will include when I discovered my love for writing and what inspired me to become a storyteller. I’ll briefly discuss my writing process, ideas, imagination and the power of feedback. The discussion will move to my desire to create memorable stories with staying power, similar to Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, deep diving into my …

A Tragedy And A Miracle: Trauma Medicine During The U.S. Civil War, Maxwell Bailey

Masters Theses

The Civil War, in many ways, hangs in the balance between the modern and premodern, with some historians calling it the first modern war, and others calling it the last pre-modern war. This historical dilemma extends to battlefield trauma care, where the modern and the archaic exist hand in hand. While the Civil War did not represent the birth of modern trauma care, it is certainly where modern American trauma care was conceived. The advancements in the medical field during this time prepared the way for germ theory to truly develop trauma care into a modern medical science. The groundwork …

Changes In Rfi Values Of Omomyid Mandibular Molars In Response To Climatic Shifts, Hannah Vanooteghem

Masters Theses

Molar anatomy reflects the functional demands of food mastication, and dental topography provides a quantitative method for evaluating how molar structure relates to dietary niche. Relief index (RFI), a dental topographic measure, has been successfully used to infer diet in extant and fossil mammals. This study tests two hypotheses regarding mandibular molars of early Eocene omomyids: (1) There is an association between changes in omomyid RFI values of first and second mandibular molars and changes in climatic variables (temperature and precipitation) from Wa0 to Wa5, and (2) The first and second mandibular molar RFI values of omomyid species are significantly …

Border Crisis Impacts On United States National Security, Victoria Halyne Smith

Masters Theses

This thesis addresses how the United States (U.S.) currently faces various homeland and national security threats. A specific and substantial threat to the U.S. is the border crisis that began to escalate in later 2020 but has been an ongoing issue for decades. Several elements encompass the border crisis such as the political circumstances, policy passed by Congress and endorsed or drafted by the President, resources at borders, and law enforcement or security implementation. However, two vital elements to analyze within the current border crisis are the border security and immigration policies of the Trump and Biden administrations as well …