Digital Commons Network^™

Cultural Constraints Of Mental Illness Among Black Males, Sabrina R. Hinton-Campbell

Theses

This research explores historical trauma, systemic racism, inequity of mental health care, and lack of access to culturally and responsive mental healthcare for the Black community, particularly Black males, therefore creating a legitimate distrust of the medical profession among Black males, which inspired this project: Cultural Constraints of Mental Illness Among Black Males. For this project, the researcher visually and explicitly depicts the literal mental health struggles using oil pastels with intentional directional strokes applied by using the sides of her fingers to blend the colors and for control and a blow dryer to bring the oils to the surface …

A Kind Of Myth: Infallible Abstraction In The Work Of Perle Fine, Shannon Hadfield

Theses

Unavailable.

A Systematic Literature Review Of Behavior Analysis In Psychiatric Inpatient Settings, Stephanie Henry, Robbie Hanson

Theses

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) may be best known for the treatment of individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities, such as those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, ABA also has a long history of effective outcomes with other populations, such as with individuals who are admitted to inpatient psychiatric facilities (Dougher, 2004; Harvey et al., 2009). In 2018, 187,877 individuals in the United States were reported as receiving treatment for mental health disorders (Lutterman, 2022). Given behavior analysis’ success implementing operant procedures with these populations, an updated review of the literature on the use of behavior analysis within these settings …

Unveiling: The Exploration Of The Self And Ego Dissolution, Joseph Gonzales

Theses

This project explores self and ego dissolution through painting, engaging with Buddhist notions of no-self (Anatta), Christian Mystical union, and Jungian psychology to challenge the idea of a fixed identity. Through portraiture and figurative representation, the work visually explores impermanence and the tension between the individual and the collective consciousness, utilizing transparency, multiplicity, and symbolism. This research is grounded in a multidisciplinary approach, synthesizing visual art, philosophy, and psychology. By integrating Eastern and Western philosophies, this work expands the discourse on identity in contemporary art, contributing to broader conversations on the self and the ego within wisdom traditions and psychology. …

Don’T Stop Game, The Effects Of A Demerit-Based System, David Buckles

Theses

Physical activity is an essential component of an overall healthy lifestyle. It has been shown that implementing weekly physical activities reduces the risk of non-communicative diseases such as heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. There have been an increasing number of studies showing that the physical activity of those with learning disabilities is much lower than that of neurotypical individuals. More studies are needed to identify effective interventions to increase the physical activity of those with learning disabilities. The current study evaluated the effect of the Don’t Stop Game on the mean number of steps taken per minute with adults …

Embracing Unpredictability, Stella Huang

Theses

This paper explores the theory and practice of combining unpredictability in life with reverse thinking in modern jewelry design. Traditional jewelry design is often based on fixed aesthetics and strict craftsmanship. This study uses three concepts of jewelry design and clothing wear that break the conventions - a silver mask worn on the face, a skirt worn above the head and not touching the human body, and jewelry made of gallium that melts at human body temperature - as cases to analyze how to express the artistic concepts of "change" and "breaking boundaries" by breaking traditional rules and using material …

Nietzschean Expressivism, Cameron Jackson

Theses

What is Nietzsche’s metaethical stance? Does he even have one? We can, I argue, reconstruct an interesting metaethical view from his writings. Rather than focusing narrowly on his claims about moral judgement, I explore Nietzsche’s philosophical psychology broadly in order to argue that he is best interpreted as holding an emotivist type of expressivism. The function of moral judgement lies within its affective and action-guiding nature, and its communal role of coordinating our evaluative attitudes with one another.

Moonstorm In The Mainstream Or On The Margins?: Constellating St. Louis Lesbian Rhetorics From The Archives, Aurora Blanchard

Theses

Combining rhetorical analysis, oral history collection, and archival study, this multi-genre research project explores lesbian feminist organizing in the 1970s. Moonstorm was a St. Louis lesbian feminist magazine that operated in the 1970s and 1980s. The sample in this research project focuses on the issues of Moonstorm published between 1973 and 1977. Issues of Moonstorm are available for viewing in the archives of the State Historical Society of Missouri. Building on V. Jo Hsu’s theory of constellating, the poems and stories found in Moonstorm serve as sites of both contested and unconditional belonging for modern LGBTQ+ activists. Constellating, specifically in …

Examining The Influence Of Sports Nutrition Counseling On Collegiate Athletes, Jenelle Leon Saravia

Theses

This study explored the influence of nutrition counseling provided by registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) on collegiate athletes’ dietary behaviors, knowledge, and perceptions of nutrition. A mixed-methods approach was employed, incorporating qualitative interviews with 15 athletes from six sports across four schools. Participants reflected on their counseling experiences, focusing on its impact on their nutritional habits, health, and athletic performance. Quantitative data, including a one-sample t-test on recommendation scores, revealed a mean score of 6.73 (SD = 0.46) on a 7-point scale, indicating consistently high satisfaction with nutrition counseling. Thematic analysis identified five themes: Influence of Counseling, Behavioral Changes, Self-Reported Understanding …

Animating The Mechanism Of Action Of The Novel Glioblastoma Vaccine Survaxm, Sheila Figel

Theses

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a deadly type of malignant brain tumor affecting over 11,000 people in the United States each year. Treatment options for GBM are limited, with the majority of patients receiving surgery and chemoradiation, and surviving around 15 months. New therapies are desperately needed. A novel peptide vaccine, SurVaxM, has shown promise in phase I and II clinical trials, and is currently under investigation in a Phase IIb trial (the “SURVIVE” trial) for newly diagnosed GBM. As SurVaxM moves closer to FDA approval, there is a need for education about the agent and how it works. In order to …

Basking In Abundance: Distribution And Abundance Of Alabama Map Turtles (Graptemys Pulchra) In The Upper Coosa River, Abigail Wilkins

Theses

The Alabama Map Turtle (Graptemys pulchra) is one of the least studied species of turtle in the United States. Little is known about the species distribution and abundance within the northeastern portion of its range. The aim of this study is to determine the distribution of G. pulchra in the Upper Coosa River drainage as well as estimate population sizes for G. pulchra at 6 sites accessible in the Upper Coosa River Drainage. I used a variety of methods (e.g., rapid assessment surveys, trapping, mark-resight population estimates) to determine the presence and abundance of the species in the Upper …

Enhancing Pedestrian Safety Around Jacksonville State University: A Gis-Based Perception And Crash Analysis, Husain O. Alegimenlen

Theses

This study uses a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) based approach to assess pedestrian safety around Jacksonville State University (JSU) by combining vehicle crash data with perception surveys from 111 pedestrians and 97 drivers. The research identifies high-risk areas, explores contributing factors, and recommends targeted safety improvements.

A total of 209 geocoded crash records (2021 to 2024) were analyzed using Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) and hotspot analysis in ArcGIS Pro. Crash clusters appeared along Pelham Road North and Mountain Street, marking key vehicular risk zones. Three major pedestrian danger areas were found: (1) Nisbet Street NW and Cardinal Lane NW, (2) …

Flood Risk Assessment In Humanitarian Contexts: A Remote Sensing And Gis Methodology Applied To Nyarugusu Refugee Camp, Tanzania, Carolyne Vincent Mbirika

Theses

Flooding is a global challenge, with effects mostly experienced in developing countries due to insufficient data for effective flood risk assessment and management. Refugee settlements are particularly vulnerable to flooding due to their remote locations, high population density, and temporary shelters, necessitating flood susceptibility mapping to effectively mitigate risks and minimize damage prior to flooding events. This study assessed flood susceptibility in the Nyarugusu refugee camp, Tanzania, through Multi-criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) and Analytical Hierarchy Process using remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) approaches. The flood susceptibility map that resulted from this process categorizes flood-prone areas into three classes: …

Adaptive Reuse Of Abandoned Schools, Dayana Williams

Theses

This thesis investigates the adaptive reuse of abandoned school buildings in economically declining communities, mainly focusing on how these transformations can contribute to sustainable community revitalization. The research highlights Columbus, Ohio, where school closures and grade realignments threaten to leave many school properties vacant, especially in minority neighborhoods. This adaptive reuse strategy presents an opportunity to address issues such as urban decay, resource efficiency, and social equity by repurposing these buildings into multifunctional community assets. The study adopts a multi-method approach, including literature reviews, case study analysis, and community needs assessments, to identify best practices and critical challenges in adaptive …

The Use Of Robotic Surveillance In The Uae In 2035: Balancing, Innovation, Regulation, And Privacy, Oasha Yousuf Almohier

Theses

This research explores the future of robotic surveillance in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by 2035, aiming to balance innovation, regulatory oversight, and privacy protection. It investigates the intersection of national security objectives, ethical AI governance, and public trust within the UAE’s rapidly advancing smart city and law enforcement environments. The focus areas include regulatory gaps in current AI laws, ethical concerns such as data privacy and algorithmic bias, and the societal perception of AI-powered surveillance systems. The background of this study stems from the UAE’s ambition to lead in AI deployment, especially within public security initiatives such as autonomous …

Implementation And Dissemination Of The 'About Eating' Program: Evaluating Participant Engagement, Usability, And Module Interest, Justin Konrad Walker

Theses

Abstract Background: Online nutrition education can improve food choices among underserved populations. The About Eating New York (AENY) program is a web-based, self-paced series of modules designed to enhance nutritional literacy, resource management, and confidence in healthy eating. Leveraging dissemination and implementation (D&I) science, AE partnered with community organizations across New York’s ten fiscal regions to extend its reach. Methods: This study analyzed secondary data from the AENY dissemination effort. Participants were recruited via social media and community organizations. Pre- and post-program surveys and end-of-lesson surveys assessed demographics, engagement, and perceptions of usability. Quantitative analyses included descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVAs, …

Beyond The Food: A Scoping Review Of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (Arfid)'S Comorbidities, Nutrition, And Growth Outcomes, Emily Szewczyk

Theses

Objective A scoping review design was chosen for this study to appropriately assess and understand the knowledge on ARFID and to identify psychological or developmental comorbidities, growth outcomes, and nutrient deficiencies and/or excesses in children and adolescents. Introduction Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is a relatively new eating disorder, characterized by the DSM-5 in 2013.1 Individuals with ARFID exhibit selective eating due to lack of interest in eating food, sensory sensitivity, or a fear of possible vomiting or choking.2 The malnutrition seen in individuals with ARFID can result in physical health complications including weight loss, malnutrition, growth delay, decreased bone …

Interspecific Sources Of Resistance For Neisseria Gonorrhoeae: Investigating Horizontally Transferred Antimicrobial Resistance Markers, Makenna Swartz

Theses

Antibiotic resistance is a growing public health crisis, limiting treatment options and increasing the burden of infectious diseases. Bacteria can rapidly gain resistance through mutations and horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Understanding these mechanisms is critical for developing strategies to mitigate resistance and preserve antibiotic efficiency. Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the causative agent of gonorrhea, has developed resistance to multiple antibiotics, and has only one remaining treatment option. Commensal species are constantly exposed to antibiotics in humans, and over time acquire resistant mutations that then transfer to pathogenic species through HGT. Investigating these exchanges can provide insight into how resistance evolves and spreads …

Design And Evaluation Of Geopolymer Composite As A Potential Sorbent Of Heavy Metals From Water, Ebtesam Mohammed Alghafri

Theses

Reducing the levels of heavy metals in water is crucial, given their severe environmental and health impacts. Various methods exist for heavy metals removal. Yet, they mostly come with multiple drawbacks, such as costly treatments and limited efficiency. Previous studies have found geopolymer to be a promising sorbent because it is synthesized using by-product materials, making it an eco-friendly and economically sustainable alternative. Limited studies explored the sorption potential of fly ash-slag blended geopolymers; none examined the effect of mix design factors synergically on sorption, mechanical properties, and durability, and few considered solution characteristics and operating conditions simultaneously. Therefore, this …

From Skepticism To Loyalty: A Whitepaper For Companies On Building Consumer Trust In Digital Marketing, Grace Darcy Pora

Theses

Trust is the foundation of business and works as a dynamic relationship between customers and businesses. As social media continues to evolve as the main way that companies promote and sell their products, trust must align with these marketing efforts. Through the analysis of past research, case studies, and current surveys, data, and trends, the relationship between consumer trust and online advertisements can be examined. Consumer trust online is experiencing a consistent downward trend, where consumers are losing trust in the companies and products they purchase from online. There is a heavy amount of skepticism online with the content that …

Improving Reciprocating Compressor Valve Condition Monitoring Via An Accelerated Lifetime Tester And Deep Learning, Jacob Chesnes

Theses

The goal of this research is to improve the current condition monitoring method for diagnosing reciprocating compressor valves. Leakage, seat wear, and spring degradation are three common valve faults that are seeded into all the valves of a Dresser-Rand ESH-1 dual-acting reciprocating compressor. The method converts raw vibration data into the time-frequency domain and determines if the Continuous Wavelet Transformation or the Smoothed Pseudo Wigner-Ville Spectrum can achieve a higher classification accuracy. The Continuous Wavelet Transformation can vary its resolution through two parameters while the Smoothed Pseudo Wigner-Ville Spectrum can vary its resolution through smoothing window sizes. Both time-frequency transforms …

Bioinformatics Pipeline For Gene Regulatory Network Discovery: A Case Study With Exercise Response, Nadia Moore

Theses

Gene regulatory networks are at the core of many biological processes, dictating how a wide range of genes, and their products, interact with one another. Gaining further understanding on how these networks are structured and how they function within the body can aid in deriving meaningful insights on the body’s inner-workings when exposed to any number of conditions. Unfortunately, the information gathered within some studies may be lacking in, for example, sample size or measurements taken at multiple time-points. This work addresses these issues and outlines a pipeline which navigates these smaller collections of data in order to still extract …

Enhancing The Immunogenicity Of Extracellular Vesicle-Based Vaccines Against Pathogenic Nthi Bacteria, Christina Ciko

Theses

Acute otitis media (AOM), or ear infections, are highly prevalent in children, with nearly 80% experiencing at least one AOM by the age of three. As such, there is an urgent need for a vaccine against Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi), a main cause of AOM in the US. Most vaccines contain multiple antigens from the pathogen, inducing an immune response and antibodies to those antigens. Here, we describe a novel approach to creating a vaccine against NTHi, incorporating a unique recombinant trivalent protein (Tri) featuring three NTHi antigens (OMP26, P6, and protein F) in a single peptide chain with an …

Defining Transcriptional Signatures Of Susceptibility For Ceftriaxone And Tetracycline In Neisseria Gonorrhoeae, Sanjana Logu

Theses

Resistance to antibiotics is the ability of bacteria to survive in spite of the administration of drugs designated to kill them; and overuse of antibiotics over the past decades has led to a vast increase in resistance. Most infections are treated empirically, such that patients are given a recommended course of antibiotics, however these infections are not frequently tested for their antimicrobial susceptibility profiles (i.e., tested only in the case of treatment failure). This can lead to inappropriate prescription which can increase the selective pressure of antibiotics on other bacterial members of our microbiomes. Susceptibility testing would help determine the …

Deepfake Image Detection Using Explainable Ai And Deep Learning, Abdallah Abdulfattah Mohammed Abdulrahman

Theses

Deepfake technology has grown exponentially, and it has changed our perspective of managing digital content. The technology has many applications, but its ease of access has brought many risks. These risks include identity theft, misinformation spread, development of non-consensual content, and a decrease in trust in media. To address these challenges, we propose a hybrid deep learning model combining Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks for deepfake image detection. We developed a CNN model and four hybrid CNN-LSTM models in our study. Our approach integrates the strengths of CNNs for spatial feature extraction and LSTMs for …

Investigation Of Innovative Heat Pipes / Fins System For Diesel Engine Cooling, Mohammad Shafiq Anees

Theses

Engine cooling is considered one of the most important factors that affect their efficiency and therefore their performance, so a new cooling method is proposed using both heat pipes and fins to improve the cooling efficiency of internal combustion engines and shall be examined theoretically and experimentally. A test rig has been designed and built using a specimen material with similar properties to the real engine materials with similar dimensions as the engine cylinder head / liner thickness. The experiment employed a specially designed testing apparatus that included a gas burner for consistent heating, a modifiable support structure, and an …

Framing The Gaze: The Transformation Of Storytelling From Chinese Scrolls To Persian Miniature Illuminations, Lindsey A. Maslar

Theses

Miniature painting represents one of the many exquisite traditions in Islamic art, flourishing particularly during the Safavid period (1501–1736 CE). Numerous power shifts throughout Persia during this time resulted in significant cross-cultural artistic exchanges, particularly with visual culture from the Ming Dynasty. The Mongol invasion of Persia in the 13th century facilitated a profound cultural diffusion, as Persian artists and patrons selectively incorporated Chinese motifs, techniques, and spatial concepts, adapting them to suit local aesthetic and ideological frameworks. This thesis examines how the adaptation of Mongol artistic elements in Persian miniatures influenced not only stylistic conventions but also transformed the …

Understanding And Implementing Fashion Sustainability: An Academic Course, Paige M. Baldwin

Theses

This project outlined a fashion sustainability course meant to be taught at a degree-awarding educational institution. The course explores the environmental, social, and economic impacts of the fashion industry. Students learn about sustainable practices, materials, and design principles. Students also study consumer behavior, supply chain management, and government policies related to sustainable fashion. The literature and research looked at the current fashion industry landscape and the sustainability issues that are being addressed, the current educational landscape of fashion programs in the United States of America, and the current literature regarding building an effective curriculum in the 21st century.

Fragility And Strength In Times Of War: A Series Of Embroidered Watercolors, Alisha B. Whitman

Theses

This final project report follows the production of a series of embroidered watercolors that explore how war disrupts and can destroy the values which people manage to somehow both hold dear and take for granted. These values, such as peace and freedom, are fragile, and yet they can provide great strength in dark times. This dichotomy is explored through this body of work using the materials of painted paper and thread as symbols of both fragility and strength. Choosing to work with materials and methods historically seen as feminine work add additional meaning to that symbolism. Additionally, Jewish iconography and …

Advances In Machine Learning For Pain Recognition: A Review Of Algorithms, Modalities, And Outcomes, Abdulrahman Alsharif

Theses

The emergence of machine learning (ML) in healthcare has unlocked the transformative potential of pain detection and assessment. By providing new ways to address the challenges associated with subjective and inconsistent pain assessment methods. This review synthesizes recent advancements in ML-based approaches for pain detection, focusing on algorithms, modalities, and datasets. Techniques such as neural networks, transformer models, and multimodal fusion frameworks have demonstrated significant promise in identifying pain from diverse sources, including facial expressions, physiological signals, and synthetic datasets. Key contributions include novel transformer-based architectres like PainAttnNet for analyzing electrodermal activity [1], multimodal datasets such as BioVid for advancing …