Digital Commons Network^™

Between Tajweed And Lenition: A Sociophonetic Investigation Of Pharyngealized Consonant Variation In Ammani Jordanian Arabic, Amenah Jehad Salman

Theses and Dissertations

Thіs dіssеrtаtіоn іnvеstіgаtеs the sосіоphоnеtіс vаrіаtіоn іn thе rеаlіzаtіоn оf phаryngeаlіzеd соnsоnаnts іn Аmmаnі Jоrdаnіаn Аrаbіс (АJА), іntrоduсіng Tаjwееd—thе study оf Qurаnіс phоnоlоgy—аs а sосіаlly sаlіеnt vаrіаblе іnfluеnсіng еvеrydаy spееch. А lеnіtеd-phаryngeаlіzеd (LP) vаrіаnt surfасеs аs аn аcоustіcаlly аnd pеrcеptuаlly іntеrmеdіаtе rеаlіzаtіоn, pоsіtіоnеd bеtwееn fully phаryngeаlіzеd (/sˤ, tˤ, dˤ, ðˤ/) аnd plаіn (/s, t, d, ð/) соnsоnаnts. Whіlе prеvіоus studіеs hаvе ехаmіnеd thе іmpасt оf mасrо-sосіаl fасtоrs suсh аs gеndеr, аgе, sосіоеcоnоmіс stаtus, аnd оrіgіnаl rеgіоnаl dіаlеct (ОRD) (Аl-Маsrі & Jоngmаn, 2004; Аlzоubі, 2017; Аbudаlbuh, 2010), nо rеsеаrch hаs examined thе rоlе оf Tаjwееd іn shаpіng sосіоphоnеtіс оutcоmеs.

Dаtа was …

“Cruelty, Bloodshed, And Degradation From The Inauspicious Conjunction Of Stars”: “Magic” In The 1857-58 Rebellion In India, Summer Bordon

Theses and Dissertations

During the 1857-58 rebellion in India, British soldiers and civilians saw ample evidence of Indian belief in “magic”. Prophecies about the end of British rule were implicated in inciting rebellion. When a solar eclipse occurred during the British army’s campaign to regain control of Delhi, victory was attributed partially to Indian superstition. Much of the historiography of the 1857-58 rebellion has uncritically accepted British sources’ conceptions of Indian “magic”, dismissing it as superstitious, politically hindering, and divorced from material reality. Yet, British understandings of magic cannot be taken at face value. Instead, they must be located within broader colonial narratives …

Emotional Landscapes: St. Teresa Of Avila And The Spiritual Journey, Jillian Louise Breeden

Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines the writings of St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) through the methodological lens of the history of emotions, arguing that her mystical accounts represent a crucial yet understudied contribution to our understanding of early modern emotional frameworks. Through close textual analysis of Teresa's major works, this study demonstrates how her detailed articulations of spiritual ecstasy, divine love, and religious melancholy offer unique insights into both the religious and secular emotional landscapes of Counter-Reformation Spain. Teresa's innovative emotional vocabulary, which combined traditional Catholic devotional language with embodied metaphors and spatial conceptualizations, allowed her to navigate the complex ecclesiastical politics …

The Penn Center’S Impact On Rural Health Through Midwife Programming In 20Th Century South Carolina, Kathryn Addison Greenberg

Theses and Dissertations

The Penn School of the Sea Islands provided an education to thousands of rural, Black South Carolinians over the twentieth century. Northern missionaries including the founders of the Penn School, Laura M. Towne and Ellen Murray, taught and provided healthcare to the residents of the Port Royal Experiment through the Civil War and into Reconstruction. With the arrival of Rossa Cooley and Grace House, the Penn School put emphasis on auxiliary programing including midwifery training institutes held in conjunction with Dr. Hilla Sheriff and the South Carolina Department of Public Health’s Division for Maternal and Child Health. With the goal …

"We Have Such Fantastic People Working Here": Using Action Research To Address Community College Burnout, Christine Pipitone

Theses and Dissertations

This mixed-methods action research dissertation explores faculty burnout at a New Jersey community college to propose actionable, faculty-led solutions through a collaborative approach. Grounded in a theoretical framework that integrates theories of action, critical theory, and job demands–resources theory, the study included three phases that followed an explanatory sequential design. In the first phase, quantitative and qualitative data obtained through an anonymous questionnaire provided baseline information about the dimensions of burnout participants experienced. The data informed the second phase, which consisted of semi-structured focus group interviews. In the third phase, an action research team worked together to make recommendations based …

Elevating Next Generation Wireless Devices Towards Contactless Sensing For Healthcare Applications, Aakriti Adhikari

Theses and Dissertations

There is an increasing interest in technologies that can understand and perceive at-home human activities to provide personalized healthcare monitoring, aimed at early detection of disease markers and assisting physicians in making clinical decisions. Existing approaches, such as wearables, require users to wear sensors that can be cumbersome and cause discomfort. Vision based solutions, such as optical cameras, IRs, LiDARs, etc., can be used to design contactless at-home monitoring systems. However, these systems are limited by poor lighting and occlusion, and they are privacy-invasive. Fortunately, high-frequency millimeter-wave wireless devices provide an effective alternative to the existing systems to enable fine-grained …

Students’ Experiences Using Peer Review To Affect Writing Self-Efficacy And Writing Performance In An Undergraduate Mass Communications Writing Course, Nina Morrison Brook

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research was to examine the impact of peer review on writing self-efficacy and writing performance in an undergraduate online writing for mass communications course. The study focused on two research questions: (1) How and to what extent does structured peer review affect undergraduate students’ writing self-efficacy in an online writing for mass communications course in a large public Southeastern university? and (2) How and to what extent does structured peer review affect undergraduate students’ writing performance in an online writing for mass communications course in a large public Southeastern university? This research used peer review …

The Future Is Inclusive, Victoria Mcclendon

Theses and Dissertations

Victoria McClendon THE FUTURE IS INCLUSIVE 2024-2025 Stephanie Lezotte, Ph.D. Master of Arts in Higher Education This research explores the role of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs in higher education, specifically focusing on the impact of inclusion through Rowan University’s Unified Sports program. DEI programs are designed to support historically underrepresented groups, including students of color, LGBTQ+ students, students with disabilities, and other marginalized communities. This study examines the importance of DEI in fostering inclusive educational environments and investigates the consequences of removing such programs. A qualitative case study approach is employed, involving group interviews with students and faculty …

When Words Fail: Why Ai-Driven Context Beats Word Error Rate For Safety-Critical Air Traffic Control, Muhammad Maaz

Theses and Dissertations

Accurate speech-to-text transcription is critical for Air Traffic Control (ATC) to en- sure safety and operational efficiency. However, existing Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) systems struggle with domain-specific phraseology, high noise levels, and real-time constraints. This work explores domain adaptation strategies of OpenAI’s Whisper ASR model, applying Transfer Learning and Low-Rank Adaptation (LoRA) on ATC benchmark and a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) corpus. Experimental results show that fine- tuning significantly reduces Word Error Rate (WER) from 55.2% to 6.8%, yet WER alone fails to capture safety-critical transcription errors. To address WER’s limitations, we introduce the Contextual Error Rate (CER), a novel …

Tell Me How You Really Feel: A Case Study On Restorative Practices, Marissa Santiago

Theses and Dissertations

Restorative Practices are gaining popularity as the primary form of handling student discipline. In the past, school districts have heavily relied on exclusionary practices, such as suspension and expulsions. The purpose of this qualitative case study is to explore and understand how educators make sense of restorative practices in an urban intermediate school serving students in fourth to sixth grade. The guiding framework for this study was Sensemaking Theory. Sensemaking theory helps researchers to understand how participants make sense of their experiences. Ten teachers, from an urban intermediate school, participated in this study through semi-guided interviews, observations, and document collection. …

From Differentiation To Disease: Cyclin C Directly Coordinates Transcription And Mitochondrial Dynamics, Alicia Campbell

Theses and Dissertations

Organelle crosstalk is essential for coordinating cellular responses to various external cues, including stress and differentiation. Two key organelles, the nucleus and mitochondria, engage in extensive crosstalk to manage responses to a range of environmental and developmental signals. Complex processes such as stem cell differentiation and neuronal development rely on organelle crosstalk. Both processes integrate changes in gene expression with cytosolic and organellar remodeling. However, it remains unclear how these two complex processes are coordinated to achieve the desired outcome. This project concentrates on cyclin C (CCNC), a component of the Mediator Kinase Module (MKM), and its role in directly …

Waterpod: Evaluating Learner Engagement And Conceptual Understanding Through Gamified Virtual Reality, Leeza Eimeria Duller

Theses and Dissertations

The water and wastewater industry faces a growing workforce crisis due to high retirement rates, limited public awareness, and underrepresentation of technical talent. Traditional outreach methods have struggled to engage students or convey the complexity of water systems. This study evaluates WaterPOD, an interactive virtual reality (VR) simulation designed to introduce users to wastewater treatment processes and careers through immersive learning. Grounded in Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), Cognitive Load Theory (CLT), and Constructivist Learning Theory (ConLT), the study examined how VR influences conceptual understanding and career perceptions. A mixed-methods study with 138 college students measured SCCT constructs, CLT- and …

Mapping The Path To The Presidency: A Case Study Analysis Of New Jersey Four Year Institutions, Robert Wilson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to investigate the career trajectories of university presidents at New Jersey’s four-year public and private institutions. Utilizing a qualitative case study design, presidential biographies and CVs were analyzed to identify the professional patterns and pathways leading to the presidential role. Findings revealed that there is a predominance of traditional academic pathways, an increase in non-traditional routes, and distinct differences between the public and private institutions. This study offers implications for leadership development, hiring practices for the senior leadership roles, and for future research on the development of careers leading to senior leadership and …

Design And Control Of A Versatile Modular Soft Robotic System With Integrated Resource Sharing And Self-Reconfiguration Capabilities, Joshua Knospler

Theses and Dissertations

Modular, self‑reconfigurable soft robots promise unprecedented versatility by combining the compliance of soft materials with the adaptability of modular architectures. This thesis presents an integrated system of pneumatic, bending-type soft actuator modules. Modules are compact and fully equipped with tunable magnetic and electromechanical connections for low‑power attachment and detachment and a novel power-air-communication (PAC) connector for seamless sharing of electricity, compressed air, and digital signals. This work examines two representative assemblies: ManusBot, a pinching gripper, and TendrilBot, a versatile linear configuration for various tasks. Their grasping performance, variable stiffness, and radial support capabilities are characterized. A magnetic interlock and an …

Adapting A Personalized Normative Feedback Intervention For Graduate Student Drinkers, Faith Shank

Theses and Dissertations

On average, graduate students consume eight drinks per week, meeting criteria for heavy drinking and highlighting the need for a cost-effective intervention. The current study examined the efficacy of personalized normative feedback (PNF) for reducing heavy drinking in graduate students. Study 1 examined the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention content to inform a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of the intervention. Results from qualitative interviews with 13 graduate students who interacted with the intervention content preferred to receive feedback about peers enrolled in the same type of degree program. Study 2 was an RCT using PNF from peers with the …

Integration Of Mechanism-Driven Computational Modeling And Public Data Resources For Chemical Toxicity Assessment, Elena Chung

Theses and Dissertations

Regulatory toxicology depends primarily on animal testing, which limits throughput, mechanistic interpretability, and applicability to human-relevant endpoints. This dissertation presents computational approaches that integrate publicly available bioactivity data with machine learning to support chemical safety evaluation. Oral carcinogenicity was modeled using curated chemicals from the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) and activity data from over 1,900 PubChem assays. Quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models trained on statistically prioritized assays demonstrated strong predictive performance and were applied to rank the carcinogenic potential of more than 16,000 compounds. Hepatotoxicity was evaluated using a hybrid modeling approach that combined structural …

Breaking Barriers Exploring Guardianship & Public Administration Challenges Facing Egyptian Widows, Caroline Maher

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the influence of guardianship policies and the administrative infrastructure on the well-being of widows' families in Egypt. Widows in Egypt encounter significant challenges in exercising their guardianship rights due to patriarchal norms, bureaucratic hurdles, inefficient systems, and limited access to information. These obstacles can negatively impact their children's well-being, as well as economic and social stability. Despite social media activism, calls for administrative reforms, and legislative debates, no changes have occurred. This study aims to conduct in-depth exploratory qualitative research to analyze the challenges and limitations of current guardianship policies and administrative systems affecting widows’ families in …

Directivity And Sound Radiation Of Percussion Instruments And Harmonic Analysis Of The Alto Saxophone, Hanna Michelle Pavill

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates how musical instruments radiate sound, with a focus on directional behavior under realistic performance conditions. High-resolution measurements using a rotating microphone array were used to study percussion and woodwind instruments, providing new insight into how design, excitation, and frequency content shape acoustic output. The first set of experiments analyzed the directivity of the bass drum, triangle, and open snare. Each instrument exhibited unique radiation patterns reflecting its structure and playing method. The bass drum showed dipole-like behavior at low frequencies, transitioning to omnidirectional spreading at mid frequencies, and increasingly irregular patterns at higher frequencies. The triangle, due …

Development Of Fiber Composite Joints To Improve Folding Of Deployable Arrays, Luke Q. Gardner

Theses and Dissertations

An origami-inspired deployable array, despite being commonly made from rigid materials, must be able to fold into its stowed configuration. This necessitates the employment of discontinuities between the panels of the array and the use of specialized joints to connect them. Compliant joints, with all their typical advantages, are useful in this application. Membrane hinges and lamina-emergent torsional (LET) arrays are two classes of compliant joints, or surrogate folds, which each feature unique benefits and drawbacks. Membrane hinges in principle are simple and flexible, providing a wide range of motion while experiencing little stress. However, perhaps their most robust variation, …

Videos As Video Game Preservation, Scott Tyler Bradshaw

Theses and Dissertations

Video games have become culturally significant in society and are deserving of being preserved. There are many ways to preserve video games such as emulation, migration, and reissue. But recordings of video games have the special designation of being able to faithfully depict a game, which is an advantage it has over other preservation methods. This paper explores the advantages and disadvantages of various preservation methods while putting recordings forward as an equal method that can assist in its own way. Furthermore the concept of documentary style videos for video games is explored with input by archivists as well as …

No Longer At War With My Words: Finding Healing Through Therapeutic Writing, Marlo Degaetano Kreitzinger

Theses and Dissertations

While living in Dallas, Texas, I had the incredible opportunity to work with women transitioning out of homelessness, addiction, prison, or other life traumas. During my four years of facilitating life skills and job readiness classes, I witnessed a desperate need for healing. Many of the women I served were stuck in the repetitive cycle of their unprocessed emotional trauma. These women were often victims of the unprecedented mental health crisis plaguing our world and had little to no access to mental health resources. My initial introduction into therapeutic writing helped me to accept my own mental health crisis and …

Fantasy Novels, Romance, And Book Boyfriends: Romantic Views And Expectations Of Young Adult Women, Kennedy Dawn Morris

Theses and Dissertations

Despite its drop in popularity, reading is a pastime that is enjoyed by many. As with other forms of media, there is the question of how consuming literature impacts individuals. This research study examines how reading fantasy novels impacts the romantic views and expectations of women in emerging adulthood. Social comparison theory and parasocial relationships were utilized in order to examine how young adult women compare their relationships and relationship ideals to those of fictional characters, as well as how young adult women decide which fictional relationships and/or characters are worth their admiration. The findings of this study suggest that …

An Implementation Study Of A Brief, Online Sexual Mindfulness Intervention At The Individual Partner Level: The Impact Of Prompting Practice On Implementation, Alexyss Lange

Theses and Dissertations

Prior research suggests frequent, scheduled, non-interactive text support enhances psychological outcomes and increases adherence to psychological interventions (Agyapong et al., 2020; Shalaby et al., 2022; Shim et al., 2017). Using a hybrid III implementation model, we recruited individuals in romantic relationships to test whether weekly reminders improved engagement with a sexual mindfulness intervention. We found no evidence that additional support increased intervention implementation. Although we aimed to assess acceptability, adoption, appropriateness, and feasibility as separate implementation outcomes, factor analysis indicated these variables cluster into two broader constructs: Readiness and motivation and discomfort and uncertainty. These factors did not differ between …

Martingale Methods For Structural Change Detection And Feature Attribution In Dynamic Networks, Izhar Ali

Theses and Dissertations

Dynamic networks undergo structural changes when their generative process shifts at a change-point. We need to detect this change-point with minimal delay while identifying its underlying causes. This is an optimization problem of minimizing the expected detection delay while controlling the false alarm probability below a threshold---leading to three critical challenges: non-parametric detection without distributional assumptions, exact feature attribution, and early detection with rigorous false alarm control. We construct additive martingale statistics from multiple graph features using conformal prediction, providing false alarm guarantees via Ville's inequality. Our key theoretical contribution proves the Martingale-Shapley equivalence: each feature's martingale value equals its …

Unraveling The Relationship Between Sexual Shame And Father-Child Sex Communication, Hannah Mireya Brundage

Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to understand the relationship between father’s sexual shame and children’s sexual shame. Parents play a role in shaping their children’s behaviors and perceptions in regard to sexuality. Most of this research analyzed data from the viewpoint of the mother, missing the potentially unique perspective and influence of fathers. Using longitudinal survey data from 361 fathers-adolescent dyads, I proposed to study the relations between father sexual shame and child sexual shame, and the possible mediating role of father-child sex communication. I predicted that quality of sex communication, including controlling and open communication, would mediate father sexual shame and …

Enhancing Fault Tolerance In Tmr Soft Risc-V Fpga Socs Through Failure-Driven Mitigation Strategies, Andrew Elbert Wilson

Theses and Dissertations

Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) leveraging soft processors, particularly those implementing the open-standard RISC-V Instruction Set Architecture (ISA), are increasingly important for space missions due to their adaptability and reconfigurability. However, their susceptibility to radiation-induced Single Event Upsets (SEUs) presents significant reliability challenges, necessitating robust fault-tolerant strategies such as Triple Modular Redundancy (TMR). This dissertation evaluates the effectiveness of TMR-based mitigation techniques for Linux-capable soft RISC-V System-on-Chip (SoC) implementations deployed on SRAM-based FPGAs operating in high-radiation environments. Using a combination of deterministic fault injection and neutron radiation testing, this work identifies critical residual single-point failure modes that persist in TMR-protected designs. …

Linking Static And Dynamic Structures And Properties Of Materials With Computational And Mathematical Models, (Enoch) Sin Hang Ho

Theses and Dissertations

Terahertz (THz) spectroscopy is an effective technique to study and manipulate the structural dynamics of materials, due to its frequency range being very similar to the vibrational frequencies of collective atom motions in a host of materials. High-field and broadband THz radiation can be generated via optical rectification (OR) in nonlinear optical (NLO) crystals. The efficiency of OR response in an NLO crystal is determined by many factors, including molecular hyperpolarizability (β), 2nd order electric susceptibility (χ(2)), crystal structure, primary growth orientation, refractive index, absorption and phase matching condition. In this dissertation, I will focus on using computation methods and …

Gardenia Jasminoides Extract As A Potential Neuroprotective Agent In An In Vitro Tauopathy Model, Inas Birekdar

Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder marked by the selective loss of neurons in various brain regions, leading to cognitive dysfunction. Neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), composed of hyperphosphorylated tau protein accumulate within neuronal cells leading to cell death. The development of effective treatments for neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) remains a significant challenge, with neuroprotection emerging as a promising therapeutic strategy to slow disease progression and preserve cognitive function.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the potential neuroprotective effect of Gardenia jasminoides fruit extract, which contains geniposide, a biologically active compound known for its neuroprotective properties, in mitigating Tau hyperphosphorylation in …

“Perfect Hearts And Pure Pages”: The Transmission And Recitation Of The Qur’An In Mamluk Cairo—The Shāṭibiyya As A Case Study, Jonathan Hearn

Theses and Dissertations

The Ḥirz al-Amānī wa-Wajh al-Tahānī of Abū al-Qāsim b. Fīrruh al-Shāṭibī (d. 590/1193) became one of the most widely studied texts associated with the recitation of the Qur’an. A didactic versification of Abū ʿAmr al-Dānī’s (d. 444/1053) Kitāb al-Taysīr fī al-Qirāʾāt al-Sabaʿ, the Shāṭibiyya was composed in Ayyubid Egypt and transformed the discipline of the variant readings (qirāʾāt). Despite its popularity and acknowledged impact upon the discipline, the Shāṭibiyya remains a relatively untapped resource for understanding the Qur’an in its recited form. This thesis studies the recitation of the Qur’an in Mamluk Cairo through the Shāṭibiyya, …

Opportunistic Networks On The Move: A Context-Aware Framework For Opportunistic Networking Under Heterogeneous Mobility Settings, Sara Elsingergy

Theses and Dissertations

Most computer networks require continuous end-to-end connectivity between sending and destination nodes for data transfer. However, in certain scenarios—such as disaster zones, geographically remote areas with intermittent or no connectivity, or regions facing peak network loads—such continuous communication paths may be unavailable. A notable example of this challenge occurred during Hurricane Milton in 2024 and the Los Angeles wildfires in 2025, where Starlink provided free satellite internet to support disaster relief efforts and enable communication in affected areas. However, while offering satellite services at no cost can be effective in emergencies, it may not always be feasible on a global …