Digital Commons Network^™

Endodontic Access Through Zirconia Crowns: A Comparative Evaluation Of 3d Guided Versus Free-Handed Techniques, Maryam Alrughaib

Theses and Dissertations

Objective:

Accessing canals through full-coverage zirconia crowns is challenging and may increase the risk of misdirection, excessive dentin removal, and prolonged chair time. Guided endodontic access has been proposed to improve efficiency and precision. This study compared the accuracy and time efficiency of guided versus free-hand endodontic access through zirconia restorations. The hypothesis was that guided access would enhance canal localization precision and significantly reduce access time.

Methods:

Thirty-two extracted maxillary premolars were restored with 1-mm–reduced monolithic zirconia crowns (3Y-TZP, Katana HTML, Kuraray, Japan) and mounted in Modupro models. Teeth were assigned to two groups (n = 16 each): guided …

Use Of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation As An Assessment Of Corticospinal Excitability In Individuals With Persistent Postural Perceptual Dizziness, Elizabeth Cornforth

Theses and Dissertations

Persistent postural-perceptual dizziness (PPPD) is a common, disabling, chronic vestibular disorder whereby individuals experience symptoms of non-vertiginous dizziness, unsteadiness, and sway or rocking that are present most hours of the day, most days of the week. Individuals with PPPD have been noted to have an increased burden of dizziness and reduced quality of life compared to other dizziness diagnoses. The cause of PPPD is not well understood which can lead to years of diagnostic testing, failed therapies, and poor symptom management. It is important to understand PPPD pathophysiology so that optimal treatment interventions can be developed for this disorder to …

Class-Aware Early-Exit Networks For Efficient And Secure Edge Deployment, Mohammed Ayyat

Theses and Dissertations

Edge devices increasingly run high-stakes machine learning workloads under strict latency, power, memory, and communication constraints. Deep neural networks provide the accuracy needed for tasks such as network intrusion detection, health monitoring, autonomous sensing, and human activity recognition, but conventional inference executes the same computational path for every input. Early-exit neural networks reduce average inference cost by allowing confident samples to terminate before the final layer. However, existing early-exit systems are largely class-agnostic: they allocate computation according to confidence or uncertainty, without considering that different output classes may carry different operational urgency. This dissertation develops class-aware early-exit inference, a framework …

Local Lung Delivery Of Ginkgetin For Therapeutic Intervention In Lung Fibrosis, Cimone L. Richardson

Theses and Dissertations

Lung fibrosis (LF) is a progressive, irreversible pathological condition in the lungs that is ultimately fatal. Current drug treatments (nintedanib, pirfenidone, and nerandomilast) slow disease progression but cause significant systemic adverse effects due to oral administration. Transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4), a mechanosensitive ion channel, may play a role in LF progression and represent a novel anti-LF target. Ginkgetin (GKT), a natural biflavonoid, is a potent TRPV4 inhibitor with anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties. Local lung delivery could achieve high local lung concentrations while minimizing systemic exposure. Accordingly, this project evaluates GKT's therapeutic intervention efficacy in LF via local lung …

Managing Identity, Claiming Expertise, And Emotional Labor: A Constructivist Grounded Theory Of The Experience Of People With Serious Mental Illnesses In Primary Care, Jeffrey Ciak

Theses and Dissertations

People with serious mental illnesses (SMI) die 15 to 20 years before their peers without mental illness primarily due to chronic physical health conditions. Preventative care and treatment for chronic physical health conditions primarily occurs through primary care, but the experience of people with SMI in primary care is understudied. This constructivist grounded theory dissertation explored the experiences of people with SMI in primary care. Theoretical sampling resulted in 19 participants who were adults with SMI and long-term anti-psychotic use. Data was collected through one-to-two-hour long intensive interviews. The analytical process occurred concurrently with data collection. The abductive analytical process …

Real-Life Health Applications Of Wireless Sensing Using Edge Devices, Md Touhiduzzaman

Theses and Dissertations

Wireless sensing has emerged as a transformative paradigm that leverages ubiquitous radio-frequency signals for environmental perception and human activity recognition beyond their primary role in data communication. Unlike wearable sensors and camera-based systems, wireless sensing offers a non-intrusive, privacy-preserving, and cost-effective alternative that operates seamlessly under low-lighting conditions, through walls, and in non-line-of-sight (NLoS) scenarios. The growing availability of edge computing devices further enables real-time on-device data processing, making wireless sensing solutions highly suitable for in-home health monitoring and smart living applications. This dissertation investigates real-life health applications of wireless sensing through four completed systems, each addressing a distinct challenge …

Positive Body Image In Postpartum Women: A Psychometric Evaluation Of The Body Appreciation Scale-2 And A Phenomenological Exploration, Taylor Vashro

Theses and Dissertations

Postpartum women appear particularly vulnerable to body dissatisfaction due to the rapid physiological, emotional, and environmental changes that occur across the perinatal experience (Baskin et al., 2021; Nippert et al., 2021). Recent studies have demonstrated the experience of both negative and positive body image during postpartum (Rodgers et al., 2024; Watson et al., 2016). However, there is limited research regarding the measurement and exploration of positive body image in postpartum women. The current study aimed to: 1) evaluate the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2), a widely used measure of positive body image in postpartum …

The Development And Initial Validation Of A Measure Of Professional Mentoring Engagement Among School Counselors, Emily Kitching

Theses and Dissertations

This study describes the development and initial validation of the Mentoring Engagement Scale (MES), a self-report instrument designed to measure a person’s level of engagement in professional mentoring. Despite emerging evidence that professional mentoring may serve as a protective factor against the burnout and stress associated with school counselors’ roles and responsibilities, existing measures of mentoring are limited by weak documentation of development procedures, mixed psychometric support, and limited practical applicability. In two phases, the present study aimed to (1) evaluate content validity and systematically refine items grounded in Kahn’s (1990) theory of engagement and (2) investigate the preliminary psychometric …

Implementation Of Tg-351 Reference Dosimetry For A 6 Mv Photon Beam In An Mr-Guided Radiotherapy System, Nicholas A. Castellano Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Magnetic resonance guided radiation therapy (MRgRT) combines magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and radiation therapy to enable the visualization of anatomy in real time during treatment. The presence of a magnetic field in MRgRT affects charged particle radiation and detector responses, necessitating changes to traditional reference dosimetry procedures. The American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) Task Group 351 (TG-351) provides a formalism for reference dosimetry in MRgRT. In this study, the TG 351 formalism is used to perform reference dosimetry for a 6 MV flattening filter-free (FFF) photon beam from a Viewray MRIdian MR-Linac radiation therapy system. Beam quality determination, …

Dodgeballs And Dragons: Gamified Live Theatre In The Service Of Community Betterment, Teddy Mcpherson

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis qualifies and documents a new genre of interdisciplinary, interactive theatre called Dodgeballs and Dragons. It covers a brief history of Dungeons and Dragons and Theatre of the Oppressed (the two foundational works for the new genre) as well as previous uses of D&D as a form of theatrical entertainment. After establishing the precedence used to create this product, the rest of the thesis breaks down how to write, lead, and play these shows on a regular basis. The document culminates in collected data providing concrete evidence for the future of the form and its many applications.

Conceptual Concerns Regarding The Content Validity Of The Construct Of Gender Dysphoria In The Diagnostic And Statistical Manual Of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision, Waverley Vesely

Theses and Dissertations

The diagnostic classification of gender dysphoria in the DSM-5-TR elicits a number of clinical, political, and philosophical concerns, ranging from those that are diagnostic and taxonomical in nature to those that fall within the domains of ontology, phenomenology, and hermeneutics. Part of the reason for the complexity of studying the diagnostic and nosological validity of gender dysphoria as an extant diagnostic classification is that, unlike many disorders, gender dysphoria is inextricably tethered to identity. While the recent change from gender identity disorder to gender dysphoria has nominally removed the status of disorder, in practice, both clinicians and the general population …

The Relationship Between Symptom Catastrophizing And Sociocultural Factors Among Adults With Persistent Sympathetic Activation Syndromes, Whitney M. Redemer

Theses and Dissertations

Persistent Sympathetic Activation (PSA) has emerged as a potential unifying mechanism underlying a range of complex chronic health conditions yet remains poorly characterized within biomedical and psychosocial research. Limited research has delineated how PSA manifests across diverse populations or how diagnostic and sociocultural factors shape lived experiences of this phenomenon; thus, the objective of the present study was to examine whether diagnostic certainty – operationalized as provider-confirmed versus self-suspected PSA-related diagnoses – is associated with symptom catastrophizing, and whether this relationship varies as a function of sociocultural factors. Drawing on data from a larger study aimed at characterizing the lived …

Foreign-National Families, Education, And Parenting: Unpacking The Influence Of Cultural Transitions On Child-Rearing And Expectations, Yuqi Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examines how highly skilled foreign-national parents navigate parenting and educational decision-making within the context of cultural transition in the United States. While existing research on foreign-national parenting has largely focused on socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, less is known about families who possess substantial educational and professional capital. Despite these advantages, these parents encounter unique challenges related to institutional navigation, identity negotiation, and social constraints. Guided by Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological theory, Coleman’s social capital theory, Berry’s acculturation framework, and Yosso’s community cultural wealth model, this study explores how cultural background and migration experiences shape highly skilled foreign-national families’ parenting beliefs …

The Effects Of Anxiety On Adult Athletes And Approaches To Improving Performance And Well-Being, Taylor Glaspie-Walton

Theses and Dissertations

This systematic review examined the complex relationship between anxiety and sports performance in adult athletes, along with exploring effective approaches for enhancing both performance and psychological well-being. Through analysis of 18 studies spanning diverse sports and competitive levels, this research identifies key factors that influence anxiety responses and performance outcomes. Findings revealed that competition level, performance-goal discrepancies, and injury recovery significantly impact anxiety levels, with athletes' interpretations of anxiety symptoms proving more influential than symptom intensity alone. The research demonstrates that mental toughness and self-efficacy function as fundamental psychological resources, though their impact appears to plateau at elite competitive levels. …

High-Resolution Mapping Of Soil Moisture Variation Using Uas Thermal And Multispectral Imagery, Jackline Amma Timah

Theses and Dissertations

In agricultural landscapes, soil moisture regulates hydrologic partitioning, nutrient transport and water quality, land-atmosphere energy exchange that shapes local climate, and ecosystem resilience. However, traditional monitoring approaches, such as in-situ sensors and satellite imagery, often lack the spatial resolution required to capture fine-scale soil moisture variability. This study evaluated whether unmanned aerial system (UAS)-derived thermal, multispectral, and terrain variables can capture fine-scale spatial variability in volumetric water content (VWC) within an SRB in central Illinois.

High-resolution imagery was collected and paired with 50 field-measured VWC observations. Land surface temperature (LST), vegetation indices (NDVI and NDRE), spectral bands, and slope were …

What Does It Takes To Develop Game Changers? An Evaluation Of Sport-Based Youth Development Program, Jorge Adriel Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined mentor development within the Game Changers program, a sport-based youth development (SBYD) intervention designed to promote emotional flexibility, mental fitness, and personal growth among young men. Grounded in mentorship theory and positive youth development frameworks, the purpose of this study was to evaluate how participation in the program influenced mentors’ psychological development, perceptions, and leadership approaches.

A mixed methods design was employed. Quantitative data were collected through repeated surveys administered across four time points to assess changes in mentors’ knowledge, self-awareness, confidence, emotional awareness, mental health, and masculinity ideology. Qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured focus group …

Between Stigma And Strength: How Ghanaian Mothers Navigate Societal Judgement And Build Resilience While Raising Children With Disabilities., Vera Bonku Turkson

Theses and Dissertations

The study explores the lived experiences of mothers raising children with disabilities in Ghana, West Africa. The purpose of the study is to understand mothers’ everyday caregiving realities, their experiences with social stigma, and the ways they build resilience. A semi-structured interview was conducted where a total of eleven Ghanaian mothers/caregivers were interviewed through phone calls, WhatsApp calls, and Zoom. The data were then analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis guide, which resulted in the development of five themes. The findings reveal that mothers’ experiences are shaped by continuous caregiving demands, financial strain, and deeply embedded cultural beliefs …

The Role Of Non-Academic Staff In First-Year Retention At Regional, Comprehensive Universities, Marco A. Krcatovich Ii

Theses and Dissertations

Regional comprehensive universities (RCUs) serve a large share of U.S. undergraduates, yet the role of non‑academic staff in shaping first‑year retention remains understudied. This dissertation examines how staff diversity and staffing structures relate to student persistence using seven years of IPEDS panel data and Linear Mixed‑Effects Models. Analyses were conducted separately for residential and commuter RCUs to reflect their distinct engagement environments. Findings show that staff diversity is significantly associated with retention, though the direction and magnitude vary by campus type and staff role. Staffing structure also matters as higher proportions of full‑time staff are positively associated with retention at …

Refusing To Die On The Vine: Black Women's Survival, Resistance, And Dei Labor In Historically White Institutions, Senesta D. Howard

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the lived experiences of Black women in non-diversity, non-faculty roles at historically White institutions (HWIs) who engage in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) advocacy beyond their formal job responsibilities. Grounded in Black Feminist Thought and guided by Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, the study explores how race and gender shape invisible labor expectations, emotional and psychological burdens, and strategies for safety and meaning-making. Semi-structured interviews with 12 Black women staff members yielded seven interrelated themes, including invisible DEI labor, hypervisibility, emotional exhaustion, sisterhood as a form of resistance, respectability politics, self-constructed safety, and purpose rooted in legacy and spirituality. …

Dining Experiences Across Hearing Profiles: The Influence Of Noise And Environmental Factors In Restaurants, Lorin M. Kmieciak

Theses and Dissertations

Dining out is a popular activity worldwide that is rooted in sensory and emotional engagement. How an individual experiences the sensory conditions in restaurants varies widely, highlighting the importance of designing dining environments that accommodate diverse perceptual needs and abilities. The purpose of this study is to address how existing dining environments overlook inclusive and accessibility-centered design by examining how hearing loss intersects with the acoustic, sensory, and social dimensions of dining environments. This study employed a mixed method, exploratory approach by gathering quantitative data through a survey and qualitative data through follow-up interviews to generate a holistic and data-driven …

Perceived Barriers To Physical Activity And Campus Recreation Facility Usage In College Students Referred Or Not Referred To An Exercise Is Medicine® On Campus Program, Benjamin M. Colbert

Theses and Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: Approximately 36-50% of college students are inactive and report numerous barriers to being physically active. Physical activity (PA) barriers are any obstacle an individual believes affects their PA participation. Individuals who perceive more barriers are less likely to participate in PA and as such, interventions that target barriers may increase PA participation. Exercise is Medicine^® on Campus (EIM-OC) is one intervention that may improve PA levels on college campuses by reducing barriers. The purpose of this study was to document PA and campus recreation facility barriers in university students and examine the influence of an individualized EIM-OC intervention …

Framing Belonging And Exclusion: A Dialogic Narrative Analysis Of English- And Spanish-Language Immigration Coverage During The Trump 2024 Presidential Election, Evangeline T. Cruz

Theses and Dissertations

I investigated how English- and Spanish-language news outlets narratively constructed Latinx immigrants during the Trump 2024 presidential campaign, a period marked by heightened anti-immigrant rhetoric and political volatility. While past scholarships examined immigration framing through tone, sentiment, or frequency analysis, limited attention has been given to the deeper narrative structures that shape public meaning-making. This study addresses this gap by applying Dialogic Narrative Analysis (DNA) and Critical Thematic Analysis (CTA) to a bilingual dataset of 120 newspaper articles from The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, El Diario, and La Opinión published between November 2024 and February 2025.

Findings reveal …

Building Resilience And Academic Belonging Through An Educational Intervention For Latine Families, Britney Ramos

Theses and Dissertations

Latine students continue to experience disparities in college persistence and completion despite the growing rate of enrollment in higher education. Previous research has focused on the importance of family involvement, culturally responsive programming, and the sense of belonging for Latine students. However, continued research is needed to better understand how family-centered programs support both Latine youths’ sense of belonging and their perceived preparedness for college. This study focuses on how participation in the Juntos Para Una Mejor Educación program relates to Latine youths’ sense of belonging and perceived preparedness for college, as well as how family expectations shape these outcomes. …

Pathways Through Barriers: A Qualitative Study Of Career Advancement Among International Graduates Of Illinois Public Higher Education Institutions, Tieola Lambey Requena

Theses and Dissertations

International students represented an important sector of the United States higher education and labor force ecosystem, contributing significantly to academic innovation, institutional diversity, and economic growth. Illinois, which is a major educational and industrial hub, attracted thousands of international students annually and played a critical role in the development of global talent essential to both the state and the national economy. Despite these contributions, international students faced persistent challenges when navigating career advancement in the United States. Recent immigration policy shifts intensified national security concerns and employer reluctance to sponsor visas, reframing international students from valued contributors to perceived labor …

Exploring Culturally Responsive Faculty Practices That Support Student Success In Community College Classrooms, Mary Catherine Flynn

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explored the culturally responsive teaching practices used by six community college faculty and instructors in their in-person courses. Faculty and instructors taught courses included in certificate and degree programs related to early childhood education, human services, and criminal justice at one midwestern community college. Specific content areas included sociology, political science, and child development. Data collection for this study included comprehensive interviews with each instructor, an analysis of documents including syllabi, student assignments, and assessments, and multiple classroom observations. This study was anchored in a theoretical framework based on the constructs of culturally responsive teaching practices. Each …

Examination Of The Effects Aesthetic Enrichment And Music Have On Well-Being And Task Performance In A Workplace Simulation, Emily Budik

Theses and Dissertations

Workplace environments are often designed with a focus on efficiency, yet emerging research suggests that environmental features such as aesthetic enrichment and music may influence employee well-being and performance. The present study examined whether visual aesthetic enrichment and auditory stimulation through music could improve well-being, reduce stress, and enhance task performance within a simulated workplace task. Participants completed a 30-minute in-basket task under one of four conditions: a control environment, music only, aesthetic enrichment only, or a combined aesthetic enrichment and music condition. Measures of stress, well-being, and task performance were collected following task completion. Results indicated that neither aesthetic …

Data Utilization In Facilities’ Performance Management Decision- Making At U.S. Four-Year Public Institutions: A Cross-Sectional Exploratory Study, Tanaporn Supanichrattana

Theses and Dissertations

The growing complexity of higher education finance, aging infrastructure, and rising accountability expectations has intensified demands on facilities organizations to manage institutional assets strategically. As colleges and universities face sustained fiscal constraints and expanding operational pressures, the ability of facilities leaders to use data to inform performance management has become increasingly critical. Despite this importance, limited empirical research has examined how facilities leaders integrate data into decision-making within public higher education contexts.

The quantitative study employed a cross-sectional, exploratory survey design to investigate data utilization practices among facilities leaders at U.S. public four-year institutions. Guided by the Data–Information–Knowledge–Wisdom hierarchy and …

Meet Me In The Middle: Transformational Coaching As A Strategy To Disrupt Middle School Teacher Attrition, Aimee J. Pettit

Theses and Dissertations

Teacher attrition among early-career educators remains a persistent challenge in middle school settings, particularly in schools serving historically marginalized student populations. At Nevermore Academy Middle School, newly hired teachers continue to leave the profession despite the implementation of traditional onboarding and mentoring programs, citing challenges with classroom management, limited societal respect for the profession, emotional exhaustion, and inadequate compensation. High rates of teacher turnover disrupt instructional continuity and disproportionately affect students from low-income households, many of whom are students of color. This qualitative study examined the lived experiences of new teachers at Nevermore Academy and explored how participation in transformational …

“Is This Really Funny?” Humor, Rape Myths, And Social Semiotics In Nigerian Comedy Skits, Grace Oluwatofunmi Adeyemo

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines how rape myth narratives are normalized through humor in Nigerian comedy skits. While existing research has identified rape-supportive beliefs in digital entertainment, it has paid less attention to the processes through which these meanings become socially acceptable. Guided by social semiotics, the study analyzes how semiotic resources use humor to normalize rape myth narratives in Nigerian comedy skits. Using a qualitative design, twelve purposively selected Nigerian comedy skits on YouTube were analyzed. The findings reveal that refusal is constructed as temporary, persistence is portrayed as effort, men's refusal is framed as abnormal, and consent is shaped by …

Graduate Student Retention: Examining Why Master’S Students Leave And What Motivates Their Return In A Large Public University System, Sonja Prophete

Theses and Dissertations

Graduate student persistence is a relatively unexplored area in the literature of higher education studies; specifically, at a multi-institutional scale at the master's level. This research study examines the factors which cause students to discontinue their master's degrees, and what conditions could possibly support them returning to their program at a large urban public university system. The current study was guided by Hoyt and Winn's (2004) distinction between non-returning students, and Bean & Metzner's (1985) theoretical model of student attrition. A sequential mixed-methods study was conducted to examine the institutional and environmental influences on students' decision-making processes.

The quantitative data …