Digital Commons Network^™

Metabolic Syndrome Beyond Diagnostic Criteria: Population-Scale Integrative Metabolomics Characterization, Marwa Talal

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a complex cluster of interrelated metabolic abnormalities associated with elevated cardiometabolic risk. While diagnosis is based on well-established five clinical criteria, these may overlook early or atypical metabolic alterations. Large-scale metabolomic profiling offers an opportunity to identify biochemical signatures of MetS beyond diagnostic bias and to evaluate their relative importance across different presentations of the syndrome.

Methods: Data from 117,147 UK Biobank participants were analyzed in a cross-sectional design. High-throughput NMR quantified 75 circulating metabolites, for. Univariate analyses, MetS subtype stratification, and elastic net models with SHAP interpretation were applied to assess feature …

Why Stay? A Qualitative Case Study Of Parents Who Choose Local Public Schools Over Alternative Options, Michael Antonio Scott

Theses and Dissertations

Public schools face challenges that directly impact the quality of education and educational programming. Declining student enrollment trends affect school funding and resource allocation for school improvement. This qualitative case study identified key factors influencing parents' perceptions of school quality and explored how these perceptions shaped school choice decision-making. Guided by Rational Choice Theory, the study examined how individuals make enrollment decisions by weighing perceived costs, benefits, constraints, and available resources to achieve desired educational outcomes. Semi-structured interviews, an open-ended survey, and archival school performance data were used to explore the perspectives of parents with children enrolled in public high …

The Role Of Body Composition In Predicting Fitness Performance Of Law Enforcement Officers, Taylor J. Parmentier

Theses and Dissertations

Law enforcement officers (LEOs) perform physically demanding tasks such as foot pursuits, lifting, carrying, dragging, and physical restraint. Effectively performing these duties requires significant muscular strength, endurance, and cardiorespiratory fitness. Lower fitness levels pose risks for reduced health, performance, slower recovery, increased fatigue, and potentially affecting decision-making under strenuous conditions. The purpose of this study was to identify the strongest predictor of physical fitness performance among active-duty LEOs. Body composition analysis and a comprehensive fitness evaluation of twenty-nine male LEOs (age: 36.2 ± 9.3 years, body mass (BM): 95 ± 13.7 kg, height: 1.8 ± 0.1 m) was completed. The …

Social Media, Masculine Body Ideals, And The Drive For Muscularity: A Serial Mediation Model Across Sexual Identities, Sean P. Mcdaniel

Theses and Dissertations

Body image concerns among men are increasingly prevalent yet remain understudied compared to women’s experiences. Drawing on objectification theory, the present study examines the relationship between social media influence and men’s drive for muscularity through a serial mediation model. Specifically, the present study investigates whether the internalization of masculine body ideals and engagement in body surveillance behaviors mediate the link between social media influence and the drive for muscularity. Furthermore, the present study model attempts to explore how these processes differ across sexual identities, given evidence that sexual minority men face distinct sociocultural pressures regarding appearance. Adult male-identifying social media …

Built Different: Place, Identity, And The Holistic Well-Being Of Female Student Athletes, Jaye Mack

Theses and Dissertations

This research furthers the conversation surrounding holistic female student-athlete wellness, recognizing that their experiences can be inequitable – influenced by the intersectionality of race, gender, and athletic identity (Armstrong et al., 2018; Druckman et al., 2018; Neeley et al., 2021). This research accredits the physical environments where athletes train, recover, and connect as an underexplored factor in holistic well-being.

The Indivisible Self Model of Wellness (IS-WEL) was used to (1) explore the influence of physical design features on female student athletes' holistic well-being and (2) understand how their identity shapes how they experience and attach meaning to their team environments. …

Evaluating Rate Of Perceived Exertion And Heart Rate In High School Weight Training Students For Assessing, Enhancing, And Maintaining Health-Related Fitness, Nicholas Searcy

Theses and Dissertations

This mixed-methods study evaluated the relationship between rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and heart rate (HR) among high school weight-training students during circuit training sessions. The purpose of this study was to determine whether RPE could serve as a practical method for gauging moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) among high school weight-training students while allowing students to assess and enhance their health-related components of fitness. Participants were high school students enrolled in weight-training classes who completed upper- and lower-body circuit training sessions over a 4-week period, or a total of 16 school days. RPE was self-reported using Borg’s CR10 …

Evaluation Of Valley Healthcare System Inc. School-Based Health Clinic/Center At Dorothy I. Heights Elementary School In Columbus, Georgia, Nakia Ford

Theses and Dissertations

School-Based Health Centers (SBHCs) are an important strategy for addressing health disparities and improving educational outcomes among underserved students. In Columbus, Georgia, barriers such as limited insurance, transportation challenges, and provider shortages contribute to unmet health needs, which are linked to increased absenteeism. To address these issues, Valley Healthcare System, Inc. (VHCS) implemented a School-Based Health Clinic (SBHC) at Dorothy I. Heights Elementary School. This study evaluates the effectiveness of the SBHC in improving student attendance outcomes. A quasi-experimental, difference-in-differences design compared Dorothy I. Heights Elementary School (treatment group) before and after SBHC implementation (2021–2022 and 2022–2023) with a similar …

Leading For Wholeness: Black Girlhood, Morrison And Hurston, And The Epistemology Of Flourishing In Independent Schools, Kamaya Prince Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates how Black girls in US independent schools experience Zora Neale Hurston’s, Their Eyes Were Watching God, and Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon, alongside the larger, traditional literary canon taught within high school English classrooms as texts that can shape their sense of self. In this project, wholeness is defined through a tripartite framework consisting of three interconnected parts: Self (a deepened sense of identity and ways of knowing), Community (experiences of belonging, safety, mentoring, and joy), and Purpose (the development of values, meaning, and a sense of connection both to the community and self). These aspects are …

Do Friendship Features Moderate Associations Between Body-Related (Co)-Rumination And Disordered Eating Behaviors?, Annabel Grace Susanin

Theses and Dissertations

For young adults, the transition to college includes increased responsibility and academic pressures, as well as new living environments with same-age peers. The demands of this transition can contribute to increased stress and uncertainty in students, resulting in engagement of behaviors that negatively impact physical and mental well-being. Among these behaviors include disordered eating. In this project, we sought to better understand individual and social risk factors for developing disordered eating behaviors. We measured a cognitive process that can occur within the self (rumination) or between the self and others (co-rumination), two concepts previously linked to other internalizing disorders, including …

Examining Community School Hubs In Creating Sustainable And Transformative Spaces For English Learners And Families: A Qualitative Study, Elizabeth Ortiz-Wright

Theses and Dissertations

Economically disadvantaged English learner students are at risk for poor academic outcomes. These challenges are exacerbated by inaccessibility to nutritious food, educational resources, healthcare, and stable housing. These cyclical and persistent issues require a community-based response. Community school hubs emerged as a response to the numerous academic and social challenges for English learner families who are living in vulnerable communities. This qualitative narrative study examined the perceptions of English learner parents and members of one community school hub regarding the available resources. Research questions examined the overall perceptions of one community school hub, including challenges and necessary changes to strengthen …

Examining Mental Healthcare Underutilization Among Latino Immigrants: Healthcare Providers’ And Community Health Workers' Perspectives, Geovani Muñoz

Theses and Dissertations

Latinos continue to experience many logistical and systemic barriers to professional mental health services (Derr, 2016) despite being the second-largest racial-ethnic group in the United States (U.S.). With a community of 65 million people (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024), Latinos experience mental healthcare inequalities (Cook et al., 2019) due to structural, cultural, and systemic barriers. Although prior research has emphasized culturally responsive care as a pathway to reducing disparities (Nagy et al., 2025), much of the literature has focused on Western medical models, with limited attention to community-based perspective. Guided by the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices (KAP) framework, the present study …

Dietary Acculturation, Dietary Inflammatory Potential, And Metabolic Syndrome Among Immigrants In The United States: A Mixed-Methods Approach Using Nhanes And Qualitative Data, Esse G. Foka Nzaha

Theses and Dissertations

Background and Objectives: Immigrants in the United States undergo acculturation — a process of sociocultural and behavioral adaptation to the host country. Increasingly, behavioral adaptations have been associated with cardiometabolic health and chronic disease risk. Metabolic syndrome (MetS), a cluster of conditions including abdominal obesity, elevated blood pressure, impaired fasting glucose, elevated triglycerides, and reduced HDL cholesterol, is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases and other chronic diseases, including cancer. Despite the growing immigrant population in the U.S., the role of diet and dietary acculturation in MetS development remains poorly understood in this population. This …

24-H Circadian Rest-Activity Rhythms And Physical Frailty In Older Adults: A Biopsychosocial Perspective On Sex Differences And Social Capital, Jisu Kim

Theses and Dissertations

Physical frailty is a prevalent geriatric syndrome characterized by age-related decline across multiple physiological systems. Physical frailty is associated with an elevated risk of adverse health outcomes, including chronic disease progression and all-cause mortality, representing a significant and growing public health concern. Disrupted circadian rest-activity rhythms (RARs) are increasingly recognized as clinically meaningful markers of physical frailty in older adults. However, the extent to which biological sex and social determinants of health (SDoH), particularly social capital, contribute to or modify the associations between RARs and physical frailty remains underexplored.

Therefore, this dissertation summarizes the existing literature on age-related changes in …

Vitality: Wellness For Female Collegiate Athletes, Kristin Beach

Theses and Dissertations

Vitality is a wellness center for female collegiate athletes. It is rooted in female oriented design strategies for comfort, recovery, and wellbeing. This project aims to provide an inclusive environment in which women within the VCU athletics department can come and support their health and wellbeing.  Spaces include physical therapy, academic support, movement studios, gathering lounge, locker room, private therapy, and grab and go food options. This program aims to provide spaces that support the busy schedule of a collegiate athlete, while using design strategies that enhance social, mental, and physical wellbeing while visiting. Located in a historic sauers building, …

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 …

Low Early Reading Skills In Children Entering Kindergarten In An Urban K-8 Center, Shelly D. Smith-Harding

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to investigate the preparedness of kindergarten children in early reading skills, drawing comparisons from their experiences in comparable preschool programs and to gain insight about how to address the problem of low early reading skills among children entering kindergarten. Using archival data from i-Ready reading diagnostic tests over a 4-year period (2021-2022 to 2024-2025), the researcher compared students who attended an urban K-8 Center Head Start program (n=47) with students from other preschools (n=33).

The researcher conducted an independent t-test with SPSS, version 30 software, to analyze differences at the baseline (Assessment Period 1) and …

Play-Based Learning In Private International Preschools In Cairo: Teachers' Perspectives, Kesha L. Stovall

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores how play-based learning is practiced and contextualized in private, international preschools in Cairo, Egypt through the perspective of teachers. It calls upon both historical and contemporary theories of play and play pedagogies ranging from the times of Plato and Al-Farabi to the 21st century with Montessori and Dewey. Using a contemporary theory of play presented by Stuart Lester and Wendy Russell as a guiding framework, it examines how play and play-based learning are implemented, shaped and even challenged in a Cairene context. These contexts include sociocultural factors such as parents’ expectations and aspirations, institutional barriers, teacher development …

Screen Time Use, Reading Achievement, And Thinking Maps: A Correlational Study Of Fifth-Grade Students, Morgan Brooke Unger

Theses and Dissertations

The problem addressed in this study was the fixation of screen time among fifth-grade students at a kindergarten to Grade 12 private school in South Florida. By the time children reach age 12, 69% of adolescents own a smartphone. The purpose of this study was designed to determine (a) the relationship between screen time use and reading achievement among fifth graders, (b) the relationship between parents’ awareness of their child’s screen time use and their child’s actual screen time use, and (c) how well fifth-grade students’ Thinking Maps illustrate the problems associated with screen time fixation at a kindergarten to …

Effect Of Employees’ Breakfast Choices On Energy Levels In The Hispanic Population Working In Healthcare In South Florida, Jennifer Rivas

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to examine the effect of employees’ breakfast choices on perceived energy levels among Hispanic healthcare workers in South Florida. As breakfast consumption has been widely associated with cognitive function, productivity, and metabolic stability, this research focused on understanding how specific breakfast patterns influence daily energy in a population that plays a critical role in regional healthcare delivery.

A qualitative survey was developed by the researcher and was used to collect data from Hispanic employees working in a variety of healthcare settings. Participants completed a structured survey assessing breakfast habits, nutritional quality, frequency of consumption, and …

Balancing Care And Chaos: A Phenomenological Study On The Emotional And Mental Health Challenges Of Emergency Department Nurses, Shantilee Green

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to examine the experiences of emergency department nurses related to emotional and mental health challenges, coping with stress, and ways to provide them with better workplace support. Emergency department nurses are required to work 12-hour shifts in a high-stress environment with a significant patient load and an inadequate patient-to-nurse ratio. Emergency department nurses are exposed daily to patient events that can be traumatic and affect their mental and emotional health, and nurses may find it challenging to cope with the resultant stress.

The researcher created an interview protocol of 14 questions to …

Examining Reframing Behavior Implementation: Teacher Perspectives And Discipline Patterns In Middle School, Francisco J. Hidalgo

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation examined teacher-reported implementation of the Reframing Behavior (RB) Initiative at a middle school in North Central Florida. The districtwide training occurred in the 2024-2025 school year. The RB Initiative provides educators with opportunities to reframe how they address disruptive behaviors among students perceived as problematic, who may receive numerous disciplinary actions. Disciplinary actions can affect students’ academic and social lives. Using a convergent mixed methods design, the study addressed four research questions and examined implementation fidelity, teacher perceptions, school-wide discipline patterns, and teacher experiences with RB implementation.

The researcher surveyed 19 teachers and interviewed four teachers. The …

The Continuity And Fluidity Between Emergent Literacy Skills And Literacy Acquisition, Shiesha D. Otokina

Theses and Dissertations

This research study was undertaken because emergent literacy skills are crucial in helping children develop their reading abilities. Research suggests that early intervention is a key strategy for closing the achievement gap, and that early literacy skills develop as early as when children begin to communicate verbally and nonverbally. Studies show that the larger a child's vocabulary is, the quicker they learn to read.This study examined the significance of reading development and a child’s ability to acquire reading skills across the stages of reading acquisition.

This study compared student scores in the experimental and control groups to determine whether the …

Enfrentando El Patriarcado: La Voz, El Espacio Femenino Y Lo Sobrenatural En Mexican Gothic De Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Raquel Macias Del Valle

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the crossroads of gender, space, and the supernatural in Mexican Gothic (2020) by Silvia Moreno–Garcia, examining how the novel challenges patriarchal structures through its protagonist, Noemí Taboada. Utilizing feminist theory, spatial analysis, and studies on the supernatural, this research demonstrates how Moreno–Garcia constructs a narrative in which female expression and connection are central to reinstating the feminine self as a subject. The novel presents High Place, the ancestral mansion of the Doyle family, as a space that embodies patriarchal control. Drawing on Gastón Bachelard’s The Poetics of Space and Marc Olivier’s Household Horror, this study examines how …

Using Rhizobia Seed Coatings And Soil Amendments To Combat Herbicide Toxicity For Native Legume Establishment, Ryan Matthew Glover

Theses and Dissertations

Dryland ecosystems face widespread degradation from historical mismanagement, climate change, and invasive species proliferation. Although herbicides effectively control invasive annual weeds, they often suppress the establishment of desirable perennial species, limiting restoration success. Legumes enhanced with rhizobia inoculants offer a promising approach to overcome these challenges by facilitating nitrogen fixation, improving soil microbial communities, and potentially mitigating herbicide stress. We conducted paired greenhouse and field experiments to evaluate whether rhizobia seed coatings improve the establishment of three legume species Astragalus cicer (Cicer Milkvetch), Onobrychis viciifolia (Sainfoin), and Medicago sativa (Alfalfa), in soils treated with imazapic and glyphosate. In the greenhouse, …

Rab32c Mediates Osmoregulation And Calcium Homeoastasis In Dictyostelium Discoideum, Ashley Esparza

Theses and Dissertations

Vesicular trafficking is a fundamental process essential to cell viability and dictates roles in both cellular and tissue function in multicellular organisms. To further understand various vesicular trafficking processes, our lab focuses on the moderators of these processes, Rab GTPases, using the model organism Dictyostelium discoideum. This dissertation focuses explicitly on the uncharacterized protein Rab32C, a homolog of human Rab32. While several Rab family members have been well defined, the functionality of Rab32C remains poorly understood. This project investigated both the subcellular localization and functional role of Rab32C with biochemical, imaging, and molecular assays. Results from this study provide evidence …

The Relationship Between Light Physical Activity And 10-Year Weight Change In 2,868 U.S. Adults: A National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey Investigation, Chloe Diane Cory

Theses and Dissertations

The prevalence of obesity has steadily increased over the past several decades. About 13.4% of Americans aged 20-74 had obesity in 1960-1962 and the prevalence has steadily increased to 40.3% in 2021-2023--more than a 3-fold increase. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between time spent in light physical activity (LPA) and 10-year weight change in a random sample of 2868 women and men representative of the U.S. adult population. METHODS: Data were used from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from the 2003-2006 data cycles. Participants were limited to non-pregnant U.S. …

Sex Disparities In Prescription Opioids Associated Cardiovascular Adverse Events, Li Ma

Theses and Dissertations

The opioid crisis in the United States has evolved from a medical response to pain into a nationwide public health emergency. The prescription opioids (POs) – associated cardiovascular adverse events (CVAEs) remain insufficiently studied, especially in relation to sex disparities. This dissertation investigates sex disparities in PO-associated cardiovascular adverse events (CVAEs) through an analytic framework integrating artificial-intelligence-assisted literature mining and real-world pharmacovigilance analytics. In the analytic framework, first, AI powered topic modeling was employed to uncover POs-associated CVAEs risks with a focus on sex differences. A total of 1,837 PubMed abstracts were analyzed using two methods, Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) …

The Biology Of Green Antelopehorn Milkweed (Asclepias Viridis Walter) And Hemp Dogbane (Apocynum Cannabinum L.) And Response To Triclopyr Formulations And Other Auxin Herbicides, Kayla L. Broster

Theses and Dissertations

Studies were conducted in Oktibbeha and Clay Counties in Mississippi to determine the response of green antelopehorn milkweed and hemp dogbane to triclopyr and other auxin herbicides in non-cropland areas. These studies were conducted at four locations with well established populations for each species throughout 2020 to 2023, with applications repeated at each location the following year if populations persisted. Treatments included a high and low rate of each herbicide studied, with all four triclopyr formulations included for both species. Injury response data were collected two and four weeks after treatment and population density data were evaluated using individual stem …

Rapid Kinetic Fluorogenic Quantification Of Malondialdehyde In Ground Beef, Keshav Raj Bhandari

Theses and Dissertations

Presented herein is rapid kinetic fluorogenic method to quantify malondialdehyde (MDA) in ground beef, utilizing 2-thiobarbituric acid (TBA) as the fluorogenic probe. This assay significantly shortens the total analysis time, from sample preparation to data acquisition, to just six minutes presenting a major advancement over traditional methods that typically require two hours and multiple instruments. The assay’s robustness against matrix interferences was validated using sample volume variation and standard addition calibration methods. Additionally, the effects of ambient exposure to air, washing, and cooking on MDA content in raw ground beef were quantified. While both ambient exposure to air and cooking …