Digital Commons Network^™

Multiple Baseline Single-Case Study: Narrative Resiliency Intervention For Couples With Adverse Childhood Experiences, Emma Elizabeth Allen

Theses and Dissertations

A multiple baseline single case study design was used to examine the effects of a narrative and resiliency-based intervention for couples with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Using piecewise multilevel modeling (MLM), the study evaluated changes in depressive symptoms, dyadic coping (DCI), and growth and empowerment measure (Emotional Empowerment Scale [EES-14] and 12 Scenarios [12S]) across waitlist and treatment phases. Five couples (10 individuals) participated in up to 17 waves, with staggered baseline and treatment lengths across dyads. Results indicated significant fixed effects of the 12S subscale for growth and empowerment during the treatment phase. There were no statistically significant fixed …

Power Resilience In Utah's Water Sector: A Survey Of Stakeholder Practices, Preferences And Potential, Tyler Christopher Peterson

Theses and Dissertations

Drinking water and wastewater services are vulnerable to disruptions because they rely heavily on the electric grid. As a result, power outages can lead to water outages, creating cascading failures that compromise sanitation, firefighting, healthcare, and daily routines. Although an important topic, there are little to no studies of water and wastewater power resilience at a geographic or state level. In this study we investigate the extent of existing backup power and renewable energy integration as well as the motivations and barriers around their power resilience. We collect our data through semi-structured interviews with staff at 19 urban and rural …

Evaluation Of Internal Field In Ppln And Studies On Qpm Shg Efficiency Factor, Prasath Rk Mr

Theses and Dissertations

Periodically Poled Lithium Niobate (PPLN) crystals have attracted interest in optoelectronics and nonlinear optics. The response to the applied electric field is determined by their larger electro-optic and nonlinear optical coefficients. An internal electric field exists in congruent PPLN crystals due to its defects. Its evaluation is important in controlling the electro-optical behavior. A simple nondestructive diffraction method is proposed to estimate the internal electric field present in the congruent lithium niobate crystal.

Due to the presence of an unrelaxed internal field, the as-poled sample acts as an index grating. When a light is incident on such a sample, it …

The Impact Of Social Factors On Vagally Mediated Parasympathetic Activity, Andrew Scot Proctor

Theses and Dissertations

Loneliness and social disconnection are recognized risk factors for morbidity and mortality, yet the psychophysiological pathways remain contested. This dissertation examines how social factors relate to vagally mediated parasympathetic activity indexed by heart rate variability (HRV) and tests whether conversational interventions with a human or a large-language-model (LLM)-based companion can acutely reduce loneliness and enhance connection. Across two university sites (BYU, UCSD), N=297 participants (18-27 years) were randomized to (a) a reciprocal self-disclosure conversation with a trained human confederate, (b) a parallel, vocalized LLM chatbot conversation, or (c) a non-social, vocal reading control. Resting HRV (RMSSD, SDNN, HF-HRV) was recorded …

Experimental And Theoretical Characterization Of Molten Salt Thermal Conductivity, Jacob C. Numbers

Theses and Dissertations

Molten salts form an ideal heat transfer fluid for advanced energy generation systems, including molten salt reactors (MSR). Accurate characterization of molten salt thermal conductivity is needed to confidently predict transient thermal behavior and optimize salt properties. Measurements are hindered by salts' challenging material properties, which---in the case of the needle probe device---induced unaccounted physical changes that limited its accuracy and repeatability. Sparse thermal conductivity data in general is exacerbated by a limited fundamental understanding of molecular energy transfer in liquids. This work extends the experimental capacity for compositional studies using the needle probe and proposes a theoretical model for …

Law As Performance: Sovereignty, Legal Indeterminacy, And The Chinese Private Security Industry, Alexandrya Pouliot

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines how the legal indeterminacy of international law facilitates state evasion of accountability through the use of private military and security companies (PMSCs) as proxies in extraterritorial operations. Focusing on China’s deployment of PSCs to safeguard Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects, it argues that ambiguities within the doctrines of attribution and responsibility under the Articles on the Responsibility of States for Internationally Wrongful Acts (ARSIWA) create a permissive legal environment that enables states to outsource coercive functions without incurring formal liability. Drawing upon Hobbesian Realist theory, Carl Schmitt’s concept of the sovereign exception, and insights from Critical …

Exploring The Potential Of Artificial Intelligence To Improve The Journal Peer Review Process, Eliza Fanny Bondah

Theses and Dissertations

Academic publishing depends on the peer review process to guarantee quality, scholarly rigor, and credibility, but the traditional peer review system receives mounting criticism because of its inefficient operations, biased judgments, and irregular standards. This study explores how artificial intelligence (AI) can improve journal peer review systems to solve a variety of issues, including reducing reviewer exhaustion, minimizing bias, improving consistency, and accelerating the review process. Current literature shows AI as a promising yet controversial solution, which may provide structured feedback with improved consistency and efficiency. Our study examined 52 human reviews together with 26 AI-generated reviews from EdTechnica--An Open …

Bayesian Alignment Prior To Connectionist Temporal Classification Loss, Lawry Sorenson

Theses and Dissertations

We propose revisions of Connectionist Temporal Classification (CTC) loss and forced alignment to support longer input sequences. CTC loss is normally used for training in speech and handwriting recognition tasks when the labels are not fully aligned with the data, while forced alignment is a downstream task that finds the optimal path for segmentation purposes. The current implementations consider all possible alignments between the input and label, which grows exponentially with the size of the input. We show that in cases when silence is removed and speaking rate is consistent, the true alignment is a mostly straight line across time …

Implementing Dataops: A Scalable Framework For Modern Data Warehousing, Dmytro Valiaiev

Theses and Dissertations

DataOps has been coined as a novel term that emerged as a synthesis of data management practices with software engineering concepts, such as DevOps and Agile, with the goal of improving data quality and governance in enterprises. The proliferation of scratch table use and transformation tools, such as dbt, has led to an exponential increase in the number of data models, which complicates standardization efforts and increases maintenance overhead. Although the market is saturated with various flavors of text-to-SQL engines that promote increased productivity and self-service use in organizations, there are limited tools available to optimize individual queries, enforce consistency, …

In Their Own Voice: A Grounded Theory On Overcoming Internet Gaming Disorder, Jayson Carmona

Theses and Dissertations

Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) is highly comorbid with depression, anxiety, sleep loss, lower productivity, and social isolation. The DSM-5 TR designates IGD as a condition for further study, however the ICD-11 has designed Gaming Disorder as a codified illness. While most studies look at IGD via a medical model lens focusing almost exclusively on symptomology, very little research explores the process of recovery in IGD. In this grounded theory inquiry, a theory of recovery from IGD is generated. Secondary internet data consisted of 113 posts on the subreddit /r/StopGaming on reddit.com. This resulted in 196 pages of data. Researcher used …

Ecological Drivers Of Habitat Selection And Maternal Survival In Female Mule Deer (Odocoileus Hemionus), Brady R. Knight

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the ecological and biological factors that influence habitat selection by mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) is crucial for effective management. Mule deer select cover, forage, and water, each critical to energy acquisition and survival of mule deer. Here, we evaluate the factors that influence habitat selection and reproductive decisions by mule deer . In chapter one we evaluate the influence of treatments to restore quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) on habitat selection by mule deer. We hypothesized that mule deer would not use habitats randomly because of variability in nutrition and perceived risk of predation. We predicted that areas with aspen …

Mitochondrial Insoluble Aggregates In Aging And Alzheimer’S Disease Models: Cross-Species Proteomic Integration, Identification Of Conserved Candidates, And Pharmacological Disruption Of Eef-2 Interactions, Sonu Pahal

Theses and Dissertations

Protein aggregation within mitochondria emerges early in both aging and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and contributes to progressive loss of proteostasis. Insoluble mitochondrial aggregate fractions from Caenorhabditis elegans revealed extensive enrichment of metabolic and translational proteins that also appear in human Alzheimer hippocampal aggregates. Comparative analysis across age and genotype identified a conserved subset of aggregation-prone proteins, several of which cluster around elongation factor 2 (eEF-2), a regulator of ribosomal translocation and energy coupling. Cross-species integration defined a network in which eEF-2 links chaperones, metabolic enzymes, and RNA-binding proteins that co-aggregate in both human Alzheimer material and nematode models. Functional tests …

Unveiling The Genomic Blueprint Of Two Pantoea Agglomerans Phages: Lia And Yaegar As Emerging Members Of The Chaseviridae Family, Leslie M. Ewool

Theses and Dissertations

Bacteriophages represent an essential component of microbial ecosystems and a promising resource for biocontrol. This study presents a comprehensive comparative genomic and evolutionary characterization of two novel bacteriophages that infect Pantoea agglomerans, Lia and Yaegar, belonging to the Loessnervirus genus within the Chaseviridae family. Both Lia and Yaegar possess double-stranded DNA genomes of approximately 54 kb with 44.4% GC content and 82 predicted open reading frames (ORFs). Functional annotation revealed distinct modules for replication, structural assembly, and lysis, but no genes associated with lysogeny, antibiotic resistance, or virulence. Average nucleotide identity (ANI) analysis indicated over 96% similarity between Lia, Yaegar, …

Toward Understanding Multi-Agent Decision Making In Complex Societies, Jonathan Skaggs

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates Multi Agent Decision Making (MADM) within Complex Societies (CS), systems of interdependent agents whose collective behaviors emerge from local interactions. Such emergent dynamics are nonlinear and difficult to predict, posing significant challenges towards understanding how individual decisions scale to societal outcomes. Existing approaches often fall short of capturing the combined attributes of CS, including asymmetry, decentralization, and adaptivity. To address this gap, we introduce new models and analyses of agent strategies that explain how cooperation and stability can arise in CS. Structured around three interrelated projects, this dissertation enhances our comprehension of MADM in CS. The research …

Finding Black Joy: Understanding How Black Students Are Seen, Affirmed, And Nourished In Expanded Learning Opportunities., Jamila Mosley

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines how Black students experience Black joy within expanded learning opportunity (ELO) programs and how those programs are structured to nurture that joy. It is guided by the central research question: How do Black students describe the ways in which an expanded learning opportunity program fosters their joy through experiences of being seen, affirmed, and nourished? Using an instrumental case study design at two secondary schools, the study draws on semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and observations of students participating in robotics, debate, Sister Circle, cheer, basketball, and creative writing. Data were analyzed through multiple cycles of coding, first …

Towards Resilient Data Governance: An Industry Study On Practitioner Perspectives On The Current State Of Data Governance, Anthony Mazzarella Iii

Theses and Dissertations

Experts agree that data governance is crucial for managing data as an asset, yet in practice, it remains inconsistently defined, unevenly implemented, and poorly understood. Earlier industry studies offered valuable descriptive benchmarks of governance adoption and professional roles, but provided limited theoretical insight and little empirical evidence explaining how governance functions within organizations. Building on this foundation, the current research offers a more substantial and analytically rigorous contribution by transforming descriptive observations into empirical explanations. Through a collaborative academic–industry partnership, the study utilizes a global survey of 565 respondents (348 valid cases) to analyze governance structures, motivations, challenges, and the …

Seasonal Performance Of Mrms Qpe In Urban Hydrologic Modeling Using Epa-Swmm, Randall Kirk Bagwell

Theses and Dissertations

Accurate rainfall estimation is essential for effective hydrologic modeling, particularly in urban environments where infrastructure must withstand extreme precipitation. This study evaluates the EPA Storm Water Management Model (EPA-SWMM) using MRMS RadarOnly Quantitative Precipitation Estimation (QPE) 1-hour Accumulation as the primary rainfall input for a watershed in Little Rock, Arkansas. The region was selected due to its urban character and the limited availability of radar-based hydrologic studies in Arkansas. 21 storms were analyzed from 2022-2025: 10 in Winter, 7 in Spring, and 4 in Summer. Storms were selected due to their effect on flow. The model was calibrated using February …

Thermodynamic Evaluation Of The Thermal Methane Pyrolysis Process, Chinaecherem S. Okwuonu

Theses and Dissertations

Natural gas flaring is a persistent challenge which undermines global sustainability and decarbonization efforts as it leads to the waste of valuable energy resources alongside the release of harmful greenhouse gases into the environment. Even when natural gas is utilized through commonly adopted pathways, significant emission of carbon dioxide tends to be realized. Methane pyrolysis offers a promising route in which methane can be decomposed into solid carbon and hydrogen gas with no direct CO2 emissions. However, despite extensive studies of the methane pyrolysis process, a fundamental thermodynamic rationale of the process behavior remains insufficiently explored. This study 1) develops …

History Of Midwifery In Arkansas: The Attrition Of Midwifery, Koria T.L. Robinson

Theses and Dissertations

Over the past few years, Arkansas has gained a spotlight due to an increase in maternal and infant mortality. This increase has been so massive that Arkansas has ranked within the top five in the nation for maternal and infant mortality rates for several years. A large percentage of the maternal and infant deaths in Arkansas are prevalent in the Black and rural communities. This is an issue that has plagued the state of Arkansas for over a hundred years, with mortality rates highly affecting the same demographic of people. How did the practice of midwifery become a remedy for …

Pfos And Lung Injury: A Review Of Human And Experimental Evidence, Farzana Hakim

Theses and Dissertations

Human epidemiological research has shown the adverse health consequences of long-term accumulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in human tissue. Specifically, this review will examine the relationship between PFAS exposure, impaired immune system functioning, and an elevated risk of respiratory disease using both human and experimental data. Research on human populations indicates that children exposed to PFAS have lower levels of antibodies to vaccines; those children prenatally exposed to PFAS are more susceptible to upper respiratory infections; and that adult humans have a higher incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Additionally, experimental studies demonstrate that PFOS and PFOA …

Dynamic Techno-Economic Analysis Of Advanced Configuration Of Chemical Absorption Carbon Capture Technology Integration With Natural Gas Combined Cycle, Akinwale Akinwunmi Akinmoladun

Theses and Dissertations

CO2 emissions from the power sector continue to increase annually owing to global economic growth and the electrification of end-use energy consumption. Natural gas power plants are recognized for their flexibility in ensuring grid stability. The rise in the share of renewable energy sources in the grid has led to part-load operation and reduced capacity factors for fossil fuel power plants. The importance of carbon capture technology (CCT) in reducing CO2 emissions is generally recognized. This study investigates the integration of post-combustion carbon capture (PCC) technology in the power sector as a means of addressing three closely related challenges: first, …

Impacts Of Intensifying Wildfires On Boreal Forest Ecosystems: Exploring Forest Regeneration, Wildlife Habitats, Carbon Storage, And Engineering Solutions, Mckenzie Belle Schewe

Theses and Dissertations

Wildfire activity across Alaska’s boreal forests has intensified in severity and frequency in recent decades, altering one of Earth’s most significant sources of carbon sequestration (Pan et al, 2011). This thesis examines how wildland burns influence post-fire carbon sink capacities and vegetation recovery near Fairbanks, Alaska. Three fire sites were selected to represent distinct successional stages: the 2006 Parks Highway Fire, the 2013 Stuart Creek 2 Fire, and the 2022 Clear Fire. Each site was evaluated through a combination of remote sensing analysis, LiDAR-derived canopy height data, and field measurements collected within each burn perimeter, developing a replicable framework for …

Influence Of Peer-Led Team Learning In Students’ Chemistry Self-Efficacy, And Academic Achievement In General Chemistry Courses, Hector Leal

Theses and Dissertations

One of the most perplexing issues facing peer cooperative learning is dealing with student motivation and goal orientation. Sometimes the students who could most benefit from the positive effects of peer learning are the ones least likely to participate due to fear of exposing their academic weaknesses to others or even to themselves (Arendale, 2020). Exploring the complexity of student motivation is being carefully studied amongst elementary and secondary education student populations. However, this important construct is often ignored in the study of postsecondary education in general, and the provision of learning assistance, particularly at the college level. My purpose …

Exploring Factors That Contribute To The Success Of Latina Superintendents In South Texas, Juanita D. Ybarra-Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

The COVID 19 pandemic brought forth many new challenges to the K-12 public schools. Superintendent turnover rates reached concerning levels in Texas and nationwide. This study explored the relationships between Latina superintendent’s success and the superintendents’ experiences with the school board, the community, their own health and safety and experiences related to maintaining superintendents’ role. Success is defined as a participant who acquired the superintendent role and maintained it for at least three years. Participants in this study were selected from Hispanic female superintendents within the Region One Education Service Center (ESC) in South Texas who had acquired and remained …

Voices Of Resistance: Multilingual Identity Formation Through Translanguaging In Dual Language Bilingual Education, Fernando W. Milmo

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study explored how students navigated their evolving multicultural and multilingual identities in a setting with varying emphases on English and Spanish in the context of a fourth-grade dual language classroom where the teacher employed translanguaging pedagogy. This study is grounded in a theoretical framework that integrates decolonial, raciolinguistic, and translanguaging perspectives. The study examined students' perceptions of linguistic hierarchies and the ways they utilized their full linguistic repertoires to negotiate meaning, identity, and a sense of belonging. This study included pláticas as a culturally grounded narrative method, classroom observations, and interviews, and used a qualitative case study …

Deep Community Engagement: Faculty Responsiveness Perspectives At A Hispanic Serving Institution, Joseph Coppola

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative, narrative inquiry investigates how experienced faculty members embody and enact responsive pedagogical practices at a community college Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Despite generational poverty and low degree attainment among Latine students, institutions face mounting pressure from deficit-mindedness and political mandates that threaten educational equity and resources for HSIs. This research sought to answer: How do community college faculty teaching at a Hispanic Serving Institution exhibit attributes of responsiveness?

The theoretical framework utilized the core tenets of Paulo Freire’s critical pedagogy and integrated models from Gloria Ladson-Billings (culturally relevant pedagogy), Geneva Gay (culturally responsive teaching), Django Paris (culturally sustaining pedagogy), …

Factors Influencing Teacher Professional Autonomy And Career Satisfaction: The Effects Of Unrealistic Professional Expectations Surrounding Student-Centered And Technology Implementation Tropes, Karla Gabriela Lopez

Theses and Dissertations

The research problem is to investigate to what extent unrealistic professional expectations stemming from a predominant emphasis on the tropes of student-centeredness and technology integration impact teachers’ experiences of professional autonomy and career satisfaction. The purpose of this study is to find out what factors impact teacher autonomy and career satisfaction while also considering how teachers can be effectively supported to improve these areas. Utilizing a narrative inquiry approach, this qualitative study will be held in the Rio Grande Valley and will analyze interviews of both current teachers and teachers who have recently left the profession. Therefore, this study will …

Hispanic Academic Leadership In The Health And Human Services, Gabriela Elizabeth Rangel

Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, there are 63.7 million Hispanics (U.S. Census Bureau, 2023), making them the largest racial or ethnic minority in the country. National data from 2019 indicates that only 6% of tenured faculty in the U.S. were Hispanic, highlighting a significant underrepresentation of leaders in academia (NCES, 2024). This study employed a phenomenological approach with purposeful sampling, utilizing semi-structured interviews with ten participants who had leadership experience in academia within Health and Human Services (H&HS). The interviews served to explore various aspects, such as what were their aspirations to become leaders, their perceptions of the characteristics and qualities …

Educators’ Perceptions Of Mental Health Services For Middle School Students In A South Texas District, Norma Araceli Cabrera

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study is to examine teachers' and administrators' perceptions of school-based mental health services in one school district in South Texas. Within-case sampling was utilized to select the participants. The study examines educators' perceptions of the availability and effectiveness of mental health services for middle school students. Middle school is a period of intense social development, during which students strive to navigate peer relationships. Middle school children, aged 12-14, also undergo emotional development as they manage intense emotions, develop self-awareness, and learn to cope with stressors related to school, friends, and self-identity. Studies found that …

Cyberbullying And Mental Health Issues Among University Students, Brandi N. Cruz

Theses and Dissertations

According to the CDC (2024), bullying can lead to social and emotional distress, self-harm, and death. Bullying can also increase the risk for depression, anxiety, and poor academic achievement. The increased use of social media and the rise in cyberbullying (CB) and related mental health concerns among emerging adults is highly disconcerting, especially given their propensity for mental health problems. The purpose of this study is to increase the understanding of young university students’ perceptions about CB victimization and whether CB affects their mental health. A cross-sectional research design was used to conduct the study. In this study the number …