Digital Commons Network^™

Love At A Distance: Exploring Perceptions Of Long-Distance Relationships Through Q Methodology, Ljubica Ivanovic Klobcic

Theses and Dissertations

With technology advancing and making it easier for individuals to connect and keep in touch, long-distance romantic relationships (LDRRs) have become increasingly common. While some people thrive in these relationships despite physical separation, others find the experience stressful and unsatisfying. This study explores how individuals perceive and navigate LDRRs and what their experiences are. Using Q methodology, participants sorted and ranked statements related to their experiences. Factor analysis revealed three unique groups: Traditional Romantics, who see their relationships in traditional terms despite technology use; Debbie Downers, who perceive distance as a burden and do not feel that technology improves their …

Modeling Xilinx 7-Series Fpgas Within The Verilog To Routing Project, Joshua Peter Fife

Theses and Dissertations

Verilog to Routing (VTR) is the most widely used open-source tool for experimenting with FPGA placement and routing algorithms, as well as assessing how architectural changes impact routability, timing, and power consumption.

Historically, VTR has been tailored specifically for Intel’s Altera-like FPGAs, lacking support for key features that would enable greater flexibility in describing other architectures. In this work, we introduce a fully functional 7-Series architecture capture from the Xilinx family, utilizing VTR’s scalable architecture description language. We detail the necessary upgrades to achieve this description, including the ability to describe L and T-shaped wires and target hard multipliers with …

Every Day Counts – A Critical Qualitative Case Study Examining Black Parents’ Perceptions Of Their Preschool Sons’ Chronic Absenteeism, Marilyn I. Dunham

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract Marilyn I. Dunham EVERY DAY COUNTS – A CRITICAL QUALITATIVE CASE STUDY EXAMINING BLACK PARENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR PRESCHOOL SONS’ CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM 2025 - 2026 Jo Ann B. Manning, Ed.D. Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership The purpose of this critical qualitative case study was to examine the perceptions of Black parents regarding chronic absenteeism among Black male preschoolers. Grounded in Critical Race Theory (CRT; Ladson-Billings, 1998; Solórzano & Yosso, 2002), the study sought to amplify parental voices and explore how systemic policies, school practices, home factors, and parental advocacy influence early attendance. Eight Black parents from an urban …

Contextual Bandits For Non-Stationary Multi-Agent Environments Using Assumptions-Alignment Tracking, Ethan Pedersen

Theses and Dissertations

A common challenge in AI is that of an agent possessing N distinct behaviors, each of which works effectively in certain tasks and circumstances, to choose from at any particular time. A popular approach to learn optimal selections in such contexts is found in bandit algorithms. However, traditional bandits often (1) assume the environment is stationary, (2) focus on asymptotic performance, and (3) do not incorporate available external information about the environment. While contextual bandits that do consider external information are designed to combat one of these challenges, the others remain problematic in realistic domains. This is especially true of …

Life After Prison: Exploring Gendered Differences In The Impact Of Social Support On The Ease Of Reintegration For Previously Incarcerated Men And Women, Joy Ferdinand

Theses and Dissertations

Successful reintegration into society remains a significant challenge for formerly incarcerated individuals, particularly in securing stable housing and employment. This study examines the gendered impact of social support on reintegration outcomes, specifically assessing how peer instrumental support, familial instrumental support, and familial emotional support influence housing stability and employment within three months of release. Using data from the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI), this study employs logistic regression models to explore whether gender moderates the relationship between social support and reentry success. Findings indicate that peer instrumental support significantly affects housing stability, but its impact varies by gender. …

Soccer In-Game Event Classification Using Spatio-Temporal Data, Million Haileyesus

Theses and Dissertations

Classifying soccer ball events, such as pass, shot, ball loss, and ball out, are crucial for advancing game analytics and tactical insights. This thesis investigates the application of machine learning to classify these ball events using player and ball spatio-temporal data, as well as additional features. We implement and compare traditional machine learning algorithms (AdaBoost, Logistic Regression, and Random Forest) with several deep learning approaches, including Feed-Forward Neural Network (FFNN), sequence-to-sequence (seq2seq) recurrent models (Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) and Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU)), and Transformer. Our experiments, evaluated on a dataset comprising of three professional soccer matches using accuracy, precision, …

Design And Implementation Of Home Energy Management System (Hems) In Smart Grid Through Demand Side Management (Dsm), Nirmala Jegadeesan Ms

Theses and Dissertations

The rising global energy demand, combined with environmental concerns and the depletion of conventional energy sources, has driven the need for the development of smarter and more sustainable energy systems. This research focuses on Home Energy Management System (HEMS) using soft computing techniques to optimize load scheduling, enhance energy efficiency, and integrate Renewable Energy Sources (RES) such as solar and battery storage. The primary goal is to balance supply and demand, reduce peak loads, and minimize energy costs while ensuring consumer comfort and system reliability.

Smart grids provide enhanced capabilities compared to conventional grids by enabling bidirectional flows of energy …

An Analysis Of Large Language Model Hallucination And Creativity: Linear Representations And Causal Roles, Mckay Bowcut

Theses and Dissertations

Large language models (LLMs) show remarkable abilities in both factual and creative tasks, yet the problem of hallucination persists despite advances in training and post-training methods. Recent progress in model interpretability suggests that model behavior can be predicted and influenced by analyzing and manipulating internal activations. In this thesis, we address three questions: (1) Can we identify linear representations of hallucination and creativity in the model’s latent space? (2) Do these representations play a causal role in model behavior when manipulated? (3) Are creativity and hallucination causally intertwined? To answer these, we construct a novel dataset of factual, hallucinated, and …

Mathematical Modeling And Optimization Of Polymer Cold Spray Deposition For Enhanced Efficiency, Okikiola Ganiu Agbabiaka

Theses and Dissertations

Cold spray (CS) is a promising additive manufacturing technique for various industries, including aerospace and automotive. However, the application of CS to polymers presents unique challenges due to their inherent properties and complex deposition mechanisms. This study addresses critical knowledge gaps in polymer cold spray processes, focusing on optimizing parameters for enhanced deposition of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyamide-6 (nylon 6). Through a comprehensive three-stage experimental approach, the effects of gas temperature, feed rate, standoff distance, gas pressure, raster speed, particle size, and crystallinity on deposition efficiency was investigated. Utilizing advanced design of experiments methodologies, including a response surface methodology, …

The Role Of Differentiation Of Self And Self-Construal On Satisfaction With Life And Psychological Well-Being In A Brazilian Sample, Kavya Dhaipulle

Theses and Dissertations

The present study intended to confirm the self-construal dimensional model and to examine the cross-cultural applicability of Bowen’s Family Systems theory in the Brazilian context. Bowen’s concept of Differentiation of Self (DoS) has gathered substantial empirical evidence for its association with well-being; however, only a few studies have examined these constructs within Latin American cultures, including Brazil. Recent studies have indicated that independent and interdependent self-construal coexist in many Latin American cultures, such as Brazil. Therefore, the current study examined how the unique blend of independent and interdependent values in Brazilian culture relates to their DoS, overall psychological well-being, and …

Blockchain-Driven Pharma Supply Chains Towards Industry 6.0, Vijay Ramasamy R

Theses and Dissertations

The pharmaceutical supply chain is undergoing an unprecedented evolution in the wake of Industry 6.0, driven by the need for heightened transparency, security, and real-time intelligence. However, current systems suffer from legacy Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) constraints, the risk of counterfeit products, temperature sensitivity, and scalability issues due to the surge in Internet of Things (IoT) data.

This research proposes a unified, blockchain-based framework that integrates legacy ERP systems, advanced AI driven forecasting, IoT-enabled traceability, and quantum-enhanced blockchain security to modernize pharmaceutical supply chains.

The study begins by addressing interoperability between ERP and blockchain using middleware and smart contracts, facilitating …

Using An Old Assay In New Ways: Differential Scanning Calorimetry Characterization, Quantification, And Interaction Analysis Of Whey Proteins, Charity Conlin Jennings

Theses and Dissertations

Whey proteins including β-Lactoglobulin, α-Lactalbumin, Immunoglobulin-G, Serum Albumin, Lactoferrin, and Lactoperoxidase each have unique biological properties spanning anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral activities as well as deliver essential nutrients to the human body. In the past decade, there has been a large focus on extracting these individual proteins for their use in foods and supplements. In order to best extract these proteins and prepare them properly in foods and supplements, an understanding of how they behave and denature in different environments is necessary. However, there is insufficient knowledge of their thermodynamic properties and potential interactions in varying conditions. Additionally, there are …

To What Extent Do Arkansas K-3 Elementary Classroom Teachers Understand The International Dyslexia Association's Definition Of Dyslexia?, Anetha Jane Hill

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative interview study explored the understanding of dyslexia among K–3 elementary classroom teachers in Arkansas, using the International Dyslexia Association (IDA) definition as adopted by the Arkansas Department of Education, specifically the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education. An interview protocol was used to gather information about teachers’ understanding of the full IDA definition of dyslexia. Since this definition has been formally adopted by the state of Arkansas, it has significantly influenced district policies, classroom instruction, and support services. It is essential that educators have a working knowledge of this definition to adequately support students’ reading success and provide …

Manufacturing Of Origami-Inspired Mechanisms Via Sheet Lamination, Tyler R. Stevens

Theses and Dissertations

Origami-inspired mechanisms combine compact, lightweight, reconfig- urable devices, yet despite decades of growth in origami theory, industrial uptake remains limited. As a result, origami predominately appears as prototypes or in low-volume, bespoke applications. Manufacturing (which has received little development) remains the chief bottleneck: most origami fabrication routes are still under-explored, labor-intensive, and fundamentally unsuited to scale. This dissertation addresses that barrier by establishing a process-centric framework for origami manufacturing and demonstrates fabrication workflows capable of transitioning designs from prototypes to production. A survey of more than 180 publications on origami manufacturing approaches yields a manufacturing-oriented taxonomy that links each surrogate …

Fabrication Of Nanofiber Hydrogel Composites And Their Effects On Single-Cell Morphology, Nikolas Belanger

Theses and Dissertations

Regenerating highly aligned soft tissues such as nerves, skeletal muscle, and cardiac tissue remains a major challenge in biomedical engineering due to the complex structural and biochemical cues needed to guide cellular behavior. Tissue engineering scaffolds for aligned soft tissue must allow massive cell infiltration and provide cues that direct cell alignment. Aligned nanofibers offer direction cues but must be included at low density to leave room for cell population. This thesis presents a strategy for fabricating and characterizing nanofiber-embedded hydrogel composites where a permissive hydrogel matrix supports the low density aligned nanofiber architecture. We hypothesized that embedded aligned nanofibers …

Development Of Natural Product Analogs As Therapeutic Agents, Jacob Mara

Theses and Dissertations

Cancer stem cells (CSC) are cancer cells in a tumor mass that may self-renew and develop into various cell types, resulting in a heterogeneous tumor. CSCs have been shown to have a role in many facets of cancer formation, including tumor genesis, proliferation, and metastatic activity. They are also implicated in chemotherapeutic treatment resistance and the recurrence of some malignancies. Based on these capacities, CSCs have been identified as the next target for cancer therapy and control. Salinomycin's potential for therapeutic use based on ongoing research, as well as the synthesis of its derivatives and their biological activity, will also …

Integrative Stem Approach Impact On Mathematical Acquisition And Mathematical Conceptual Understanding, Kayla Grace Eller

Theses and Dissertations

This mixed methods study investigates the impact of an integrative Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) approach on fourth grade students’ mathematical conceptual understanding and mathematical language acquisition. For the purposes of this research, mathematical language was defined as students’ comprehension and use of key mathematical terminology and concepts, while mathematical conceptual understanding was characterized as a comprehensive and practical grasp of mathematical ideas that goes beyond isolated facts and methods. The study was situated in the theoretical framework of situated cognition learning theory and informed by the conceptual framework of Wells PIRPSOAL model (2016), with particular attention to how …

​​​How Do Working Conditions Effect Teacher Job Satisfaction And Intention To Stay: Retaining Special Education Teachers​, Alyssa Michelle Raygoza

Theses and Dissertations

Teacher retention remains a leading area of focus in the United States. Recent research efforts have examined the effects of specific work-related experiences on teacher retention. In comparison to teaching in a general education classroom, special education teachers often face increased levels of job demands that can influence the ways in which existing resources may or may not balance out such challenges. The study is grounded in the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) Model, a theoretical framework that has been used widely in both occupational and, more recently, educational research focusing on the specific demands and resources situated within teacher working conditions. …

Influence Of School Climate On Comprehensive School Behavioral Health Effectiveness, Halle Rose Singer

Theses and Dissertations

Youth are experiencing a sharp rise in mental health concerns, which have reached critical levels. Schools have emerged as a key setting for delivering mental health services due to their accessibility, familiarity, and capacity to reach diverse populations. Comprehensive School Behavioral Health (CSBH) systems offer a multi-tiered, evidence-based framework for supporting the mental health of all students. However, the success of CSBH interventions varies across schools presumably indicating that systemic or school level factors, like school climate, may influence youth mental health outcomes. In this study, I investigate how school-level factors, specifically student-perceived school climate, influence the mental health outcomes …

Supporting School Administrators’ Knowledge Of The Idea: What Do They Know And What Do They Think, Rachel Renae Garrison

Theses and Dissertations

School level administrators play a critical role in the implementation of obligations set forth by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in their schools. To implement these obligations administrators, need to know and understand the IDEA. Researchers have shown that administrators often graduate from their principal preparation programs with little to no instruction in special education law, often leaving them feeling unprepared. The research that has been done into administrator knowledge of the IDEA has shown mixed results in levels of knowledge across different areas. Researchers have also found inconsistencies in administrators’ reported perceptions of their knowledge when compared …

Cultural Diagnosis And The Monsters Of Victorian England, Victoria Elizabeth Kuykendall

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the representation of invisible disability and neurodivergence in nineteenth-century British literature, arguing that literary texts both reflect and shape cultural understandings of disability. While much scholarship has focused on visible or physical impairments in Victorian fiction, comparatively little attention has been given to characters whose behaviors, emotions, or identities align with what today might be described as neurodivergence.

Drawing on Disability Studies, Mad Studies, and cultural theory, I propose the concept of cultural Diagnosis as a framework for analyzing how fictional characters become “Diagnosable” within both their historical and contemporary cultural contexts. Through close readings of Arthur …

Task Prioritization In Concurrent Speaking And Visuomotor Tasks In Younger And Older Adults, Naomi Wynn

Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the ability of younger and older adults to prioritize one task over another under divided attention conditions. The speech task involved the repetition of sentences that included specific vowel targets, and the non-speech task was a visuomotor pursuit rotor task which required tracking a moving target on a computer. The participants were twenty young adults between the ages of 18 and 30 and twenty older adults above the age of 60. They performed each task on its own and both tasks concurrently, prioritizing one or the other task. Audio recordings were analyzed with software to extract …

Speech Motor Learning In Divided And Undivided Attention Conditions, Garrett Barnes

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the effect of dual tasking on speech motor learning. Forty young adult participants (20 male, 20 female) practiced speaking nonsense words containing non-English consonant clusters. Half of the participants practiced the words while also completing a shape identification task. After practice, the two groups produced the words in a retention task both with and without the shape identification task. They returned the next day to produce the words again with and without the shape identification task. Acoustic analysis of the consonant cluster and word duration was used as an index of motor learning. Statistical analysis revealed that …

Creativity In Large Language Models, Robert Kenneth Morain

Theses and Dissertations

As artificial intelligence systems approach human-level performance across a wide variety of domains, creative domains remain a critical yet underexplored area of research. Unlike traditional AI tasks with well-defined objectives, creative tasks rely on inherently subjective measures, making them particularly challenging for machines that lack human experiential context. This dissertation establishes the fundamental importance of creativity in AI systems and presents methods for improving and evaluating the creative capabilities of LLMs on the pathway toward AGI. This work addresses and examines key limitations in current LLM creativity through model innovations, development frameworks, and comparative studies. The dissertation develops novel architectural …

Addressing Climate Vulnerability And Policy Gaps Of Heat Waves In Upper Egypt: The Case Study Of Al-A’Qaab Village In Aswan, Eman Abdullah

Theses and Dissertations

Heatwaves are currently one of the most dangerous climate hazards globally. Egypt is experiencing an increase in the intensity and frequency of heatwaves, which affects health, economy, infrastructure, and the ecological system. Upper Egypt is one of the most vulnerable regions in Egypt to rising temperatures, particularly in Aswan Governorate. The risks of heat waves are increasing vulnerability among vulnerable groups, such as women and low-income individuals. However, there is a clear gap in protection policies against heat waves, along with a lack of studies examining the effects of heat waves on individuals in Aswan. Accordingly, this thesis aims to …

Decidiendo Lo Mejor Para Su Educación: Immigrant Latine Madres At The Intersection Of Confianza, Ideology, And The Illusion Of Choice, Emmeline Ortiz

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative multiple case study examined the decision-making processes of immigrant Latine caregivers selecting schools and language programs for their children classified as Multilingual Learners (MLLs) in New York City. Although policy frameworks position caregivers as central decision-makers, bilingual program access remains limited, especially in charter schools, and families must navigate language ideologies that privilege English as the safest educational pathway. Ten immigrant Latine participants, nine mothers and one grandmother, whose children attended traditional or charter elementary schools in one NYC district, shared their experiences through semi-structured interviews conducted in Spanish. Data were analyzed through iterative coding and thematic analysis …

Enhancing Engagement And Learning In Radiology: Integrating Game-Based And Case-Based Learning In Medical Education, Lisa Willson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed-methods action research is to integrate game-based learning (GBL), specifically an educational escape room, into case-based learning (CBL) and evaluate its impact on the engagement and academic performance of fourth-year medical students in an elective radiology course at a medical school in the southeastern United States. Sixteen students participated in the study; all identified as white. National trends indicate a significant decrease in student engagement and academic performance across various educational settings, including medical education (Kay & Pasarica, 2019). Locally, this trend is reflected in declining test scores and student feedback indicating disengagement and poor retention …

Exploring Student Perceptions Of Culture Within An Algebra Unit: A Qualitative Action Research Study, Alesha Marie Love

Theses and Dissertations

Many barriers exist when teaching and learning mathematics. Although the mathematics curriculum is rigid and rigorous by design it is often not culturally relevant for the students engaging with the content. As a result, many students of color do not have an appropriate amount of representation to connect to a subject area that already seems exclusionary. This qualitative action research study examines the effects of introducing culturally relevant references into an Algebra unit for students of color, exploring the influence of exposure to cultural references and the minimal display of cultural and racial identities within the mathematics curriculum on students …

Examining Choices Of Sarcastic Responses In Dialogue With Virtual Interlocutors, Samantha Langley

Theses and Dissertations

We report the results from three experiments examining people’s preferences for using sarcasm in conversation as a function of: 1. whether their interlocutor uses sarcasm during the conversation; 2. Their knowledge about whether the interlocutor has used sarcasm in a previous conversation; 3. The presence of prosodical and visual cues for interlocutors’ sarcasm. In each experiment, participants took part in two conversations, and we manipulated whether the interlocutors were sincere or sarcastic and whether they remained the same or changed from one conversation to the next. Experiment one used written conversations and experiment two and three used pre-recorded video clips …

Rethinking Gifted Education: An Improvement Science Study On Differentiation And Academic Growth, Mabra Herlong Wayman

Theses and Dissertations

This Dissertation in Practice addresses the problem of inconsistent academic growth among gifted and talented (GT) students in grades 3–5 at Riverview Elementary, where local STAR data show a persistent pattern of GT students falling into the Low Growth, High Proficiency category. Using improvement science as a framework, the study employed empathy interviews, a fishbone analysis, and a driver diagram to identify root causes and guide the development of a professional development (PD) intervention. The PD focused on building teacher capacity for differentiation through high-impact strategies such as problem-based learning, acceleration, independent study, curriculum compacting, and flexible grouping. The intervention …