Digital Commons Network^™

Examining The Commonalities In Lived Experiences Of Performing Arts Students Who Have Faced Peer Victimization, Thomas Velisaris

University Honors Program Senior Projects

This study utilized a qualitative meta-analysis approach to determine commonalities in students who have experienced peer victimization due to their participation in a performing arts program. Accounts of peer victimization of performing arts students were gathered across multiple qualitative and mixed methods studies. These accounts were systematically analyzed, data were assigned codes, and sorted into metacategories. From those metacategories, common themes were created, including: 1) The performing arts are not cool, 2) The performing arts are for women, 3) The performing arts are gay, 4) Black artists receive backlash. The meta-analysis identified commonalities within these findings, including: peers attempting to …

Bullying, Early Sexual Debut, And Sexual Health Behaviors Among Adolescents In New York City, Valentina I. Ramirez

Dissertations and Theses

Adolescent sexual and reproductive health remains a critical public health priority in the United States, particularly given the persistent burden of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among young people. Adolescents and young adults account for a disproportionate share of STI cases, reflecting ongoing gaps in prevention, early detection, treatment, and equitable access to sexual health care and services. These patterns are shaped not only by individual behaviors but also by broader social, structural, and developmental contexts that influence adolescents’ opportunities to engage in preventive sexual health care.

This dissertation examined associations between early sexual debut, experiences of bullying, and …

Category Learning Under Verbal Interference, Yawen Xue

Cognitive Science Senior Theses

What happens to cognition when you disrupt language? What does language actually do as a representational medium for cognition? Much literature shows a facilitative role of language on categorical thinking. This work specifically examines the role of language in category learning using a verbal interference paradigm. I ran two experiments where participants learned to distinguish between two novel categories of bugs while under conditions of verbal or visuospatial interference. In Experiment 1, category membership was determined by an XOR rule; in Experiment 2, category membership was determined by an AND rule.

In Experiment 1, participants on average did not succeed …

Applying Signal Detection Theory Using Evofinder To A 10-Consecutively Manufactured Barrel Study That Included Damaged Bullets, Ruheen Firoz Charania

ETDs from 2020-2029

The science of firearm and tool mark identification is based on the premise that no two tools produce the same microscopic detail and the tool that made the marks can be distinguished from all others. Based on the AFTE Theory of Identification, firearms comparisons can be classified as Identification, Elimination, Inconclusive, or Unsuitable for examination, with inconclusive indicating insufficient individual characteristics to support identification or exclusion. Error rates in firearm examinations are typically calculated by counting how often examiners make false-positive and false-negative conclusions relative to known ground truth, but inconclusive decisions complicate these calculations because they neither support nor …

Gendered Socialization Of Comfort With Risk And The Selection Of A College Major, Eliza S. Staton

Sociology and Criminology Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study investigates the potential relationship between the gendered socialization of risk preferences and the selection of a college major. Women are underrepresented in many fields of study, but especially in those related to science, technology, engineering, and math (S.T.E.M). Careers in STEM fields tend to require degree paths that require difficult classes, with lower average grade points, and a high chance of failure. As of 2023, only 24% of the student body in the College of Engineering at the University of Arkansas was composed of women (Uark 2023). These high-pressure, male-dominated environments have been found to lose women at …

Petals Of The Mind: A Digital Floral Interpretation Of Mental States, Corine D. Arrington

Theses

Petals of the Mind is an applied studio art project that explores the use of symbolic floral imagery to visually represent internal emotional states, specifically depression, anxiety, and ADHD. This project consists of six large format digital posters created in Procreate. Each emotional category is represented by a pair of flowers selected for their symbolic and structural characteristics: Blue Poppy and Black Rose for depression, Tulip and Aster for anxiety, and Honeysuckle and Wildflower Mix for ADHD. These flowers are intentionally deconstructed through layering, fragmentation, and motion cues to mirror common internal experiences such as emotional heaviness, vigilance, cognitive scattering, …

Quality Improvement Project: Impact Of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction On Nurse Burnout In Skilled Nursing Facilities, Chinenye Okafor

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Burnout is a persistent and critical problem in skilled nursing facilities, contributing to reduced job satisfaction, increased turnover, and compromised quality of care. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice quality improvement project was to evaluate the impact of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program on burnout among registered nurses in a skilled nursing facility. Guided by the Job Demands–Resources framework and Lewin’s Change Theory, a quantitative pretest–posttest design was implemented using the Plan–Do–Study–Act. Ten nurses consented to participate in an eight-week intervention, and four completed both pre- and post-intervention measures. Burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory–Human Services …

Associations Between Oral Hormonal Contraceptive Use, Digestive And Other Health Symptoms In Young Women, Silviana E. Buzatu

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Oral hormonal contraceptives (OHCs) are widely used among reproductive-age women; however, their gastrointestinal (GI) side effects remain understudied. The present study examined associations between OHC use, GI, physical, and psychological symptom burden in a large sample of undergraduate women. Participants (N = 669) aged 18 to 25 years were recruited from UCF’s SONA system and classified into three groups based on self-reported contraceptive status: no birth control, combined estrogen–progestin OHC, and progestin-only OHC. Participants completed GI questionnaires, as well as physical and mental health symptoms ones.

Multivariate analyses indicated that overall GI symptom profiles did not differ significantly by birth …

Longitudinal Association Between Sleep Disturbance And Disordered Eating In Adolescents: The Mediating Role Of Emotion Dysregulation, Antonia Louise Hamilton

Theses - ALL

Accruing evidence suggests a significant relationship between sleep disturbances and disordered eating. Early adolescence is a period of heightened vulnerability for sleep disturbances and disordered eating. However, the longitudinal relationship between sleep disturbance and disordered eating remains unclear in early adolescent samples. The current study aims to examine if sleep disturbance longitudinally predicts disordered eating in early adolescents three years later, how the odds of having clinically significant disordered eating change per each unit increase in sleep disturbance, and if emotion dysregulation mediates these relationships. It is hypothesized that baseline sleep disturbance will predict greater disordered eating at follow-up, and …

Racial And Ethnic Differences In The Associations Between Alcohol Use Disorder, Aggression, And Suicidality Among Adolescents With Ptsd, Gabrielle Armstrong

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The comorbidity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) is well documented and associated with elevated risk of aggression and suicidality among certain populations. However, no research to date has examined these associations among adolescents. Using data from the National Comorbidity Survey-Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A), the present study examined whether the presence of AUD was associated with greater outward aggression, suicidal ideation, and attempts, and whether these associations differed across race/ethnicity, in a weighted sample of 737,996 adolescents with PTSD (10.3% Hispanic, 16.4% Black, 73.3% White). AUD presence was significantly associated with higher odds of breaking items, attacking …

Advancing Social Sustainability In Operations And Supply Chain Management: A Multi-Theoretical Exploration Of Technology, Task Familiarity, And Sustainability Interactions, Satabdi Hazarika

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Social sustainability in operations and supply chain management (OSCM) centers on generating economic value through practices that safeguard people, communities, and broader societal systems impacted by the supply chain. While the importance of such practices is increasingly recognized, firms face persistent challenges in embedding social sustainability into formal management systems. This dissertation tackles three such challenges, with a particular focus on safety in trucking—a vital yet underexamined aspect from the lens of social sustainability. Safety performance in this context is influenced by the complexities of using advanced safety technologies, the demanding and solitary nature of truck driving, and the temporal …

Reverse-Chinoiserie: Qing Imperial Porcelain And The Reappropriation Of European Rococo, Yifan (Mia) Ye

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis introduces “reverse-chinoiserie” to describe the Qing court’s reappropriation of European Rococo aesthetics in imperial porcelain. Through case studies of 18th-century ceramic diplomacy and design, it reveals how cultural imitation was reengineered into visual sovereignty. It examines how China responded to, absorbed, and redirected European fantasies of empire.

The Invisible Hand Of Networked Repression, Thuy Anh Tran

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

U.S. history is awash with contentious episodes involving a legion of governmental and non-governmental actors operating through an array of means and arenas to destroy the political opposition. Yet, there has been little systematic examination in the repression literature of how and why repressive efforts proliferate so far beyond the police, military, and intelligence agencies tasked and equipped to preserve the existing order. This dissertation presents a novel framework for studying the relational basis of repression—particularly as it is organized, mobilized, and extended through a networked social structure. Social network analysis and interpretive case studies are conducted on two historical …

Associations Between Social Comparison, Stress And Belonging For Students At A Hispanic Majority Institution, Jasmyne Thomas

Masters Theses (Archived)

Hispanic students at Hispanic Majority Institutions (HMIs) experience unique social comparison processes that shape their academic self-concept, belonging, and stress levels. While research has examined Hispanic students as minorities in predominantly White institutions, studies on their experiences at HMIs remain limited. This study explored whether stress mediated the relationship between social comparison orientation (SCO) and two dimensions of belonging—acceptance/rejection and school membership—among Hispanic undergraduates (N = 261). Participants completed an online survey with measures of SCO, academic self-concept, belonging, school membership, and stress. Results indicated that stress fully mediated the relationship between SCO and rejection/exclusion but not acceptance/inclusion or …

Ecology And Management Of Alligatorweed (Alternanthera Philoxeroides) And An Associated Thrips Biological Control Agent (Amynothrips Andersoni), Samuel Alec Schmid

Theses and Dissertations

Alligatorweed (Alternanthera philoxeroides), native to South America, is a highly invasive aquatic macrophyte that is globally distributed and particularly problematic in the southeastern United States. In the United States, alligatorweed management has a long history, particularly of chemical and biological control. Alligatorweed management saw early success with a South American flea beetle (Agasicles hygrophila), but this agent’s utility has waned. Despite the long history of alligatorweed invasion, several important research questions remain, and the research in this dissertation seeks to answer some of these questions. This research focuses on multiple and diverse aspects of alligatorweed biology, ecology, and management: (1) …

An Educational Intervention: Knowledge Acquisition Of Perimenopausal Mental Health Symptoms And Treatment Options For Women Aged 35 Years Plus, Allison M. Hopps

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Perimenopause is a span of four to six years preceding menopause when estrogen levels decline. Up to 40% of women experience depression during the perimenopause transition. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can be an effective treatment for depressive symptoms during perimenopause, but many healthcare practitioners prescribe antidepressants instead of HRT for the management of mood-related symptoms. Perimenopausal depression is associated with the progression of chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. The general population, including women and healthcare providers, lacks the education and awareness surrounding perimenopause symptoms and treatment. This project educated women between ages 35 to 55 on …

A Study Of The Choral Music Of Selected Asian Women Composers: Chen-Yi (China), Makito Kinoshita (Japan), And Hyo-Won Woo (Korea), Yanlu Li

Dissertations

Over the thousands of years of musical development, countless composers have contributed to its evolution. However, women composers have generally remained less recognized and celebrated than male composers. Some of the most remarkable female composers, including Clara Schumann and Fanny Mendelssohn, are frequently remembered in the context of their relationships with their more famous male counterparts, such as their husbands and brothers. This tendency has, unfortunately, overshadowed their unique artistic contributions and minimized their independent legacies in the musical canon. With the beginning of the women's movement in Europe and the U.S. during the 1960s, more and more female composers …

Contagions Of Doubt: Denialism And The Spread Of Medical Conspiracy Theories, Haley Boom

Anthropology

Denialism and conspiratorial thinking have long shaped public perceptions of science and medicine, but the COVID-19 pandemic exposed how rapidly these forces can evolve and spread in a digital age. This thesis examines the historical roots, psychological foundations, and modern amplification of medical conspiracy theories, with a particular focus on vaccine skepticism and COVID-19-related misinformation. As a literature review, it synthesizes existing interdisciplinary research from psychology, public health, and communication studies to explore how medical conspiracy beliefs emerge from complex interactions between cognitive biases, emotional needs, mistrust in institutions, and evolving media environments. The rise of social media, political polarization, …

The Most Beautiful Under Heaven: Selecting Views Of Modern China Through Travel Photography In Liangyou Huabao (The Young Companion), 1926-1937, Anne Marie Watson

Theses and Dissertations

Liangyou huabao (The Young Companion) was a prominent Chinese pictorial magazine, with 174 issues published monthly between 1926 and 1945. Liangyou entertained its Chinese audience with a variety of photographs documenting modern life. This thesis examines photographs of domestic travel photography in the magazine, arguing that editorial captions encouraged readers to associate images of China with allusions to traditional art and aesthetics. This occurred within a historical context where modernity was often associated with the pressures of Westernization, and where Chinese culture and civilization was sometimes characterized as outdated or irrelevant. By using travel photography to demonstrate how traditional culture …

Shared Culture In Intimate Relationships, Jackelyn Castaneda

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Almost everyone identifies with some kind of culture and the definition often varies among researchers and disciplines of the field. Culture has an influence on every aspect of one’s everyday life, including the role it plays in close relationships. Although intimate relationships and culture have been widely explored in psychological research, limited studies have explored how these two factors may go hand in hand in creating what may be a newer concept, a mini-culture (smaller, unique cultural groups that develop within larger societies or organizations). The purpose of this study was to explore how this awareness of culture sharing and …

The Role Of Maternal Position During The Second Stage Of Labor On Reducing Perineal Injury: An Integrative Review, Ericka L. Dalton, Tabatha Ruth Erlandson

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Perineal lacerations remain a common occurrence amongst vaginal deliveries. While there are some recommendations for supportive techniques throughout the literature, position is typically not included in these. Perineal trauma can have a lasting effect on the individual and increase health care costs. The purpose of this review is to identify what birthing positions are most effective at preventing perineal injury.

Methods: A formalized search of the literature was conducted via PubMed, CINAHL, Google Scholar, and SCOPUS databases. Of the 344 articles identified, 22 original studies met the inclusion and exclusion criteria for this review. A literature matrix and quality …

Recovering Motor Skills, Grit, And Social-Emotional Learning Through Art Education: The Lasting Impact Of Covid-19 On Middle School Students Who Were In Kindergarten–Third Grade During The Pandemic, Melissa A. Mckinnon

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted education, and students in early grades missed critical motor and social-emotional skill development. These students are now in middle school, where delays are evident in motor skills and decreased perseverance. This review examines how arts education can help rebuild these losses. The literature reviewed focused on studies published between 2020 and 2024 across the fields of education, psychology, neuroscience, and art therapy. Themes include motor skill development through art, cognitive growth and executive functioning, social-emotional learning, and grit and perseverance through art projects. Art education offers a unique setting for holistic recovery, but this requires educators …

Breaking Barriers: Women's Struggle For The Vote In Jacksonville, Brett M. Nystrom

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

During the first half of the twentieth century, women in Jacksonville brought women’s suffrage to the forefront of the city’s discourse through increased engagement in the public sphere. By forming women’s organizations such as the Woman’s Club of Jacksonville, the Florida Equal Franchise League, and the Duval County League of Women Voters, White women addressed concerns regarding women’s voting rights. However, these White women’s organizations and Jacksonville’s White, male-dominated authority excluded African American women from participating in the public sphere. Therefore, African American women in Jacksonville established the City Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs, which served as a platform for …

Factors Affecting Freshwater Fish Communities In Two North Alabama Counties, Joshua Fitts

Theses

This study examined how physical habitat characteristics influence freshwater fish diversity in streams of Madison and Limestone Counties, Alabama. Ten 150-meter stream reaches were sampled using backpack electrofishing and seining, with habitat variables measured at fixed transects. Principal component analysis identified four main habitat gradients representing flow and substrate, channel size, gravel dominance, and canopy–bedrock conditions. Although overall species richness and Shannon diversity were not significantly related to these gradients, species-specific correlations revealed clear ecological preferences. Regression models showed that root wads, herbaceous vegetation, and riprap modestly increased richness, emphasizing the role of structural diversity. These findings highlight the importance …

The Interplay Of Gender And Humor In The Workplace, Charlene Marie Baghdadi

CMC Senior Theses

Humor is a key element in workplace dynamics, influencing leadership, team cohesion, and career advancement. However, its impact is not equal among genders. This paper explores the interplay between humor and gender in professional settings, examining how different types of humor – positive (affiliative, self-enhancing, coping sense of humor) and negative (aggressive, self-defeating) – are perceived and used by men and women. Specifically, it investigates how gender and team composition moderate the relationship between types of humor and workplace outcomes, with gender stereotypes acting as a mediator. This analysis highlights that men often benefit from a broader acceptance of humor …

Cyber Warfare And The Future Of Conflict, Victor A. Mercado

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This thesis examines whether cyber warfare now poses a more immediate threat to U.S. national security than weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Cyber operations have become a dominant instrument of contemporary conflict, with malicious actors operating in a persistent “grey zone” that blurs traditional boundaries between war and peace. These operations target military and civilian entities, both directly and often as collateral damage due to the uncontrollable nature of cyber threats. WMDs, despite their catastrophic destructive potential, remain largely constrained by established deterrence frameworks.

The evolving nature of cyber warfare warrants comparison to WMD effects and impact, as cyber capabilities …

Visual Attention And Memory Performance On Advertisements Featuring Celebrities, Kyrho Callis

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

VISUAL ATTENTION AND MEMORY PERFORMANCE ON ADVERTISEMENTS FEATURING CELEBRITIES

Addressing Mental Healthcare Barriers Among Bipoc Perinatal Patients In A Community Health Setting, Aimee Nguyen, Ezinne Ndibeshe, Vedika Iyer

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Objective. BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) perinatal patients often face systemic, cultural, and logistical barriers to accessing mental health care during pregnancy and postpartum. These challenges contribute to disparities in outcomes, yet patient perspectives remain underrepresented in community health settings. This quality improvement initiative aimed to identify key barriers, raise awareness about perinatal mental health, and improve access to care at a community health clinic in Shoreline, Washington. A culturally inclusive educational handout was developed to support awareness and connect patients with mental health resources.

Methods. A mixed-methods approach was used to explore barriers both quantitatively and qualitatively. …

Death Of A Doctrine: The End Of Classical Deterrence In A Complex Multipolar World, Daniel H. Wang

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Today's deterrence is dramatically different from that during the Cold War. This thesis examines how changes in global geopolitics altered deterrent frameworks and how those changes threaten strategic stability. Traditional nuclear deterrence is built on clear adversaries, established escalation protocols, and predictable outcomes that are increasingly obsolete when facing modern realities. Adversaries employ hybrid strategies below the traditional thresholds of nuclear deterrence while integrating nuclear capabilities into these hybrid tactics, driving a distinct disadvantage for traditional deterrence frameworks. Russia uses nuclear signaling with gray zone operations, China combines multidomain operations with nuclear deterrence to employ a full spectrum of capabilities, …

Resilience After Prenatal Substance Exposure: Exploring The Role Of Cumulative And Specific Protective Factors In Predicting Toddlerhood Temperament Profiles, Anjeli Elkins

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Objective

Prenatal exposure to common substances, including nicotine, marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, opiates, and alcohol, has been linked to a wide range of psychiatric disorders and neurodevelopmental impairments. Identifying protective factors that may improve temperament profiles in toddlers who have experienced prenatal substance exposure may protect against these adverse outcomes and is crucial for developing targeted early interventions.

Methods

Participants (n=92; Mage = 28.7 years; 47.0% White) were biological mothers of toddlers (Mage = 22.6 months) with prenatal substance exposure. Mothers responded to an online survey that gathered information on substance use during pregnancy, proposed perinatal protective factors, and child temperament. …