Digital Commons Network^™

Organismic Encoding Of Geographic Information In Dna, Hema Siva Gayathri Dalavayi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Recent evidence suggests that DNA also encodes information that reflects long-term environmental conditions. This work examines whether an organism’s genome encodes specific environmental information, and if so, what is its nature and origin. Genes from three insect groups, Simuliidae (blackflies), Lepidoptera (butterflies), and Formicidae (ants), were analyzed to address the geographic provenance (latitude, longitude) problem. DNA was converted into numerical signatures using noncrosshybridizing DNA bases and used to train machine learning (ML) models. Predictions achieved errors below the baseline, even for models trained on combined data without region-specific labels, indicating that DNA encodes this information and suggesting that the underlying …

From Chalkboards To Clicks: Bridging The Digital Divide Through Dental Healthcare Educators’ Development Of Instructional And Communication Technology Competencies As Adult Learners Within Communities Of Practice, Simran Kapur Flagg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Information and communication technology (ICT) has rapidly reshaped health care education, revolutionizing instructional delivery and clinical training and transforming faculty roles. Although research has largely examined student outcomes, digital tools, and institutional readiness, little is known about how dental health care educators themselves acquire, integrate, and sustain ICT. By framing educators as adult learners, this qualitative case study investigated their development of ICT skills through communities of practice (CoPs) in a health sciences academic setting. Guided by social constructivism and situated learning theory, this study drew on Wenger’s CoPs framework and the concept of legitimate peripheral participation to examine learning …

Roots: A Recording Project Of Cello Repertoire Based On Global Folk Traditions, Christine Sears

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Roots is an audio recording project that represents cello repertoire based on global folk traditions. It acknowledges the value of varied musical styles and influences in an effort to increase awareness and inspire more performances of music from these traditions. Some of the works in this project lack accessible recordings for other performers to reference, and this project is meant to help bridge that gap. I chose five pieces for the recording portion, each by a composer representing a different geographical location and cultural background. The selected works are Folk Suite for Solo Cello by Daniel Delaney, Variations on a …

History Of Rock And Roll, Michael Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

HISTORY OF ROCK AND ROLL is an orchestral work in three movements. My primary aim with this piece of music was to explore the points of divergence and intersection between concert and popular music traditions. This exploration takes place through both the blending and juxtaposition of elements from both traditions. Each tradition is represented in different instruments within the ensemble. The rock element is primarily present in the drum set, while the orchestra functions as a representation of the concert music element. Each element begins with reference to a particular point in the history of the respective traditions. The initial …

Explaining The Experiences Of Black Male Graduates With Pell Grants At A Public, Four-Year Historically White Institution In Tennessee, Travis Tyshawn Strattion

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

This qualitative narrative inquiry explains the factors that contributed to the success of Black male graduates who received Pell Grants at a public, four-year historically White institution in Tennessee. Situated within persistent racial and economic inequities in higher education, the study examines how Black men from low-income backgrounds navigated institutional systems not originally designed to support their success. Guided by African American Male Theory (AAMT; Bush & Bush, 2013b) and Padilla’s Expertise Model of Student Success (EMSS; Padilla, 1994; Padilla et al., 1997), the study centers participants as active agents who developed strategies, knowledge, and meaning-making practices to persist to …

Characterization Of Jet Formation And Scalability Of Fan Array Wind Generator Using Experimentation And Large Eddy Simulation, Md Rafi Ur Rahman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Small unmanned and autonomous aerial vehicles are often required to operate within the turbulent atmospheric boundary layer and other degraded environments, where local turbulent behavior can strongly influence stability, control, and navigational performance. Despite the operational importance of these degraded environments, systematic studies of the associated aerodynamic challenges remain limited. One reason is the lack of suitable laboratory settings for repeatable and robust testing of atmospheric-like wind conditions. To address this gap, this experimental and computational work characterizes baseline conditions of a modular multi-source wind generation system that can be used to simulate flight relevant atmospheric conditions. Through complimentary Large …

Investigation Of Target Detection In Hyperspectral Images For Aided Target Recognition, Mazharul Hossain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Aided/Automatic Target Recognition (AiTR/ATR) enhances human decision-making by improving the detection, localization, and interpretation of targets in sensor imagery. Hyperspectral (HS) imaging provides rich spectral information for AiTR that can significantly improve target detection; however, HS detectors often perform unreliably in real-world conditions due to high data dimensionality, limited labeled training data, class imbalance, sensitivity to environmental and sensor variations, and a shortage of pre-trained models. These challenges frequently lead to degraded performance when models trained in one setting are deployed in different scenes, sensors, or operating conditions. The overarching goal of this dissertation is to make hyperspectral target detection …

Balancing Act: The Impact Of Feminine Expression, Name, Image And Likeness (Nil) On The Mental Health Of Female College Athletes, Sedaria Lanora Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Female college athletes navigate multi-faceted pressures at the intersection of gender, race, finances, and athletic identity. However, their lived experiences remain understudied. This qualitative study examined how feminine expression and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) financial pressures intersected to impact the mental health of Division I female college athletes. Guided by a hermeneutic phenomenological framework and grounded in Brewer et al.’s (1993) Athletic Identity Theory and Crenshaw’s (1989) Intersectionality Theory, data was collected through semi-structured virtual interviews with eight participants representing a range of sports and racial backgrounds. The thematic analysis followed Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-phase model which yielded …

Am I Enough? Understanding International Graduate Students' Internship Search And Their Emotional Responses At The University Of Memphis., Rosina Owusu Panin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Internships serve as a key pathway for international students in the United States to prepare them for the job market. However, the process of searching for internships is full of uncertainty, and emotionally demanding. This qualitative study, guided by the Transactional Theory of Stress and Coping, examines international graduate students at the University of Memphis, focusing on their emotional responses during their internship search and their coping strategies. The study conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with 20 international graduate students at the University of Memphis. The findings reveal that students started their search hopeful, but repeated rejections, lack of feedback, and …

Citizenship Education In Social Studies: A Forty-Five-Year Content Analysis (1980–2025), Renita Parks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

This study examined how citizenship education has been defined, discussed, and framed in major social studies journals between 1980 and 2025. While citizenship education has long been identified as a central purpose of social studies, its meaning has shifted in response to changing political, social, and educational contexts. The purpose of this study was to identify patterns and trends in how citizenship has been conceptualized in professional literature over a 45-year period. A qualitative content analysis was conducted using articles published in three prominent social studies journals. Articles were selected using predetermined criteria and analyzed for definitions of citizenship, contextual …

Advancing Multimodal Distracted Driving Detection: From Systematic Synthesis To Representation Alignment In A Unified Embedding Space, Anthony Dontoh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Distracted driving remains a critical road safety challenge, as existing detection methods often rely on single-modality inputs that lack the contextual nuance to distinguish hazardous behavior from normal driving. This research program addresses these limitations through a progressive three-study framework that advances context-aware detection from systematic evidence synthesis to multimodal foundation model adaptation, reframing detection as a representational alignment problem. Study One systematically reviewed 77 peer-reviewed papers (2019–2025) across visual, sensor-based, and emerging modalities. The results confirmed a dominance of visual-only approaches and identified critical gaps in environmental robustness, cognitive distraction detection, and contextual grounding, establishing the empirical necessity for …

Baritenor: A Pedagogical Approach And Vocal Aesthetic Guide To Training The Middle-Voiced Broadway Leading Man, Joshua David Martin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

This dissertation explores the role of the baritenor in musical theatre. “Baritenor” is a tenor subcategorization which melds vocal characteristics and qualities of both the tenor and baritone voice and offers additional clarification for the singer in regards to casting. Through a survey of musical theatre history, one can gain a deeper understanding of the progression of compositional style for the voice. Today’s musical theatre performer must be a hybrid singer, trained in an array of Broadway vocal aesthetics to remain versatile as a performer and competitive and castable in the industry. By analyzing the Broadway vocal aesthetics required of …

Unveiling The Intersection Of Institutional Racial Identity And Student Loan Debt: An Analysis Of The State University System Of Florida’S Higher Education Institutions, Valerie Marie Moore

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Federal student loan patterns in Florida’s State University System (SUS) from 2013/14 to 2022/23 reflect differences in institutional revenue capacity rather than individual borrowing behavior. Using data from all 12 SUS institutions, this study examined how institutional wealth and revenue composition shape student loan outcomes through both race neutral and race considerate analyses informed by Ray’s (2019) theory of racialized organizations. Overall, the SUS operates as a racialized organizational field in which inequities in funding flows, access to capital, and institutional logics sustain long term disparities in wealth and debt. Results show that borrowing levels closely track how institutions assemble …

Long-Term Impact Of Covid-19 On Burnout, Turnover, And Job Satisfaction Among Hospital Nurses, Delaney Corona Martinez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hospital industry workforce separation has remained a persistent concern in the United States, with uncertainty regarding how national hospital industry separation patterns changed following the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this quantitative, nonexperimental retrospective study was to examine whether national hospital industry monthly separation rates differed between the prepandemic period (2018–2019) and the postpandemic period (2023–2024), whether separation rates demonstrated a statistically significant linear trend from 2018 through 2024, and whether separation rate variance differed between periods. The conceptual framework for this study was grounded in Maslach’s Burnout Theory and Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory of Job Satisfaction, which explain how workplace …

Family Support And Counseling: Predicting Family Relationship Quality And Self-Management In Women With Epilepsy, Tiffany A. Winch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

Epilepsy, a neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures, can impede many aspects of daily life for individuals diagnosed with it (Beghi, 2020; Kanner & Bicchi, 2022). The problem is that women with epilepsy may struggle with family relationships and epilepsy self-management, and it is not known to what extent family support and epilepsy counseling ameliorate this detriment. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the extent to which family support and epilepsy counseling predict family relationship quality and epilepsy self-management among women who suffer from the condition. Surveys measuring the variables family support, epilepsy counseling experience, family …

Understanding Teacher Wellness: A Phenomenological Exploration Of Mental Health, Physical Health, And Job Satisfaction Of Current First Through Fifth Year Rural Minnesota Elementary Specialist Teachers, Jessica E. Thompson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This study explored teacher wellness among early-career elementary specialist teachers in rural Minnesota schools to address low retention among specialists. The research was guided by self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1987) and the job demands-resource model (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007), which together examined teacher wellness through understanding what motivates teachers and the role of demands and resources in their job, with relation to understanding teachers’ emotional, physical, and mental well-being and overall job satisfaction. A qualitative phenomenological approach was utilized, with data being collected through interviews with six participants. Findings suggested that teacher wellness is a balance among internal motivation, …

Evaluating The Impact Of Leading Pedestrian Intervals And Curb Extensions On Conflict Frequency And Severity, Sophia Semensky

Dissertations and Theses

Leading Pedestrian Intervals (LPIs) and curb extensions are commonly implemented countermeasures intended to improve pedestrian safety at signalized intersections. While LPIs have a well-established crash reduction record, fewer studies have evaluated their impacts using surrogate safety measures or examined how curb extensions interact with LPIs to influence pedestrian-vehicle conflicts. This thesis investigates the effects of LPIs and curb extensions on pedestrian safety using detailed conflict data collected at eleven signalized intersections in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area.

Approximately 600 hours of video data were collected across four matched intersection pairs and three before–after sites. Pedestrian and vehicular volumes, turning speeds, …

No Hablo Español, But My Students Do: A Self-Study To Understanding How Teacher Positionality And Experiences Manifest In Pedagogy And Praxis, Kaitlyn E. Herling

Education Doctorate Dissertations

As a middle school science teacher in a predominantly Hispanic classroom, I explore how my positionality as a White female educator and my experiences both inside and outside the classroom shape my teaching practices. This study examines the integration of culturally based teaching practices into the science classroom. By reflecting on my positionality, curriculum choices, and pedagogical methods, I aim to better understand how to create a more inclusive and engaging learning environment that resonates with my students’ cultural backgrounds. Through self-study and narrative inquiry, this research highlights the importance of connecting students’ lived experiences with academic content to foster …

The Effect Of The Mind Diet On Cognitive Decline In Als Patients With Frontotemporal Dementia, Riya Thomas, Reba Thomas, Eliana Gitelman

Department of Nutrition Student Projects

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord, leading to a broad range of neurological issues. Individuals with ALS experience progressive muscle weakness, dysphagia, slurred speech, and impaired movement and cognition. In addition to physical symptoms, around 15-20% of individuals with ALS also develop frontotemporal dementia (FTD). There are limited interventions to slow cognitive decline in this specific population. The Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet has been associated with slower cognitive decline and reduced risk in neurodegenerative disease among older adults; however, its effects have not been …

Improved Child Participation And Performance At Saddle Up!, Maya Pakulski

OTD Capstone Projects

This capstone project was created in partnership with the staff at Saddle Up! in Franklin, TN. Saddle Up! is a PATH accredited non profit organization that offers hippotherapy, adaptive riding and various horsemanship lessons and opportunities for children and youth with various disabilities to learn and engage with horses. The primary goal of this project was to address a need for improved child and family participation in various aspects of lessons and therapy sessions. The focus was to develop a functional communication and visual schedule system that was accessible and easily understood by all staff. This system included a wide …

Social Media’S Impact On Body Image Perception, Rachel Murino

Honors Theses

This study aims to analyze the relationship between social media use and body image perception, specifically focusing on universal and culturally unique factors. Survey data was collected from participants ages 18-47. By analyzing ethnic differences, this study seeks to identify how culture can shape beauty standards and if social media use and pressure play a role in reinforcing these ideals. The findings were expected to reveal a relationship between perceived social media pressure and negative body image perception, along with cultural trends. Results indicated a significant relationship between social media pressure and body image perception, along with a significant interaction …

The Effect Of Low And High-Carbohydrate Diets On Memory Performance In College Students, Samia Baugh, Zoe Zajko, Jamie Analuisa, Ivanna Jacome

Department of Nutrition Student Projects

Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy for the brain and play an important role in processes related to memory performance. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of a low-carbohydrate diet compared to a high-carbohydrate diet on memory performance in college students aged 18–22 years. For the purposes of this study, a low-carbohydrate diet is defined as a diet providing fewer than 130 grams of carbohydrates per day, while a high-carbohydrate diet provides approximately 325 grams of carbohydrates. This population is particularly important to study because college students experience high academic demands that require strong memory …

Regulation Of Gene Expression By Small Upstream Open Reading Frames In Escherichia Coli, Andrea R. Vansledright

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

Bringing Worlds Together: How Social Studies Teachers Make Content Meaningful, Harley A. Payne

Honors College Theses

Secondary educators in social studies classes face the challenge of maintaining the attention of dozens of students during instruction, often on content that seems irrelevant or unimportant. Educators must find ways to emphasize that the content their students are disinterested in is useful and crucial for their development into adults. Research suggests that bridging the gap between the classroom and the real world improves classroom engagement (Cooper, 2014; Tagliaferro, 2012). Students who are engaged and exert more effort in class derive academic benefits, such as placement in advanced pathways and increased test scores (Carbonaro, 2005). Civics education and the inclusion …

Mental Health Rates Across Ethnic Groups In A Small Midwestern Christian University, Arianna Torres

Honors Theses

This study aims to find if there is a significant difference in depression, anxiety, trauma, and suicidality among students of different ethnic backgrounds at Andrews University. By focusing on ethnic disparities, this research aims to target the mental health issues rising among college students and bring to light the importance of cultural competency in relation to mental health. Results from this study may aid Andrews University in developing more inclusive and culturally responsive mental health services and inform broader discussions about mental health equity in higher education. It can also add insight into how mental health rates may vary by …

No Principal Left Alone: Exploring Elementary Principals' Relationships With Their Full-Time Assistant Principals, Shauna Worthington

Theses and Dissertations

Elementary school principals are often the only administrator in their building; therefore they are left to face the adverse circumstances of their job without the support of an administrative colleague at their school. However, U.S. nationwide data suggests that school districts are more frequently hiring elementary assistant principals. This paper explores perceptions of elementary principals about the nature and dynamic of their relationships with their full-time assistant principals, including accompanying benefits and challenges. This qualitative inquiry utilizes an exploratory, descriptive, phenomenological approach and features the results of in-depth interviews with 20 elementary school principals in two large suburban public school …

Entwurzelt, Melanie Fischer

Theses and Dissertations

Entwurzelt (Uprooted) is an installation that explores the emotional landscape of displacement-trauma, grief, and the search for belonging in the aftermath of war and unrest. The vessels in this installation evoke the presence of a forest--each one a symbolic tree, rooted in memory and shaped by personal and collective histories. Being torn from the familiar means leaving behind everything except memories and carrying a void that may never be fully filled. Yet, in unfamiliar places, fragments of comfort can be found--echoes of what once was. For me, the forest is more than a memory--it is a bridge between past and …

Reinvesting In A Lived Experience Workforce: An Exploration Of Why Peer Support Specialists Leave The Field, Morgan Rae Pelot

Dissertations and Theses

Peer support specialists (PSSs) are individuals who use their lived experience of mental health challenges along with formal training to provide peer support to other individuals experiencing similar challenges. PSSs have only become integrated into the mental health care system within the last several decades. Recently, a study reported a trend of PSSs leaving the field of peer support, but there is a gap in the literature exploring factors that may influence this decision. This study examined if self-efficacy, motivations to join the workforce, and negative work experiences were related to workforce retention. A secondary cross-sectional analysis was conducted on …

Opium Of The Masses: An Analysis Of Archeobotanical Research In The City Of Tábor, Czechia And How It Potentially Influenced Forms Of Radical Hussism, Sasha Gladding

Undergraduate University Honors Capstones

Opium of the Masses performs in depth analysis of the Hussite Wars–a time period lasting from 1419 to 1436, Jan Hus, Hussite factionalism, and archeobotany. This analysis proposes that there are numerous possible contributing factors to the development of the radical Hussite teachings and ways of life. The instability of the Catholic hierarchy and the dissenting teachings of Jan Hus also likely were contributors to the development of the unique sociopolitical and spiritual practices of the radical Hussites. It is also possible that the Hussite factions residing in the Czech (then Bohemian) town of Tábor utilized opium as an entheogen …

Patient-Provider Communication Among Deaf English Users: Disparities And Implications For Cancer Screening, Ciara Luttrell

Undergraduate University Honors Capstones

Early detection is one of medicine's powerful tools; routine cancer screenings can help diagnose cancer early and enable immediate treatment. Cancer screening and prevention efforts have accounted for 4.75 million (80%) cancer deaths averted between 1975 and 2020 for five major cancer types (NIH, 2025). Nevertheless, this powerful tool is not shared equally. Many deaf adults who use English still experience barriers and disparities. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to investigate how deaf English-using individuals in the United States interact with their healthcare providers and whether these interactions are associated with cancer screening interest among these populations. The …