Digital Commons Network^™

Americana Marketing Campaign, Shaela O'Keefe

Undergraduate Theses

Americana World Community Center has served as a beacon of hope and justice within the Louisville, Kentucky community for over 30 years. The nonprofit organization provides “holistic services to Louisville's refugee, immigrant and underserved population to build strong and healthy families, create a safe and supportive community and help every individual realize their potential” (Americana, 2024). Americana creates opportunities for families to thrive through “education, family support, youth achievement, and career & financial development” (Americana, 2024). To further Americana’s mission and assist immigrant families, the organization is currently undergoing the process of gathering narratives of Americana’s impact on their staff, …

Quality Improvement Project: Integrating Depression Screening Into Adult Wellness Visits In A Primary Care Clinic, Nina Denchukwu

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Depression is a prevalent and debilitating mental health condition that remains significantly underdiagnosed in primary care, despite national recommendations for universal adult screening. At the project site, less than 40% of adults completing annual wellness visits had documented depression screening. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to evaluate whether integrating the evidence-based Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-2 and PHQ-9 into the electronic health record (EHR) would improve completion of depression screening, documentation, and referrals to treatment. The project was guided by Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations Theory and the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) framework. A quantitative pre–post intervention design linked with the …

Quality Improvement Project: Impact Of Faculty Competency And Classroom Application Of Artificial Intelligence (Ai), Clydea Hale

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare has created a growing need for nursing faculty to develop competency in AI to adequately prepare students for modern clinical practice. Despite this need, limited faculty knowledge and low classroom application of AI persist. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) quality improvement project was to evaluate the impact of an evidence-based AI educational intervention on nursing faculty competency and classroom application. Guided by the Stetler Model of Evidence-Based Practice and Lewin’s Change Theory, a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was implemented with nursing faculty at a rural community college in …

Promoting Trauma-Informed Practices Through Staff Education, Ediomi Enebong Oduwole

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Front office staff in outpatient psychiatric settings are often the first point of contact for patients experiencing anxiety and emotional distress. However, existing evidence indicates that non-clinical, front office staff often lack formal training in trauma-informed care (TIC). This gap may limit early recognition and response to patient distress. This quality improvement project addressed this gap by evaluating the impact of a trauma-informed educational intervention of staff confidence and documentation of patient distress. The project was guided by Pender’s Health Promotion Model and Lewin’s Change Theory. It used a pre-and post-intervention quantitative design with sample of five front office staff …

Media Framing Of The Bawku Conflict In Ghana: An Analysis Of Cultural Biases, Narratives, And Peacebuilding Implications, Falilatu Saaka

Master of Arts in Media and Communication Plan II Graduate Projects

This research examines the media framing of the Bawku conflict in Ghana, focusing on how cultural biases shape the portrayal of ethnic disputes and influence public perception. Utilizing a qualitative discourse analysis grounded in Framing Theory and Afrocentric critique, the study analyzes ten news reports from major Ghanaian media outlets to identify patterns of bias, narrative construction, and ideological positioning. Findings reveal that media coverage predominantly emphasizes security and stability, often at the expense of addressing deeper political, economic, and historical factors. Language, imagery, and sourcing choices tend to reinforce stereotypes, skewing public understanding towards ethnic dichotomies, particularly between the …

Social Perspective Taking, The Search For Meaning, And A Sense Of Belonging In Emerging Adults, Miranda Joy Powers

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study examined relationships among social perspective-taking, the search for meaning, and a sense of belonging among college students. Drawing on data from the 2021 Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership, this research tested whether social perspective-taking and the search for meaning predicted higher levels of belonging. Additionally, covariates, including race, religious affiliation, gender, and COVID-19, were analyzed to assess their effects on both the independent and dependent variables. A regression analysis was performed, and as hypothesized, students with higher levels of social perspective-taking and those searching for meaning reported greater belonging. In addition, the covariates race, religious affiliation, COVID-19, and …

Homeless Veterans: How To Help Veterans Receive Their Benefits So No Veteran Is Without Sustainable Housing, Kelly Hancock

Nonprofit and NGO Studies Student Projects

In this research, I examined why veterans remain homeless despite available resources and what can be done to place them in sustainable housing. I did this through interviews with VA staff and by examining various projects implemented to support veterans. In my research, I found that the resources are available for veterans if they know to request them. The VA employees noted that misconceptions and misinformation are leading causes of veterans not asking for help. Therefore, a solution would be for civilians to call the VA hotline to report homeless veterans. They will then meet the veterans where they are …

Islam And Acculturation: The Presence Of Shamanism And Indigenous Ritual Practice In The Post-Conversion Ilkhanate,, Miranda H. Lenihan

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

Devin Deweese's book Islamization and Native Religion in the Golden Horde: Baba Tükles and Conversion to Islam is a keystone work in the study of post-Mongol invasions Central Asia. He explores how Shamanism, the indigenous religion of Mongol tribes, remained culturally relevant in the Golden Horde following the widespread conversion to Islam in hagiographical narratives.

This study investigates the presence of indigenous Shamanic traditions within the post-conversion Ilkhanate and how Deweese's argument for the Golden Horde applies to other Mongol successor states.  Following the widespread adoption of Islam, formerly polytheistic Mongol and Turkic tribes did not abandon their native culture; …

Quality Improvement Project: Improving Adn Faculty Professional Development Through Simulation Training, Sharon Haley Peace

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Lack of structured simulation training for nursing faculty, which has been identified as a gap in the literature, can negatively impact the quality of simulation-based education and student learning outcomes. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) quality improvement project was to develop, implement, and evaluate an evidence-based training intervention aimed at improving faculty self-efficacy and competence in simulation facilitation. The project was guided by Lewin’s Change Theory and Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory to support faculty development. A quantitative, quasi-experimental pre-post design was used with a convenience sample of nine associate degree nursing faculty at a rural community …

Quality Improvement Project: Improving Provider Workflow And Documentation For Routine Mental Health Screening In An Outpatient Psychiatric Clinic, Sharon Uchechi Joshua

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Depression and anxiety are leading causes of disability and are frequently underdiagnosed in outpatient psychiatric settings due to inconsistent screening and documentation practices. Evidence supports the use of standardized tools, such as the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), to improve early detection and clinical outcomes. This quality improvement (QI) project evaluated whether implementing standardized electronic health record (EHR) templates and provider education would improve documentation of PHQ-9 and GAD-7 screenings. The aim was to increase the consistency of screening and documentation among psychiatric providers. The project was guided by the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) framework and Lewin’s Change …

Excavating Building C And Plaza A To Discover Ancient Activities At The Ancient Maya Salt Works Of Ch’Ok Ayin, Belize, Alex J. Broussard Jr.

LSU Master's Theses

Ch'ok Ayin is part of over 110 known ancient Maya salt works surveyed in Paynes Creek National Park, Belize. The salt works are associated with wooden architecture preserved below the sea floor and submerged due to sea level rise. The purpose of the excavations of Ch'ok Ayin Building C and Plaza A was to determine the function of the space based on recovered material remains.  An eleven meter transect was placed in Building C to extend inside and outside of the building to capture activity areas associated with the building. A 2 x 2-meter excavation was placed north of Building …

Understanding Adult Patients’ Experiences Of Trauma-Informed Care In Outpatient Healthcare, Jayme Aguero

Dissertations (1934 -)

Trauma is recognized as a universal human experience. Well-established evidence demonstrates the negative impact of trauma on health outcomes. In 2014, following a recommendation from SAMHSA, trauma-informed care (TIC) was implemented across human service sectors, including healthcare. While TIC has been in use for the past decade, adults’ experiences of receiving TIC in outpatient healthcare remain largely unknown. The purposes of this study were (a) to explore and describe how adults’ healthcare experiences aligned with the principles of TIC being implemented in outpatient healthcare settings and (b) to understand the perceived usefulness and meaning of TIC for adult patients. A …

Applied Data Science Insights Into Grade Eight Math, Physics, And Ap® Physics Exam-Taking Influencing Act Stem Outcomes, Reema Banerjee

Dissertations (1934 -)

This study examined the longitudinal relationships among eighth grade mathematics proficiency, high school physics availability, AP® Physics exam participation, and ACT STEM scores across Wisconsin public school districts. A retrospective, multi-cohort design was used, and two cohorts were tracked from middle school through junior year. Publicly available datasets were analyzed using an applied data science approach in R, incorporating exploratory visualization, univariate and bivariate analyses, and multivariate regression modeling. Results indicated a positive association between eighth-grade mathematics proficiency and ACT STEM outcomes. AP® Physics exam participation emerged as a statistically significant independent predictor of ACT STEM scores after controlling for …

Stories Of Stress: Experiences Of Students In A Second-Degree, Graduate-Level, Prelicensure Nursing Program, Holly L. Nerone

Dissertations (1934 -)

This study documented and analyzed through story, the stress-related lived experiences of students in an accelerated, second-degree, graduate-level, prelicensure nursing program. Stress among nursing students has been associated with enduring negative impacts to personal wellness, future professional practice, and patient outcomes. Accelerated, second-degree prelicensure programs are rapid, rigorous, growing in popularity, and associated with the potential to generate high levels of stress among students. Second-degree prelicensure nursing programs have been underrepresented in existing literature on nursing student stress with little research focused on graduate-level options such as Master Entry in Nursing Practice (MENP) and Direct Entry Master of Science in …

The Accuracy Of Occlusal Splint Fabricated By The Different Materials With Different 3d Printers., Supisara Thamrongsak

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Aim: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of occlusal splints fabricated by the different materials with different 3D printers in four different orientations (0°, 15°, 25°, 40°) using surface matching software. Materials and Methods: Occlusal splints were printed in 4 different orientations including 0°, 15°, 25°, and 40° based on the STL file of the designed occlusal splint with 3 different printers (Carbon® M3Max, SprintRay Pro S, Asiga Pro4K). A total of 120 occlusal splints were printed for the present study, 10 occlusal splints were printed for each group. Then all occlusal splints were scanned using …

The Ethical Ramifications Of Using Insects In Art, Madalynn Lundy

Honors Projects

Artists have been in collaboration with living and dead beings since the beginning of time. Whether it be in the supplies used to create a piece of art or as the subject itself, insects are and have been a key part of art-making for many artists throughout history. This begs the question regarding the ethics of using insects in art and whether this is morally acceptable. I take interest in this topic as an artist who takes inspiration from insects in my own art. This paper explores various qualitative research methods in an effort to bridge the topics of environmental …

Enduring Commitment: A Phenomenological Exploration Of Retention Among Veteran Early Childhood Educators In Rural Settings, Erin M. Wirtz

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The retention of teachers has been a challenge, particularly in the field of early childhood education (Downey et al., 2024; Havlicek-Cook, 2012; Markowitz, 2024; Totenhagen et al., 2016). Research on teacher attrition is abundant, yet studies of retention are far less common, and those that exist have largely focused on K-12, novice, and urban educators. This study seeks to address this gap by exploring the experiences of veteran early childhood educators working in rural northern Minnesota. Guided by the framework of Deci and Ryan’s (2000) Self-Determination Theory, the purpose of this study was to examine factors that contribute to sustained …

The Low-Temperature Heat Capacity And Thermodynamic Functions Of Mg3n2, Ca3n2, And Sr3n2, Natalie Parkinson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Alkaline earth nitrides are highly hygroscopic materials used in metal refinement and various synthetic processes. In this work, the low-temperature heat capacities of Mg₃N₂, Ca₃N₂, and Sr₃N₂ were measured for the first time. The Ca₃N₂ sample contained impurities, necessitating corrections to the heat capacity data. The absolute entropies of Mg₃N₂, Ca₃N₂, and Sr₃N₂ at 298.15 K were determined to be 75.1, 114.9, and 188.5 J∙K⁻¹∙mol⁻¹, respectively. Gibbs energies of formation were …

Social Determinants Of Health And Caregiver Mental Health Screening In The Neontal Intensive Care Unit, Chloe Hicks Fisher

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Perinatal mental health conditions affect approximately one in five mothers and one in ten fathers in the United States, and caregivers of newborns admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are at an elevated risk for developing mental health conditions due to the significant stress associated with infant hospitalization. However, not all caregivers complete mental health screenings, raising concern that current protocols may be failing to reach a meaningful subset of this population. Social determinants of health (SDOH) are non-medical factors that influence health outcomes and are known risk factors for mental health conditions in perinatal populations. The present …

Developing A Framework To Improve Phishing Response After Detection, Kevin Umba

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Phishing belongs to the most prevalent attack vectors in the cybersecurity industry. Academia, industry, and government resources offer a wealth of information on the subject. However, insights on phishing techniques and remediations are scattered across those sources. Most governmental and academic literature focuses on user awareness, policy guidelines, or phishing training. This leaves the security practitioners underserved. Furthermore, actionable information for security operations is often unstructured or vendor-specific. The goal of the thesis is to provide a preliminary framework to guide security professionals through indicators of compromise and remediation, using a vendor-neutral approach.

Reliability And Validation Of A Game-Based Assessment Of Upper Limb Movement In Children With Unilateral Cerebral Palsy, Rachel Scheele

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Unilateral cerebral palsy (UCP) is a pediatric movement disorder characterized by motor impairment primarily affecting one side of the body. Clinical assessments of upper limb function are widely used but often lack precision and may be influenced by clinician subjectivity, thus creating a need for objective, reliable, and valid forms of assessment. Mobile health (mHealth) has shown promise in rehabilitation settings, due to its accessibility and user-friendly design. However, validity and reliability of these assessment tools remain largely unknown. MoEvGame was developed to evaluate upper limb motor function. This study evaluated the reliability and validity of MoEvGame in children age …

Foreign Language Experience Effects On L2-Accented Speech Attitudes In College Students, Jordan L. Ellington

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study is to test whether knowledge of a second language in college students can affect perceptions and prejudices towards speakers with foreign accents. The testing was completed through both implicit and explicit attitudinal measures in regard to recorded audio stimuli. The explicit attitudinal testing was performed through participant self reporting of attitudes. Participants were presented with first (L1) or second (L2) language accented English samples and then rated that speaker in terms of various characteristics or traits that represented the speaker's solidarity and status. The implicit testing was performed in an Auditory Implicit Associations Test on …

Analysis Of Raindrop Breakup Over The Bankhead National Forest Arm Site, Nimbus Menk

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

Neurodiverse Secondary School Educators Transitioning To Online Teaching During Covid-19 Pandemic, Leane Pupo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The COVID-19 pandemic affected individuals, families, communities, and a variety of workplaces across the world. Many studies have addressed the impact of the emergency transition from on-ground to online on educators, students, and their families. However, while there is emerging literature on the impact of COVID-19 on neurodiverse individuals and on neurodiverse individuals in the workplace, there is little or no research on neurodiverse teachers. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of neurodiverse educators who transitioned from on-ground to online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bandura’s social cognitive theory of self-efficacy and Garmezy’s theory of resilience …

Bound By Belief: Exploring The Influence Of Internalized Rape Myths On Survivor Agency And Identity, Arika I. White

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This qualitative study explored how internalized RMA impacts survivors’ cognitive processing, coping strategies, and psychological agency, as observed by licensed psychotherapists who treat sexual assault survivors. Despite extensive literature on the societal impacts of RMA, less attention has been given to understanding how these cultural myths are internalized by survivors and manifest intrapsychically, influencing self-perception, self-blame, and identity reconstruction following trauma. Using a phenomenological approach, semi-structured interviews with therapists provided meta-level insights into how survivors’ narratives reflect internalized cultural stigma and misogynistic beliefs. Thematic analysis was used to identify patterns of maladaptive coping, internalized misogyny, and diminished agency, revealing how …

Static And Dynamic Properties Of Dense Matter, Liam Brodie

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Neutron stars and their mergers create environments of ultra-dense matter where the strong interaction governs the behavior, but where quantum chromodynamics, the theory of the strong interaction, cannot be solved exactly or perturbatively using current methods. Neutron stars are objects with more mass than our Sun, but with a diameter of about 25 km. Observations of neutron star macroscopic properties like their masses and radii, their surface temperatures, and the gravitational-wave and electromagnetic signals from their mergers allow us to use theoretical tools to infer the behavior of matter at a microscopic scale. In this thesis, we explore the static …

Development Of New Technical Approaches To Speed The Search For Axion Dark Matter With Haloscopes, Jonah Harper Hoffman

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The axion is a hypothetical particle that may solve two major problems in physics: the strong CP problem in quantum chromodynamics (QCD) and the unknown particle nature of the dark matter. Axion haloscopes like the Axion Dark Matter eXperiment (ADMX) are capable of probing the region of parameter space where axions could constitute the dark matter. These experiments use a microwave resonant cavity in a strong magnetic field to convert axions into detectable photons when their Compton wavelength matches the resonant mode of the cavity. By moving a metal rod within the cavity volume, the resonant frequency can be tuned, …

Extraction And Interpretation Of Eeg Features For Diagnosis And Severity Prediction Of Ad And Ftd Using Deep Learning, Tuan Vo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and is characterized by progressive cognitive decline and memory impairment. Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), the second most prevalent form, primarily affects the frontal and temporal lobes and often leads to changes in personality, behavior, and language. Due to overlapping clinical symptoms, FTD is frequently misdiagnosed as AD. Electroencephalography (EEG) offers a portable, non-invasive, and cost-effective method for studying brain activity; however, its diagnostic utility for differentiating dementia subtypes is limited by signal complexity and noise. In this dissertation, I propose an EEG-based feature extraction framework that leverages deep learning to identify …

Simulated Subjects, Real Responses: Surveying Decision Judgments Across Biological And Artificial Agents, Alara Karatuna

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

Silicon participants are large language model generated research participants who are embedded with demographic information, as well as personality measures. The use of silicon participants in the behavioral sciences field is underexplored. This current study generated silicon participants based on human data (N=514), where each silicon participant matches their human counterpart. Both samples were asked to respond to seven decision-making dilemmas that are written from scratch. The dilemmas differ in their severity and represent the ambiguity of social life. Responses of the silicon participants were generated using ChatGPT 4.0. This is the first study that embedded personality traits …

Supporting Those Who Serve: The Impact Of Peer Support On Law Enforcement Suicide, Emily N. Warren

Honors College Theses

Individuals working in law enforcement face daily stressors that far exceed those experienced by the general population. This elevated exposure to stress has been associated with increased rates of mental health disorders and suicide among law enforcement officers. In response, peer support programs have gained recent attention, with new state and federal legislation promoting peer support as a strategy to address the mental health crisis within law enforcement. This paper examines the impact of statewide peer support programs on law enforcement suicide rates through statistical analysis. A difference-in-differences analysis is used to compare state-level law enforcement suicide rates before and …