Digital Commons Network^™

Centering Indigenous Knowledge: Reimagining Research Methods, Pedagogies, And Sustainability With Niitsitapi Awaaáhsskataiksi (Blackfoot Elders), Sandra Bartlett Atwood

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

My research sought to better engage with Indigenous ways of knowing and being (IWKB). Specifically, I collaborated with Blackfoot Elders (and Hawaiian Kupuna) to better understand 1) their perspectives towards land, 2) what factors instigate and perpetuate these perspectives, 3) how these perspectives play out in terms of identity; well being; daily life; education; environmental concern, behavior, and stewardship, and 4) ways that these perspectives towards land can inform and transform Western perspectives on land and perhaps lead to better and more equitable social-ecological outcomes. I approached this from three angles. First, I described a method for braiding Indigenous and …

A Case For Educational Communication On Sustainable Stormwater Management Sites Using Interpretive Methods: Applications For Utah State University, Lilian Taft

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Humans are increasingly urbanizing landscapes, lowering the land’s ability to infiltrate stormwater, increasing surface water runoff. This, combined with decreasing water availability in the Intermountain West, produces the issue of sustainable stormwater management. Professionals are moving toward green stormwater infrastructure (GSI), but public is often not aware of stormwater’s impacts on natural environments or what the purpose of GSI is. Stormwater management design techniques are evolving to use visible, sustainable methods celebrating stormwater, rather than treating the valuable resource as a disposable nuisance, channeling it underground and out of sight. Artful Rainwater Design (ARD), a technique coined by Stuart Echols …

Incidence And Determinants Of Hypertensive Disorders Of Pregnancy In The Us: Hospitalization Discharge Rate For Preeclampsia, Eclampsia, And Gestational Hypertensions, 2016-2018., Kahir S. Jawad

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Hypertension remains one of the most prevalent medical issues in pregnancy. It contributes considerably to maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality, making it one of the most significant public health problems. Although various epidemiological studies have been conducted over the past decades to assess the disease incidence and key risk factors associated with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, current incidence rates and trends are lacking. This is a novel and significant study because there are no current population-based incidence estimates of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and their subtypes and very few studies with the power to explore a wide range …

Public Space And Well-Being: An Empirical Study Of Central Park In Old Louisville., Maryam Entezam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Urban green spaces have been receiving attention in urban planning and the health profession in the 21^st century as environmental elements that contribute to well-being. This dissertation explored the relationship between green space usage and individuals’ physical, mental, and social well-being. This empirical research focused on Central Park in Old Louisville to examine how residents use the park and whether it contributes to the well-being of residents. After exploring the existing literature, I identified four well-being indices: (1) perceived health (PHI), (2) health outcome (HOI), (3) mental well-being (MWI), and (4) social well-being (SWI). Frequent Park usage is expected …

Promotional Communication For A College Food Pantry: Findings From A Cross-Sectional Assessment Of Socioecological Variables Related To Past Use Of A Campus-Based Food Pantry., Bunny Marie Hayes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objective: This study examined differences between users and non-users of campus food pantry, conducted communication audit, and made recommendations for future food pantry communication. Methods: Cross-sectional twofold study, first analyzing existing intrapersonal, interpersonal, and environmental data to test predictors of campus food pantry usage characteristics, using inferential statistics. Secondly, conducting a communication audit that evaluates the reach of student communication. Results: Significant differences were found between users and non-users of food pantry that support hypotheses in relation to gender, age, race, class, marital status, housing type, housing description, and Pell eligibility. Findings could not support hypothesized differences in first-generation status. …

Women Baby Boomers’ Experiences Of Personal Growth Through Later-Life Divorce After A Long-Term Marriage, Lisa Silva Mchale

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Later-Life divorce, occurring at age 50 or older, also referred to as gray divorce, has become increasingly common as the population ages (Brown & Lin, 2012; 2022). With gray divorce comes experiences that may differ from those faced by younger divorcees. The research demonstrates that divorce in laterlife brings unique challenges, especially for those who divorce after a long-term marriage (20 or more years, Sommerville, 2017). Few researchers have examined divorce in later life after a long-term marriage, and fewer yet when combined with a particular generational cohort. Additionally, there has been a lack of research exploring positive experiences and …

Urban Vulnerability Analysis Based On Micro-Geographic Unit With Multi-Source Data—Case Study In Urumqi, Xinjiang, China, Jianghua Zheng, Danlin Yu, Chuqiao Han, Zhe Wang

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This study introduces a novel approach to urban public safety analysis inspired by a streetscape analysis commonly applied in urban criminology, leveraging the concept of micro-geographical units to account for urban spatial heterogeneity. Recognizing the intrinsic uniformity within these smaller, distinct environments of a city, the methodology represents a shift from large-scale regional studies to a more localized and precise exploration of urban vulnerability. The research objectives focus on three key aspects: first, establishing a framework for identifying and dividing cities into micro-geographical units; second, determining the type and nature of data that effectively illustrate the potential vulnerability of these …

A Call To Action For Disability And Rehabilitation Research Using A Discrit And Disability Justice Framework, Toni Saia, Rana Yaghmaian, Rachel Cuesta, Carlyn Mueller, Roxanna N. Pebdani

Counselor Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose: Disability and ableism exist within a societal context that does not ignore the many facets of a person’s identity, however often our disability research does not recognize how experiences vary based on the intersecting identities individuals hold. This article utilizes Intersectionality, Dis/ability Critical Race Studies (DisCrit), and Disability Justice to identify ways for rehabilitation researchers to adapt their research practices for maximum inclusivity and representation.

Materials and Methods: Using these three frameworks, we have developed a call to action including recommendations for rehabilitation researchers to consider as they design and implement research projects.

Results: Incorporating these frameworks provides an …

Here, There, And In-Between: On The Civilizing Process And Civilizational Analysis, Michael Palencia-Roth

Comparative Civilizations Review

This essay presents a cautionary tale about certain problems with systematization and abstraction in comparative civilizational studies. It advocates instead for the analysis of single works, limited events, or particular figures, within larger issues pertaining to what is understood as a “civilization” or “culture”. It prioritizes certain aspects of the civilizing process: the here, or the civilizing and interpretive gaze; the there, or the Other that is the object of that gaze; and the in-between. It further suggests that insights and methods from Mikhail Bakhtin, Hans-Georg Gadamer and others from the humanities, social sciences, and philosophy can …

The Applicability Of Lessons From American Society For The European Union: Tolerance, Demographic Change, And Social Structure, Joseph Drew

Comparative Civilizations Review

While Americans have long tended to see our society and civilization as exceptional, in fact the civilization is primarily based on European precedent. We see ourselves, in the words of one of our most significant poets, Emma Lazarus, as the new colossus, “Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp cries she... I lift my lamp beside the golden door.” We claim to be an exception; that means that we are unique, different, what many, alluding to the New Testament as viewed by the Pilgrim founding fathers, have called “a shining city upon a hill.”2 And as “a beacon of hope.”

The Economic Regions Of Chinese Civilization: A Gis-Based Analysis Of Grain Markets In China, 1736-1842, Karl Ryavec, Mark Henderson, Rocco Bowman

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

The Economic Impact Of Oil And Gas Production In The Permian Basin, Aditi Sarkar

Economics ETDs

The dissertation aims to analyze the economic and social consequences of unconventional oil and gas (UO&G) production in the Permian Basin, located in southeastern New Mexico and West Texas. The first paper focuses on the effect of methane reduction regulations imposed by the United States (US) government on the production of natural gas and the drilling of new wells. Specifically, the question asked is “what is the impact of methane reduction regulations on the drilling of new wells and the production of natural gas over a 40-year time horizon?” I develop dynamic optimization in a system dynamic setting to assess …

Three Essays On The Economics Of Children’S Health And Education In Nepal, Khusiman Pun

Economics ETDs

First essay: This paper studies the impact of Nepal’s 1996-2006 Maoist insurgency on the nutritional status of children. We employ the difference-in-difference (DID) model. The proxy for conflict intensity is killings per thousand population (KPT). The finding of our study is that a marginal increase in KPT decreases the height-for-age (HAZ) of the children by 0.0844. The loss in child health was statistically not significant in both non-poor and poor households. Therefore, the impact of the insurgency on child health is largely driven by the negative effect of the insurgency on Janajaties, irrespective of their economic status.

Second essay: This …

Racial Disparities In Access To Dbs: Results Of A Real-World U.S. Claims Data Analysis, Michael Frassica, Drew S Kern, Mitra Afshari, Allison T Connolly, Chengyuan Wu, Nathan Rowland, Juan Ramirez-Castaneda, Mwiza Ushe, Claudia Salazar, Xenos Mason

Farber Institute for Neuroscience Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an effective and standard-of-care therapy for Parkinson's Disease and other movement disorders when symptoms are inadequately controlled with conventional medications. It requires expert care for patient selection, surgical targeting, and therapy titration. Despite the known benefits, racial/ethnic disparities in access have been reported. Technological advancements with smartphone-enabled devices may influence racial disparities. Real-world evidence investigations can shed further light on barriers to access and demographic disparities for DBS patients.

METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional study was performed using Medicare claims linked with manufacturer patient data tracking to analyze 3,869 patients who received DBS. Patients were …

How Active Rainwater Harvesting May Help Reduce Nuisance Flooding: Flood Analysis And Social Barriers To Adoption, Isabel Lopez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

As urbanization continues to expand, fewer pervious surfaces are available to help reduce stormwater runoff from rainfall. The impacts of urbanization are becoming evident through sunny day flooding - flooding that occurs in areas not designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as flood zones. Nevertheless, water accumulates in low-lying areas and compromises street intersections and other parts of neighborhoods. Some methods can help alleviate the impacts of unexpected heavy rains, such as passive and active rainwater harvesting. As a pilot study, in a selected area in the northeast of El Paso, the level of adoption (e.g., what percentage …

Black Oral History As A Culturally Sustaining Practice In The Secondary Social Studies Classroom, Elizabeth Mcdonald

All Dissertations

This study explores how a Black oral history project can be used in a secondary social studies classroom as a culturally sustaining practice. This study uses case study methodology to answer the research question, how are Black oral histories a form of culturally sustaining practice in secondary social studies classrooms? This dissertation explores the literature surrounding Black education, culturally sustaining pedagogy, Black history and race education in social studies, and oral history. Culturally sustaining pedagogy is used as the theoretical framework for this study. This study explores the use of Black oral history in a social studies classroom at the …

Addressing The Elephant In The Room: An Exploratory Multiple Case Study Of Principals’ Perceptions Of Opportunity Gaps, Their Leadership Practices And Access To Advanced Placement Courses For Marginalized Students, Parker Morse Andreoli

All Dissertations

Since the implementation of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, achievement gaps have guided education reform work. The focus on these gaps in student outcomes has been standardized and has lacked consideration of the inputs that create the academic achievement disparities between demographic groups of students. These gaps are often tied to the segregation of learning opportunities, both across and within schools, and perpetuate racist and classist stereotypes of students. A critical need to shift attention from gaps in achievement to a more appropriate measure, opportunity gaps between racially minoritized students and their White peers, is needed. In this …

Innovations In Geospatial Technologies For Water And Environmental Resource Protection, Madeleine Bolick

All Dissertations

New technologies and applications of technologies are critical to protecting environmental and water resources. Students need to be aware of these new technologies so they can be prepared to utilize them in their future careers. One such technology is using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) because it can be applied to a wide variety of fields such as engineering, construction, wildlife biology, agriculture, and many more. Chapter two discusses the creation of an online teaching module to introduce students to using UAVs in natural resource research and evaluates how well students respond to the education module. Overall, student familiarity with UAVs …

Implementation Of An Early College Design In A Rural High School: Empowering Place-Conscious Leadership To Affect Change And Overcome Barriers To Innovation, Michael Timko

All Dissertations

This qualitative, improvement science, autoethnograpic case study aims to examine a unique perspective on rural research through the lens of place-conscious leadership. With an identified problem of inequity in advanced-level course offerings, which resulted in lost student opportunities and student attrition to neighboring schools, the leadership at Forest Lakes High School (FLHS) in rural South Carolina began the ambitious journey of reframing their narrative. As a scholarly researcher and administrator at FLHS, I had the unique opportunity to immerse myself fully in all aspects of this study. My dual positionality allowed me to study this process while sharing the lived …

Advanced Quantitative Approaches To Unveil Social Inequities In Educational Contexts, Manuel J. Jiménez, Vanessa Svihla, Karl Benedict, Victor Law, Meeko Oishi

Organization, Information and Learning Sciences ETDs

Chapter 2 introduces an innovative method integrating Geographic Information Systems and Machine Learning to evaluate educational policy outcomes. This approach overcomes the limitations of traditional statistical methods and effectively analyzes complex relationships between educational data and demographic factors.

The study in Chapter 3 developed a prediction model for school report cards in New Mexico using census data and applying the methods described in Chapter 2. The accurate predictions suggested that the school accountability system disproportionately assigned failing grades to schools serving minoritized students. The study also confirmed that status measures depend more on demographics than growth measures.

The study in …

The Road Map For Sustainable Waste Management In The Federal Democratic Republic Of Ethiopia, Assegid Yimenu

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Solid Waste Management (SWM) is a global issue from its social, environmental, and economic aspects. Poor SWM is one of the significant causes of resource degradation, environmental pollution, and public health problems. In this study, households’ solid waste generation and characterization were determined for selected cities in Ethiopia. Quantitative and qualitative study methods were applied to collect primary and secondary data to assess the household’s MSW generation rate and characterize the waste type's physical composition. The households’ daily MSW generation rates in Bole and Kirkos sub-cities, Addis Ababa, were found to be 0.54 and 0.26 Kg/capita/day, respectively, and the average …

Human–Environment Interactions At Ta’Ab Nuk Na, A Submerged Maya Salt Works Site In Belize, Cheryl M. Foster, Heather Mckillop, Cory Sills

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

Sea-level rise and settlement are investigated at Ta’ab Nuk Na, an ancient Maya salt works in Belize, by examining samples from wooden posts and marine sediment. The samples included Post 145 of Building B and the Nunavut beam, along with marine sediment columns cut from beside both wooden posts. The sediment columns were sampled at 2 cm intervals. Loss-on ignition confirmed the presence of organic material. Identifying the organic content involved removing nonorganic material from the sediment and sorting the organic material under magnification. This procedure established that most of the organic material was red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle). Red mangroves …

Whitewater Sound Dependence On Discharge And Wave Configuration At An Adjustable Wave Feature, Taylor A. Tatum, Jacob F. Anderson, Timothy J. Ronan

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Stream acoustics has been proposed as a means of monitoring discharge and wave hazards from outside the stream channel. To better understand the dependence of sound on discharge and wave characteristics, this study analyzes discharge and infrasound data from an artificial wave feature which is adjusted to accommodate daily changes in recreational use and seasonal changes in irrigation demand. Monitorable sound is only observed when discharge exceeds ∼35 m³/s, and even above that threshold the sound-discharge relationship is non-linear and inconsistent. When sound is observed, it shows consistent dependence on wave type within a given year, but the …

Utahns Are Becoming More Likely To Say Human-Caused Climate Change Is Happening, Jessica D. Ulrich-Schad, Jennifer E. Givens, Peter D. Howe, Cole Lancaster

Utah People and Environment Poll (UPEP)

Scientists who study the earth’s climate overwhelmingly agree that human activities are causing rapid change¹ . Most Americans also agree that global warming is happening (74%) and caused by humans (61%)² . However, the same research finds that about one in eight (12%) of Americans do not think global warming is happening. This indicates that despite scientific consensus, some Americans remain skeptical about whether climate change is real and if humans are the cause.

Digitalisation Of The Teaching And Learning For International Students In Higher Education: A Systematic Review, Thinh Huynh, Ly Thi Tran

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

No abstract provided.

University Of Central Florida Graduate Catalog, 2023 - 2024, University Of Central Florida

UCF Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Contralateral Preoperative Templating For Fracture Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty: Technique Article And Case Series, Michael Mcdonald, Taylor M. Timoteo, Nicholas Schoch

Orthopedics Articles

No abstract provided.

A Systematic Review On The Ecosystem Services Provided By Green Infrastructure, Daniel Jato-Espino, Fabio Capra-Ribeiro, Vanessa Moscardó, Leticia Bartolome Del Pino, Fernando Mayor-Vitoria, Laura Gallardo, Patricia Carracedo, Kristin Dietrich

Faculty Publications

Urbanization and climate change are endangering the sustainability of public spaces through increased land artificialization, ecological fragmentation, reduced resource availability, and limited accessibility to natural and seminatural areas. Properly managing Green Infrastructure (GI) can contribute to mitigating these challenges by delivering multiple provisioning, regulating, supporting and cultural Ecosystem Services (ES). This would facilitate the implementation of strategically planned GI networks in cities for urban regeneration purposes. In this context, this study developed a systematic review on the ES provided by GI using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. The analysis of 199 eligible articles indicated …

Roles Of Reservoirs In Regulating Basin Flood And Droughts Risks Under Climate Change: Historical Assessment And Future Projection, Jingxuan Sun, Wei Chen, Boting Hu, Y. Jun Xu, Guangxin Zhang, Yanfeng Wu, Baojun Hu, Zheng Song

Faculty Publications

Study region: Nenjiang River Basin (NRB), Northeast China. Study focus: Water safety management and sustainable development planning increasingly seek to incorporate the impact of reservoirs on downstream floods and droughts; while the effectiveness of reservoir operation in regulating flood and drought risks under climate change has not been assessed extensively. We focus on discerning whether and to what extent reservoirs can mitigate the risk of hydrologic extremes from the perspective of historical and future climate change. New hydrological insight for the region: We found that coupling reservoir operations into basin hydrological simulation can efficiently improve model capacity to capture both …

Science Diplomacy From The Global South: The Case Of Intergovernmental Science Organizations, Anna Lena Rüland, Nicolas Rüffin, Katharina Cramer, Prosper Ngabonziza, Manoj Saxena, Stefan Skupien

Faculty Publications

Intergovernmental science organizations (IGSOs) address many challenges of the 21st century. Several countries of the Global South have joined established IGSOs or have created new ones. Yet we know little about their interests in IGSOs. Our study addresses this blind spot by investigating which objectives Southern actors pursue in IGSOs and under which conditions they are likely to achieve their objectives. Using insights from three strands of literature, we compare four IGSOs with Southern participation: the European Organization for Nuclear Research, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, the Square Kilometer Array, and the African Lightsource. We show that countries of the …