Digital Commons Network^™

Equine-Assisted Learning: An Analysis Of Path Intl. Programs, Gretchen Schulz

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Equine-Assisted Learning (EAL) is an expanding field within Equine-Assisted Services (EAS). Following in the steps of other EAS professional organizations, The Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship, International, (PATH Intl.) launched an EAL certification program for facilitators in 2023. Previously published research has identified a number of positive outcomes among EAL participants, such as increased motivation and positive attitudes towards reading, increased tolerance for ambiguity, lower perceptions of burnout, improved well-being, decreased depression and anxiety, increased self-efficacy, and greater self-awareness and reflection. As the field of EAL and the number of trained EAL facilitators grows, data on programs across the country …

Predictors In Help-Seeking Intentions For Friends With Eating Disorders, Allie M. Robb

Honors Theses

Emotional intelligence is a significant factor in one’s well-being as high emotional intelligence predicts sound mental well-being and a better quality of life as one can accurately understand emotions (Kulkarni & Velhal, 2023). However, low emotional intelligence has also been found to be a predictor not only of the development of mental health disorders but also have the lowest intentions to seek help (Ciarrochi et. al., 2002; Kulkarni & Velhal, 2023). Because they are unlikely to seek help, it is important for others who see the potential cause to help intervene. The purpose of this study is to investigate the …

Swinging On Windmills Of Love, Life, And Law: The Quixotic Pursuits Of Upendra Baxi (Book Review Of 'Of Law And Life: Upendra Baxi In Conversation With Arvind Narrain, Lawrence Liang, Sitharamam Kakarala, And Sruti Chaganti'), Amita Dhanda

National Law School Journal

This book review begins by elaborating on the melange of forms adopted by Of Law and Life: Upendra Baxi in Conversation with Arvind Narrain, Lawrence Liang, Sitharamam Kakarala, and Sruti Chaganti (Orient BlackSwan 2024). It then reflects on the different themes emerging from this narrative on Baxi’s life and work. The review next dwells on the book’s pedagogic possibilities. Since the book is not a comprehensive but a selective narrative of Baxi’s ‘law and life’, there are matters that have not been included in it—the author concludes the review by giving voice to these silences.

The Role Of Christianity In Shaping Agrarian Policies And Environmental Interactions: A Comparative Analysis Of The Uk And The Netherlands, Grace N. Brimble

University Honors Theses

This thesis explores the enduring influence of Protestant Christianity on agrarian practices and environmental policies in the UK and the Netherlands, focusing on how historical religious values shape modern ecological and political landscapes. Despite increasing secularism, Protestant ethics--emphasising stewardship, diligence, and moral responsibility--persist culturally, influencing debates on sustainability, rural identity, and land use. Using case studies such as nitrogen policy protests in the Netherlands and post-Brexit agricultural transitions in the UK, this analysis highlights the symbolic role of Christian values in framing resistance and adaptation to contemporary challenges. The research combines discourse analysis and ethnographic perspectives to uncover the interplay …

What Is The Evidence? Updates In The Use Of Antenatal Corticosteroids For Patients At Risk Of Preterm Birth, Moti Gulersen, Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Faculty Papers

Antenatal corticosteroids have long been considered one of the most important antenatal therapies available for pregnant patients at risk of preterm birth based on the associated reduction of neonatal morbidity and mortality following their administration. However, despite decades of research since their incorporation into routine clinical practice, a number of key questions related to antenatal corticosteroid use remain. These include evaluating the impact of antenatal corticosteroids at gestational ages outside of the previously recommended window of 24 0/7–33 6/7 weeks of gestation, determining factors associated with optimal steroid timing in order to reduce unnecessary exposure, alterations in its dosing regimen, …

Effect Of Fathers In Preemie Prep For Parents (P3) Program On Couple’S Preterm Birth Preparedness, Mir A. Basir, Siobhan M. Mcdonnell, Ruta Brazauskas, U. Olivia Kim, Sheikh Iqbal Ahamed, Jennifer J. Mcintosh, Kris Pizur-Barnekow, Michael B. Pitt, Abbey Kruper, Steven R. Leuthner, Kathryn E. Flynn

Computer Science Faculty Research and Publications

Objective

Evaluate the effect of fathers’ participation in the Preemie Prep for Parents (P3) program on maternal learning and fathers’ preterm birth knowledge.

Methods

Mothers with preterm birth predisposing medical condition(s) enrolled with or without the baby’s father and were randomized to the P3 intervention (text-messages linking to animated videos) or control (patient education webpages). Parent Prematurity Knowledge Questionnaire assessed knowledge, including unmarried fathers’ legal neonatal decision-making ability.

Results

104 mothers reported living with the baby’s father; 50 participated with the father and 54 participated alone. In the P3 group, mothers participating with the father (n = 33) had greater …

Demonstrating Feasibility Of Ultrasound-Sensitive Microbubbles Delivery To Treat Disruptions In The Blood Brain Barrier Endothelium, Rubens Jourdain

Theses and Dissertations

Vascular cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID) is one of the main causes of dementia. VCID is caused by age and other genetic factors that lead to disruptions in the blood brain barrier (BBB) and allow blood components to enter the brain. The currently available treatments of VCID include opening the BBB with high-frequency-ultrasound to deliver drugs to the brain. However, this only treats the already developed disease. Consequently, we developed a new drug delivery system whose goal is to restore the brain capillary endothelial cells (BCEC) lining the blood vessel. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility …

Machine Learning Methods For Quantification Of Glacier Variations Through Satellite Imagery, Robert D. Breininger

Theses and Dissertations

Glaciers around the world have experienced a trend of recession within the past century. Quantification of glacier variations using satellite imagery is of great interest due to the importance of glaciers as freshwater resources and as indicators of climate change. The potential methods to quantify glacier variations with increasing complexity include detecting the terminus location, quantifying the glacier surface area, and measuring glacier volume. Although there are methods in literature designed purposefully for glacier area segmentation that have achieved acceptable results, they are often localized to the region where their training data were acquired and further rely on training sets …

Demand For Milk And Milk Products In The Rural Household Of Bangladesh: A Panel Data Analysis, Eshrat Jahan Mahfuza, Mohammad Jahangir Alam, Andrew M. Mckensie

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

Milk is considered an essential source of protein for people of all ages. However, Bangladeshi people, particularly those living in rural areas, tend to consume less milk and milk products than necessary. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the demand for milk and milk products among rural consumers and the factors affecting their consumption habits. The study utilizes balanced panel data from three waves of the Bangladesh Integrated Household Survey: 2011–12, 2015, and 2018–19, collected by the International Food Policy Research Institute. Both the Almost Ideal Demand System (AIDS) and Fixed Effects Model were employed. The expenditure elasticity for liquid …

Uniting Science And Society: The Role Of Leadership Studies, Scientific, And Political Leaders In Combating Science Polarization, Kathryn E. Reda

Interdisciplinary Journal of Leadership Studies

This commentary discusses the recent political polarization of scientific research and how this polarization threatens the neutrality of science in American society. It contends further that leadership studies, along with scientific studies, have become a contentious battleground themselves, particularly on topics like climate change, energy policy, and the COVID-19 pandemic. This is exacerbated by mass media misinformation and declining public trust. Science polarization poses a significant challenge for leadership as it erodes informed decision making, making it crucial for leaders to bridge rather than deepen ideological divides. Leadership studies as a discipline has a responsibility to explore the causes of …

Carceral Apartheid: Centering State Responsibility For The Racial Order, Ion Meyn

Cardozo Law Review

Racial harms are often attributed to private ordering. But the power of White communities to subordinate communities of color is not a constellation of private acts independent of state violence. When scrutinized, acts of racial exclusion, segregation, and violence persist to the extent they are aligned with the political order and backed by the state’s violent guarantee. The knowledge that any resistance to these acts will be met with state retribution bristles in the background.

There are different ways in which state violence produces and reproduces the racial order: (1) direct violence; (2) a violent guarantee backing communal acts of …

Comparison Of Statistical And Machine Learning Genomic Prediction Methods In Plant Breeding: Case Studies In Maize And Soybean, Igor Kuivjogi Fernandes

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Plant breeding is essential to increase genetic gain and food production worldwide. This study was conducted to evaluate new ways to use machine learning (ML) to tackle plant breeding challenges, where two ideas were tested — the first chapter focuses on how to combine genetic and environmental data using ML to improve the prediction of maize grain yield in multi-environment trials, while the second chapter centers on how to couple feature selection of molecular markers with ML to enhance prediction of yield in soybean, and, in both cases, ML approaches were compared to well-established statistical methods greatly adopted by the …

Bird's Eye View-A Guide To Bird Behavior, Oliver Spencer

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Oliver Spencer is a senior writing major from Fort Wayne, Indiana. He loves writing in many genres, but especially creative nonfiction, magical realism, and horror. He is planning on going to graduate school for a degree in library science. Oliver loves birds, theater, and researching.

Vol. 37 Iss. 1 [Full Issue], - -

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

No abstract provided.

Portrait Of The Church On Fire, Abigail Fathauer

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Abigail Fathauer is a Senior English Literature major with minors in Art History and World Literature. When she’s not writing papers or reading the next book on her TBR, she’s working at the local animal shelter and not shutting up about it. In another life, she was a medieval scribe.

Artificial Neurovascular Networks To Simulate Energy Distribution To Spiking Neural Networks, William Bottom

Theses

Biological neurons are known to be much more energy efficient than modern computers, with the human brain only consuming about 20 Watts. An Artificial Neural Network can take hours or days to train on high-performance and energy-consuming GPUs, so networks that can achieve similar performance at a fraction of the energy cost are very sought after. Spiking Neural Networks, which mimic biological neurons more closely than Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), are a potential option for the energy problem in Neural Networks. By converting an ANN to an SNN and applying energy-saving methods/architectures, the equivalent SNN network can achieve similar performance …

Community Co-Production Of The Meaning Of Local Climate Resilience And Action: A Case Study, Michele Romolini, Mary Hillemeier, Dustin L. Herrmann

Center for Urban Resilience Scholarship

In the face of a rapidly urbanizing and warming planet, there is urgency for local governments to develop community resilience strategies. Successful climate change adaptation will likely require the inclusion of local knowledge, especially from historically marginalized communities. One pathway for this is through research projects and government planning activities that employ processes of co-production to generate actionable knowledge relevant to the community. This paper describes the approach, results, and reflections of a multi-sectoral partnership organized to engage residents of a small municipality to co-produce the meaning of community climate resilience, through methods including individual interviews, cognitive mapping, and a …

An Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of A Commercial Butterfly Breeder Seminar, Monrita G. Tate

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a Beginning Commercial Butterfly Breeder Seminar, a training workshop based on evidence-based best practices for rearing butterflies. The evaluation examined participant experience in the workshop, knowledge gained, and any changes in their professional practice. An electronic survey was distributed to participants of the 2022 and 2023 cohorts to collect feedback on their perception of the seminar and mastery of learning outcomes. The results indicated a live perception of the seminar, which equipped participants with the knowledge and skills to develop and implement standard operating procedures to enhance their professional practices and facilitate the application …

Technical Report: Technical Support For Developing And Field Testing In Situ Bioassays In The Surface Mixing Layer Of Marine Waters At Oil Spill, G. A. Burton, A. Crane, B. Chadwick, G. Rosen, G. Stewart, S. Allan, O. Garcia-Pineda

Coastal Response Research Center

An in situ technology was developed to assess the toxicity of oil spills to aquatic organisms in the water column. This technology, named the Drifting Exposure and Effects Assessment Ring (DEEAR), is comprised of a bioassay tool known as the Sediment Ecotoxicity Assessment Ring (SEA Ring), mounted within a drifting drogue known as the Drifting Particle Simulator (DPS). The technology also includes a UV fluorometer that continuously senses oil fluorescence, as well as passive sampling devices that can be used to quantify average concentrations of oil-based compounds. The DEEAR system was tested in the field in 2019, after which refinements …

A138: Association Of “Weekend Warrior” And Other Physical Activity Patterns With Cognition Function In Older Adults, Caifeng Zhao, Shanshan Xu, Liang Hu

International Journal of Physical Activity and Health

Background/Purpose: WHO guidelines on physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous PA per week for cognitive benefits, but the relative impacts of concentrated vs evenly distributed activity remain unclear. The “Weekend Warrior” (WW) pattern is characterized by achieving the recommended PA levels in one or two sessions. Despite its prevalence, the cognitive benefits of WW pattern are not well-established. More research is required to clarify the associations between PA and cognitive function in WW and other PA patterns (e.g., inactive, regularly active). The aim of this study was to explore the associations …

The Nextgen Bar Exam Meets The Next Generation Law Student: A Revised Approach To Legal Analysis, Scott Caron

University of Dayton Law Review

No abstract provided.

“Tormented By Difficulties Of Every Kind”: Catholic Teaching On Contraception In Social Context, Kathleen Cavender-Mccoy, Conor M. Kelly

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

The Catholic Church notably condemns all forms of artificial birth control and advocates natural family planning as the only morally licit means of spacing births. This teaching is presented as the quintessential pathway to the fullness of human sexuality, but many Catholics struggle with it, and the magisterium itself recognizes that this path is not an easy one to follow. This article uses recent developments in Catholic moral theology around the notion of structural sin to examine the structural constraints complicating ordinary Catholics’ pursuit of their tradition’s vision for marital sexuality, demonstrating that larger structural forces can considerably affect the …

Cries From The Arroyo, Samyra Perez

Theses and Dissertations

Cries from the Arroyo is a fictional story told from the perspective of the main character Eztli Morales. Eztli derives from a lineage of cursed women, each marked by adversity and loss. The narrative flows between past and present. Her past in her college years, where she tries to escape her cursed legacy through education. While Enrique represents the promise of a normal life, Isandro offers a darker path to defy the Morales curse. The loss of her first pregnancy seems to settle her supernatural debt, but only feeds the generational pattern of suffering. The present revolves around the months …

Cavernous Distortions, Silas Samuel Quintanilla

Theses and Dissertations

This is a collection of short stories in the style of surreal fiction. They are stories about outsiders, powerlessness, communication, isolation, longing, death, and existentialism. They follow in the tradition of parables, fables, and in the shadow of surrealist masters like Franz Kafka.

The Effects Of Livestock On Mosquito Diversity And Abundance In Hidalgo County, Taylor Nicole Moya

Theses and Dissertations

Mosquitoes are detrimental to animals and threaten humans. More information is needed on how farm animal presence may impact mosquito abundance and diversity at farms. My goal in this study is to determine if there is any correlation between animal abundance or diversity on a farm and the abundance and diversity of mosquitoes collected. Hidalgo County, Texas, has a subtropical desert climate, ideal for mosquitoes. I hypothesized that the mosquito abundance and diversity indices would increase as the livestock abundance or diversity increases. Adult mosquitoes were collected using two CO2-baited light traps per farm from Spring 2022 to Fall 2022. …

Understanding The Influence Of Traffic And Noise On The Wildlife Community Surrounding Fm106 And Sh100 In South Texas, Anna Rose Mehner

Theses and Dissertations

In South Texas, highways create landscape fragmentation, habitat degradation, and result in wildlife vehicle collisions. Vehicle collisions are the highest known cause of mortality of the endangered ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), which led Texas Department of Transportation to install nine wildlife crossing structures (WCS) on Farm-to-Market 106 and five on State Highway 100. These highways are along Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, which is the location of the southernmost breeding population of ocelots in the United States. Many other wildlife species including bobcat (Lynx rufus) and coyote (Canis latrans), are present along these highways and …

Structure Modifications And Alternative Monitoring Designs Of Wildlife Road Mitigation Structures, Madison T. Nadler

Theses and Dissertations

Wildlife mitigation structures are designed to keep animals off roadways while providing them safe passage to the other side and not impeding traffic flow. Camera traps are commonly used to assess the success of these mitigation structures, but there are downfalls to both the methods and structures. Alternative mitigation structure designs are needed to better prevent wildlife from accessing roadways in areas where they should be deterred. Additionally, traditional camera trapping methods do not accurately capture the full wildlife communities that may be utilizing these structures and other survey methods are needed, specifically aimed at small mammals, amphibians, and reptiles. …

Effects Of Metoprolol And Propranolol Beta-Blockers Mixture On Morphological And Physiological Responses In The American Oyster, Andrew Salinas

Theses and Dissertations

Beta-blockers are extensively used to treat human cardiovascular conditions yet pose significant risks to non-target aquatic organisms. This study aimed to investigate the effects of short-term exposure (one week) to a beta-blocker’s mixture (low-dose: 50 ng/L propranolol and 250 ng/L metoprolol, and high-dose: 250 ng/L propranolol and 650 ng/L metoprolol) in the American oysters. Histopathological assessments revealed structural damage to gills, connective tissues, and digestive glands in both low- and high-dose treatment groups. Additionally, glucose concentration and pH of the extrapallial fluid significantly declined in the high-dose treatment group. Hemocyte density within connective tissues increased proportionally with dosage. The beta-blocker …

Tc-Ptp-Mediated Regulation Of P38 Mapk Pathway Promotes Uvb-Induced Apoptosis In Skin, Lindsey Susie Shim

Theses and Dissertations

T-cell protein tyrosine phosphatase (TC-PTP) is a non-receptor PTP that has been shown to have various roles in signaling pathways. Our previous studies have demonstrated that the TC-PTP deficiency in the epidermis can exacerbate hyperplastic response by inducing epidermal cell proliferation in response to tumor promoter TPA or UVB exposure. This implies that TC-PTP plays a tumor-suppressive role in the epidermis and provides protection against UVB radiation, which is well known to contribute to skin cancer development. The p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) is one of serine/threonine kinases that are activated through environmental stress including UVB. It has been demonstrated …

Technical Potential And Challenges For Agrivoltaic Development In Nigeria, Ifeoluwa Ezekiel Babarinde

Theses and Dissertations

The co-location of agriculture and solar photovoltaic (PV) infrastructure, known as agrivoltaics, is an increasingly popular practice that offers co-benefits like reduced plant drought stress and improved yields of shade-tolerant crops, particularly in water-scarce agricultural regions. Despite its global growth, knowledge on the technical potential, opportunities, and challenges for agrivoltaic development remains limited in the Global South. Here we address this knowledge gap for Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, by identifying high-potential regions based on the premise that agrivoltaic co-benefits are generally most pronounced in arable lands with both high solar irradiation and water stress. We find that northern regions, …