Digital Commons Network^™

A Correlation Study Between Soil Selenium Levels And Diabetes Prevalence Across U.S. Regions: An Archival Data Analysis (2012-2018), Baoshan Wu

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the correlation between soil selenium levels and Type 2 diabetes (T2D) prevalence across U.S. regions between 2012 to 2018. Selenium, an essential trace element, plays an important role in antioxidant defense and metabolism. While appropriate selenium intake may protect against diabetes by improving insulin sensitivity and reducing oxidative stress, excessive intake can have adverse effects. This research analyzed the most recent data, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), for over 3,000 counties in the U.S. A correlation analysis model was used to determine the relationship between soil selenium …

First-Principles Studies On The Electronic And Optical Properties Of Corundum Samples From The Tanga Region, Esther J. Tarimo Tarimo, Pulapa V Kanaka Rao, F.M. Stanley

Tanzania Journal of Science

The characteristics of corundum are significant as they provide accurate identification supporting its diverse applications, facilitating the development of advanced materials, and ensuring its optimal use across various fields. Corundum alumina (α-Al2O3) samples collected from the Tanga mining region were characterized for crystallographic information using XRD analysis. This crystallographic information was used to build the crystal system of the sample in Biovia Materials Studio modelling and simulation software. The electrical and optical properties of this sample were examined by applying first-principles density functional theory and Generalized Gradient Approximations. For the calculations, a sampling mesh of 6×6×2 k-points, with an energy …

Re: Comment Letter For Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) Plan (Dated October 29, 2024), Molly Roby

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Exploring Strategies To Reduce Physician Turnover And Costs During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Ne'kecha Pellam Brabham

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hospitals face the risk of adverse business outcomes due to physician turnover, which can lead to increased costs and poorer patient care. C-suite executives, in collaboration with human resources managers (HRMs), are struggling to develop strategies to reduce turnover and burnout, while also enhancing key factors like job satisfaction and employee engagement grounded in the job demands-resources theory. The purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to explore the strategies employed by HRMs in the healthcare industry to effectively reduce physician turnover and associated costs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants were 13 HRMs in the health care industry in …

Bapanadle-A Worldle-Style Web App Based On The Video Game Hollow Knight, Steven M. Walter

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

Decolonial Possibilities For Non-Indigenous Environmental Educators, Emeric Bisbee

Master's Theses

Non-Indigenous environmental educators must incorporate Indigenous knowledges and worldviews to successfully teach about contemporary environmental problems such as sustainability. However, there are several barriers for non-Indigenous environmental educators to incorporate Indigenous knowledges, such as (a) Western science as the primary epistemology of environmental education, delegitimizing Indigenous ways of knowing, (b) non-Indigenous peoples’ reliance on the privileges gained by settler colonialism which works to erase and replace Indigenous peoples and knowledges, and (c) the historical and current injustices experienced by Indigenous peoples in schools because of settler colonialism. This study explored how experienced non-Indigenous environmental educators who incorporate Indigenous knowledges and …

Msw Portfolio, Andrea E. Anderson

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

The portfolio narrative includes a brief introduction to my academic journey including field related work. The ten social work competencies are used as a guide while I reflect on the required appendices, theoretical frameworks and orientation to practice throughout the narrative.

Portfolio Project Social Work 599, Christopher S. Plummer

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

Abstract This portfolio reflects the culmination of my journey to earn a Master of Social Work (MSW) and demonstrates my mastery of the 10 core competencies outlined by the University of Montana School of Social Work. Through the lens of the five elements of advanced integrated practice, this work illustrates the transformation I underwent as I developed the skills, knowledge, and values essential to ethical and effective social work practice. Each section of this portfolio provides evidence of my growth in applying critical self-reflection, integrating historical and cultural contexts, bridging direct practice with community intervention, engaging in evidence-based practices, and …

Msw Portfolio, Elizabeth Helen Brenneman J.D.

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Where I’M Meant To Be: Reflections From My Msw Experience, Brittany Nicole Mathena

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Msw Portfolio, Nichole Nuehring

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Msw Portfolio, Daisy Marie Sells Alexander

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

MSW Portfolio

The Armored League - Real-Life Gladiators Fight In A Medieval Combat Tournament, Graham Hartmann

Capstones

From Greco-Roman wrestling, to boxing, to Muay Thai, combat sports have been a part of cultures around the world for centuries. In New York City, a thousand-year-old form of combat is experiencing a resurgence among those brave enough to take part.

The Armored League is a combat sports federation where modern-day knights fight with metal weapons, shields and armor. The league's first tournament took place in Chinatown, NYC on November 1, 2024 with eight men competing for a $1,000 prize.

This story interviews Armored League VP Anthony Rafes and follows knight fighter Orion Goodman as he battles his way through …

Feeding Jersey: A Fresh Look At Food In The Garden State, Zachary E. Zawila

Capstones

New Jersey is the Garden State. The food business is in its nature. But how the state's foodways work, and particularly how they shape the cities of North Jersey, brings vitality to some neighborhoods while leaving others behind. The cities of Orange, Elizabeth, and Paterson have especially interesting food pasts, and particularly promising food futures.

https://sites.google.com/view/feeding-jersey/home

Falling Victim To The Beauty Algorithm, Niti Majethia

Capstones

As life on the internet becomes the new normal, the impact of social media becomes more pervasive and relentless. This story delves into how platforms like Instagram and TikTok can amplify the societal pressures on women to live up to an impossible beauty standard. Various experts weigh in on how this pressure affects women of all ages — from little girls to grown-up, established influencers. This timely narrative underscores the steep cost of society’s obsession with beauty as a measure of value and whether there is an escape to it at all.

Entering The Ai Era, Nypd Faces Scrutiny Over Lack Of Transparency, Benedetta Tommaselli, Fitzwilliam Anderson, Ashley Castillo, Lauren Rapp

Capstones

This article explores the ethical and social implications of the use of AI-driven technologies by the New York Police Department (NYPD) to analyze body camera audio for improving officer accountability. While supporters say that AI can enhance transparency and training in policing, critics raise concerns about privacy, racial bias, and the potential threat to public trust that these technologies can bring. The piece highlights the NYPD’s struggle with transparency under the Public Oversight of Surveillance Technology (POST) Act and explores broader issues surrounding AI in policing, such as the risk of biased algorithms and inadequate regulations. Through various perspectives, the …

Is Sexyy Red Minstrelsy, Or Are We Overreacting?, Malik Brizan-Reed

Capstones

This criticism piece explores the controversial female rapper Sexyy Red. It challenges negative perspectives about her persona, primarily based on respectability politics. It highlights Sexyy Red's ability to capitalize on a moment and business savviness. The article has themes of racial double standards and classism. Sexyy Red is more than the "ghetto Black girl," aesthetic. She's a mother and entrepreneur who is authentic to herself.

¿Qué Futuro Les Espera A Los Trabajadores Latinos? El Calor Extremo, Las Promesas Vacías Y La Incertidumbre Política, Yunior Rivas Garcia

Capstones

Este artículo explora las condiciones mortales que enfrentan los trabajadores latinos en Estados Unidos debido al estrés por calor, un riesgo creciente en sectores esenciales como la construcción, la agricultura y el almacenamiento. A pesar de representar una proporción significativa de las muertes laborales, las protecciones contra el calor son insuficientes, y la falta de regulación federal agrava la vulnerabilidad de estos trabajadores, muchos de los cuales son indocumentados. A través de casos específicos, como la muerte de Esvin Cruz Mateo, y un análisis de las políticas laborales actuales, el texto examina las fallas estructurales que perpetúan la inseguridad laboral …

Flood Risks Surge In Unexpected Places, Leaving Americans Unprepared And Uninsured, Genna Y. Contino

Capstones

As weather patterns become more unpredictable, the amount of uninsured property loss is expected to soar – disproportionately impacting communities of color in the U.S. Hurricane Helene, which devastated the western North Carolina mountains, demonstrates this trend. Experts say boosting insurance literacy and updating floodplain maps will better prepare the country as it navigates a changing climate.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSApu2Io6-IjMynum2d3IakyOV2AZysgayw8f4ypNID6dF0j06vumogvy6tJ9XPvqhXtC76fs8ZHre9/pub

Making Music And Making Rent: The New Wave Of New York City’S Working Class Artists, Hannah J. Fierick

Capstones

Though New York’s local music scene has become a shadow of its former self, the city’s musicians have found creative ways to stay afloat while doing what they love. This piece explores the music scene in New York today through interviews with working class musicians themselves.

Flight To Fraud, Emily Davis, Ricardo Partida

Capstones

Taxi hustlers are an enduring, intractable issue for New York City's airports. Through analysis of city data, court documents, and on-site observations, this investigation reveals how unauthorized drivers exploit travelers, charging excessive fares while posing safety risks. Despite public awareness campaigns and enforcement efforts by the Port Authority and others agencies, the problem continues to evolve. NYCity News Service reporters Emily Davis and Ricardo Partida investigate how these hustlers operate in plain sight of airport authorities.

Link: https://daviscapstone2025.carrd.co/

Dedicated: “Me. I Am Lambily… And The Elusive Chanteuse” (Podcast; Episode 1), Vincent A. Barbato

Capstones

In this podcast, “DEDICATED,” music writer Vincent Anthony speaks with the most devoted fans of the most divine divas. This inaugural episode, “Me. I Am Lambily… and the Elusive Chanteuse,” is about Mariah Carey, her Lambs, and how they react to a flop album.

Carey's album “Me. I Am Mariah … The Elusive Chanteuse,” turned in May 2024. A decade later, the Lambs, like "Why Mariah Carey Matters" author Andrew Chan, still listen to it. So, what do fans appreciate about these lesser-known albums that the masses couldn’t connect with?

Chan and three other Lambs, whom Vincent met at a …

The Fashion Regulation Fight, Eliot L. Force

Capstones

Fast fashion is a rising global phenomenon with terrible consequences for the environment and laborers across the world. In the US, fashion-specific environmental and labor regulation is practically non-existent at the federal level, but some individual states have begun proposing fashion regulation bills with the aim of curbing the industry’s harms. But in every state where these regulations have been proposed, powerful industry trade groups and companies have been fighting back against those proposed regulations, with much success, through lobbying. As climate change gets worse and the fashion industry’s practices remain unchanged, the need for regulation only becomes greater, but …

Black Media’S Struggle To Survive, Truth Headlam

Capstones

The Lomax family got into the media business 13 years ago, just before it cratered for traditional editorial publications and radio stations.

The fall has been steep, especially for Black media. In 1978, when President Jimmy Carter announced an initiative to increase the number of radio stations owned by people of color, only about 1.2% – or 69 out of 8,196 – radio stations were minority owned. But after the Carter administration gave minority-run stations a boost, that number more than doubled to 182 radio stations owned by Black people alone by 1990.

Full capstone: https://truthwroteit.wordpress.com/2025/05/22/black-medias-struggle-to-survive/

More Inland Homeowners Are Experiencing Floods, But Few Have Flood Insurance, Julian Tiburcio

Capstones

Wherever it rains, it can flood. More inland homeowners who never expected to see their homes flood are finding themselves inundated by rain as climate change intensifies extreme storms and weather patterns. Many homeowners decide to buy homes not realizing that flooding isn’t limited to coastal areas, so they forego flood insurance coverage, leaving their biggest asset at risk.

Decision Making And Performance Optimization In Distributed Cyber Physical Networks, Md Sahabul Hossain

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs) integrate computation, networking, and physical processes, while Cyber-Physical Networks (CPNs) enable communication and coordination among components. With advances in IoT and smart devices, CPSs are increasingly vital for applications such as smart grids, industrial automation, and autonomous vehicles. This dissertation explores decision making and performance optimization in Distributed Cyber-Physical Networks (DCPNs), focusing on efficiency, reliability, decentralization, and security. Using network economic theories (e.g., game theory, contract theory) and machine learning (e.g., Reinforcement Learning, Federated Learning), it addresses key problems: 1) a cost-effective positioning system with Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RISs) and RL, 2) energy-efficient task offloading in Multi-access …

Courting Success

DePaul Magazine

DePaul men’s basketball shoots for a comeback with new head coach Chris Holtmann and a revitalized program.

Flourine Free, Bio-Based Antismudge Polyurethane Coating With Enhanced Flame-Retardancy, Rutu Patel

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Antismudge coating materials are generally synthesized using petroleum-based polyols and fluorinated compounds, which are harmful to the environment and human health. Thus, researchers are more inclined to develop polyurethane (PU) coating from bio-based polyols and fluorine-free materials. Here, silicone-containing diol was used with soybean oil polyol (SOP) to produce PU coating. The chemical inertness to acid, base, and salt, along with the non-stick properties of silicone, would help achieve the desired properties of the anti-smudge PU coating. Metal (stainless steel) and wood coupons (oak wood) were coated with this synthesized coating material and tested to study chemical resistance along with …

Interleaving Practice: A Better Approach To Band Rehearsal Structure, Matthew Reimer

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to identify the merits of a band rehearsal structure that incorporates elements of an interleaving schedule, whereby multiple items of a similar nature are rehearsed in a mixed fashion rather than in a blocked format where one task is completed before moving on to the next. The project looks at the current state of research related to interleaving in the study of the arts, potential obstacles, motivational strategies to increase student receptiveness, and specific examples of how to implement the research in an intermediate band rehearsal. Included are resources and strategies for pitch and …

Identifying Opportunities For Nature-Based Solutions With Geospatialized Life Cycle Assessments And Fine-Scale Socioecological Data, Gabriela Shirkey, Annick Anctil, Ranjeet John, Venkatesh Kolluru, Leah Mungai, Herve Kashongwe, Lauren T. Cooper, Ilke Celik, Joshua B. Fisher, Jiquan Chen

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

As we increasingly understand the impact that land management intensification has on local and global climate, the call for nature-based solutions (NbS) in agroecosystems has expanded. Moreover, the pressing need to determine when and where NbS should be used raises challenges to socioecological data integration as we overcome spatiotemporal resolutions. Natural and working lands is an effort promoting NbS, particularly emissions reduction and carbon stock maintenance in forests. To overcome the spatiotemporal limitation, we integrated life cycle assessments (LCA), an ecological carbon stock model, and a land cover land use change model to synthesize rates of global warming potential (GWP) …