Digital Commons Network^™

The Role Of Customers In Strategic Information Technology (It) Initiatives, Siddharth Aggarwal

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study focused on a small organization in the United States of America. The organization has IT departments that cater to the IT needs of its internal and external customers through IT products and services. Such organizations run full life cycles of product management and product development and often face off with situations to prioritize the use of their limited resources. Ideally, organizations focus on strategic IT initiatives that might be in the company's and its customers' best interest. However, instances occur when IT-driven initiatives lose that focus and might end up diverting resources toward the latest shiny technology and …

Is Learning Relative? Exploring Student Learning In A Special Relativity Digital Game Case Study, Meredith Rae Kunz

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this embedded single case study was to explore how undergraduate students learn special relativity theory in a digital game at Midwest College. The theory guiding this study was Sweller’s cognitive load theory as it applies to how students learn in a digital game environment. The central research question was: How do students learn special relativity theory in a digital game environment? I conducted a qualitative embedded single case study at a small liberal arts college in the Midwest under the pseudonym of Midwest College. Purposive and criterion sampling was used to select participants. This embedded case study …

Promoting Advance Care Planning In Primary Care: A Pilot Study On The Impact Of Clinician Education And Workflow Development, Lisa Nicole Turcotte

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Although evidence supports the efficacy of advance care planning (ACP) in improving quality of care and the overall well-being of patients and families, there are many barriers to engagement in this process. Fortunately, clinician and patient education and workflow development in primary care settings have shown promise in their ability to overcome these obstacles to improve awareness of and engagement with the ACP process as part of preventative care. The purpose of this project was to apply current research on this topic to improve patient engagement with ACP in the primary care setting using the Iowa Model of evidence-based practice. …

Exploring The Impact Of Geographical Context On Higher Education Students’ Self-Efficacy In Occupational Decision-Making: A Causal-Comparative Study In Ghana, Daniel Opoku-Mensah

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, causal-comparative study was to explore the impact of geographical context on higher education students’ self-efficacy in occupational decision-making in Ghana. Understanding the rural, urban, and peri-urban factors influencing HESs’ self-efficacy in occupational decision-making in Ghana will be invaluable for higher education institutions, career-oriented programs, families, policymakers, stakeholders, leaders, Ghana’s Ministry of Education, and Ghanaians in the nation’s socioeconomic development. The study involved a convenience sample of 150 HESs in Ghana’s Ahafo and Ashanti Regions. This study utilized the social constructivism learning theory and the social cognitive career theory, which emphasized factors impacting HESs’ career decision-making. …

Examining Differences In Implicit Bias Towards Students Of Color Within The Higher Education System, Marlene Drake

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative, quasi-experimental, static-group comparison design study aims to address the unknown factors of implicit bias within our public education system by examining the differences between the awareness of school staff towards students of color. The theories that guided this study were the Theory of Experience and the Theory of Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory. The Theory of Experience emphasizes the need for a positive connection between the school staff and students of color to prevent social injustice through awareness and empathetic behavior. The LMX theory supports the need for positive behavior from the school staff to increase the motivation and …

Impact Of Disciplinary Literacy Pedagogy On Student Historical Content Learning: A Mixed Methods Research Study, Jeffrey Mayr

Dissertations

This study sought to assess if a disciplinary literacy (DL) teaching intervention could increase student historical content learning. The purpose of this study was to help make recommendations for usage of DL teaching strategies in the future. DL is a new and promising teaching strategy that has a multitude of research-backed benefits. However, DL adoption has been hampered by a lack of clarity on if DL can improve student content learning and test scores. This study used mixed methods methodology. Quantitative assessment was utilized for a quasi-experimental pre- and post-test design to assess the impact of a two-week DL teaching …

Expressive And Epistemic Pedagogies: A Blended Approach To Voice Development, Raquel Esma Haddad

English Department Theses

As contemporary basic writing courses lean on Current Traditional texts that emphasize the inductive nature of thought in its relation to truth, this thesis explores expressivist and epistemic pedagogical approaches complemented by metacognition in their contribution to the development of voice with respect to student disengagement due to a disconnect in the understanding of writing for the academy in the basic writing student. The elements of the expressivist methodology as embodied in Writing with Power by Peter Elbow and the epistemic in Facts, Artifacts, and Counterfacts by Dave Bartholomae and Anthony Petrosky each contribute to the research of this thesis …

Diagnostic Power Of Serum Creatinine/Cystatin C Ratio For Identifying Low Mri-Muscle Volume And Low Grip Strength: Data From 9 731 To 149 707 Uk Biobank Older Adults, Ben Kirk, Chia Ling Kuo, Peiran Liu, Meiruo Xiang, Jesse Zanker, Konstantinos Prokopidis, Marc Sim, Richard H. Fortinsky, George A. Kuchel, Gustavo Duque

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Biomarkers for sarcopenia are lacking. We examined the diagnostic power of serum creatinine to cystatin C ratio for identifying low magnetic resonance imaging-muscle volume and low grip strength in a large observational study of UK Biobank older adults.

Methods: Serum creatinine and cystatin C were measured via immunoassays (Beckman Coulter AU5800 and Siemens Advia 1800, respectively) and grip strength by hydraulic hand dynamometer at baseline visit (2008-2010). magnetic resonance imaging-thigh fat-free muscle volume and DXA-derived appendicular lean mass were measured at imaging visit (2014-2018). Extreme outliers were removed, and covariates (demographic, lifestyle, and clinical factors, as well as time …

Genome Size Influences Plant Growth And Biodiversity Responses To Nutrient Fertilization In Diverse Grassland Communities, Joseph A. Morton, Carlos Alberto Arnillas, Lori Biedermann, Elizabeth T. Borer, Lars A. Brudvig, Yvonne M. Buckley, Marc W. Cadotte, Kendi Davies, Ian Donohue, Anne Ebeling, Nico Eisenhauer, Catalina Estrada, Sylvia Haider, Yann Hautier, Anke Jentsch, Holly Martinson, Rebecca L. Mcculley, Xavier Raynaud, Christiane Roscher, Eric W. Seabloom, Carly J. Stevens, Katerina Vesela, Alison Wallace, Ilia J. Leitch, Andrew R. Leitch, Erika Hersch-Green

Michigan Tech Publications

AU Experiments: Please confirm that all heading levels are represented correctly comparing diploids with polyploids and in single : grassland sites show that nitrogen and/or phosphorus availability influences plant growth and community composition dependent on genome size; specifically, plants with larger genomes grow faster under nutrient enrichments relative to those with smaller genomes. However, it is unknown if these effects are specific to particular site localities with speciifc plant assemblages, climates, and historical contingencies. To determine the generality of genome size-dependent growth responses to nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization, we combined genome size and species abundance data from 27 coordinated grassland …

December 11, 2024 Blazer Weekly, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

Blazer Weekly (student newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Drainage Area Limitations Of Single Watershed, Peak Flow Estimates From Nrcs Methods, Timothy Alexander Maughan

Theses and Dissertations

Most roadway design sections of state Departments of Transportation predict peak flow for culvert design using Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) TR-20 methodology. Even though the approach is more than 50 years old, there is no clear guideline for how large a single watershed drainage area may be while remaining appropriate for predicting peak discharge with this method. Our objective is to identify the drainage area where TR-20 peak flow predictions significantly deviate from flow frequency predictions. We aim to recommend to the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) a range of basin drainage areas appropriate for predicting peak flow using …

Traveling-Wave Vibration Control And Comparison Of Individuals With Insomnia And Good Sleepers Using Eeg Spectral Power And Sample Entropy, Joseph T. Lecheminant

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the intersection of whole-body vibration (WBV) and neurophysiological analysis to improve sleep quality and understanding of insomnia. The work is divided into two primary areas: the development of a novel traveling-wave vibration system for sleep enhancement and the analysis of electroencephalography (EEG) metrics in individuals with insomnia versus good sleepers. A vibrating sleep system capable of generating programmable traveling-wave patterns is designed and prototyped. Through iterative development and user trials, the system enables highly controlled mechanical stimulation in the form of traveling-wave vibration. Key advancements include independent amplitude and speed modulation and customizable wave patterns. Simple wave …

Successful Strategies Used By Health Care Business Managers To Reduce Data Breaches, Amber Branson Rubis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ineffective strategies to reduce data breaches in healthcare organizations can harm patient safety, erode trust, and jeopardize financial stability. Healthcare managers Healthcare managers must implement effective strategies to protect their organization's reputation and ensure long-term business stability. Grounded in protection motivation theory (PMT), the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to explore strategies healthcare business managers used to reduce data breaches and sustain profitability. The participants were six healthcare business managers who had successfully implemented strategies to reduce data breaches and sustain profitability. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and public records. Using thematic analysis, four themes were identified: …

Modeling Immune Cell Dynamics And Ecm Remodeling In Tendon Injury, Levi Gingerich

Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Independent Study

Tendon injuries involve complex biological processes, including inflammation, cell recruitment, and extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling. This study employs a systems biology approach to model the dynamic interplay between immune cells, cytokines, and the ECM during tendon repair. Ordinary differential equations (ODEs) are used to simulate key phases of healing under physiological and pathological stress scenarios, emphasizing the critical roles of macrophage polarization and ECM turnover. The model reveals distinct cytokine and cellular dynamics under varying stress intensities and durations, highlighting the detrimental effects of prolonged inflammation and excessive ECM degradation in pathological conditions. These findings highlight the importance of balancing …

An Experimental Investigation Of Signal Processing Techniques For Vibration-Based Structural Health Monitoring In Residential Buildings Subjected To Base Excitation, Fedaa Ali

Electrical Engineering Theses

Coastal regions, particularly in the southeastern United States, are consistently confronted with the ongoing threat of hurricane-induced damage to their buildings. Consequently, there is a pressing need to concentrate efforts on the evaluation and prediction of structural integrity and reliability in such environments. This is paramount for minimizing losses and enhancing public safety in the face of these challenging climatic conditions. Current structural health monitoring systems are typically customized for specific buildings, rendering them excessively expensive and impractical for residential structures. This research presents a comprehensive study of signal processing techniques and damage detection for an economical yet efficient structural …

Predicting Students At Risk Of Dropping Out In The College Of Medicine At Mohammed Bin Rashid University Of Medicine And Health Sciences. A Machine Learning Approach To Understand Attrition Factors Over The Past Seven Years, Moza Sulaiman Al-Zaabi

Theses

This master’s thesis investigates student attrition within the College of Medicine at Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU) by applying the CRISP-DM methodology to analyse a dataset of 19 variables and around 2,000 records from Student Admission and Academic Performance sources. Although the dataset was relatively small, several machine learning models were developed to predict students at risk of dropping out, including Logistic Regression, Decision Trees, Support Vector Machines (SVM), and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). Of these models, the ANN model, particularly when combined with Principal Component Analysis (PCA), achieved the highest performance with an accuracy …

Expanding The Toolbox Of Sustainable Business Law: The Transnational Impacts Of The Eu Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (Csddd), Anne-Marie Weber

Pace Environmental Law Review

The contemporary global economy relies extensively on interconnected value chains that often span different continents, presenting challenges when operations result in human rights violations or environmental damage. This has prompted the emergence of non-binding due diligence guidelines and binding laws in several countries, reflecting the necessity of fostering accountability in transnational business activities. The European Union’s adoption of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) on May 24th, 2024, represents a novel significant milestone in this trajectory. As a new instrument of binding transnational business law, the CSDDD aims to promote sustainable business practices, with implications extending beyond EU borders. …

Senate Meeting, December 11, 2024, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Minutes

No abstract provided.

Cellular Air Quality Sensors With Lora Backchannel A Robust Sensor Suited For Remote Deployment In Harsh Environments, Joseph R. Miera

Theses and Dissertations

Air quality significantly impacts health and overall quality of life, making its measurement essential. However, most affordable air quality devices are designed only for use within WiFi range and cannot handle extreme temperatures, limiting their usefulness for people in remote or extreme environments, such as regions with harsh winter climates. This limitation is concerning, as winter often brings worse air quality due to temperature inversions that trap pollutants and increase fuel burning for heating. Inversion is a problem as close to home as Utah Valley, and as far away as Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Most low-cost air quality sensors are not built …

Effective Strategies Used By Trinidad And Tobago Financial Institution Leaders To Attract And Retain Small Businesses As Customers, Billy Brian Seaman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ineffective strategies to attract and retain small to medium enterprises (SMEs) can significantly affect business revenue. Financial institution leaders in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) who fail to effectively engage and retain SMEs are at risk facing instability and long-term challenges. Grounded in relationship marketing theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry research project was to identify and explore effective strategies used by T&T financial institution leaders to attract and retain SMEs. The participants were four financial institution leaders in T&T who effectively implemented strategies to attract and retain SMEs. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and publicly available documents. …

Urban African American Women’S Perceptions Of Health Care Inequalities Experienced During Or After Pregnancy, Janel Scott

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American women are more likely than Hispanic and non-Hispanic White women to die during or after childbirth from complications. Incidences of African American maternal death are especially prevalent in the urban living population. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the healthcare inequalities that urban-living African American women have experienced during or after pregnancy. Link and Phelan’s fundamental cause theory, which states that there may be a relationship between socioeconomic status and mortality, served as the theoretical foundation for the investigation. A generic qualitative research design was used. Ten participants were interviewed and surveyed to gain insight …

Successful Strategies Used By Health Care Business Managers To Reduce Data Breaches, Amber Branson Rubis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ineffective strategies to reduce data breaches in healthcare organizations can harm patient safety, erode trust, and jeopardize financial stability. Healthcare managers Healthcare managers must implement effective strategies to protect their organization's reputation and ensure long-term business stability. Grounded in protection motivation theory (PMT), the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to explore strategies healthcare business managers used to reduce data breaches and sustain profitability. The participants were six healthcare business managers who had successfully implemented strategies to reduce data breaches and sustain profitability. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and public records. Using thematic analysis, four themes were identified: …

Urban African American Women’S Perceptions Of Health Care Inequalities Experienced During Or After Pregnancy, Janel Scott

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American women are more likely than Hispanic and non-Hispanic White women to die during or after childbirth from complications. Incidences of African American maternal death are especially prevalent in the urban living population. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the healthcare inequalities that urban-living African American women have experienced during or after pregnancy. Link and Phelan’s fundamental cause theory, which states that there may be a relationship between socioeconomic status and mortality, served as the theoretical foundation for the investigation. A generic qualitative research design was used. Ten participants were interviewed and surveyed to gain insight …

Yield Comparison Of Three Melon (Cucumis Melo L.) Varieties Cultivated With Dutch Bucket And Drip Irrigation Systems, Widiya Puji Kumalasari, Suwarto, Etik Wukir Tini, Endang Warih Minarni

Jurnal Kultivasi

Melon is one of the horticultural commodities with considerable economic potential. Cultivation through hydroponic systems can provide efficiency and increase production if complemented by superior varieties. This study aims to identify the best hydroponic system and melon variety combination with the highest yield. The research was conducted from November 2023 to April 2024 at the screen house in Pasir Kulon Village, Karanglewas District, Banyumas Regency, at 110 m above sea level. The study used a split-plot factorial design with a basic design of a Completely Randomized Block Design. The first factor was the hydroponic system, consisting of S1 = Dutch …

A Transformative Era Of Action: How The Public Land And Private Sectors Are Realigning To Solve The Energy Transition And Climate Change, Roger Martella, Jillian Lavery, Michael O'Hora

Pace Environmental Law Review

Over the last 50 years, environmental laws have transformed the areas we inhabit—and Planet Earth—for the better. Since the daybreak of the environmental law movement in 1970, our air and water are clearer, the lands we navigate are cleaner, and the food and products we consume are safer. Unfortunately, this same legal framework has not met the same success when tackling two of the biggest challenges of ours and future generations: the energy transition and climate change. Since the Supreme Court empowered the Environmental Protection Agency to act on climate change over fifteen years ago, conventional environmental laws and policies …

A Novel, Direct Matrix Solver For Supersonic Boundary Element Method Systems, Cory D. Goates, Doug Hunsaker

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

For problems with very fine surface meshes, typically the most time-consuming step of a boundary element method (BEM, also called a panel method) is solving the final linear system of equations. Many have already studied how to efficiently solve the dense, asymmetric systems which arise in elliptic BEMs. However, this has not been studied for a supersonic aerodynamic BEM, for which the governing PDE is hyperbolic. Due to this hyperbolic character, the matrix equation which arises from a supersonic BEM has a large number of identically zero elements. But the resulting linear system of equations is also not sparse in …

Tesla Inc. Strategic Audit, Mckenna Eppenbach

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Tesla Inc. is an American electric vehicle company. Tesla's main industry is the manufacturing and selling of electric vehicles, but it has grown to sell batteries, solar panels, and home power storages. Since the company's inception in 2003, it has grown to be the top seller of electric vehicles in the United States. This strategic audit seeks to understand Tesla's business model by analyzing its history, strategy, competitive advantages, resources, and major issues it may face. Internal and external factors were analyzed using the PESTEL analysis and Porter's Five Forces. Finally, recommendations are given on how Tesla can sustain a …

Modalities And Meaning: Instructor Adaptation And Student Spiritual Formation Across Higher Education Learning Environments, Stephanie D. Sorensen

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the dynamic instructor and student experiences inherent in the evolving modalities of higher education. The first article synthesizes qualitative research about the challenges and successes faced by instructors transitioning to online learning environments, especially in their interactions with content and learners. Emphasizing the importance of support for instructors and institutions, it sets the stage for understanding the nuanced experience of online teaching. The second article presents an exploratory case study of a religious education professor teaching across four modalities. His experience emphasized adaptive strategies and underscored the pivotal role of instructor preparation. Findings revealed the instructor's proactive …

Nomenclature For Human And Animal Fungal Pathogens And Diseases: A Proposal For Standardized Terminology, Sybren De Hoog, Thomas J Walsh, Sarah A Ahmed, Ana Alastruey-Izquierdo, Maiken Cavling Arendrup, Andrew Borman, Sharon Chen, Anuradha Chowdhary, Robert C Colgrove, Oliver A Cornely, David W Denning, Philippe J Dufresne, Laura Filkins, Jean-Pierre Gangneux, Josepa Gené, Andreas H Groll, Jaques Guillot, Gerhard Haase, Catriona Halliday, David L Hawksworth, Roderick Hay, Martin Hoenigl, Vit Hubka, Tomasz Jagielski, Hazal Kandemir, Sarah E Kidd, Julianne V Kus, June Kwon-Chung, Shawn R Lockhart, Jacques F Meis, Leonel Mendoza, Wieland Meyer, M Hong Nguyen, Yinggai Song, Tania C Sorrell, J Benjamin Stielow, Rachel Vilela, Roxana G Vitale, Nancy L Wengenack, P Lewis White, Luis Ostrosky-Zeichner, Sean X Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Medically important pathogenic fungi invade vertebrate tissue and are considered primary when part of their nature life cycle is associated with an animal host and are usually able to infect immunocompetent hosts. Opportunistic fungal pathogens complete their life cycle in environmental habitats or occur as commensals within or on the vertebrate body, but under certain conditions can thrive upon infecting humans. The extent of host damage in opportunistic infections largely depends on the portal and modality of entry as well as on the host's immune and metabolic status. Diseases caused by primary pathogens and common opportunists, causing the top approximately …

Growth And Yield Of Bok Choy (Brassica Rapa L.) Plants In Post-Rock Excavation Soils Provided With Phosphate-Solubilizing Bacteria And Manure, Cecep Hidayat, Yati Setiati Rachmawati, Dhea Rizqi Utami, Sofiya Hasani, Anna Aina Roosda, Windhy Chandria

Jurnal Kultivasi

Elevated sand and gravel mining to meet market needs causes negative impacts on the environment, soil, and biodiversity. The government issued a regulation that requires revegetation as reclamation of mineral and coal mining. The conversion needs to overcome the physical and chemical characteristics of post-rock excavation soil that can be utilized by economic value plants such as bok choy. This experiment aimed to determine the growth and yield of bok choy on post-rock excavation soil by providing phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) and various manure types. The study was conducted in Margasari Village, Buah Batu District, Bandung at an altitude of …