Digital Commons Network^™

Changing Climate, Changing Health: Perspectives From General Population In Mysuru, Lekhashree A, Manirsha P V, Paranthaman Chinnasamy, Srishti Arya, Sunil Kumar D

Digital Journal of Clinical Medicine

Background: Climate change has emerged as a major public health concern, contributing to rising morbidity and mortality worldwide. In India, increasing heat waves, unpredictable rainfall, and deteriorating air quality have intensified climate-sensitive health conditions. This study aims to assess the health impacts of climate change among the general population of Mysuru.

Methodology: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 residents of Mysuru (April–June 2024). Participants were recruited through simple random sampling. Data were collected using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire via Google Forms. Analysis was performed using SPSS v26, with descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results: Among 400 participants, …

From Ink To Code, From Binary To Boundless Reality—Until All Returns To Emptiness, Weitong Sun

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the entangled relationship between language, memory, and technology through the lens of immigrant experience. Moving from programming to visual storytelling, I investigate how dyslexia, bilingualism, and cultural displacement have shaped my ways of reading, writing, and coding.

Beginning with personal reflections on switching from computer science to art, I trace how code offered a form of clarity and expression where written language had once failed me. Yet as I ventured into real-time simulation and XR storytelling, I encountered new forms of mistranslation—where narratives dissolved, mutated, or resisted coherence altogether.

Through a series of experiments in code-driven art, …

The Cut Worm Forgives The Plow, August Neuscheler

Theses and Dissertations

The explorations in this thesis writing are centered on William Blake’s proverb “The cut worm forgives the plow.” It has been reinterpreted as an allegory of history and energy. A theory of their relation is proposed based on forgiveness, a theory that accepts the palimpsest of orders as evidence for the abundance of the present moment. The writing focuses on questions of proportionality, scale, archaeological screening methods, planar cutting, and a critique of entropy as grounds for this theory. Some of its subjects include the Statue of Liberty, Kate Raworth’s donut economic model, sashimi, triangulation, Joseph Beuys’ “7,000 Eichen,” semiconductors, …

A Parting Repast, Debra D. Dowden-Crockett

Theses and Dissertations

Both the thesis document and exhibition comprise the story of my journey through grief, examination of loss, contemplation of death, and transformation through acceptance and relinquishment. I conflate art and emotion to put form to the complex human experience of watching a loved one die, having to say a last goodbye, and the mourning that ultimately follows.

I examine the rituals surrounding death, the role of memory, and the symbolic presence of food as a shared experience of both mourning and nourishment, the intimate moments of mourning, and the gradual process of finding peace and closure.

Featuring works from a …

Between "Hippies In Suits" And "Money Is The Name Of The Game": Farm Animal Advocates' Analyses Of Political Power In The Farm Bill, Jeff Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

The animal agriculture industry annually slaughters roughly ten billion land animals in the United States. What can be done to improve their welfare and lessen their suffering?

Over the past decade, the problem of farm animal welfare and suffering has drawn increasing interest from the effective altruism community, a loose movement of utilitarian advocates seeking technocratic solutions to social problems (Singer, 2015). As effective altruism has become a more potent driver of the animal welfare movement, an increasing number of nonprofits have begun engaging in political advocacy for farm animal welfare. Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz’ Open Philanthropy is the largest …

¡Bip Bip!, Diego Pablo Málaga Beckhart

Theses and Dissertations

¡Bip Bip! is a body of work that investigates the car as it exists in the American imagination, a metaphorical and physical object where culture, identity, and power intertwine. This work uses painting, printmaking, collage, video, and installation to explore the car as a space of expression, interiority, and understanding the world through a marginalized lens.

Central to my practice is my personal vehicle, Guadalupe, which functions as both muse and metaphor, the main driver of the framework within ¡Bip Bip! My practice examines the different but congruent contexts intersections of this iconic American symbol, the car. In my paintings, …

Beneath The Roots: Becoming Native Through Mangrove Teachings And Wisdom, Shima Aeinehdar

Theses and Dissertations

Beneath the Roots uses the wisdom of mangroves to investigate the naturalization of humans through science, spirituality, and storytelling. The seeds of Avicennia marina, the gray mangrove, drifted to Qatar at some point in history and took root, like so many other people here. The mangrove survives in a harsh saline environment through a unique salt excretion process. As a Qatar-born expat, I relate to this struggle to survive and nativize in a land that is both my own and foreign to me, in a cyclical conversation. I explore this nativization process through a ritual of salt extraction, creating botanical …

Development Of A Mediation Model Of Pain Cognition In Adult Patients With Sickle Cell Disease, Daniel M. Sop

Theses and Dissertations

Pain is a hallmark of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), a genetic hemoglobinopathy characterized by chronic hemolytic anemia, vaso-occlusion, and organ damage. While acute vaso-occlusive crises (VOC) have been extensively studied, the mechanisms underlying chronic pain and its interplay with brain function remain unclear. This dissertation investigates the relationships between cerebral blood flow (CBF), fluid cognition, and pain sensitivity in adults with SCD, utilizing advanced imaging techniques and validated assessment tools.

Arterial spin labeling (ASL) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) were employed to measure CBF and brain activity, respectively. Pain sensitivity was assessed using the Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire (PSQ), and …

Cannabis Use Among Cancer Survivors And The Impact On Cancer-Related Pain, Tiffanie A. Vargas

Theses and Dissertations

With a growing population of older adult cancer survivors—many of whom experience cancer-related pain—interest in medical cannabis as a pain management strategy has increased. This secondary analysis used data from the 2022 U.S. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to examine cannabis use behaviors among cancer survivors and assess associations with cancer-related pain. The study had three aims: (1) to describe 30-day cannabis use (prevalence, intensity, and administration routes) by chronic health condition and cancer diagnosis, focusing on non-melanoma skin cancer, melanoma, and other cancers; (2) to compare demographics, health characteristics, and tobacco use by cannabis use status among cancer …

Inherited Wounds: Navigating Intergenerational Trauma Through Cooperative Play, Ayza Sheikh

Theses and Dissertations

'Strength' for Pakistani women is often defined as compromise, sacrifice, and silence. This definition has shaped intergenerational struggles in which women's self-narratives are constructed through suppression. Inherited Wounds seeks to address the trauma of suppression by creating a safe space for expression that fosters reflective and emotion-driven dialogue between Pakistani mothers and daughters.

Using interactive storytelling and embodied play, I developed a choice-based, narrative-driven video game and accompanying gesture-based controller. The game unfolds across childhood, marriage, and motherhood, mirroring the cycle of intergenerational struggle. Navigating choices in the game requires physical, intimate cooperation. The game uses the protagonist’s life as …

The Bitch And The Boogeyman: Violence Against Women And Gendered Morality In American Slasher Films, Davis A. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

This research examines the relationships between on-screen depictions of violence in American slasher horror films and depictions of gendered morality of victims. Slashers are a subgenre of horror film that arose out of the exploitation cinema movement of the 1970s that are characterized primarily by the presence of one or more human killers inflicting violence on a group of protagonists, typically through the use of bladed weapons. Data collected comes from a comprehensive set of thirty-six American slasher films that received a wide theatrical release, with exemptions for films whose primary genre is not slasher and only selecting three films …

Orb Weaver, Quinn Standley

Theses and Dissertations

Orb Weaver is a 24-minute experimental video/lm. This essay does not explain its meaning, as viewers should feel the power to trust their own interpretations. Instead, it reflects on the process of making the lm interwoven with autobiographical thoughts.

Substrate Preference And Foraging Behavior Of Two Declining Warblers In Appalachian Shrublands, Samantha Fishman

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract Shrubland and early successional habitats (ESH) support a diversity of wildlife, including many declining songbirds. However, nonnative shrubs increasingly dominate these habitats, potentially altering habitat quality by influencing prey availability. Habitat quality can be assessed by observing foraging behaviors of songbirds and identifying preferred and avoided substrates as well as testing the predictions of optimal foraging theory; specifically that birds will maximize their energy gain relative to the costs. We examined foraging behaviors of Golden-winged Warblers (Vermivora chrysoptera; GWWA) and Chestnut-sided Warblers (Setophaga pensylvanica; CSWA) in ESH on private lands in Virginia with varying amounts …

I Love Getting Mad At The Internet, Tariye George-Phillips

Theses and Dissertations

This book discusses the changing ecosystem of the internet in relation to my installation ‘In These Worlds’. This is not a direct translation of the installation, but shares the research and thought that informs the work, as well as sharing some of the work that preceded.

Unleashing Serine Palmitoyltransferase In Test Tubes And Mice, Matthew W. Peart

Theses and Dissertations

Canonically known both for structural contributions to lipid bilayers and roles in cell signaling, the sphingolipids comprise a dynamic, multifaceted class of molecules which are studied to understand homeostatic cell biology as well as pathophysiology. Sphingolipids contribute to tissue-specific structures such as myelin, a multilayer membrane that allows for rapid conduction of action potentials along neuronal axons. All sphingolipids are downstream products of the rate-limiting and initiating enzyme in the de novo sphingolipid synthesis pathway, Serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT). Demonstrative of its status as the enzyme that catalyzes a crucial step in a biochemical pathway, SPT activity is strictly regulated. This …

Reply Stop To Stop, Molly A. M. Garrett

Theses and Dissertations

Over the course of 8 years working in progressive political strategy, 2015–2023, I became increasingly critical of the systems, formulas and tools we were using to communicate with voters. Reply STOP to Stop is documentation of my time at graduate school, of wrestling with ideas of political design, language, communication and distribution. I analyzed my past work — all the texts, emails, social media posts, print ads, web banners, videos and other miscellaneous scripted content — and wondered if we would all be better off without it. Would elections be fairer, would there be less fake news, more community building? …

Watchpeopledie . Tv, Noah Lebien

Theses and Dissertations

The thesis piece is a performance called watchpeopledie.tv performed four times at the Anderson Gallery in the Hidden Galleries. There are two rooms in the gallery. The first room is where the audience enters. There is a line on the floor marking that the audience is not to move further into the first room or into the second room. The audio consists of verbatim comments sourced from videos of violence against trans people from the website watchpeopledie.tv, a website in which users post real videos of shootings, suicides, car accidents, etc. The main text, which is my thesis writing below, …

Developing Bioinformatics Expertise Through The Annotation Of The Gut Microbiome Of Odontotaenius Disjunctus, Keidra E. Carter

Theses and Dissertations

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have revolutionized biological research by generating unprecedented volumes of genomic data, necessitating advanced bioinformatics tools and specialized expertise to fully interpret complex microbial communities. This study outlines an integrated workflow to characterize the gut microbiome of the wood-feeding beetle Odontotaenius disjunctus. Prokka is employed for functional annotation to identify protein-coding genes and other genomic features, while Kaiju is used for taxonomic classification. DIAMOND is then applied to locate and validate the taxonomic assignments generated by Kaiju by aligning sequences within the contigs to a comprehensive protein database, proGenomes. Functional analysis revealed that the contigs encode proteins …

Radical Hope Amid Generational Oppression And Puerto Rican Well-Being, Natalia Gomez Giuliani

Theses and Dissertations

Oppressive systems (e.g., colonialism, racism, capitalism) create a disparate distribution of power that, through various mechanisms, negatively impacts the health and well-being of members of the oppressed group. Boricuas have experienced over 500 years of oppression, with the island currently maintaining a colonial relationship with the United States. As these adverse effects of oppression are identified, the need for protective factors (e.g., hope) has emerged. This study explored how islander Boricuas practice radical hope, understand their history of oppression and resistance, and how they perceived it to impact their overall well-being. Utilizing a phenomenological qualitative approach, I conducted 15 semi-structured …

Climate Change-Induced Shifts In Mediterranean Fungal Fruiting Phenology And Productivity, Rachel Demay

Theses and Dissertations

We used a 29-year dataset of mushroom fruiting from the Pinar Grande forest in northern Spain to investigate the effects of climate change on the phenology, productivity, and diversity of mycorrhizal and saprotrophic mushrooms. We investigated the long-term trends in fruiting season length, yield (by count, total weight, and average weight), and genus richness. Additionally, we identified associations between monthly temperature and monthly precipitation with these fungal responses across functional groups: mycorrhizal, saprotrophic, litter-decaying saprotrophic, and wood-decaying saprotrophic mushrooms, and the economically-important edible genera Boletus and Lactarius. We found that autumnal season length in the Pinar Grande has shortened over …

Narratives Of Illness Identity Development In Adolescents With Cancer, Rachel Holder

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Adolescence is a pivotal developmental stage characterized by the development of independence, autonomy, and identity. A diagnosis of cancer can be disruptive to this process (Grinyer, 2009; Hazen et al., 2008; Neylon et al., 2023). How one incorporates cancer into their identity, or illness identity, has been associated with clinical outcomes, including adherence, life satisfaction, psychosocial functioning, and health-related quality of life and could be a target for supportive interventions aimed at adolescents with cancer (Commissariat et al., 2020; Luyckx et al., 2008, 2018; Meyer & Lamash, 2020; Oris et al., 2016; Raymaekers et al., 2020). Prior literature has …

Rehabilitation In Stroke-Related Flexor Synergy, Shawn J. Dirocco

Theses and Dissertations

Upper extremity abnormal flexor synergy caused by stroke can impair individuals by coupling upper extremity muscles with deltoid activation. Previous studies have shown that reduction in deltoid loading can decrease flexor synergy. Robotic rehabilitation has the ability to allow for reduced deltoid loading while assisting or constraining joints along the arm to increase rehabilitation outcomes. The effects of higher degree of freedom low impedance robotics needs to be tested to learn how various parameters affect flexor synergy in comparison to end point robotics. During the first experiment, we tested 16 chronic stroke patients with flexor synergy problems in 3 tasks. …

Intuitive Mixed Reality Interfaces For Creative And Interactive Robotics: Roboart, Magnaforma, And Playmeow, Miles Popielamc

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis details the development and application of intuitive Mixed Reality (MR) interfaces designed to broaden access to robotic control for creative and interactive uses. The central contribution is the RoboART system, a novel MR interface built with the Microsoft HoloLens 2 to program an ABB GoFa collaborative robot for non-expert users, such as artists. The work describes RoboART's application in the Magnaforma project, where it enabled complex artistic expression.

Additionally, the thesis introduces the PlayMeow project, which explores adaptive pet interaction through a laser-guided turret. This system's control strategies were deeply informed by the intuitive paradigms developed for RoboART, …

Characterization Of Nanoplastic-Induced Exacerbation Of Asthmatic Pathophysiology In A Murine In Vivo Model, Keith Li

Theses and Dissertations

As global plastic production increases, so does the environmental and biological presence of nanoplastics (NPs), raising growing concerns about their potential impact on human health. These particles have been detected in various organs, including the lungs, yet their role in respiratory inflammation remains largely unexplored. Emerging evidence suggests that NP exposure may influence immune responses in the lungs, particularly in individuals with preexisting conditions such as asthma. However, the specific ways in which these particles interact with allergen driven inflammation are still unclear.

In this study, a murine model of allergic airway inflammation was used to investigate how surface modified …

Bugs In The Flux: Links Between Arthropod Diversity And Spatial Variation Of Soil Respiration In A Temperate Forest, Erin-Darby H. Mcclain

Theses and Dissertations

Soil respiration (Rs) is the largest terrestrial flux of carbon (C) to the atmosphere, with heterotrophic contributions to Rs varying spatially and temporally. While microbes are the primary and most thoroughly studied source of soil heterotrophic respiration (Rh), contributions from higher trophic organisms, including arthropods, are rarely quantified and poorly understood. Arthropod abundance and diversity correspond with variation in soil microclimate, which is influenced by site factors including canopy structure, site productivity, and disturbance. However, the extent to which these site factors influence arthropod abundance and diversity, and consequently, spatial variation in Rs is not known. The objective of our …

Using Habituation And Affective Forecasting To Distinguish When The Passive Enjoyment Of Harm Begets The Active Pursuit Of Aggression, Drew M. Parton

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the antecedents and impellers of aggression is key to preventing violence, and individual differences have been identified as some of the key factors of interest in the study of aggression. Antisocial personality traits such as psychopathy, Machiavellianism, Narcissism, and Sadism have received considerable focus from researchers. Among these traits, Sadism stands above them all as arguably the most malevolent of all trait constructs in psychology. Sadism shows the strongest correlations with aggression among malevolent traits and is uniquely linked to unprovoked aggression, even when it is costly. Sadism thus represents an extreme risk factor for aggression, and studying its …

Is Sex Necessary? Or Why You Feel The Way You Do, James Thurber, E. B. White

Zea E-Books Collection

Contents: The Nature of the American Male : A Study of Pedestalism • How to Tell Love From Passion • A Discussion of Feminine Types • The Sexual Revolution : Being a Rather Complete Survey of the Entire Sexual Scene • The Lilies-and-Bluebird Delusion • What Should Children Tell Parents? • Claustrophobia, or What Every Young Wife Should Know • Frigidity in Men • Answers to Hard Questions • Glossary

The year was 1929, the height of the Roaring Twenties and the eve of the Crash and Great Depression. A “Sexual Revolution” was in progress, and two writers from The …

Scopolamine-Induced Modulation Of Serotonin And Dopamine Transporters Activity: Behavioral And Molecular Insights Into Rapid Antidepressant Action, Deepak Karunakaran

Theses and Dissertations

Major depressive disorder (MDD) affects over 350 million individuals worldwide and is characterized by profound dysregulation of serotonin (5-HT) and dopamine (DA) systems that govern mood, reward processing, and motivation. The serotonin transporter (SERT) and dopamine transporter (DAT), both dynamically regulated through phosphorylation, serve as critical determinants of synaptic monoamine signaling. Despite decades of therapeutic development, current antidepressants require 4-6 weeks to achieve efficacy, and approximately one-third to half of patients develop treatment-resistant depression. The emergence of rapid-acting antidepressants like ketamine represents a paradigmatic shift, demonstrating symptom relief within hours; however, ketamine's therapeutic potential remains constrained by abuse liability, dissociative …

Linking Disturbance & Macrophyte Colonization–Extinction Dynamics To Invasion Success & Community Assembly: Integrating Population, Community, & Landscape Perspectives, Joshua T. Armstrong

Theses and Dissertations

Aquatic plants, macrophytes, are foundational components of freshwater ecosystems, influencing abiotic conditions, providing habitat structure, and shaping biodiversity and community assembly processes. Their role is particularly critical in dynamic systems where disturbance regimes and colonization processes interact to shape community patterns and species distributions. Despite their ecological importance, macrophytes remain underrepresented in theoretical and applied studies of metacommunity dynamics and invasion ecology, especially in natural systems experiencing frequent environmental fluctuations. Here we aim to elucidate how macrophytes influence and respond to spatial and temporal variation in aquatic ecosystems, with a particular focus on colonization-extinction dynamics, invasion success, and community assembly. …

Effectiveness Of Immersive Virtual Reality Combined With Task-Specific Training On Hemiplegic Arm Function Following Stroke: A Single Case Series Study, Rahsaan J. Holley

Theses and Dissertations

Motor recovery of the arm following a neurological injury is a common goal of the rehabilitation process for individuals impacted by the condition . Due to the long-term functional implications of impaired arm movement, individuals are often trained to use compensatory strategies to complete functional tasks without incorporating the weakened limb. While compensatory strategies offer stroke survivors the opportunity to regain a level of independence, such approaches fail to directly address the underlying causes of the disability (i.e., limited range of motion, decreased strength, poor coordination, motor planning difficulties) which can unfortunately result in long-term impairment and functional disability.

Motor …