Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluating The Effects Of Visualization On Vertical Jump Performance In Varsity High School Athletes, David Linton

Doctorate in Kinesiology

This study examined the effects of guided visualization on vertical jump performance in high school varsity athletes. Twenty varsity athletes (ages 13–18) were randomly assigned to either a control group or a visualization group. Following baseline testing, participants completed seven sessions across three weeks. All sessions included a standardized dynamic warm-up. The control group engaged in passive rest prior to testing, while the experimental group completed a five-minute guided visualization exercise. Vertical jump height was measured using a Vertex Vertical Jump Trainer. A randomized controlled pretest–posttest design was employed. Data were analyzed using independent samples t-tests and two-way mixed factorial …

The Impact Of Patient-Generated Health Data From Mobile Health Technologies On Health Care Management And Clinical Decision-Making: Narrative Scoping Review, Ava Keeling, John Downey, Matthew Halkes, Yinghui Wei

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Background: Long-term health conditions and multimorbidity are increasing globally, placing an unsustainable pressure on health care systems. Mobile health (mHealth) technologies enable the collection of patient-generated health data outside clinical settings, offering the potential to support personalized care and inform clinical decision-making. However, the ways in which mHealth patient data are being used in clinical practice remain unclear. Objective: This study aimed to map and synthesize the existing literature on how patient-generated mHealth data are reportedly being used and influencing clinical decision-making for adults with long-term conditions in an outpatient care setting. Methods: A narrative scoping review was conducted on …

(Un)Intended Consequences Of Race In Medicine: The Ethics Of Race-Based Medical Practice And The Perpetuation Of Structural Racism, Allegra Merriweather

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation proposes that race-based medicine acts as a form of structural racism that is ethically indefensible. While it may be claimed to be a neutral diagnostic tool, the medical use of race as a biological proxy only further enforces the very hierarchies it purports to remediate, reinscribing inequity from conception to death. Building off Jacques Ellul’s work on Technique, we interpret race-based medicine as a self-perpetuating system that values procedural expediency over moral accountability. In nine chapters, the analysis follows the ways this technique is manifested in genetics and assisted reproduction, where commodified racial selection preserves social hierarchies; in …

Accepting Vs Understanding, Transgender Aliens And Alienation, Reyna G. Aliah

English

Trans people have been the subject of intense discrimination in recent years, suffering dehumanization from right-wing and conservative groups. This dehumanization (and the fear resulting from it) parallels common attitudes in science fiction about actual aliens. Orson Scott Card’s Hierarchy of Foreignness classifies individuals and species into five categories, depending on their sentience; whether they are from the same city, nation, or planet; and whether communication is possible. This paper examines how transgender people can be classified according to this system on a societal level, with said class depending on the lens used to view them as well as the …

Playing By Feel: Gender, Emotion, And Social Norms In Overwatch Role Choice, Cristo Leon, Angela Arroyo, James Lipuma

STEM for Success Resources

This paper explores how emotion, gameplay context, and social norms shape role choice in both digital and institutional systems. Using Overwatch as a case study, it examines gendered experiences of physiological excitement and decision-making during play. Women often describe heightened emotional engagement where victory represents both personal achievement and resistance to cultural expectations. Such emotions influence situational choices, including whether to play as a Tank, DPS, or Support, and which hero to select based on perceived risk or visibility. Drawing on feminist game studies and transdisciplinary communication, the authors argue that role preference is determined not only by game mechanics …

Facilitators Of Routine Cervical Screening Receipt For Women With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities In Nebraska, Anne Woodruff Jameson

Theses & Dissertations

Women with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) experience disproportionately low rates of cervical screening relative to women without I/DD, despite its clear role in cancer prevention. This disparity is especially stark in Nebraska, where in 2023, only 56% of women with I/DD had cervical screen receipt, compared to 78.4% of their non-disabled peers.. Previous literature has explored barriers to cervical screening for women with I/DD using the socioecological model (SEM) as a framework. This dissertation used three methodologies: a case study, a scoping review, and survey research, to examine facilitators to cervical screening for women with I/DD using the SEM …

Assessment Of Polymeric Chloroquine Formulations For Targeted Therapy Of Ulcerative Colitis And Metastatic Colorectal Cancer, Neha Kumari

Theses & Dissertations

Effective targeted drug delivery is a critical unmet need in the management of both ulcerative colitis and metastatic colorectal cancer, where conventional systemic therapies may be hindered by suboptimal efficacy and significant side effects. This thesis explores the development and preclinical assessment of polymeric chloroquine (PCQ)-based nanotherapeutics, leveraging stimuli-responsive designs for disease-specific delivery and action.

For ulcerative colitis, a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive nanogel system was engineered to release PCQ, a macromolecular derivative of hydroxychloroquine, specifically in the inflamed areas within the colon. Nanogels with well-defined size and positive surface charge were synthesized via reversible fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization …

Evaluating Joint Control Teaching Procedures For Teaching Yes-No Responding With Tact And Intraverbal Questions For Children With Autism, Desiree J. Dawson

Theses & Dissertations

Responding to yes and no questions is a general language skill that allows individuals to efficiently interact with their verbal community. Few behavior analytic studies have sought teaching this skill in general, with even fewer studies seeking to teach this skill when it pertains to a tact or intraverbal context. All behavior analytic studies to date seeking to teach this skill have used direct prompting and reinforcement of the yes and no responses, but there is little guidance for what can be done if this teaching strategy is not producing desired acquisition. The current experiments examined a teaching procedure informed …

A Framework For Fostering Flood Ready Neighborhoods, Kirsten Howard, Lucy Perkins, Alyson Eberhardt, Lisa Wise, Abigail Lyon, Lynn Vaccaro, Gracie Ballou, Annie Cox, Kate O'Brien

UNH Cooperative Extension

This resource summarizes lessons learned from the Flood Ready Neighborhoods Program and shares prompts and resources for readers related to community engagement and resilience building.

Scout 07, Austin Roberts

Theses

Throughout my tenure at RIT, I have produced multiple short films, undertaken gaming co-ops, and pursued an independent study centered on gaming assets to expand my technical and creative skills. For my thesis film, I sought to merge these experiences by concentrating on environmental storytelling—a deliberate challenge, given faculty concerns that narratives lacking strong character focus may struggle to engage audiences emotionally. With these considerations in mind, I crafted a film featuring a secondary character within a rich environment, designed to immerse viewers and provoke curiosity about the story’s temporal and spatial context.

Late-Stage Capitalism And Consumerism In Higher Education: A Morphogenetic Analysis, Kallen Zhou

Publications

Facing widespread student disengagement and dissatisfaction, U.S. higher education is undergoing a paradigm shift, detaching from its civic and pedagogical origins. A key force driving this transformation is the rise of student consumerism. While existing literature documents market-driven actions adopted by higher education institutions (HEIs) and the consumer roles students play, it overlooks structural market forces. Specifically, little theorization exists on the relationship between late-stage capitalism and student consumerism. This paper addresses that gap through two steps: first, offering a historical analysis of the traditional university model, late-stage capitalism, academic capitalism, and the decline of the liberal arts; second, developing …

Integrating Traditional Ecological Knowledge And Environmental Science For Sustainable Lake Conservation: Danu Kerthi In Bali, Ni Kadek Surpi, Si Luh Nyoman Seriadi, Ni Wayan Jemiwi Jero

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

This study investigates how the Danu Kerthi philosophy operates as a framework that integrates Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) with environmental science to support sustainable lake conservation in three upstream lakes in Bali: Beratan, Buyan, and Tamblingan. While previous scholarship has largely focused on the normative and symbolic dimensions of Sad Kerthi, empirical evidence on its ecological effectiveness remains limited. To address this gap, the study adopts a multi-site qualitative design involving participatory observation, document analysis, and semi-structured interviews with 30 participants representing traditional leaders, Hindu priests, tourism managers, village officials, and local residents. Thematic analysis shows that Danu Kerthi continues …

Investigating Metabolic Heterogeneity In Engineered Isogenic Microorganisms, Xinyue Mu

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Engineered microorganisms play an increasingly important role in the sustainable production of fuels, bioplastics, and other valuable biomaterials. Successful industrial deployment depends on maximizing product titers and ensuring process robustness at large scale. However, one of the major obstacles is non-genetic cell-to-cell heterogeneity arising from stochastic intracellular processes. Such heterogeneity can result in subpopulations that divert substrates toward growth rather than product biosynthesis, ultimately reducing yield and contributing to batch-to-batch inconsistency. To better understand the mechanisms by which cell-to-cell variation emerges, propagates, and impacts bioproduction, this dissertation investigated how intracellular energetic dynamics and stochastic biosynthetic noise contributed to metabolic heterogeneity …

Learning From Images And Text (Clinical) Data: Toward Putting Ai In Radiology Workflows, Pan Xiao

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

The rapid growth of medical imaging data highlights the need for intelligent systems that can understand both radiological language and image content. This dissertation presents two complementary research directions that advance machine learning in radiology through large-scale natural language understanding and unsupervised image representation learning. The first part develops and benchmarks machine learning models for identifying follow-up recommendations in radiology reports—a task essential for improving patient care and reducing missed follow-ups. Using 49,769 reports across multiple modalities and three institutional datasets, along with external and temporal test sets, thirty-two classification methods were systematically evaluated on both findings and impression sections. …

The Effects Of Kyphosis Angle Reduction On Balance, Fall Risk, And Quality Of Life, Karen Buckley

Doctorate in Kinesiology

Purpose: Hyperkyphosis is an abnormal sagittal plane curvature of the spine. The kyphosis angle (KA) increases as age increases, leading to fractures, falls, and potential mortality. This study aims to determine if reducing the KA improves balance, stability, and quality of life in the elderly. Methods: Thirty-one participants, including males and females, aged 63.03±9.61, participated in this study. This study used the kyphosis index (KI), which is a measurement of the distance between the occiput and the wall. Elderly individuals with an occiput wall distance (OWD) of > 4cm participated in this study. The Ferrans and Powers Quality of Life questionnaire, …

Fort Hays State University Tiger Weekly, December 19, 2025, University Relations

Tiger Weekly Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Consciousness Studies In Community: Allan Leslie Combs’S Enduring Vision, Debby Flickinger Phd, Rebecca A. Damien Phd

Journal of Conscious Evolution

Consciousness studies can be found in many different disciplines. Allan Leslie Combs held an inclusive view of consciousness that was not limited to any one branch, and he inspired us to explore consciousness through many doorways. Together the authors share narratives about teaching and learning with Combs while reviewing key areas shaped by his legacy, including gatherings, archetypes, psychology, and synchronicity. Our shared intention is to honor Leslie’s legacy through a narrative that comes from the heart as well as the mind.

Keywords: consciousness studies, gatherings, archetypes, synchronicity, Allan Leslie Combs

Single-Nucleus Multiomics Reveals The Disrupted Regulatory Programs In Three Brain Regions Of Sporadic Early-Onset Alzheimer’S Disease, Andi Liu, Citu Citu, Nitesh Enduru, Xian Chen, Chia-Hao Tung, Tirthankar Sinha, Sofia E Sepulveda, Astrid M Manuel, Damian Gorski, Brisa S Fernandes, Meifang Yu, Paul E Schulz, Lukas M Simon, Claudio Soto, Zhongming Zhao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Sporadic early-onset Alzheimer’s disease (sEOAD) represents a substantial but less-studied subtype of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Here, we generated a single-nucleus multiome atlas derived from the postmortem prefrontal cortex, entorhinal cortex, and hippocampus of nine individuals with or without sEOAD. Comprehensive analyses were conducted to delineate cell type–specific transcriptomic changes and linked candidate cis-regulatory elements (cCREs) across brain regions. We prioritized eight conservative transcription factors in glial cells in multiple brain regions, including RFX4 in astrocytes and IKZF1 in microglia, which are implicated in regulating sEOAD-associated genes. Moreover, we identified the top 25 altered intercellular signaling between glial cells …

Leveraging Transcranial Ultrasound Stimulation To Enhance Self-Regulation In Emotion And Sleep, Suraya Dunsford, Mica Komarnyckyj, Elsa Fouragnan

School of Psychology

This Perspective article discusses the emerging potential of transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS) as a non-invasive neuromodulatory technique for enhancing self-regulatory processes, particularly emotion and sleep regulation, in healthy individuals. Offering high spatial precision and the ability to target both cortical and deep brain regions, TUS uses focused ultrasound waves to induce acute and delayed effects on brain activity. We propose that combining TUS with neurofeedback methods and/or specific cognitive training exercises may capitalise on these neuroplastic effects, thereby augmenting and prolonging their impact to support lasting improvements in self-regulation. We focus on the domains of sleep and emotion regulation, where …

Adaptive Neuromodulation Dialogues: Navigating Current Challenges And Emerging Innovations In Neuromodulation System Development, Frederik Lampert, Matthew R Baker, Michael A Jensen, Amir H Ayyoubi, Christian Bentler, Jessica L Bowersock, Rosana Esteller, Jeffrey A Herron, Graham W Johnson, Daryl R Kipke, Christopher K Kovach, Vaclav Kremen, Filip Mivalt, Joseph S Neimat, Theoden I Netoff, Enrico Opri, Alexander Rockhill, Joshua M Rosenow, Kristin K Sellers, Nathan P Staff, Chandra Prakash Swamy, Ashwin Viswanathan, Gerwin Schalk, Timothy Denison, Dora Hermes, Nuri F Ince, Peter Brunner, Gregory A Worrell, Kai J Miller

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Adaptive neuromodulation systems and implantable brain-computer interfaces have made notable strides in recent years, translating experimental prototypes into clinical applications and garnering substantial attention from the public. This surge in interest is accompanied by increased scrutiny related to the safety, efficacy, and ethical implications of these systems, all of which must be directly addressed as we introduce new neurotechnologies. In response, we have synthesized the insights resulting from discussions between groups of experts in the field and summarized them into five key domains essential to therapeutic device development: (1) analyzing current landscape of neuromodulation devices and translational platforms (2) identifying …

Exploring The Medicinal Properties Of Indigenous Plants Within An Enabling Program: Bridging The Gap Between School, Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Knowledge And Science, Sharon L. Gough, Julie Sartori, Angela Jones

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

In 2021, less than half of Australian universities considered Indigenous perspectives in curriculum development, with only 15% ensuring Indigenous content in all courses. Literature acknowledges that a strengths-based approach to the inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge and perspectives, enhances representation and decolonises curriculum. In 2020, Noongar elder Vivienne Hansen, and John Horsfall created Noongar Bush Medicine, detailing the medicinal use of Indigenous plants. Yeshi, Turpin, Jamtsho, and Wangchuk noted that many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities use native plants for health purposes. However, there is limited data on the therapeutic efficacy of these plants. In 2024, …

Global Carbon Mitigation From Bacnet Adoption In Commercial Building Automation Systems 1995-2030, Fei Han, Weiwei Mo

Faculty Publications

Building Automation Systems (BAS) play a critical role in improving energy efficiency in commercial buildings, yet their long-term carbon mitigation potential has not been comprehensively quantified at a global scale. As the dominant open communication standard enabling interoperability in modern BAS, BACnet has played a central role in expanding automation adoption worldwide. This study develops a cohort-based modeling framework to estimate historical (1995–2025) and projected (2026–2030) CO₂e mitigation from BACnet-based BAS adoption across four regions: the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Rest of World (ROW). The model combines regional commercial floor area, baseline electricity and natural-gas energy intensity, BAS …

A System And Method For Validating Payee Identity In Unified Payments Interface (Upi) Based Payment Transactions, Alok Roy

Defensive Publications Series

The present disclosure relates to a system and method for validating payee identity in unified payments interface (UPI) based payment transactions. The method prevents misrouted payments in a digital payment environment, specifically addresses risks associated with mobile number reassignment. The system includes a mobile number re-authentication module designed to detect re-linking of mobile numbers to new accounts and an identity-change ledger that records historical mappings of mobile numbers to account holder identities. The method initiates by receiving a mobile number entry from a payor, performing a validation step that cross-references the entered number against the identity-change ledger, and generating a …

The Aesthetics Of Endings, Mary Imbong

Budhi: A Journal of Ideas and Culture

What does it mean for an experience to end? Guided by this question, I offer an interpretation of John Dewey’s notion of endings in Art as Experience and propose a perspective on the role of endings in aesthetic experiences. We often instinctively view endings as the final note in a sequence of events—disconnected from the moments that come before it. Dewey, however, sees them not as an isolated fragment but as part of the unity of an experience. His themes of doing and undergoing, as well as unity and wholeness, challenge conventional views of experience and encourage reflection on how …

Socrates And Early Buddhist Medical Ethics: Foundations Of Moral Reasoning In The Care Of Body And Mind, Chandima Gangodawila

Budhi: A Journal of Ideas and Culture

While Buddhist traditions articulate a parallel moral vision in the early discourses of the Pāli Canon, Western traditions usually locate the roots of ethical reasoning in Socratic inquiry. Especially in their approaches to bodily care, spiritual well - being, and moral responsibility, this article contends that both Socratic and Early Buddhist ideas converge on fundamental principles in medical ethics. Through a comparative textual and philosophical study, the paper examines how Socratic dialectics and the Buddha's diagnostic approach to dissatisfa ction/ suffering (dukkha) both produce frameworks for ethical healthcare anchored in the development of virtue, wisdom, and care for the integrity …

Lessons Learned: Paul Tucker, Salil Gupta

Journal of Financial Crises

After joining the Bank of England (BoE) in 1980, Sir Paul Tucker held a number of positions of increasing responsibility including serving as a member of several key committees. Tucker played a crucial role in the BoE’s response to the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) as director for markets, through March 2009, then as deputy governor of the bank until November 2013. Post-crisis, he has been instrumental in constructing the international regulatory framework on financial stability. From 2016 to 2021, Tucker also chaired the Systemic Risk Council.

Currently, Tucker is a research fellow at Harvard Kennedy School, Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business …

Central Bank Crisis Interventions: A Review Of The Recent Literature On Potential Costs, Patrick Aldridge, David A. Cimon, Rishi Vala

Journal of Financial Crises

Central banks may engage in large-scale lending and asset purchases to stabilize financial markets and implement monetary policy during crises. The ability of these actions to restore financial market functioning is well documented; however, they come with costs. We provide a literature review of the costs associated with these post-Global Financial Crisis central bank actions, without commenting on the net benefits they provide. We find support for the premise that crisis actions may negatively impact market liquidity, distort asset prices, increase rent-seeking and inefficient uses of the liquidity provided by the central bank, create international spillovers, and create distortions in …

Proposing Augmented Reality Game-Based Learning For Higher Education, Anna C. Zaldivar

The Scholarship Without Borders Journal

Simulating the role of an instructional technologist, negotiation takes place to implement the AR technology for use in a higher education institution. There are arguments both for and against the use of augmented reality for higher education. Overall, examining and highlighting these arguments to make an important decision that will shape learners' future. Using BATNA and examining arguments during the negotiation process.

Understanding Generation Z Polarization: Findings From A Preliminary Replication Study, Liane Weintraub

The Scholarship Without Borders Journal

Amid rising polarization and declining trust in democratic institutions, Generation Z (Gen Z) faces unique challenges in navigating civic discourse. This study presents comparative findings from two survey cohorts (2023, n = 56; 2025, n = 25) examining Gen Z students’ political identity, discourse habits, interpersonal trust, and civic attitudes. Framed by Social Identity Theory (SIT), Cultural Intelligence (CQ), and discourse theory, the study explores how ideological difference and identity signaling shape students’ willingness to engage across divides. Findings indicate continuity in partisan skepticism and discourse openness, but also growing fatigue, reduced trust, and ambivalence toward equity. While affective polarization …

Marooned: A Western Frontier Dismal Swamp Narrative, Professor Meya E. Hargett

The Scholarship Without Borders Journal

Marooned: A Western Frontier Dismal Swamp Narrative centers the erased figure of Samuel Mars, a lost Black station master whose movements through the Great Dismal Swamp have been excluded from dominant Underground Railroad cartographies. Here, the term “Marooned” refers not to abandonment, but to the maroon geographies of Black and Indigenous resistance encoded in land, lineage, and fugitive infrastructure.

Guided by Diasporic Maroon Memory Theory, Lineage as Method, and the Maroon Geographies Framework, this research reconstructs Mars’s trajectory through oral testimony, spatial patterning, and ancestral land memory. Rather than casting the Dismal Swamp merely as a site of refuge, this …