Digital Commons Network^™

Navigating Acculturation: Opportunities, Challenges, And Community Support For African Immigrants In The U.S., Sharitah Nalule

Theses and Dissertations

African immigrants in the United States encounter complex acculturation challenges that are often shaped by systemic barriers such as language exclusion, financial insecurity, limited employment access, and time-restricted support services. This qualitative study explores how African immigrants experience the acculturation process and how community-based programs support or fall short in supporting their acculturation. Semi-structured individual interviews with Somali immigrants and community practitioners in the Midwest. While most African immigrant narratives reflect the experiences of Somali immigrants, practitioners provide insight into the broader African immigrant population based on their work with diverse African immigrant clients. Findings revealed three central themes: (1) …

Predictive Modeling For Healthcare Data Using Nonlinear Bayesian Methods, Prince Kofi Asare

Theses and Dissertations

Unplanned hospital readmissions represent a significant challenge for healthcare systems, contributing to substantial financial burdens and highlighting gaps in patient care coordination. In the U.S., approximately 20% of Medicare beneficiaries are readmitted within 30 days, costing billions annually. Social determinants of health, such as income, housing stability, and social support, account for up to 80% of health outcomes, yet their integration into predictive models remains underexplored. This study introduces a novel Bayesian framework for predicting 30-day readmission risk, combining Gaussian Process models with spike-and-slab priors and Bayesian Lasso regression with Laplace priors. Utilizing Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods, the approach …

Attitudes And Perceptions Toward The Qassimi Dialect, Fahad M. Alwehaibi

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores attitudes and perceptions surrounding the Qassimi dialect within Saudi Arabia. It addresses two primary questions: What are the attitudes of Qassimi speakers toward their own dialect? and What are the perceptions of non-Qassimi Saudi citizens regarding the Qassimi dialect in terms of stereotypes and its speakers? To investigate these questions, the research employed two population-specific surveys—one for Qassimi speakers and another for non-Qassimi participants—alongside semi-structured interviews with selected Qassimi individuals to gain deeper qualitative insights. The findings reveal that Qassimi speakers generally express strong pride and a positive emotional connection to their dialect, viewing it as a …

A Word Is Worth A Thousand Words: Sustained Alphabetic Narratives And The Academic Success Of English Language Learners At The Secondary Level, Ricardo D. King Jr

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, English Language Learner (EL) education, more commonly referred to as English as a Second Language (ESL) or Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), has advocated for a multimodal approach to classroom instruction. At the same time, higher level English Language Arts (ELA) classes continue to use sustained alphabetic narratives without explicit references to multimodal practices (i.g., graphic novels, graphic narratives, comics, picture books, etc.). This disconnect in teacher advocacy and in educational practice has positioned EL students outside of the opportunities offered by higher level ELA coursework and the sustained alphabetic narratives that are taught …

Understanding The Influence Of A University-Based Reading And Literacy Center Literacy Tutoring Program On Students’ Literacy Behaviors, Beliefs, And Skills: Stakeholder Perspectives, Wanda D. Turk

Theses and Dissertations

A convergent mixed-methods study designed with a networked systems theory framework investigated the influence of a university-based reading and literacy center literacy tutoring program on students’ literacy behaviors, beliefs, and skills. The study examined stakeholder perspectives of changes in students following their participation in the literacy tutoring program. A convergent mixed-methods design collected and analyzed quantitative and qualitative data separately before merging for interpretation. Quantitative data came from students’ pre-assessment scores and post-assessment scores. The results indicated that students’ scores increased, decreased, or remained the same from pre-assessment to post-assessment. Qualitative data came from tutor interviews and parent surveys. The …

Navigating Intelligence: Exploring The Social Implications Of Smartness For Economically Disadvantaged Black Boys, Errika Tenise Baker Perkins

Theses and Dissertations

With a focus on how perceptions of race and socioeconomic class interact to influence friendships and peer acceptability, this study examined the social experiences of Black males with academic potential who come from low-income families. Using Critical Race Theory (CRT), Du Bois’ concept of double consciousness, and the framework of racial opportunity cost as guiding frameworks, the study examined how “smartness” functions as a cultural practice tethered to whiteness and how these dynamics affect identity and belonging.

This study was conducted using a qualitative research design, leveraging an interpretivist paradigm. To extract the stories of the research participants, semi-structured interviews …

“The New Force”: The Rhetoric Behind Nana Kwame Bediako's Masked Campaign, Emmanuella Ama Gyamfi

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines Nana Kwame Bediako’s unconventional masked campaign in Ghana’s 2024 presidential election using Norman Fairclough’s three- dimensional Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). The research analyzes how Bediako employed anonymity through a masked persona on billboards before revealing his identity as a strategic political innovation. The study examines two key moments: Bediako’s unveiling speech after the government of Ghana cancelled his planned convention event, and his subsequent televised interview with JoyNews. The analysis reveals how the mask functioned as a complex symbol that generated public curiosity, challenged Ghana’s NPP- NDC political duopoly, and connected pan-African identity. Through the textual, discursive …

Investigating Meaningful Reflection Through Teacher Research, Brandon Hillary

Theses and Dissertations

This practitioner research study explores strategies for inviting high school students into meaningful sustained reflection during a semester-long civic inquiry project in the ELA classroom. The study examines how engaging students in a structured, inquiry-based reflection process can foster deeper, more meaningful reflection outcomes. Specifically, the study explores a process for facilitating student engagement in critical reflection, considers how students respond to process-oriented reflection prompts, and analyzes their reflective engagement across both written and verbal mediums.

Through a qualitative research design incorporating student reflections, classroom observations, and teacher-researcher analysis, the study identifies key patterns in how students navigate and articulate …

The Medea Effect: The Binary Terror Of Women Existing In The Liminal Space, M. Nance

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to analyze the Medea character as a liminal figure. Taking a metaphorical approach to Victor Turner’s ideas on liminality, this study will deconstruct different binary oppositions—villain/victim, agent/object, Dionysian/Apollonian. The Medea character does not fall neatly to one side of these binary oppositions; therefore, this thesis argues that Medea instead inhabits the space between the binary oppositions in the realm of the liminal. The thesis then analyzes the same binary oppositions within a survey of theatrical and non-theatrical texts that feature characters that embody archetypes that originated within the Medea character—the she-devil, the murderous mother, …

Slovakian Migration In The Aftermath Of The Velvet Revolution: A Qualitative Study Exploring Gender Relations Through Migration To The United States, Taylor A. Kanuk

Theses and Dissertations

Two million Eastern European immigrants have come to the U.S. in the latter part of the twentieth century, yet there is little research exploring their experiences. Slovakian immigrants represent one group whose presence in the U.S. has not been studied. This thesis investigates how Slovakian immigrants navigate their immigration experience in the aftermath of what is known as the Velvet Divorce, focusing on economic-driven and family-driven migration and transnationalism. Using a qualitative approach, data were collected through ten semi-structured interviews with Slovakian immigrants within the greater Chicago area. The informants in this study recalled their reasons for leaving Slovakia, which …

Skin And Bones: Transgenerational Trauma, Experimental Storytelling, And The Texture Of Hope, A Creative Dissertation, Janine Blue

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation theorizes and enacts experimental storytelling as a method for engaging transgenerational trauma, highlighting how form shapes the ways histories are remembered, embodied, and reimagined across generations. Grounded in hope rehearsal as both a theoretical and creative framework, this project examines how BIPOC writers use experimental writing techniques to navigate the afterlives of historical trauma and reclaim storytelling as an act of meaning-making, communal care, and futurity. The dissertation begins with a critical chapter that explores these experimental techniques as strategies for recovery and resistance. The dissertations’ creative chapter, Andre Lyle: Skin and Bones, expands on these ideas …

How Latine College Students Experience, Maneuver, And Navigate Within The Colonizing Notion Of Smartness, Jasmine Jetton-Gonzales

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores how Latine college students, particularly those who are the first in their family to attend college, navigate and maneuver within the dominating colonizing notion of smartness in academia. Rooted in an Anglo-centric educational framework, the American education system often marginalizes Latine students by devaluing their cultural and linguistic knowledge while upholding Eurocentric standards of intelligence. Using a qualitative critical research approach, this study employs testimonios to examine the lived experiences of Latine college graduates in Illinois. Findings reveal that Latine students frequently encounter systemic barriers that challenge their academic identity, including racialized perceptions of intelligence, institutionalized deficit …

Rethinking Trust In The Refugee Resettlement Process: How Service Providers Can Enable Refugee Agency Through Diasporic Connections, Mahfoudha Sidelemine, Emily D. Campion

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

Current guidance for refugee resettlement agency workers encourages the simultaneous pursuit of trust-building and administrative tasks (e.g., housing, transportation and employment). This dual goal is resource-intensive, and focusing on the former may come at a cost to the latter. The purpose of the current research is to challenge the importance of trust-building by resettlement agencies. Drawing from our qualitative data from in-depth interviews with resettled refugees (N = 20) and agency workers (N = 15), we adopt a grounded theory approach and find that the burden of responsibility for both caregiving and administrative responsibilities can overtax agency workers …

Like Holding Up A Mirror: How I Learned To Teach Restorative Justice, Susan Abraham

Articles & Chapters

No abstract provided.

Second Thoughts? Czerny, Beethoven, And The Ninth Symphony’S Choral Finale, Mark Evan Bonds

The Beethoven Journal

Sometime after the premiere of the Ninth Symphony, according to Carl Czerny, Beethoven told a small circle of friends that he had made a “wrong choice” in writing a choral finale, that he was resolved to write a purely instrumental finale in its place, and that he already had an idea in his head for the new finale. Czerny never committed this report to writing, but he did transmit it orally to three others who did: Leopold von Sonnleithner, Otto Jahn, and Gustav Nottebohm. Anton Schindler would later deny the report, but the available evidence strongly supports the veracity of …

From Theory To Practice: Simulating Zero Trust Architecture With Python For Cybersecurity, Pankaj R. Chandre, Bhagyashree D. Shendkar, Sulochana Sagar Madachane, Nikita Kulkarni, Sayalee Deshmukh

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

The increasing complexity and frequency of cyber threats have necessitated the adoption of advanced security models, such as Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA). ZTA runs on the tenet that no entity whether inside or outside the network should be trusted by default, in contrast to conventional perimeter-based security solutions. This paper describes a thorough method for simulating and implementing Zero Trust Architecture in Python. We examine the essential elements and procedures of ZTA, such as identity verification, access control, and continuous monitoring, through a thorough analysis and step-by-step manual. The simulation shows how ZTA works to ensure strong network security and …

A First Model Foundation Design Of Wood Pillar In Banjarmasin Swampland, Nursyarif Agusniansyah, Gusti Novi Sarbini, Akbar Rahman, Muhammad Tharziansyah

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

Banjarmasin's swampland presents distinct characteristics that make it suitable for constructing homes, but it also requires special attention, especially concerning the foundation. The soil in this area often has extremely low carrying capacity, which poses a significant challenge for construction. Mistakes in choosing construction materials, coupled with mismatched building loads and inadequate foundation functions, often result in foundation failures—a common cause of building collapses. As the complexity and functionality of buildings increase, the need for more thoughtful house design becomes more crucial. The commonly used wooden pile foundation, while popular, has limited load-bearing capacity, necessitating modifications to enhance its strength. …

Kadysnet: A Novel Approach To Dyslexia Prediction In Children: Combining Handwritten Text Recognition With A Hybrid Cnn-Bilstm-Ctc Model And Personalized Learning Strategies, Shailesh Prabhakar Patil, Ravindra Sadashivrao Apare, Ravindra Honaji Borhade, Parikshit Narendra Mahalle

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

This study introduces a novel approach for early dyslexia detection in children through automated handwriting analysis, integrating a hybrid CNN-BiLSTM-CTC architecture with personalized learning strategies. Our method combines a custom CNN-BiLSTM-CTC model with tailored educational interventions to support dyslexic learners. We analyzed children's handwritten text images in English, collected from specially designed tests involving word rewriting, sentence reconstruction, and paragraph composition, particularly challenging tasks for dyslexic individuals. Notably, our CNN-BiLSTM-CTC model achieved the best result with an accuracy of 97.67%, outperforming other architectures. Compared to pre-trained models like EfficientNetB7, DenseNet121, and MobileNetV2, our custom CNN-BiLSTM-CTC model demonstrated superior performance. Key …

Research On Data Organization Methods And Key Technologies For Product-Oriented Smart Steel Bar Processing Systems, Peijun Zhang, Lianxia Ma, Chunlei Zhang, Xinwu Zan

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

This paper addresses the issues in the data organization logic of existing intelligent steel bar processing systems, which are centered on construction projects. It investigates product-oriented data organization methods and the key technologies of logical correspondence between steel bar product identification codes and physical entities. The paper analyzes the product-oriented data organization logic and presents the corresponding data organization architecture. It also examines the feature extraction of steel bar product information classification and coding, as well as the dynamic completeness of the coding rule system. The paper provides a construction method for steel bar product identification codes and designs partial …

Editorial: A Decade Of Apasti – Advancing Regional Prosperity Through Science, Technology And Innovation, Basilios Tsikouras

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

A decade after its establishment, APASTI has emerged as a key regional mechanism for promoting science, technology and innovation as drivers of sustainable development, resilience, and shared prosperity in Southeast Asia. This editorial highlights the contributions of APASTI to policy alignment, knowledge exchange, research visibility, and collaborative network-building across ASEAN, while also acknowledging ongoing constraints related to governance, capacity, funding disparities, and uneven regional integration. It introduces a special issue of 14 papers published in AJSTD that collectively evaluate the implementation and impact of APASTI across diverse sectors, including geohazards, energy, materials, health, infrastructure, transport, and information systems. By positioning …

Performance Evaluation And Economic Analysis Of Lithium Iron Phosphate (Lfp) And Nickel Manganese Cobalt (Nmc) Batteries In Electric Vehicles In Indonesia, Yasa Sanusi, Fatwa Tresna Radityan, Farrah Anis Fazliatul Adnan, Jong Soo Rhee, Dianta Ginting

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

The transfer to electric vehicles (EVs) in more and more countries is a response to the increasing problems of climate change and air pollution. Electric cars solve this issue as they have zero emissions. EVs can significantly reduce carbon and air pollution, depending on the charging energy mix. In Indonesia, lithium ferro phosphate and nickel manganese cobalt are among the two most preferred types of batteries for EVs, and both have their advantages. This study evaluates the performance of these batteries in terms of power, range, charging speed, and thermal properties, using a range of battery capacities from 26.7 kWh …

Dexmedetomidine Versus Nalbuphine As An Adjuvant To Intrathecal Bupivacaine In Lower Extremity Surgeries, Mohamed Aly El Oraby, Amira Hafez, Hazem E Moawad, Gihan A Trabea, Maha Ahmed Abo-Zeid Salim

Mansoura Medical Journal

Background: Numerous medications have been added to spinal anesthetic over the years in order to speed up its onset, shorten the time until the surgical incision, increase its duration, and offer sufficient postoperative analgesia. Objective: This study suggests that dexmedetomidine is superior than nalbuphine as an adjuvant to intrathecal local anesthetic for the duration of post-operative analgesia in lower extremity orthopedic surgical procedures. Patients and Methods: 60 patients underwent orthopedic lower extremity procedures were split into one of three groups at random: Bupivacaine, Bupivacaine- Dexmedetomidine (BD), or Bupivacaine-Nalbuphine (BN). The principal outcome was the duration of post-operative analgesia. The secondary …

Hybrid Quantum-Assisted Deep Learning Model For Early-Stage Alzheimer’S Disease Classification Based On Mri Images, Eman A. Radhi, Mohammed Y. Kamil, Mazin Abed Mohammed

Mesopotamian Journal of Big Data

Alzheimer's disease (AD) presents significant diagnostic challenges owing to the subtle morphological similarities observed in the early stages, with traditional deep learning approaches often struggling to distinguish between the various stages of disease progression via structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data. Quantum computing offers unique advantages for medical image analysis, leveraging superposition and entanglement capabilities to process high-dimensional feature spaces beyond the limits of classical computation. This study introduces a hybrid quantum-classical neural network architecture (HQC-Net) for accurate four-class Alzheimer's disease classification, which uses quantum processing to detect patterns that are often invisible to classical spatial analysis methods. The proposed …

At The Crossroads: Initial Findings And Lessons Learned From A Medicaid Housing Benefit Pilot, Cat Livingston, Megan Holtorf, Benjamin Gronowski, Alyssa Cragie

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

No abstract provided.

Three-Dimensional Analysis Of Dental Arch Form In Relation To The Vertical Facial Pattern In Class I Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study, Ahmad Ghassan Droubi, Islam Gad, Aly Osman

International Arab Journal of Dentistry

Introduction: Understanding the relationship between dental arch form and vertical facial pattern is crucial in orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning. Variations in vertical facial morphology can influence dental arch form, which in turn impacts the effectiveness and stability of orthodontic interventions.

Objectives: The study explores the associations between dental arch form with the different vertical facial patterns, including hyperdivergent, normodivergent, and hypodivergent patterns in skeletal Class I patients.

Methods: A cross-sectional observational design was employed to examine a sample of 48 patients with skeletal Class I seeking orthodontic treatment; of which 24 males and 24 females. Each …

Accuracy And Reliability Of Anatomical Landmarks Compared Between 3d Facial Scanning And Cbct Radiographs: A Comparative Study, Mohamad Ahmad Munir Sakhita, Nayer Aboelsaad, Aly Osman

International Arab Journal of Dentistry

Introduction: Facial soft tissue evaluation is an important key for the overall patient diagnosis, treatment planning, and long-term prognoses. 3D patient imaging can be an alternative way to define the face providing the clinician with more accurate details, in comparison to the 2D imaging of soft tissues.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of anatomical landmarks comparing the 3D facial scanning with the CBCT radiographs.

Methods: The study was a comparative, crossover and descriptive study. Thirty patients (12 males and 18 females) with 15 to 30 years with a mean …

Patient-Related And Tooth-Related Factors As Predictors For Tooth Loss In Periodontitis Patients: A Systematic Review, Cleane Daraze, Carole Chakar, Abdelrahman Kassir, Charbel Anka, Jean-Marie Megarbane

International Arab Journal of Dentistry

Introduction: The treatment of periodontitis aims to prevent further disease progression, to minimize symptoms and perception of the disease, possibly to restore lost tissues and to support patients in maintaining a healthy periodontium. Management of chronic periodontal disease requires a combination of therapeutic modalities and a lifelong commitment to periodontal self-care.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate predictors for tooth loss in patients previously diagnosed with periodontitis. This systematic review covers studies of over 10 years of follow up.

Methods: Electronic literature search was conducted on 19/02/2024 by one author across several databases, including …

Comparative Evaluation Of Marginal And Internal Fit Of Zirconia Crown Designed Using Artificial Intelligence And Cad-Cam Software: A Systematic Review, Pritesh Gangde, Sweta Kale Pisulkar, Arushi Beri, Pritam Das

International Arab Journal of Dentistry

Introduction: The long-term performance of dental restorations depends on their internal and marginal fits. Improvements in the fit of restorations, especially zirconia crowns, have been investigated through the use of diverse materials, manufacturing processes, and impression techniques.

Objectives: The purpose of this review was to examine the internal and marginal fit of zirconia crowns made with CAD/CAM software with artificial intelligence (AI) software.

Methods: Using a combination of keywords and MeSH terms, the literature search was carried out across seven databases: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, ProQuest, and ScienceDirect from inception till 1st of …

The Language Of Mechanical Support In Children: Is It "Sticking," "Hanging," Or Simply "On" ?, Julia Hauss, Jennifer Barbosa, Paul Muentener, Laura Lakusta

Department of Psychology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

How do children learn the language-to-concept mappings within the domain of Mechanical Support - a spatial domain involving varied and complex force-dynamic relations between objects based on specific mechanisms (stickiness, clips, etc.)? We explore how four- and six-year-olds, and adults encode dynamic events and static configurations of Mechanical Support via attachment (picture put on a door). Participants viewed spatial configurations (Experiment 1 - in dynamic events or Experiment 2 - in static states) and were then prompted with the question, "Can you tell me what my sister did with my toy?"Children and adults used lexical verbs, and the visibility of …

Advanced Large Language Model Approaches And Natural Language Processing Techniques To Improve Hate Speech Detection Using Ai, Saad Almohaimeed

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The proliferation of hate speech on social networks can create a significant negative social effect, making the development of AI-based classifiers that can identify and characterize different types of hateful speech in messages highly important for stakeholders. While this is a highly challenging problem, recent advances in language models promise to advance the state of the art such that even subtle and indirect forms of hate speech can be detected.

In this dissertation we present a series of contributions that improve different aspects of hate speech classification. We developed THOS, a hate speech dataset consisting of 8.3k tweets. Compared to …