Digital Commons Network^™

A Qualitative Inquiry Into The (In)Visibility Of Black Women Leaders In Social Work, Jere Murry

Theses and Dissertations

Black women are vital contributors and innovators within the American workforce yet remain underrepresented in executive leadership roles in most employment settings. Despite the contributions Black women have made, our continued marginalization is a direct result of systemic oppression and institutionalized racism, which persistently deny Black women opportunities for leadership ascension (Beckwith et al., 2016; Collins, 2000; Crenshaw et al., 1995; Wilkerson, 2020). This qualitative narrative approach explores the stories of Black women leaders employed in the child welfare and foster care system, illuminating the challenges, including systemic barriers, limited mentorship, and inequitable career advancement practices. This study examines 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 Impact Of Coaching On Teachers' Implementation Fidelity Of Goal Setting Strategy, Brandi M. Greene

Theses and Dissertations

Educational settings are filled with educators who have varying experiences in working with students who have disabilities and students who are considered at-risk. Typically, students who have disabilities or are considered at-risk struggle with self-regulation skills and require interventions to improve. However, literature has shown that there is very little training for teachers that will help them implement evidence-based strategies with fidelity. One of the strategies that can be used to improve self-regulation is goal setting, however, within the literature for the goal setting strategy, teachers are not well equipped to implement the strategy. Coaching has been deemed an effective …

A Comparison Of Involved And Uninvolved College Students' Stress And Coping During Covid-19, Abbie Alsene

Theses and Dissertations

In this study, I compare the stress and coping of involved students and uninvolved students at liberal arts colleges during COVID-19. The study seeks to understand if there are differences between the two student populations. Three research questions guide the study. First, how has COVID-19 affected the stress levels of involved students compared to uninvolved students at liberal arts colleges? Second, how do involved students cope with their stress related to COVID-19 compared to uninvolved students at liberal arts colleges? And lastly, what is the relationship between how involved college students view COVID-19 and their levels of stress in comparison …

Utilization Of Golden Pennycress In Broiler Diets, Marley M. Knowles

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to evaluate performance in broiler chickens fed diets containing golden pennycress meal (GPCM), with and without a flavor additive. Golden pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) is a winter cover crop grown in the Midwest that is rising in popularity as a cash crop used for biofuel production. After oil is pressed out of the seeds, a meal remains that is usually discarded. Incorporation of this meal (23% protein, 15% fat) into feedstuffs for broilers would be an efficient way to make biofuel production more sustainable. In one study, Cornish Cross three-day-old chicks (n=12) were …

Voices From Within: Employees' Sensemaking Of Corporate Volunteerism, Janet Laadi Anani

Theses and Dissertations

Corporate volunteerism is a key component of the philanthropic pillar of CSR, shaping employee engagement and organizational identity. This study employed the social exchange and sensemaking theories to explore how employees make meaning of their experiences in corporate volunteer initiatives and how their experiences influence their perceptions of their organizations. Data was gathered from in-depth interviews with employees with varied corporate volunteer experiences across multiple organizations. The findings show that despite employees’ strong motivations to engage in corporate volunteerism, they face challenges such as time and workload constraints and limited variety of volunteer opportunities. The study also found that employees’ …

From Uncertainty To Alignment: The Role Of Internal Public Relations In Supporting Employee Adjustment During Leadership Transitions, Margaret Ny Asare

Theses and Dissertations

Frequent leadership transitions in today’s organizations present complex challenges that disrupt employee engagement, productivity, and overall organizational stability. This study explores how internal public relations (iPR) functions as a strategic communication mechanism to support employee adjustment during these pivotal transitions. Drawing on Lewin’s change management model (CMM) and uncertainty reduction theory (URT), the research examines three interrelated areas: the impact of early internal communication on employee attitudes, the role of informal employee networks in fostering readiness, and the adaptation of communication strategies to align with incoming leadership styles.

Using qualitative methods, the study conducted semi-structured interviews with internal communication professionals …

Listening To The Body: Attunement And Advocacy In Women's Experiences Of Endometriosis, Rebekah E. Greenslaugh

Theses and Dissertations

Endometriosis is a chronic, inflammatory condition in which tissue similar to the endometrial lining grows outside the uterus, leading to severe pain, fatigue, and other debilitating symptoms. Despite its significant impact on daily life, many women with endometriosis report that their symptoms are dismissed in medical encounters, as their pain is minimized or normalized as an inherent aspect of womanhood. This medical dismissal, combined with a lack of definitive diagnostic tools and effective treatments, leads many to turn to online support communities to make sense of their symptoms, share experiences, and develop ways to cope with the condition. Drawing on …

Investigation Of The Human Temporal Styloid Process As A Bony Indicator Of Speech, Sommer A. Martin

Theses and Dissertations

The temporal styloid process in humans serves as an attachment point for the styloglossus, stylohyoid, and stylopharyngeus, which are involved in tongue movement and deglutition. I hypothesized that the length of the ossified styloid process in humans is the result of selection for increased musculature that would support tongue movements involved in speech. This hypothesis assumes that the relative length of the ossified temporal styloid process is unique to humans. A comparative analysis of the presence or absence of the temporal styloid process was conducted on ten genera of Old-World primates, and it was found that the length of this …

Centralized Deep Reinforcement Learning For Homogeneous Multi-Component Maintenance Optimization, Joseph W. Wittrock

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores an application of reinforcement learning (RL) in maintenance optimization. Recent advances in hardware-accelerated computation and deep learning have made RL a powerful tool for solving optimization problems which are too complex for traditional methods. Maintenance optimization involves improving the efficiency and effectiveness of maintenance activities through data-driven approaches, ultimately reducing costs and increasing asset availability. Making informed maintenance decisions is crucial to long-term sustainability.

A desirable maintenance policy maximizes a utility signal while minimizing the cost of maintenance. Techniques in sequential decision making such as dynamic programming (DP) and RL have found success in optimizing these maintenance …

Supervisor Support And Job Satisfaction: The Mediating Roles Of Work-Life Balance And Perceived Employability With Gender As A Moderator, Tori Lomelino

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the relationship between supervisor support and job satisfaction, offering work-life balance and perceived employability as key mechanisms through which this relationship occurs. It also explored gender differences in the relationship between work-life balance and job satisfaction, and perceived employability and job satisfaction. Participants were full-time employees in the U.S, recruited via Prolific, who completed an online survey. While supervisor support was found to have positively influenced job satisfaction through perceived employability, the role of work-life balance was less clear. Interaction effects including gender were not significant. This study highlights the significant role of perceived employability as a …

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 …

Scrolling For Two: An Exploration Of Pregnant Women's Social Support And Information Seeking Behaviors Using Technology During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Sarah Knowlton

Theses and Dissertations

Pregnant women faced additional challenges in accessing reliable support and pregnancy- related information, leading to increased distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Quarantine measures limited doctor’s appointments and isolated pregnant women from their families, which meant that meaningful connections and convenient information was important.

The purpose of this study is to explore the implications of COVID-19 social distancing on pregnant women, with a focus on three questions: 1) what digital technologies did pregnant women use for support and information seeking purposes during the pandemic? 2) how did pregnant women use technology to seek social support during the pandemic? 3) how did …

High Throughput, Solid Sample Analysis With Cone-Based Mass Spectrometric Ionization Sources, Emily J. Wiggins

Theses and Dissertations

The widespread presence of environmental and consumer-product contaminants (e.g. trace metals, opium alkaloids) has underscored the need for rapid, reliable, and high-throughput analytical techniques that are capable of handling complex solid samples. While traditional mass spectrometric (MS) methods tend to have high sensitivity and accuracy, they often require labor-intensive and time-consuming sample preparation steps that limit throughput and field applicability. This thesis investigates the use of 3D-Printed Cone Spray Ionization-Mass Spectrometry (3D-PCSI-MS) as an ambient ionization technique for the direct screening of contaminants from solid matrices, eliminating the need for traditional sample preparation and allowing for real-time analysis.

In …

Learning-Associated Astrocyte Ensembles Regulate Memory Recall, Michael R Williamson, Wookbong Kwon, Junsung Woo, Yeunjung Ko, Ehson Maleki, Kwanha Yu, Sanjana Murali, Debosmita Sardar, Benjamin Deneen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The physical manifestations of memory formation and recall are fundamental questions that remain unresolved1. At the cellular level, ensembles of neurons called engrams are activated by learning events and control memory recall1-5. Astrocytes are in close proximity to neurons and engage in a range of activities that support neurotransmission and circuit plasticity6-10. Moreover, astrocytes exhibit experience-dependent plasticity11-13; however whether specific ensembles of astrocytes participate in memory recall remains obscure. Here we show that learning events induce c-Fos expression in a subset of hippocampal astrocytes, which subsequently …

Initiating Insulin Pumps In Youth With New-Onset Type 1 Diabetes: A Quality Improvement Initiative, Mili Vakharia, Sarah K Lyons, Don Buckingham, Mark Rittenhouse, Siripoom Mckay, Rona Sonabend, Grace Kim

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Introduction: Insulin pump therapy is recommended for youth with type 1 diabetes (T1D) as it enhances quality of life and improves glycemic management. We led a quality improvement initiative to increase insulin pump use in youth younger than 18 years of age with recently diagnosed T1D (duration < 1 y) from a baseline of 17% to 27% from January 2021 to December 2023. As a balancing measure, we evaluated the diabetes-related ketoacidosis (DKA) rate in the same cohort as nonpump users.

Methods: We implemented the following plan-do-study-act cycles: (1) development and implementation of pump initiation algorithm, including minimal safe start criteria and education on ketosis management with pump action plan, (2) establishing clinic follow-up within 90 days of pump start, (3) expansion of the pump algorithm at additional clinic locations, (4) early patient/caregiver education …

Exploring Barriers And Facilitators To Dietary Assessment And Advice In The Paediatric Population Attending Dental Clinics: A Scoping Review, Lauren Hallewell, Raul Bescos, Zoe Brookes, Robert Witton, Patricia Casas-Agustench

School of Health Professions

OBJECTIVES: This scoping review aimed to identify barriers and facilitators, from both dental clinic staff and caregivers, to effectively providing and implementing dietary assessment and advice (for both oral and/or systemic health) in dental clinics managing paediatric patients.

METHODS: A protocol was developed a priori (Open Science Framework- https://osf.io/bp4ts.) and followed the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Studies published in English from 1990 to December 2024 in MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Embase and CINAHL databases were searched. Additional journal searches targeted articles on dietary assessment or advice in dental clinics treating paediatric patients (aged ≤ 18 years), exploring barriers and facilitators for caregivers and …

Attachment Technique As Orthodontic Aligner Retention Reinforcement: An In Vitro Study, Riandri C. Runizar, Retno Widayati, Miesje K. Purwanegara, Sugeng Supriadi, Giri W. Alam, Galih Taqwatomo

Journal of Dentomaxillofacial Science

No abstract provided.

Perceptions Of Endodontic File Separation And Treatment Options Among Dental Practitioners In Chennai, Subodh S. Satheesh, Sneha Baskar, Krishnapriya Balachandar

Journal of Dentomaxillofacial Science

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Link Between Bmi, Oral Health, Salivary Flow And Veillonella Parvula Among Adolescents In An Islamic Boarding School In Indonesia, Putri G. Asturini, Eva Fauziah, Mochamad F. Rizal

Journal of Dentomaxillofacial Science

No abstract provided.

Preschool Parents’ Knowledge Before And After Reading The Electronic Book ‘Trauma To The Primary Teeth’: Experimental Study, Vania Anindita, Eva Fauziah, Mochamad F. Rizal

Journal of Dentomaxillofacial Science

No abstract provided.

Profile And Characteristic Dental Anomalies And Oral Hygiene Status In Down Syndrome Children, Nurlindah Hamrun, Ameta Primasari, Elza Ibrahim, Asmawati Amin, Syakriani Syahrir, Fadhlil Ua. Rahman, Aprivita Lt. Padang, Aziza D. Risqillah

Journal of Dentomaxillofacial Science

No abstract provided.

Opg And Rankl Expression Of Bone Remodelling After Application Of Stichopus Hermanii In Cavia Cobaya, Bahruddin Talib, Asmawati Amin, Astri A. Aziz, Probo D. Putra, Mohammad D. Utama, Alqarama M. Thalib, Aryadi Arsyad, Delvi S. Reni

Journal of Dentomaxillofacial Science

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Geographic Tongue And Ssured Tongue In Psoriasis Patients, Andi Am. Putri, Febrina Rahmayanti, Gus P. Subita

Journal of Dentomaxillofacial Science

No abstract provided.

Conservative Approach In The Management Of Dentigerous Cyst And Horizontal Impaction Tooth Through Marsupialization: Case Report, Swarantika A. Rarasati, Melita Sylvyana, Endang Sjamsudin

Journal of Dentomaxillofacial Science

No abstract provided.

Advancing Oral Health Through Multidisciplinary Innovation: From Molecular Insights To Equitable Care - An Editorial Review, Hasanuddin, Acing H. Mude, Muhammad Ikbal, Erni Marlina, Muhammad Ruslin

Journal of Dentomaxillofacial Science

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Four Modified Methods Of Ligation Induction Of Periodontitis In Wistar Rat Model: A Pilot Study, Rio Simanjuntak, Budi, Pitu Wulandari, Martina Amalia, Denny Satria

Journal of Dentomaxillofacial Science

No abstract provided.

Piladang (Solenostemon Scutellarioides (L.) Codd) Leaf Ethanolic Extract Increases Growth Factors In Chronic Periodontitis Rat Models, Christiana C. Prihastuti, Agatha T. Purnamasari, Irma Khoerunisa, Amilia Ramadhani, Nuryanti, Tuti S. Suhesti

Journal of Dentomaxillofacial Science

No abstract provided.

Treatment Adherence, Self-Esteem And Employment Challenges Among Young Adults With Cleft Lip And Palate: A Multi-Centre Study In Malaysia, Murshida M. Nor, Thum Chen, Pow K. Jun, Haslina Rani, Suziyani Mohamed, Khairil Am. Khan, Syed Ns. Omar, Rozita Hassan, Tuti N. Mohd-Dom

Journal of Dentomaxillofacial Science

No abstract provided.

The Potential Of Black Soybean (Glycine Max (L.) Merr.) Extract Gel In The Healing Process Of Gingivitis In Vivo, Khusnul M. Listari, Ranny Rachmawati, Nungky Devitaningtyas, Audrey Renata, Tasya Indisa, Avillasyah Akbar

Journal of Dentomaxillofacial Science

No abstract provided.