Digital Commons Network^™

This Is A War: The 1977-78 Coal Strike And The Fracturing Of The Postwar Social Compact, Christian B. Rowe

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The 1977–78 coal strike was a landmark moment for the American labor movement. Despite holding out for 110 days with no pay or benefits through a historically severe winter, miners were unable to advance their demands and achieve a progressive contract. By invoking the Taft–Hartley Act to end the strike, Jimmy Carter destabilized the New Deal political coalition by enraging one of its core constituencies and placing the needs of the state over the needs of unionized industrial workers. The BCOA’s immovable position in negotiations was an early sign that the labor-management accord that had governed industrial relations since World …

Development Of A Model To Estimate Engine Crankcase Methane Vent Emission Rates, Juan Pablo Rincon

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The primary focus of this research is the modeling and validation of crankcase methane emissions stemming from natural gas combustion engines commonly deployed in the natural gas compression industry. The models employed rely on equations predicting the flow rate and composition of losses, typically generated within reciprocating piston-cylinder systems. Since crankcase emissions originate in a piston–cylinder arrangement, multiple variables were considered in this study, including displaced volume, pressure, temperature, flow, and viscosity (with corrections applied to account for the thermal and compositional effects on the mixture of fluids). The initial data for this research was collected during three measurement campaigns …

Trauma-Informed Yoga As An Adjunct To Treatment As Usual Within Inpatient Substance Use Disorder Treatment: A Feasibility Trial., Suzanne Vogler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Yoga interventions have been used more frequently in recent years within health and wellness settings to address both clinical and non-clinical issues. More specifically, yoga interventions and trauma-informed yoga (TIY) interventions are being explored within the treatment of substance use disorders (SUD). Initial research suggests that yoga interventions could be beneficial to the treatment of SUDs as an adjunct to treatment or a stand-alone intervention as part of continued recovery (post-clinical treatment) (Fitzgerald et al., 2021; Mallik et al., 2019). Although initial research is promising, the current quantity and quality of studies specifically exploring the feasibility and potential benefit of …

Watershed-Level Survey Of Antimicrobial Resistance From Onsite Wastewater Systems, Trey Franklin Clark

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has quickly become one of the largest global health and development threats. Research related to environmental modes of transmission of AMR has accelerated in recent years, and the US Environmental Protection Agency is particularly interested in this emerging contaminant. Knowledge of how onsite (decentralized) wastewater treatment systems contribute to this issue is lacking, so this research serves to analyze and quantify the environmental dissemination of AMR and fecal contamination from these sources at a watershed level while using statistical analysis to assess relationships between physiochemical, spatial, and sampling parameters. This research surveyed four watersheds …

A Learning History Of A State Physical Activity Plan, Jessica Nicole Riffee

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Physical inactivity remains a persistent public health concern in the United States, disproportionately affecting rural populations like West Virginia. To address statewide physical activity challenges, West Virginia developed one of the nation’s first state level physical activity plans, ActiveWV: 2015, that was revised to ActiveWV: 2030. Limited research has investigated how statewide physical activity plans unfold over time or how stakeholder learning can drive improvement.

This dissertation employed a learning history action research methodology to construct a collective narrative of the development, dissemination, implementation, and evaluation activities across both iterations of the West Virginia Physical Activity Plan. Reflective interviews with …

Development Of Novel Carbohydrate-Based Nanoparticles For Precision Drug Delivery, Krystal Ann Hughes

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Nanoparticle-based drug delivery has made tremendous advancements in the last decade. However, several critical factors, including precision drug delivery at the site of interest, long-term storage stability, and controlling release profiles of drugs in the systemic circulation, need to be addressed for successful clinical translation of nanomedicine. This dissertation presents novel carbohydrate-based nanoparticles that achieve precise intracellular delivery and therapeutic release at the disease site. We present the formulation and optimization of polymeric and polymer-lipid hybrid nanoparticles that enable precision intracellular delivery and passive accumulation of therapeutics in the bone marrow. Intracellular delivery is highly impactful and sought after. One …

Price Transparency And Patient Engagement: Social Messaging Matters, Jace B. Garrett, Keaton C. Helquist, Steven D. Smith, William B. Tayler

Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVES: To examine the effects of price transparency and prosocial messaging on price-protected consumers’ health care choices as a potential cost-saving strategy to manage rising US health care expenditures.

STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. Participants were recruited to complete a basic questionnaire via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk program. Participants’ selections were subsequently collected and analyzed.

METHODS: Participants (N = 567) selected a sleep study provider from 5 options, with manipulations including financial responsibility, provision of price information, and a prosocial message encouraging high-value options.

RESULTS: Price transparency increased the selection of lower-cost options among participants who were solely responsible for paying for …

Copula-Based Bayesian Model For Detecting Differential Gene Expression, Prasansha Liyanaarachchi, N. Rao Chaganty

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

Deoxyribonucleic acid, more commonly known as DNA, is a fundamental genetic material in all living organisms, containing thousands of genes, but only a subset exhibit differential expression and play a crucial role in diseases. Microarray technology has revolutionized the study of gene expression, with two primary types available for expression analysis: spotted cDNA arrays and oligonucleotide arrays. This research focuses on the statistical analysis of data from spotted cDNA microarrays. Numerous models have been developed to identify differentially expressed genes based on the red and green fluorescence intensities measured using these arrays. We propose a novel approach using a Gaussian …

Public Constitutional Ai, Gilad Abiri

Georgia Law Review

We are increasingly subjected to the power of AI authorities. Machine learning models now underpin algorithmic markets, determine whose speech is amplified or restricted, shape government decisions ranging from resource allocation to predictive policing, and influence our access to information on critical issues such as voting and public health. As AI decisions become inescapable, entering domains such as healthcare, education, and law, we must confront a vital question: How can we ensure that AI systems, which increasingly regulate our lives and make decisions that shape our societies, have the authority and legitimacy necessary for effective governance?

To secure AI legitimacy, …

Surveillance As Retaliation, Daiquiri J. Steele

Georgia Law Review

Employers have a myriad of technologies at their disposal to help them surveil their employees, and they deploy these technologies for several reasons. Some of these reasons—e.g., monitoring time and attendance, ensuring compliance with occupational safety standards, protecting against certain data disclosure, etc.—are legitimate. Others are not. Chief among the illegitimate reasons is monitoring employees in retaliation for reporting alleged employer misconduct internally or externally. Just as terminating, demoting, or transferring an employee constitutes an adverse action for retaliation claims, subjecting an employee to surveillance because the employee has engaged in protected activity is also an adverse action. Courts and …

On Parentage, Genetics, And Surrogacy, Jessica Tueller

Georgia Law Review

Bans in some jurisdictions, combined with relative affordability in others, have turned surrogacy into an increasingly cross-border phenomenon. Meanwhile, the complex and varied approaches to legal parentage and surrogacy that exist in domestic jurisdictions, along with a lack of international oversight, have at times left children of surrogacy parentless or stateless. The decision of the Hague Conference on Private International Law to begin regulating legal parentage in international surrogacy arrangements is thus an important and welcome development. However, the Hague Conference is considering imposing new genetic requirements that could result in violations of the rights to equality and non-discrimination of …

Jones V. Mississippi: Sweeping Away The Due Process Protections Of Juvenile Offenders, Tiffani N. Darden

Georgia Law Review

The U.S. Supreme Court’s pronouncement in Jones v. Mississippi raises questions about whether states will adequately adhere to the fundamental fairness principles of constitutional due process. The current juvenile sentencing procedures center on Miller v. Alabama, in which the Court struck down mandatory life-without-parole statutes applicable to juveniles. But in the post-Miller era, state legislatures and courts have struggled with how to apply the Miller Court’s holding. Ultimately, the Jones Court eliminated procedural due process rights for the criminal system’s most vulnerable class. But while procedural due process in the criminal sentencing context is not well defined as …

Suffolk University Academic Catalog, College Of Arts And Sciences And School Of Management, 2025-2026, Suffolk University

College of Arts and Sciences and Sawyer Business School Academic Catalogs

This catalog contains information for the day, evening, and graduate programs.

On Modeling Agent Behavior Change Through Multi-Typed Information Diffusion In Online Social Networks, Masaaki Miyashita, Norihiko Shinomiya, Daisuke Kasamatsu, Genya Ishigaki

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The rapid spread of information on online social networks (OSNs) has had both beneficial and detrimental societal impacts. Notably, the propagation of misinformation during events such as the COVID-19 pandemic has driven collective behavioral responses, sometimes exacerbating crises such as panic buying and bank runs. The toilet paper shortage in Japan in 2020 caused by people's selfish behavior owing to the diffusion of information to correct misinformation, which is considered a general phenomenon based on three sociological characteristics: a collective action problem, a self-fulfilling prophecy, and pluralistic ignorance. Understanding what kind and how information can inhibit selfish behavior to mitigate …

Physiological Effects Of Research Handling On The Northern Elephant Seal (Mirounga Angustirostris), Lauren A. Cooley, Allyson G. Hindle, Cassondra L. Williams, Paul J. Ponganis, Shawn M. Hannah, Holger Klinck, Markus Horning, Daniel P. Costa, Rachel R. Holser, Daniel E. Crocker, Birgitte I. Mcdonald

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Wildlife researchers must balance the need to safely capture and handle their study animals to sample tissues, collect morphological measurements, and attach dataloggers while ensuring their results are not confounded by stress artifacts caused by handling. To determine the physiological effects of research activities including chemical immobilization, transport, instrumentation with biologgers, and overnight holding on a model marine mammal species, we collected hormone, blood chemistry, hematology, and heart rate data from 19 juvenile northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) throughout a translocation experiment. Across our six sampling timepoints, cortisol and aldosterone data revealed a moderate hormonal stress response to handling accompanied …

“I Bet Being Trans In The Netherlands Is Like Living In The Future”: Could The Netherlands Serve As An Imperfect “Gold Standard” Comparator For Transgender Youth Research In The United States?, Anna I.R. Van Der Miesen, Sharanya Rao, Abigail L. Fischbach, Alex C. Bakker, Marjolein Van Den Brink, Renata A. Sanders, Caitlin Ryan, Stephen M. Rosenthal, Joep Roeffen, Asaf Orr Esq, Heather Newby, Kathie Moehlig, Richard Mocarski, Kim Horsnell, Thijs De Greeff, Annelou L.C. De Vries, Aisa Burgwal, Owen Wilson, Annika Kooke

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Background: In available comparative studies, Dutch transgender youth have consistently shown better psychosocial well-being compared to those in other countries. Therefore, the Netherlands (N.L.) could be considered a gold-standard—though imperfect—comparator for transgender youth research. The United States (U.S.) is heterogeneous in its policies and practices impacting transgender youth, and policies are in flux. This study examines similarities and differences between U.S. and Dutch policies, practices, and contexts relevant to the well-being of transgender adolescents. Methods: A three-stage Delphi procedure was conducted with expert panels in the N.L. and U.S. Results: This process identified candidate mechanisms driving differences in outcomes for …

Can Household Water Sharing Advance Water Security? An Integrative Review Of Water Entitlements And Entitlement Failures, Melissa Beresford, Ellis Adams, Jessica Budds, Leila M. Harris, Wendy Jepson, Tennille Marley, Chloe Nguyen, Amber Pearson, Anaís Delilah Roque, Asher Y. Rosinger, Sameer H. Shah, Matthew Stellbauer, Amber Wutich

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

An increasing number of studies find that water sharing—the non-market transfer of privately held water between households—is a ubiquitous informal practice around the world and a primary way that households respond to water insecurity. Yet, a key question about household water sharing remains: is water sharing a viable path that can help advance household water security? Or should water sharing be understood as a symptom of water insecurity in wait for more formalized solutions? Here, we address this question by applying Sen’s entitlement framework in an integrative review of empirical scholarship on household water sharing. Our review shows that when …

At The Bottom Of The Barrel: Rum’S Influence On Those Who Made It, Camryn Counsil

The Gettysburg Historical Journal

This paper examines the British Empire’s increasing rum production across their colonies in the West Indies during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Governmental officials, advertisers, and other influential citizens sought to establish rum as the beverage of choice among British society because of its economic, political, and social sensibilities. This growing enthusiasm established negative consequences, affecting the standards of living and social dynamics within communities of enslaved laborers on Caribbean plantations.

A Review Of Social, Behavioral, And Ethical Considerations For Smart Life Engineering, John Murray

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Smart Life (SL) systems do not exist in a technological vacuum; they are embedded in a social ecosystem and have rich and complex interactions with their surroundings. It is important to recognize that their design and implementation will have an impact on the individuals and communities around them. This chapter examines the social, behavioral, and ethical issues to be considered in a holistic systems approach to SL engineering, to help practitioners and stakeholders to design the strategies needed for successful SL deployments. It addresses these topics from several disciplinary viewpoints and provides a comprehensive set of references for those requiring …

Health Care Professionals’ Perspectives On Technology Use In Urinary Care: Cross-Sectional Survey-Based Study, Nicole Zhang, Ni Zhang, Yun Wang, Rachel Wong, Kaylin Ma

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Background: Urinary issues pose a significant burden on health care systems, necessitating innovative solutions to enhance patient care and alleviate the provider burden. Objective: The objective of this study was to explore health care professionals’ perceptions of urinary issues and assess their acceptance and readiness to adopt wearable and remote technologies for managing these conditions. The study aimed to identify the attributes and barriers influencing technology integration in clinical practice, using established theoretical frameworks, such as the Health Belief Model (HBM) and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Methods: A cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted. A structured survey questionnaire was administered …

Pain For Pain: The Benefits And Challenges Of Bdsm Participation For People With Chronic Pain–An Exploratory Study, Reni Forer, Bryce Westlake

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Research is beginning to find that many BDSM (bondage/discipline, domination/submission, sadism/masochism) practitioners experience benefits beyond sexual pleasure. Additionally, given the relationship between pain and pleasure common in BDSM, there may be certain unanticipated benefits for practitioners reporting chronic pain (PRCP). We conducted an online survey of an international convenience sample of BDSM practitioners (N = 525). Participants were asked about self-perceived benefits and challenges related to participating in BDSM with CP. Using chi-square, independent sample t-test, logistic regression, and linear-by-linear association, responses were combined with demographics, participation timelines, co-participants, motivations, and frequency of activities to identify differences between PRCP and …

Evaluation Of A Community-Based Socialization Program For Independently Living Older Adults, Patricia A. Shane, Anne T. Ferguson, Erin L. Woodhead

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Social isolation among older adults is a major public health concern because of the adverse impact it has on health and well-being. Reducing social isolation can improve health and decrease the use of costly healthcare services. However, there is little consensus on the critical ingredients of programming to reduce social isolation. Bay Area Older Adults® (BAO) is a nonprofit organization whose community-based Healthy Living Program (HLP) focuses on building and nourishing older adults’ social networks through transitions such as retirement, divorce and loss of loved ones. The current study was a program evaluation of the HLP using a survey to …

Gender-Sexuality Alliance Advisors’ Covid-19 Strategies Inform Future Responses To Sociopolitical Crises, Robert A. Marx, Michael O’Brien, Megan K. Yang, Diana Smith, V. Paul Poteat

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

In the spring of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a sudden shift to remote learning in schools across the United States, profoundly impacting marginalized communities, including LGBTQ+ students. This qualitative study explores the experiences of Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) advisors during this period. Drawing on interviews with 10 GSA advisors, the research highlights the structural and logistical challenges faced, such as limited access to technology and virtual-meeting fatigue, as well as the innovative solutions and adaptations made to continue supporting LGBTQ+ youth. The study reveals how GSAs leveraged existing resources, maintained group cohesion, and adjusted meeting structures to navigate …

Unmasking Public Sentiment: A Sample Efficient Approach To Analyzing Twitter Opinion On U.S. Aid To Ukraine, Satanu Ghosh, Nikhil Dewitt, Souvick Ghosh, Denise Mccoy

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The U.S. aid to Ukraine is a bipartisan topic of extreme socio-political importance. While several organizations have conducted surveys to understand the public stance on this topic, there is no research to date that analyses public opinion on social media, possibly due to the lack of annotated data. Therefore, this research compares several sample-efficient methods (including in-context learning) to analyze tweet sentiments with minimal training data. First, we collect 11,289 tweets about the U.S. aid to Ukraine and mapped them to U.S. states. Next, we explore three different approaches to sentiment analysis: tool-based, embedding-based, and prompt-based. Our results indicate that …

Self-Disclosure And Social Support In A Web-Based Opioid Recovery Community: Machine Learning Analysis, Yu Chi, Huai Yu Chen, Khushboo Thaker

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Background: The opioid crisis remains a critical public health challenge, with opioid use disorder (OUD) imposing significant societal and health care burdens. Web-based communities, such as the Reddit community r/OpiatesRecovery, provide an anonymous and accessible platform for individuals in recovery. Despite the increasing use of Reddit for substance use research, limited studies have explored the content and interactions of self-disclosure and social support within these communities. Objective: This study aims to address the following research questions: (1) What content do users disclose in the community?; (2) What types of social support do users receive?; and (3) How does the content …

“This Is Everyone's Issue”: Policy Entrepreneurs, Issue Framing, And Coalition Building In The Passage Of Automatic Criminal Record Expungement, Elsa Y. Chen, Sarah E. Lageson, Ericka B. Adams

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Research Summary: Since 2018, at least 12 U.S. states have introduced policies to expunge certain eligible arrest and criminal conviction records through automated or algorithmic means. Drawing on interviews with governmental representatives and community stakeholders, this paper identifies strategies used to pass this legislation in Pennsylvania and Utah, the first two states to enact automated expungement policies. We frame our findings around three established theoretical frameworks of public policy making—policy entrepreneurship, issue framing, and coalition building—illustrating their combined strategic importance with data gathered from those involved on the ground in the passage and adoption of automated expungement legislation. The findings …

Exploration Of The Effects Of Tai Chi Practice On Lower Limb Corticomuscular Coherence During Balance-Demanding Virtual Reality Conditions In Older Adults, Yang Hu, Elizabeth T. Hsiao-Wecksler, Manuel E. Hernandez

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Tai Chi practice has been widely adopted to improve balance and prevent falls in older adults. However, the neural mechanisms underlying the benefits of Tai Chi are difficult to evaluate during traditional balance assessments. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of Tai Chi and healthy aging on corticomuscular coherence (CMC) while standing in virtual balance-demanding environments. We recorded neural, muscular, and behavioral data in an immersive virtual reality environment while implementing sensory and mechanical perturbations to introduce high postural threats. Through the acquisition of electroencephalography and electromyography signals, we examined β and γ CMC changes in …

Lgbtq+ Advocacy And Inclusive School Policies Are Associated With Self-Worth Among Youth In Gender-Sexuality Alliances Over The School Year, V. Paul Poteat, Abigail Richburg, Jack Day, Emily K. Finch, Jerel P. Calzo, Robert A. Marx, Arthur Lipkin, Hirokazu Yoshikawa

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Inclusive school policies and youth advocacy could promote well-being and positive development among youth of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. Utilizing three waves of data over a 6-month period, we tested a three-level multilevel model on the extent to which youth’s advocacy in gender-sexuality alliances (GSAs; school clubs affirming youth identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning or with other expansive sexual orientations or gender identities [LGBTQ+]) and attending schools that more thoroughly implemented LGBTQ+ inclusive policies and practices were associated with youth’s self-worth. Participants were 627 youth (87% LGBQ+ youth, 45% transgender or nonbinary youth, 48% youth of …

Learning About The Transit Passenger Experience From Microblogging Posts, Egbe Etu Etu, Asha Weinstein Agrawal, Jordan Larot, Chaitanya Tatipigari, Imokhai Theophilus Tenebe

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Transit agencies often track delays and malfunctions but may overlook riders’ real-time social experiences. To fill this gap, we analyzed 559 tweets from 2020 to 2023 that captured personal accounts of public transport use. Using thematic analysis, we found that 74% of posts criticized other passengers’ behavior, far outweighing comments on transit ride quality, such as complaints about delays (25%). Notably, 86% of tweets expressed negative sentiment, though some highlighted exceptional service. These findings demonstrate that interpersonal dynamics are a key contributor to riders’ experiences and illustrate the nature of the interactions that riders like and dislike.

Can Whistleblowing Improve Organizational Effectiveness? Evidence From Financial Reporting Misconduct, Hong Kim Duong, Sadok El Ghoul, Omrane Guedhami, Emmanuel Sequeira, Zuobao Wei

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Background: While whistleblowing (WB) has attracted growing research interest in recent years, several critical WB-related issues remain underexplored. Purpose: This study examines the impact of external WB allegations on a firm’s organizational capital (OC). Such allegations often indicate management’s failure to address employee concerns internally, spotlighting potential deficiencies in internal reporting systems, employee communication, training, and trust in organizational fairness. To mitigate reputational damage, restore employee trust, and prevent future incidents, we posit that WB firms respond by increasing OC investment. Research Design: We employ a difference-in-differences approach, comparing OC changes in WB-targeted firms with those in a propensity score-matched …