Digital Commons Network^™

The Effect Of Impersonal Language Structures In Portuguese And English On Bilinguals’ Ability To Endure Hunger, Lucas Mceachern

CMC Senior Theses

Do differences in linguistic structures affect the way speakers of those languages experience hunger? This experiment hypothesizes that they do, under the premise that our experience of the world (colors, emotions, and physiological sensations alike) is shaped by highly variable language-based conceptual knowledge. This study investigates how differing structures of impersonality in Portuguese and English affect bilingual speakers’ ability to endure hunger. In total, 162 Portuguese-English bilinguals would be randomly assigned to a fasting and language condition and asked to answer questions regarding their perceived ability to fast until the next day. Their answers, as well as the time between …

Neural Correlates Of Attentional Biases In Dietary Choice: Role Of Childhood Socioeconomic Status, Justine Jamie N. Gotico

CMC Senior Theses

Childhood poverty has been shown to increase adult risk for obesity above and beyond its direct effects on adult socioeconomic status (SES). One proposed mechanism of these effects is by shifting behavioral patterns of dietary consumption and choice, for example by increasing rapid attention to high-calorie unhealthy foods. Yet, whether such neural mechanisms can explain observed differences in dietary behavior based on childhood SES remains an open question. Here we used event-related potentials (ERPs) to examine early attentional correlates of low childhood SES during a dietary choice task, based on research suggesting that early attentional biases toward high-calorie foods emerge …

The Paradox Of Pleasure: How Sex-Positive Feminism Constrains Female Freedom, Katherine S. Lanzalotto

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis critiques popular sex-positive narratives that espouse sex as the path to female liberation and empowerment despite ideological and material constraints that tailor female sexual expression to male desires. It interrogates sex-positive feminism's evolution and impact on female freedom. Despite its progressive intentions, mainstream sex-positive discourse has paradoxically constrained female freedom. This thesis analyzes how sex positivity inhibited female freedom, developing a nuanced framework of negative, positive, and republican freedom. This framework elucidates new constraints introduced by pro-sex thinking, such as compulsory female sexuality, the commodification of women under capitalism, and intersectional oversights in sex-positive thinking that particularly affect …

Pacification In Rio De Janeiro Comunidades: Perceptions Of Militarized Public Security, Ilma Turcios

CMC Senior Theses

Brazil’s history of militarization in public policy has led to the adoption of new models centered around crime intervention and community growth. Rio de Janeiro’s 2008 Comunidade (Favela) Pacification Program was one of the most notable policies reflective of these goals. Rio’s state government implemented Pacifying Police Units (UPPs) that would be permanently stationed in comunidades, driving out criminal organizations and promoting socioeconomic development.

The program was recognized as a symbol of reform in urban security thanks to initial crime reductions in pacified communities. However, testimonies reveal patterns of physical and institutional violence at the hands of UPPs and continued …

Optimizing Bitcoin Allocation: Predictability Of Bitcoin Portfolio Weights Through Macroeconomic Variables, Kirby Baynes

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines whether Bitcoin is a beneficial asset in a diversified, mean-variance optimized portfolio and whether its portfolio weights can be reliably predicted using macroeconomic variables. Using data from December 2013 to February 2025, the analysis applies rolling-window portfolio optimization and OLS regressions with Newey-West standard errors to test the relationship between Bitcoin allocations and a set of macroeconomic indicators. Results show that Bitcoin receives non-zero weights across portfolios and that its optimal allocation is sensitive to variables such as changes in the Credit Spread and Yield Curve. These variables were statistically significant in several models and produced meaningful …

Faltered States: The Rise, Fall, And Containment Of Psychedelic Science In The United States, Baxter Brew

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis traces the history of psychedelic science in the United States and its implications for policymaking. In the postwar period, psychedelic researchers were enabled by a unique convergence of optimism in medical science and structural flexibility. But their hope blinded them to the deeper tensions of their field. As institutions grew increasingly rigid and risk-averse, the space for psychedelics began to close. Some scientists responded by fortifying the walls around them, developing socially and professionally acceptable research methods. Others tried to escape these walls entirely. But neither approach could prevent psychedelics from being squeezed out of formal inquiry. Yet …

The Counter-Cyclicality Of Earnings Management: Evidence Through 2024, William J. Hall

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines the relationship between macroeconomic conditions and earnings management, extending the analysis of Hillegeist and Lin (2019) using updated data through 2024. Based on 16,635 firm-quarter observations, my study affirms the results found in prior literature and confirms that there is a negative association between the change in GDP and the direction of firms’ earnings management behavior, indicating that earnings management is counter-cyclical. My study also finds that firms manage earnings asymmetrically based on the current macroeconomic state, with firms managing earnings more in economic downturns and less in expansions. My findings suggest that despite major macroeconomic and …

The Coral Porites Lutea As A Regional And Local Proxy For Sea Surface Temperature In Hong Kong, And The Effects Of Typhoons On Proxy Accuracy, Brenna E. Bell

CMC Senior Theses

Proxies related to the climate have been used as a method to observe long-term changes occurring underwater that span long before we had the capability to measure environmental characteristics. Porites corals have been used as sea surface temperature (SST) proxies due to annual cyclicity in their growth process and mineral composition. As the climate differs globally, it is important to ensure that proxies are accurate regardless of location to measure changes in climate. This study examines Porites lutea corals as an SST proxy in the region of Hong Kong. Potential local differences in SST proxy calibrations within the surrounding waters …

Nfl Moneyline Market Efficiency: Predictability Of Odds Movements And The Overvaluation Of Home-Field Advantage, Elijah Costa

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis evaluates the degree to which the NFL moneyline market - one of the highest volume sports betting markets - aligns with weak-form market efficiency by analyzing high-frequency odds data from the 2020 to 2024 seasons. This study discovers significant predictability in the direction that odds will shift throughout the week leading up to kickoff, as a result of the sportsbooks’ adjustments to sharp action, rather than injury news. Furthermore, this study discovers that the market has overvalued the home field advantage in forecasted close games, leading to a profitable system by betting on away teams in games with …

Preserving Roots: Assessing The Assyrian Community In Iraq Through The Eyes Of Aid Workers, Tara E. Dawood

CMC Senior Theses

This study aims to assess the unique challenges and experiences of Assyrians from Iraq from the perspective of humanitarian aid workers. The research questions are as follows: what factors contribute to Christians choosing to leave Iraq, especially in the last 25 years?; what actions by the Iraqi government would deter them from leaving or support them in returning? This study is significant because it focuses attention on the excessive numbers of Assyrians leaving Iraq. Although they are a minority, their translocation produced a massive resettlement of migrants—more than any other group in Iraq. By analyzing the role of the Iraqi …

Scaling Social Impact Bonds In The United States: Barriers, Incentives, And Policy Solutions, Angelique M. Rivanis

CMC Senior Theses

Social Impact Bonds (SIBs) are a form of outcomes-based financing that fund social programs by shifting financial risk from the government to private investors. While SIBs have gained international traction, their long-term viability in the United States depends on structural reforms. This thesis examines two completed U.S. SIB projects, Rikers Island in New York and the Just-in-Reach project in Los Angeles, through an analysis of their design, implementation, and outcomes. While both projects focus on criminal justice, they provide context about the scalability of SIBs across multiple social policy areas.The three primary constraints are high transaction costs, limited investor interest, …

The Role Of Cap-And-Trade In Corporate Accountability: Evaluating The Effectiveness And Challenges Of Emissions Trading Systems, Maxwell Feldman

CMC Senior Theses

The growing urgency of climate change demands actionable solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, particularly from corporations with significant environmental footprints. This thesis examines the role of cap-and-trade systems in promoting corporate accountability for emissions reductions, analyzing how market-based mechanisms can incentivize companies to transition to lower-carbon operations. While these systems offer flexibility and economic efficiency, their effectiveness is largely contingent on robust design, stringent enforcement, and transparency. Drawing on case studies from the European Union, California, and China, this paper explores the strengths and weaknesses of existing emissions trading systems (ETS), focusing on how these markets balance environmental goals …

Two Paths, One Paris Agreement: Global South Development And Diplomacy In A Changing Climate, My Fu

CMC Senior Theses

Climate action, development, and technology have grown intertwined in the international struggle against climate change. When the Paris Agreement was developed in 2015, it bridged these commitments together and encouraged the international community to collaborate in reducing global temperatures. Historically, international agreements have excluded Global South countries from benefits when it was implemented. Is the Paris Agreement the same? How effective has the Paris Agreement been in fostering the international community to support Global South countries in their economic, technological, and sustainable development? By assessing the cases of Bhutan and Kenya, the answer to this question appears to be complex. …

Money Matters: Investigating The Emotional, Cognitive, And Biological Pathways Connecting Maternal Early Life Financial Insecurity And Parenting Quality, Elise Power, Stacey N. Doan

CMC Senior Theses

Early life adversity has been shown to have a variety of negative effects on adult functioning, including parenting quality, with implications for child wellbeing. Adverse early life experiences including poverty have been linked to long-term disruptions in emotional, cognitive, and physiological functioning that compromise the ability to provide sensitive, nurturing care. The present study investigated whether emotional regulation difficulties, physiological regulation, and cognitive function mediate the relationship between early life financial insecurity and parenting quality. A sample of 132 mother-child dyads completed self-report measures, biological samples, and cognitive assessments. A multiple mediation model ran in SPSS, revealed a significant indirect …

Exporting Culture, Building A Nation: South Korea’S Use Of Pop Culture As A Soft Power Tool, Nathaniel J. Kim

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines the multiple governmental plans, policies, and actions by the South Korean government to support and globalize their pop culture products. After the crumbling of its economy and global image due to many external factors in the 1900s, South Korea found itself in poverty with very little global influence. To rebuild their nation, the government implemented many actions to help grow and strengthen their pop culture products to make them more desirable, domestically and internationally. This thesis analyzes three of the major pop culture exports for South Korea, television, movies, and music, and demonstrates how the government has …

Exploring Neurodiversity & The Role Of Flexible Workplaces For Organizational Neuroinclusion, Miranda Chen

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis conducted a thorough literature review on the experiences and outcomes of neurodiverse individuals in the workplace and found consistently lower outcomes in well-being, work performance, intention to leave, and job satisfaction compared to neurotypical workers. It examined how the emergence of remote work presents new opportunities for mitigating some workplace challenges around stress and sensory overload, while recognizing that remote work alone falls short as being a definitive solution for the unique challenges faced by neurodiverse people. Instead, it argued for Flexible Work Arrangements (FWA’s) as a comprehensive and systemic strategy to address individual needs and organizational inclusion, …

The Meditative Mind In Sync: The Effects Of Meditative Interpersonal Synchrony On Self-Other Merging, Self-Representation, And Social Connection., Nathan Verba

CMC Senior Theses

This study investigates the effects of meditative interpersonal synchrony, operationalized through OM group chanting meditation (OM-GCM), on self-other merging, self-referential thinking, and the quality of social interactions between strangers. Interpersonal synchrony and meditation have been widely studied as distinct phenomena; however, this thesis is the first to examine the potential amplifying effects of their combination. This thesis hypothesized that OM-GCM would lead to higher conversation quality, increased self-other merging, and reduced self-referential thinking compared to a non-meditative synchronous control: humming. To test this, twenty-eight college students, paired into dyads of strangers, engaged in either the OM-GCM or humming condition, followed …

Transnational Legal Violence: Undocumented Women V. U.S. Immigration Law, Luis A. Mendoza

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines how undocumented women, particularly Latinas, experience "transnational legal violence" within the U.S. immigration system. Transnational legal violence extends the framework of legal violence by identifying how immigration policies weaponize absence and distance across national boundaries, forcing women to choose between physical safety and legal recognition. The thesis is guided by a central question: What immigration system are migrant women, specifically Latinas, responding to?

The analysis rooted in the intersections of gender and citizenship reveals how immigration law remains rooted in coverture traditions that historically rendered immigrant women dependent on male U.S. citizens. For these women, deportation presents …

Social Capital And American Democracy: How The Digital Age Has Created Challenges For Social Cohesion In America, Walsh Kern

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines the connection between social capital and politics in the context of American democracy. I begin by showing how society and government have been deeply linked since the political theories of Plato and Aristotle. I maintain that these philosophers conceptualized politics as a reflection of social conditions. Next, I demonstrate how Tocqueville builds on this tradition in his assertion that American democracy rose out of the nation’s unique equality of conditions and strong social bonds. With the understanding that civil society is crucial to American democracy, I then show how this fundamental pillar has been deteriorating. I present …

Donald Trump's Digital Media Campaign: How Podcasts Shaped The Political Views Of Young Men, Natalie Teare

CMC Senior Theses

This paper investigates the increase in Donald Trump’s young male voters in the 2024 presidential election through his digital media campaign. Trump was a guest on over 15 podcasts and livestreams, almost exclusively hosted by men. This paper examines three podcasts to discover what techniques Trump used to appeal to male voters: Impaulsive with Logan Paul, This Past Weekend with Theo Von, and The Joe Rogan Experience. The demographic of young men has specific interests, fears, and challenges that affect the strategies politicians use to garner their support. The advents of social media and podcasting have allowed young …

Intergenerational Influences On Mental Health Help-Seeking: The Role Of Parental Attitudes On Asian American College Students, Janet Cen

CMC Senior Theses

Asian American college students experience disproportionately high psychological distress yet underutilize mental health services. This study examined how demographic factors (gender, acculturation), psychological symptoms, personal stigma, and perceived parental attitudes predict help-seeking attitudes among 69 Asian American undergraduate students. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that greater acculturation and more positive perceived parental attitudes were associated with more favorable help-seeking attitudes, while higher personal stigma predicted less favorable attitudes. Although psychological distress initially negatively predicted help-seeking attitudes, its effect became nonsignificant after accounting for personal stigma and perceived parental attitudes. Personal stigma and perceived parental attitudes remained robust predictors even after controlling …

Isegoria In Crisis: Hong Kong's Innovation System And Articulating The Right To Be Heard Using Deliberative Democratic Theory, Bhanu Cheepurupalli

CMC Senior Theses

I argue that Hong Kong maintains democratic deliberation through its innovation policy apparatus despite lacking traditional democratic processes. Using deliberative democratic theory and the concept of isegoria (speech of equals before equals), I demonstrate how Hong Kong's innovation governance sustains meaningful consensus outside conventional democratic frameworks.

My analysis shows that while Hong Kong lacks free elections, democratic deliberation persists through alternative channels within science and technology governance. Innovation policy functions as a vehicle for justice-advancing deliberation despite institutional constraints, as deliberative bodies operate within limited time, authority, and resources.

I trace how Hong Kong's innovation policy apparatus developed through the …

The Inextricable Link Between Gendered Security And State Stability: Strategic Costs Of U.S. Humanitarian Retrenchment, Kirby Eh Kimball

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines the strategic consequences of the 2025 U.S. foreign aid freeze on gendered security in conflict-affected states, focusing on Sudan, Syria, and Ukraine. It argues that gendered security—the protection, empowerment, and rights of women and girls—is not a peripheral humanitarian concern but a foundational determinant of state stability, development, and democratic resilience. Through a qualitative comparative case study methodology, the research synthesizes empirical literature, United Nations reports, human rights documentation, and cross-national statistical analyses to demonstrate how the collapse of gender-focused humanitarian programs following the aid freeze will critically exacerbate conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), weaken state institutions, and …

Provision Of A Daily High Protein And High Energy Meal: Effects On The Physical And Psychological Wellbeing Of Community-Dwelling, Malnourished Older Adults; A Randomised Crossover Trial, Lauren Struszczak, Mary Hickson, Irene Mcclelland, Brad Metcalf, Manuela Barreto, Luciana Torquati, Jon Fulford, Rachael Allen, Claire Hulme, Mary F. O'Leary, Joanna L. Bowtell

School of Health Professions

Objectives: To determine whether daily provision of a high protein, high energy meal for 12-weeks to under-nourished older adults living independently in the community can improve physical, physiological, and psychological outcomes. Design: A randomised crossover trial. Setting: Participant homes within a 15-mile radius to meal supplier; Dartmoor Community Kitchen Hub. Participants: Fifty-six community dwelling older adults (82 ± 7 years, 70% female) were randomised (stratified for baseline mini nutritional assessment (MNA) score and cohabiting or living alone) to receive 12-weeks of meal provision followed by 12-weeks no intervention (meals first group, n = 28), or, 12-weeks without intervention followed by …

Interventions For Promoting Physical Activity In People With Newly Diagnosed Parkinson’S Disease: Scoping Review, Jonathan Gilby, Bridie Kent, Rachel Knight Lozano, Jonathan Marsden

School of Health Professions

Background: There is increasing evidence to suggest that physical activity can slow Parkinson’s progression. There is also increasing interest in non-pharmacological interventions to alleviate Parkinson’s symptoms. This scoping review aimed to map and describe the evidence for interventions that promote physical activity in people with newly diagnosed Parkinson’s. Methods: Studies conducted since 2011, on adults with Parkinson’s (≥ 18 years), investigating the effects of non-pharmacological interventions to promote physical activity and/or exercise were considered. Interventions needed to be conducted in healthcare or healthcare-related settings for people within 5 years of Parkinson’s diagnosis. Published or unpublished full-text articles since 2011 were …

Hymate: A Hybrid Mamba And Transformer Model For Ehr Representation Learning, Md Mozaharul Mottalib, Thao-Ly Phan, Rahmatollah Beheshti

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Electronic health Records (EHRs) have become a cornerstone in modern-day healthcare. They are a crucial part for analyzing the progression of patient health; however, their complexity, characterized by long, multivariate sequences, sparsity, and missing values-poses significant challenges in traditional deep learning modeling. While Transformer-based models have demonstrated success in modeling EHR data and predicting clinical outcomes, their quadratic computational complexity and limited context length hinder their efficiency and practical applications. On the other hand, State Space Models (SSMs) like Mamba present a promising alternative offering linear-time sequence modeling and improved efficiency for handling long sequences, but focus mostly on mixing …

The Iterative Process Of Developing A School-Based Intervention To Take Actions Against Racism, Lindsay Poole, Danika Perry, Zumana Noor, Kim Graham, Tia Barnes, Danielle Hatchimonji, Kira Branch

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Racism threatens the mental and physical health of Black and Brown K-8 students and may lead to re-occurring harm without intervention. We developed ‘Actions Against Racism’ professional development trainings using a trauma-informed racial socialization lens to provide K-8 educators with proactive strategies to disrupt the negative psychosocial developmental outcomes associated with racism. This paper is a descriptive account of how we iteratively developed this intervention through four phases over the course of four years. The primary takeaway from this work is that developing and implementing interventions to disrupt racism and promote healing must take into account the implementation context, with …

Addressing The Policy Gap: Dental Shortages In Rural Michigan And Licensure Requirements, Maria A. Manautou Dds, Mph

Integrative Learning Experience (ILE) Theses

The policy analysis examines the role of Michigan’s dental licensure requirements in shaping dental workforce capacity and oral healthcare access among Medicaid populations in rural Michigan counties. Guided by the Healthy People 2030 framework, the analysis used a mixed-methods approach to evaluate dental service utilization among Michigan Medicaid beneficiaries. Data were obtained from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Oral Health Dashboard. Dental workforce capacity and trends were evaluated using state and national workforce data obtained from the American Dental Association Health Policy Institute and the Health Resources and Services Administration.

Key stakeholder interviews were conducted with state …

Associations Between Internal And External Training Load Measures And Neuromuscular Performance In Elite Soccer Players, James J. Collins, Shane Malone, Kieran D. Collins

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

The study investigates the relationship between internal and external training load and neuromuscular performance in elite soccer players. Twenty-eight professional players from a squad across a season participated. Players performed a countermovement jump as a measure of neuromuscular performance, with tests conducted the day before a game. Training load data were aggregated over 7-, 14-, and 28-day periods to assess their relationship with performance metrics, including reactive strength index modified (RSI-mod), time to take off, and jump height. Internal load was measured using session ratings of perceived exertion, while external load was analyzed with 10 Hz GPS units. External load …

Beyond Genes: Non-Canonical Mechanisms Driving Antimicrobial Resistance In Bacteria, Leonard Koolman, Chijioke Emenike, Debasis Mitra, Sourav Chattaraj

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is traditionally discussed in the context of horizontally acquired resistance genes and point mutations at target loci. However, this gene-centred model fails to account for a large number of clinically important modalities of resistance. There is now substantial evidence implicating bacteria in the ability to escape the effects of antibiotics in a variety of non-canonical ways, which are not considered in traditional diagnostic and surveillance pipelines. Among these factors, we can list those arising from global regulatory networks, phase variability, epigenetic tuning, small RNAs, genome structural variability, and phenotypic states like tolerance and persistence. This review will …