The Community Era: Developing Artistic Resource Sharing And Local Collaboration In California's Central Valley, Sine Chan-Golston

Student Theses

This work explores possibilities for artistic resource sharing and collaboration to address the needs of local arts communities. With the artistic programming researched and outlined (Arts Database, Space Sharing, Community Collaborations), the goal is to create an arts environment in California's Central Valley where local opportunities are abundant, accessible, and sustainable.

Contemporary U.S. Anthromes As Defined By Hanpp Regimes, Aishwarya Chandrasekaran, Kat F. Fowler, Christopher Lant

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

The concepts of anthromes and human appropriation of net primary production (HANPP) are both valuable in understanding our human-dominated planet, yet they have never been integrated theoretically or empirically. Here we utilize an extensive county-level dataset on HANPP and its product-level components to derive, through cluster analysis, ten contemporary US anthromes. From highest to lowest density of harvested HANPP, the anthromes are: rainfed corn–soy, dairy fodder, spring wheat–small grain, dryland winter wheat, subtropical soy–cotton, commercial timber, mixed hardwood and pasture, recovered eastern forest, prairie–sagebrush rangeland, and arid and alpine sparse grazing. Expanding to thirteen anthromes maintains these, while bifurcating the …

Disparities Between Rural And Urban Patients With Epilepsy In Oregon From Time Of Seizure Onset To Genetic Testing And Surgical Treatment, Bahar Madani

University Honors Theses

Drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) is associated with significant morbidity and worsened outcomes when access to specialized epilepsy care is delayed. Rural populations may face additional barriers to neurological evaluation, genetic testing, and epilepsy surgery due to geographic and healthcare access limitations. This retrospective cohort study evaluated disparities in epilepsy care timelines among rural and urban patients treated at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), one of Oregon's two Level 4 epilepsy centers. Electronic health record data were reviewed for 110 patients, including 80 urban and 30 rural patients. Variables included age at seizure onset, age at genetic testing, age at epilepsy …

Tell Thy Story: The Jew As Other In "Pericles", Dov B. Rabinowitz

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This paper attempts to address a perceived blind spot in criticism of early modern literature, namely, the lack of critical race readings centering the othering of Jews in early modern drama. Shakespeare’s Pericles is used as an example of characters being othered, or Judaized, as they pass through city to city. Historical data, such as the history of the Domus Conversorum in England where converted Jews were kept, is used to bolster this argument, with Thaisa being read as othered in a Judaized way by being kept in a religious institution and never truly accepted by the people of Ephesus. …

Leading Beyond Concrete Ceilings: The Lived Experiences Of African American Women Presidents At Predominantly White Institutions, Marsha Philemon

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Despite their significant educational attainment, African American women remain significantly underrepresented in higher education presidential leadership, comprising fewer than 5% of presidents at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs). The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the lived experiences of 13 African American women who serve or have served as presidents of four-year, doctoral-granting PWIs. It explored how they ascended to the presidency, navigated barriers, and sustained themselves in the role. Guided by the engagement, retention, and advancement (ERA) model and by glass ceiling theory, semi-structured interviews were conducted to better understand each participant’s presidential journey. In response to the …

Understanding How Teachers Define And Employ Civics Education In Non-Elective Social Studies Classrooms, Joseph Kyle

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This study explored the perceptions of civics and civic education held by secondary school teachers of non-elective social studies classes in four schools within the same school district. Using a qualitative approach, this study examined how veteran teachers understood and defined civics, the ways in which they employed civics education in their teaching methodology and daily lessons, and the challenges or obstacles they perceived, if any, incorporating lessons reflecting a progressive experimentalist methodology. The study was undertaken in response to popular and governmental rhetoric reflecting a lack of civil discourse and alleging a lack of civics in public education, as …

How Did A Pandemic Impact Park Usage Among The Older Adult Populations In Memphis, Tn?, Katherine Barlow

Theses and Dissertations

During COVID-19 older adults’ populations were a vulnerable demographic, and through a review of existing literature it was determined that there is limited research about park and outdoor space use during COVID-19 by older adults. This research seeks to address these gaps by examining how a pandemic impacted park usage among the older adult population (age 60+) in Memphis, TN at Shelby Farms Park. This study examines the comparison of park use during (2020-2023) and after (2023-present) COVID-19. A mixed methods approach was employed. Wilcoxon Signed Rank test was run to analyze the survey data and a significant statistical difference. …

A Woman’S Wilderness: Fostering Mental Well-Being Through Sensory Stimulation In The Outdoors, Anah Gaynes

Theses and Dissertations

The female experience with nature is unique (Nurse, G. A., Benfield, J., Bell, P. A., 2010). This provokes the question explored in this study: “What sensory interactions impact women’s mental well-being in nature-based therapy programs?” This study invited participants of nature-based retreats held at 4 Winds Farm in Glenwood Springs, Colorado or Summit Sisters at Cal-Wood Education Center in Jamestown, Colorado. Findings indicate that women’s positive emotions are significantly impacted by their sensory experiences. It also revealed a fascination with trees and the importance of tactile experiences. For landscape architects this brings about a new challenge in designing for the …

Artful Architecture: Making Moments Around The Las Vegas Valley, Rachel Chinen

Hospitality Design Graduate Student Capstones

Artful Architecture: Making Moments Around the Las Vegas Valley investigates the spatial and cultural disconnect between the highly thematic, immersive environments of the Las Vegas Strip and the surrounding auto-oriented, utilitarian suburban sprawl. This research explores the integration of public art with everyday civic infrastructure to cultivate a stronger sense of place and local community identity.

(The) Invisible Threads: Portraiture, Memory, And Relational Endurance, Behnaz Ghasempour

Masters Theses, 2020-current

(The) Invisible Threads is an MFA thesis investigating how invisible interpersonal bonds, collective traces, and communal endurance can be made perceptible through drawing, material, and immersive installation. Drawing from my lived experience as an Iranian woman who has witnessed everyday constraint, collective uprising, and migration, the project asks how the presence of others continues to inhabit the body and shape identity even in conditions of separation and distance. Large-scale self-portraits, layered with other faces on transparent fabrics, copper plates, and stitched threads, position the artist’s own body as a site where personal and collective histories converge, allowing the self to …

Vietnamese American Anti-Imperialism: South Vietnamese History And Analysis Of Publications Pre-1975, Jeannie Nguyen

Master's Theses

During the Vietnam War, citizens contested US imperialism at multiple levels. In South Vietnam, citizens published newspapers and magazines to challenge their government and expose the depth of US aggression in South Vietnamese society and culture. Inside the imperial core, Black, Chicano, and Asian American activists formed solidarities to resist the war and challenge racial inequality. At the intersection of imperialism inside and outside its borders, lies a group of South Vietnamese students and scholars who became American, migrating during the war via state-structured projects. However, in response to the heightening of war and drawing inspiration from their ‘Third World’ …

Determining Agricultural Literacy Proficiency Of Extension Professionals And Primary Volunteers In Mississippi, Molly Campbell

Theses and Dissertations

The development of agricultural literacy is a lifelong process, moving from gaining agricultural knowledge to communicating with others to applying to societal issues, and extends beyond the formal classroom. The Mississippi State University Extension Service has the ability to reach various audiences through educational programming, making them a potential catalyst for change in increasing agricultural literacy across the state. The study aims to determine the agricultural literacy levels of Extension professionals and primary volunteers in Mississippi and the factors potentially influencing these levels. Twenty-nine Extension professionals and eleven primary volunteers completed a survey of demographic questions and the Judd-Murray Agricultural …

From Miocene Origins To Ecological Diversification: Unraveling Evolutionary Dynamics Of North American Asters (Symphyotrichum), Sushil Dahal

Theses and Dissertations

Symphyotrichum, a plant genus traditionally treated within the genus Aster L., comprises >100 species of annual or perennial plants in the Compositae family Asteraceae. One of the most diverse genera in the southeastern US flora, the genus extends across the Americas, the Caribbean as well as eastern Eurasia. Despite its presence across the major American biomes and with distinctive floristic characteristics, several question regarding Symphyotrichum remains obscure. This research project focuses on exploring diverse aspects of Symphyotrichum systematics, biogeography and evolution. I tested three main hypotheses: (1a) Symphyotrichum originated ancestrally across Mexico and eastern North America in the Miocene ( …

Investigating Teacher Cognition Of Teaching Spatial Thinking Among Middle And High School Stem Teachers: A Knowledge, Belief, And Attitude Perspective, Jonathan Grant Harris

Theses and Dissertations

Spatial thinking is a critical cognitive ability that supports learning and problem solving across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Despite extensive research highlighting the importance of spatial thinking in STEM achievement and career success, limited research has examined STEM teachers’ cognition of spatial thinking or developed instruments to measure it. The purpose of this study was to investigate middle and high school STEM teachers’ cognition of spatial thinking, including their perceived pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of spatial thinking, self-efficacy beliefs about teaching spatial thinking, and attitudes toward spatial thinking as a critical component of STEM learning and achievement. …

Assessing Biotic And Abiotic Drivers Of Hybridization And Species Delimitation In A Highly Reticulate Syngameon, Nicholas John Engle-Wrye

Theses and Dissertations

Hybridization, or the flow of genetic materials between varieties or species, shapes evolution by generating novel genotypes, altering allele frequencies, and driving diversification. Yet, the rate at which hybridization occurs is heterogeneous across the tree of life and the ecological and evolutionary factors that govern its occurrence remain poorly understood. This dissertation examines how conserved biotic and abiotic niches influence hybridization and uses integrative methods to delimit species boundaries within Heuchera (Saxifragaceae), a genus notable for widespread interspecific gene flow and cryptic morphological diversity. Results reveal that hybridization is most frequent where pre- and postzygotic barriers are weak, as with …

Is It Time To Reconsider Plant Populations Of Top Mississippi Corn Hybrids?, Jason Kober

Theses and Dissertations

In Mississippi (MS), a 5.6 Mg ha-1 yield gap exists between the potential and actual corn (Zea mays L.) grain yield. The disparity underscores unrealized yielding potential of modern hybrids under current agronomic management practices. This study evaluated the yield response of four commercially grown top performing hybrids planted at five plant densities (6.2, 7.4, 8.6, 9.9, and 11.1 plants m-2) across four locations in MS over two years. Grain yield and kernel weight were subject to analysis of variance. The analysis was performed two ways: hybrid-level analysis (HA) using two hybrids common across all site-years, and location-level analysis (LA) …

No-Till Versus Conventional Tillage Cover Crop Systems Effects On Cotton In The Blackland Prairie Region Of Mississippi, Mallie West Rivenbark

Theses and Dissertations

Nitrogen (N) plays a critical role in cotton production systems. Management practices such as tillage systems and cover crops (CC) can influence nutrient cycling and availability within the soil. The present study assessed the effects of CC in a conventional tillage (CT) vs. no-tillage (NT) system on cotton yield, fiber quality and N use efficiency. Ramifications for CC and N rates on lint yield and cotton N uptake were investigated during the 2024 and 2025 growing seasons in Verona, MS. Cover crop treatments include cereal rye (Secale cereale), crimson clover (Trifolium incaranatum) and a mix of cereal rye and crimson …

Identifying Well-Being Factors For At-Risk Young Adult Women: A Scoping Review, Carolina A. Quinonez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Purpose

This scoping review has systematically explored and mapped the range of literature that pertains to the influences of well-being for at-risk young adult women, to inform occupational therapy practice, guide future research, and enhance the knowledge of holistic well-being.

Methodology

Four online databases, including Google Scholar, were searched to identify publications, in the past 20 years, on relevant data for at-risk women and their well-being levels. Data was tracked using a PRISMA-ScR diagram with guidance from JBI protocol.

Results

There were 39 studies that met all the inclusion criteria. The studies were categorized into the types of well-being and …

Read The Fine Print, Kayla Lockwood

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

read the fine print is a two-floor art installation that investigates how midcentury domestic ideology structured bodies, behavior, and perception through visual, spatial, and material systems. Rather than recreating a home interior, it examines how domestic order was engineered across the United States through color coding, planning diagrams, model environments, controlled decoration, and institutional messaging. The two-floor arrangement mirrors the operation of these systems across registers, moving from overt structures of order to quieter, often obscured consequences. By rendering policy, hierarchy, and expectation materially, the installation invites viewers to consider domesticity as a designed system: a set of practices, forms, …

Solving The 2-Sigma Problem With Chatgpt: A Case Study On The Double-Entry Accounting System, Dieudonne A. Affognon

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examined whether structured ChatGPT tutoring could approximate the learning gains historically associated with one-on-one human tutoring. Grounded in cognitive load theory and informed by Bloom’s two-sigma benchmark, the investigation used double-entry accounting as a procedurally dense testbed requiring coordinated schema construction and rule-based reasoning. A randomized proof-of-concept design assigned thirty first-year accounting students to either human tutoring or ChatGPT tutoring across an eight-week instructional interval. Learning outcomes were assessed at pretest, posttest, and delayed retention. Repeated-measures analyses revealed substantial within-subject learning gains across both instructional modalities. Performance improved significantly from baseline to post-instruction assessment, indicating acquisition of procedural …

Within Melbourne: Landscape, Labor, And Material Culture In A Derbyshire Parish, 1650-1750, Mia Powell

Senior Honors Papers / Undergraduate Theses

In May of 1695, a group of inhabitants walked the grounds of the English locality of Melbourne (Derbyshire) and collected demographic data from every household within the parish boundaries. From this perambulation came a uniquely detailed census-type listing. Combining that listing with other available sources, including probate records, criminal litigation, property disputes, financial papers, antiquarian accounts, maps, and enclosure agreements from across seven record offices, this project uncovers the complex social and economic developments experienced by those who lived in Melbourne from 1650 to 1750. To analyze this well-documented parish, this thesis utilizes various methodologies. Nominal record linkage connects Melbourne’s …

Precise Kinetic Parameters For Thermal Resetting Of Clumped Isotope Signatures In Biogenic And Abiogenic Calcites, Nico Kueter, Nathan Looser, Jordon D. Hemingway, Nils B. Gies, Gregory D. Price, Alberto Perez-Huerta, Stefano M. Bernasconi

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Carbonate clumped isotope (∆₄₇) thermometry is a powerful tool to reconstruct paleotemperatures. However, episodes of heating or cooling can alter original ∆₄₇ values through diffusive C-O bond reordering—i.e., isotopic exchange between neighboring carbonate groups within the mineral lattice—and/or oxygen-isotope exchange between carbonate groups and water (collectively termed “thermal resetting”). Nevertheless, if precise kinetic constraints are available, altered ∆₄₇ values can be utilized to reconstruct thermal histories of sedimentary basins or to restore primary ∆₄₇ values from carbonates which experienced thermal resetting in their geological history. Here, we present new high-resolution heating experiments on optical (abiogenic) …

Hammurabi’S Laws: Ancient Traditions Of Violence, Aaron Secrist

The Confluence

The tradition of enforcing private property through violence is truly ancient, and goes back thousands of years to the first civilizations. There exists a prevailing attitude that contemporary culture is more “civilized” than the first organized societies – and while it’s true in some ways, our laws are still remarkably similar to those practiced in antiquity. In the following essay, I analyze the Law Code of Hammurabi and examine its parallels to the way laws function today. First, I will provide context for the technological advances that made the first city-states possible, then give a cultural and economic overview of …

Post-Stroke Fatigue In Saudi Arabia: A Call To Action, Saad Z. Alqahtani

Saudi Medical Journal

Post-stroke fatigue (PSF) is a major consequence of stroke, with a prevalence of approximately 42–53% among stroke survivors. However, over the last 2 decades, only a few studies have explored PSF in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Findings from these studies show that PSF negatively impacts the quality of life of individuals with stroke. Furthermore, they emphasize the need for education for both health care providers and patients regarding PSF. This call-to-action mini narrative review identifies knowledge gaps and provides recommendations for both researchers and policymakers, including the need for standardized management and the exploration of hospital environment settings. Specifically, …

Deep Learning-Based Detection Of Juniperus Procera Dieback In Uav Imagery Using An Ensemble Approach, Halima Alzubaidi

UB Journal for Humanities

Juniper trees are essential in many ecosystems, and any changes in the vegetation cover of juniper trees must be detected. Deep learning models were used in this study for detecting dieback in Juniperus procera in natural forests in the southern region of Saudi Arabia was examined. The goal in this study was to develop a reliable method for automated tree cover detection for large-scale environmental monitoring. Various deep learning models, including DenseNet121, InceptionResNetV2, custom convolutional neural network, Xception, ResNet50, and EfficientNetB2, were applied to classify images of juniper trees. The performance of each model was evaluated using metrics including accuracy, …

The Political Economy Of Fashion Sustainability Regulation, Meital Peleg Mizrachi, Rachel Chambers

UC Law Business Journal

The global fashion industry is one of the world’s most polluting and exploitative sectors, emitting more greenhouse gases than all international flights and maritime shipping combined, driving extensive water contamination and waste, and relying on labor conditions that remain chronically unsafe and underpaid. Regulation has attempted to respond, but with limited success. Existing sustainability oversight—ranging from import bans and human rights due diligence statutes to environmental taxes and voluntary industry frameworks—remains fragmented and unevenly enforced, shaped by geopolitical tensions, protectionist agendas, and shifting policy priorities. This Article reviews the rapidly evolving landscape of fashion sustainability regulation over the past decade …

Signs Of Belonging: Community Identities Of Deaf Elders In Central And Coastal Massachusetts, Nelia Eaddy

Undergraduate University Honors Capstones

This study focuses on shared experiences and themes of community identities within the elder Deaf community of central and coastal Massachusetts. Lived experiences and linguistic journeys shape our overall senses of belonging and identities; subsequently, they profoundly affect our relationship to our communities (Eastaugh, 2019). This research study discusses how concepts of belonging shift as individuals age within their community and how that impacts their sense of belonging and experiences with language. Communities where individuals feel a sense of belonging encourage identity development. The experiences of elders who identify as “Deaf” (due to their language preference and cultural influences) within …

Psychometric Framework For Coexistence With Large Carnivores, Benjamin Ghasemi, Gerard Kyle, Tara Teel, Rebeca Niemiec, Kevin Crooks, Jenny Anne Glikman, Neil H. Carter, John A. Vucetich, Michelle L. Lute, Stewart Breck, Beatrice Frank, Dana Hoag, Jonathan Salerno, Lily M. Van Eeden, Jeremy T. Bruskotter

Michigan Tech Publications

Human–carnivore coexistence is essential for biodiversity conservation, yet measuring the attitudes and behaviors that support it remains methodologically challenging. We developed psychometric scales to assess willingness to coexist with carnivores and the underlying beliefs of this coexistence through an iterative expert elicitation process grounded in risk perception theory and moral psychology to ensure strong content validity. The scales measure willingness to coexist and encompass individual and collective behaviors and their cognitive antecedents: perceived positive consequences, perceived negative consequences, and ethical considerations. We validated the scales based on three representative samples of Colorado residents (n = 434, 442, 433) focused on …

Pipeline Politics: A Comparative Analysis Of Environmental Justice Movements In The United States And Canada, Grace Treml

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Using theoretical frameworks from social movement theory, this study describes and comparatively analyzes the emergence and outcomes of the environmental justice movements against the development of the Coastal GasLink pipeline by people of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation in Canada and the Keystone XL pipeline by environmental activists in the United States over the past two decades. By using social movement theory to evaluate movement emergence in terms of mobilizing structures, framing, and political opportunity structure, and movement outcomes in terms of representation, policy outcomes, and cultural discourse, a more inclusive argument for future environmental justice movements emerges. Findings synthesized from …

Identity And Ideology: Dolores Ibarruri's Reconciliation Of Motherhood And Communism, Marvin Black

Masters Theses, 2020-current

The Spanish Civil War remains a significant cornerstone of the historical narrative of the early 20th century, as it served as the political and military precursor to World War II. The war was far more complex than a simple conflict between two ideologies, with many political and military leaders often overlooked. One of these individuals was Dolores Ibárruri, a leader of the Spanish Communist Party, who called on her experiences as both a mother and a communist to galvanize support for the Second Republic. How these two facets interacted and were shaped by Ibárruri’s personal experiences is often overlooked. Through …