Digital Commons Network^™

Strafford County Extension - Advisory Council Meeting Minutes 2026, Rebecca Hull

Advisory Council

No abstract provided.

Nh 4-H Horse Judging Contest Entry Information, Unh Cooperative Extension

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Nh 4-H Hippology Contest Entry Information, Unh Cooperative Extension

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Nh 4-H Livestock Quiz Bowl Packet, Unh Cooperative Extension

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Health Regulations For 2026 Nh Fairs And Shows, Hannah Majewski

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Dnp Final Report: Poverty Stigma: The Effects Of A Poverty Simulation On Undergraduate Nursing Students And Their Attitudes Toward Caring For Impoverished Patients, Jessica P. Bowen

DNP Final Reports

Background: Current evidence demonstrates that stigma toward individuals living in poverty persists among undergraduate nursing students and negatively influences patient outcomes. Evidence-based educational strategies addressing social determinants of health have been shown to improve nursing students’ perceptions of vulnerable populations.

Purpose: This quality improvement project intended to evaluate the feasibility of integrating an interactive Community Action Poverty Simulation© (CAPS) activity into an undergraduate nursing (BSN) program at an academic health system university in East Texas.

Methods: Guided by the Plan Do Study Act (PDSA) quality improvement framework and The Johns Hopkins Evidence-Based Practice (JHEBP) Model, Missouri's Community Action Poverty Simulation …

Dnp Final Report: Reducing 30-Day Readmissions Through Follow-Up Appointments In An Acute Care Setting, Sukhnandan Kaur

DNP Final Reports

Thirty-day hospital readmissions remain a persistent quality and financial concern for acute care organizations. Poorly coordinated discharge processes, inconsistent follow-up appointment scheduling, and gaps in care transitions may increase the risk of avoidable readmissions among adult medical-surgical patients. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to implement a standardized follow-up appointment scheduling workflow prior to hospital discharge and evaluate its effect on follow-up scheduling compliance and 30-day readmission trends in a 93-bed acute care hospital. The intervention was implemented over 12 weeks on an adult medical-surgical unit from September through December 2025. The standardized workflow included electronic health record …

4-H Day Of Service Marketing Flyer, Kristen Lyons

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Ne 4-H Horse Show Bit And Spur Rules And Guidelines, Hannah Majewski, Extension

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Ne 4-H Horse Forms And Scoresheets 2026, Hannah Majewski, 4-H

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

4-H Day Of Service Sponsorship Opportunities, Kristen Lyons

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Volunteer Agreement And Standards Of Behavior, Joseph Drake

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Nh 4-H Animal Fair Book 2026, Hannah Majewski

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Uae Traditional Folklore Through Modern Media And Its Educational Potential: The Case Of Freej, Shahad Imad Mostafa

Theses

This mixed‑methods study examined how the Emirati animated series Freej preserves traditional folklore through vernacular language, dialect, and idiomatic expressions, and evaluated its educational potential. Guided by four questions on folklore representation, dialect/idiom use, the role of the characters, and curricular applicability, the research combined content analysis of selected episodes, interviews coding and a survey of 100 Emirati participants; survey data were summarized with descriptive statistics to triangulate qualitative insights.

Findings indicated that audiences overwhelmingly perceived Freej as linguistically and culturally authentic: 95% rated the dialect as very/somewhat authentic, 94% said it reflects elders’ speech, and 89% felt the series …

Judicial Review Of Agency Discretion, Lisa S. Bressman, Daniel T. Deacon, Glen Staszewski

Book Chapters

Agencies exercise discretion when they make a choice among alternatives that are legally available to them. Such choices come in many different forms. An agency may grant a permit, deny it, or grant it with conditions. It may pro­mulgate a rule that sets specified limits on pollution, and it may or may not afford transition relief to existing sources. Or it may levy a fine against an indi­vidual and decide how high that fine should. be. To the extent the agency is afforded options in making these determinations, it is exercising discretion. This chapter concerns judicial review of agencies' discretionary …

Can Extended Asset Pricing Factors Predict Economic Growth?, Muhammad Zaid Imran

MS Finance Research Projects/Theses

This study examines whether the RMW and CMA factors of the Fama-French five-factor model predict future GDP growth beyond the information contained in the MKT, SMB, HML and WML factors and in standard macroeconomic indicators. It extends earlier framework to the United States, Italy, Canada and United Kingdom using samples that begin between 1991 and end in 2025. The six factors are constructed from firm-level data, and future GDP growth is regressed on past factor returns at quarterly frequency with Newey–West standard errors. The original study is also replicated on its 1978-1996 United States sample. CMA does not predict growth …

Machine Learning For Predictive Energy And Emissions Modeling Of Vehicles And Power Grids In The United States, S M Tanvir Faysal Alam Chowdhoury

Dissertations

The environmental benefits of electric vehicle (EV) adoption depend on more than replacing internal combustion engine vehicles with electric powertrains. EV adoption reshapes electricity demand, interacts with regional generation mixes, and influences travel behavior and congestion, creating a coupled transportation-energy system in which vehicle and power-plant emissions must be evaluated together. This dissertation develops machine-learning frameworks for predicting energy consumption and emissions from vehicles and power grids under rising EV adoption. The first component forecasts grid emissions from EV charging. Using simulation data from NREL's Cambium database, a Prophet-based time-series framework predicts carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane emission rates …

Mapping Climate Risks & Building Resilience: A Participatory Approach To Harvester Safety In Kakisa, Nwt., Susan Kerubo Ombwori

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The Ka’a’gee Tu First Nation (KTFN) community in the Northwest Territories is experiencing rapid environmental changes which are driven by climate change. These changes are threatening the community’s food security. The community is seeing a disruption to its traditional land-based food systems due to increasing climate risks such as unpredictable weather, thawing permafrost, wildfires, and flooding. These changes are reducing access to traditional foods and intensifying threats to harvester safety. Building on the existing relationship with the community through previous projects, this thesis examines the impacts of climate risks on the availability and access of the KTFN’s on the land …

Exploring Engagement With The Ecoschools Platform: An Interactive Display Board Exploratory Evaluation, Kaitlyn E. Ashmore

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study explores strategies to enhance engagement with EcoSchools Canada, an online sustainability platform used across Canada. Through an exploratory case study involving two Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) schools, the research evaluates the effectiveness of interactive tools such as an Interactive Display Board (IDB) and action cards in fostering student engagement, self-efficacy, and action competence in sustainability initiatives. Through examining user experiences and feedback from Eco-teams and staff, the findings aim to identify if and how these interventions serve as valuable complements to EcoSchools activities. Although not a standalone solution, these tools facilitate deeper involvement when integrated within …

Nanoparticle Carriers Enhance The Prophylactic Antiviral Effects Of Dsrna In Vitro And Ex Vivo, Shayne Oberhoffner, Stephanie Dewitte-Orr, Starla Richardson, Leah Haile, Dominique Daniels, Erin Cooper, Aizah Ijaz, Janet Velasquez Perez, Mathilde Peruzzi, Bertrand Collet, Paul Craig, Kristof Jenik

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Aquaculture now outpaces traditional capture fisheries as the world population and demand for sustainable protein sources increases. Wild and farmed species are increasingly susceptible to pathogen spread as global temperatures rise and stocking densities increase. Despite the devastating losses experienced by aquaculture due to viral infections, there remain few effective prophylactic antiviral therapeutics. Long double-stranded (ds)RNA is a uniquely viral molecule produced by nearly all viruses during their replication cycle, and its detection by salmonids like rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytsha) leads to the establishment of a defensive antiviral state. Previous in vitro studies demonstrated a …

Exploring Parent-Child Reminiscing Style And Internal-State Talk When Discussing Positive And Negative Shared Events, Komal Verma Miss.

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Conversations between parents and children about past events play a critical role in children’s social, emotional, and cognitive development. Parents scaffold their children in learning to recount details of their autobiographical memories by creating a space to reflect on internal states, specifically emotions and cognitions. Parents with an ‘elaborative’ reminiscing style are responsive to children’s utterances and ask open-ended questions (e.g., What do you remember about...?). Parents who are less ‘elaborative’ typically ask narrow questions like Did you like it?” that do not encourage conversation. Children whose parents use an elaborative reminiscing style have children who produce the most detailed …

The Effects Of Environmental Complexity On Brain Development And Personality Expression In Western Hognose Snakes, Gokulan Nagabaskaran

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

There is growing interest in snake cognition, personality, and welfare as more snakes are kept as pets, yet little research has been conducted. The effects of enrichment and environmental factors have been well documented in other taxa, and recent evidence suggests that snakes may benefit in similar ways. This dissertation investigated the impact of environmental and social enrichment on personality expression, personality stability, and brain development. Western hognose snakes (Heterodon nasicus) were used as the model species, as they are a popular choice in the pet trade. This allows the research to be readily translatable to husbandry practices of many …

Neural Correlates Of Cognitive Fatigue In Regular Cannabis Users And Non-Users: A Pilot Fnirs Study, Mariia Vistyzenko

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Background: Cognitive fatigue impairs performance across multiple domains, yet how regular cannabis use affects fatigue responses remains unclear. This pilot study investigated neural and behavioural correlates of cognitive fatigue in abstinent cannabis users versus non-users.

Methods: Twenty-six participants (18 non-users, 8 regular cannabis users after 24-hour abstinence) completed cognitive tasks before and after a 60-minute Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART) designed to induce fatigue. Tasks assessed working memory (N-Back), cognitive flexibility (Wisconsin Card Sorting), psychomotor speed (Digit Symbol Substitution), sustained attention (Continuous Performance Task), inhibition (Stroop, Stop Signal), and motion perception. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) continuously monitored prefrontal cortex …

Minority Stress And Drug Use Among 2slgbtq+ Canadians, Robert Chin-See, Todd Coleman

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Background: Several social and environmental factors influence drug use behaviors and contribute to frequent drug use among Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and other (2SLGBTQ+) individuals. The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between the minority stress, drug use, and other socio-ecological factors.

Methods: This study employed structural equation modelling on data (2021—2022) from a nationally representative pan-Canadian survey (N = 1542) on 2SLGBTQ+ health to examine the association between minority stress, drug use, and relevant socio-ecological predictors. A separate mediation analysis was conducted and controlled for socio-demographic characteristics.

Results: SEM results showed parsimonious fit …

The Disruption Of Gastrointestinal Hormonal Control Of Digestion In Nile Tilapia By Omeprazole, Rema Abutaha

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Stomach acidity is a critical feature of the digestive system, facilitating the breakdown of protein through the activation of the protease pepsin. Gastric acid is secreted by H⁺/K⁺ ATPase, the gastric proton pump. A previous study on Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) showed that inhibiting the production of stomach acid using the proton pump inhibitor omeprazole (omz), reduced growth that correlated with an acceleration of the rate of gastric emptying. This contrasts with omz exposure studies in mammals in which there is a delay in gastric emptying and no impact on growth. To understand the mechanism …

Adapting To Uncertainty: Effects Of Environmental Instability On Zebrafish Behaviour, Britney Sekulovski

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis addresses how animals cope with unpredictability by testing how environmental stability changes the behaviour of zebrafish (Danio rerio) in two complementary experiments. In Experiment 1, fish lived for three months in either a Dynamic environment (water temperature, feeding times, habitat complexity, group size, and membership fluctuated) or a Stable environment (all factors constant). Across seven behavioural assays, measuring individual behavioural differences, collective movement, social memory, and information use, Dynamic condition fish were found to be more sensitive to social cues and more likely to conform to recent social information, independent of the quality of the information …

Variables Related To School Readiness Among Canadian Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Symptomology, Carlye Brokl

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms face challenges academically, behaviourally, and socioemotionally at entry to formal education. Yet, these symptoms are rarely investigated prior to school entry, reducing the time that parents can prepare by learning about the disorder, scaffolding their children’s skills, and mediating the risk of long-lasting consequences related to unpreparedness for school. Within the current study, we aimed to uncover specific skills and elements within children’s environments which may be targeted for intervention prior to entering formal education. More specifically, we examined the relationship between the home literacy environment (HLE), mental-state understanding, ADHD symptomology, and …

Envisioning The Role Of Community-Owned Stores & Aligning Federal Food Policies: A Participatory Approach To Food Security And Food Sovereignty In Sambaa K’E, Denendeh (Northwest Territories, Canada), Narayan Subramoniam

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Northern Indigenous communities have relied on traditional food systems for meaningful, nutritious diets since time immemorial. But many Indigenous communities in remote northern regions of Canada still face disproportionately elevated levels of food insecurity due to climate change radically altering the availability for traditional foods, colonial food policies imposing Western diets, and the high costs of transporting store-bought foods. Extreme weather events such as wildfires further isolate fly-in remote communities increasing both the costs of transporting store-bought foods and the difficulties of harvesting traditional foods. There are many examples of community-based initiatives for supporting traditional and locally grown foods, however, …

Children's Peer Selection In Stem: The Influence Of Gender, Ethnicity, And Disability, Meagan Girard, Kim P. Roberts

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The present study examined how children’s peer selection in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) may be influenced by gender, ethnicity, and physical disability. Sixty-four children (ages 6-12) from elementary schools in Southwestern Ontario completed three tasks: a simulated peer selection task, an attribution of ability task, and a stereotype belief questionnaire. In the peer selection task, participants were repeatedly asked to select one peer from a set of AI-generated photographs showing children who differed by gender (male, female), ethnicity (White, Black, East Asian), and physical disability status (able-bodied user vs. nondisabled). The Peer Selection Task was based on the …

Religious And Spiritual Struggles: The Stories Of Nigerian, Immigrant, Christian Women In Waterloo Region, Halima D. Fuller

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

ABSTRACT This research investigates religious and spiritual struggles among Nigerian, immigrant, Christian women in Waterloo Region. Twelve women settled in the region for six months to 11 years participated in the study. Qualitative methodology, narrative inquiry, and a storytelling paradigm informed the research. Semi-structured, in-depth interview questions were used to explore the experiences of religious and spiritual struggles. A meticulous review identifies a scarcity of literature on religious and spiritual struggles in the context of immigration. However, immigration challenges such as language barriers, precarious employment, and mental health issues are well-documented (Bauder, 2012; Beiser & Hou, 2016; Berry et al., …