Digital Commons Network^™

Carl Schmitt’S Loneliness And Hannah Arendt’S Action, J. Lynne Nelson

Philosophy Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Scholarship As Fun, Thomas Schultz

Dalhousie Law Journal

One theme that traverses much of Pierre Schlag’s work is a sense of profound humanity—the idea that thinking and writing about the law can and should be a deeply, genuinely human activity—an activity for which we can, and should, break up many of the barriers that stand between us, between who we really are, and what we think and write. It is an activity for which we should put aside our pretences and insecurities and the attached formalisms and exaggerations behind which we so often hide, and which in the end constrain our humanity so much, as they take on …

Text-To-Speech Animation: Generating Visuals Based On Phonetic Spelling, Colin Tomcak

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Speech is a complex field, and remarkably difficult to master. There exist many groups who could use more tools to help improve their pronunciation of English words. The goal of this project was to create a text-to-speech animation program as an addition to our group capstone, Pronunciation Pal. Pronunciation Pal is a web-based application meant to assist those who are deaf or hard of hearing in improving their pronunciation, likely as an addition to therapy with a speech pathologist. This application uses tools like diagrams and references to help users better understand how to pronounce a word. The goal of …

The Beast With Many Heads: Situational And Dispositional Differences In Physiological, Subjective, And Behavioral Responses To Social Rejection, Ellyn C. Maese

Psychology Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity

Threats to humans’ deep-rooted social needs are associated with strong physiological, emotional, and behavioral responses that are linked to systems for physical pain responses. Yet, prior research has also revealed inconsistencies in responses to social threats, which may be related to differences in situational or dispositional factors. In exploration of these potential explanations, the proposed research aims to investigate physiological, subjective, and behavioral responses to two distinct types of social threat experiences. This study will involve analyzing data collected from a sample of 127 students at a midwestern state university who participated in a laboratory experiment in which they faced …

Effect Of Progesterone On Cognition Among College Aged Women, Katelyn Helberg

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Women who have a reoccurring menstrual cycle and do not take hormonal birth control naturally experience changes in the amount of sex hormones that their body produces. These sex hormones help promote sexual development, fertility, and mood regulation, but can be hard to study due to their conflicting effects on each other. One such hormone, progesterone, is produced in different concentrations throughout the menstrual cycle to prepare the uterus for a potential pregnancy. However, it also may have secondhand effects on how well women can complete everyday tasks involving memory, attention, processing speed, and more which is what we measured …

A Meta-Analysis For Laboratory Diagnostics For Coccidioidomycosis, Mary C. Cowen

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Coccidioidomycosis, commonly referred to as Valley Fever, is a fungal infection found in arid regions of the southwestern United States and Mexico. Infection occurs through inhalation of airborne spores from Coccidioides species, Coccidioides immitis and/or Coccidioides posadasii, and proceeds in both pulmonary and disseminated fashions. Approximately 60% of patients with coccidioidomycosis remain asymptomatic, while 40% will experience symptoms. Within the literature, there are no papers that summarize sensitivity and specificity values between different tests; therefore, this paper presents sensitivity and specificity results across different tests and companies (Meridian, IMMY, and MiraVista).

The Effect Of Hormonal Contraceptive Use On Dominance And Prestige Tactics, Carson Chappell

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study was designed to investigate the relationship between hormonal contraceptives and prestige and dominance status-seeking tactics. Existing literature has examined how the hormones estrogen and progesterone, especially in relation to the fertile window of the menstrual cycle, are associated with prestige and dominance but has yet to look in depth at how hormonal contraceptives might alter this impact. The current study asked participants to complete a 22- item questionnaire assessing dominance and prestige. I hypothesized that women on hormonal contraceptives would have lower scores for prestige and dominance compared to women who are naturally cycling. The results did not …

Annual And Seasonal Variability In Tundra Vole (Microtus Oeconomus) Diet, Mary Kathleen Lisi

Master's Theses and Capstones

Within arctic ecosystems, small mammals (voles and lemmings) influence plantcommunity composition, soil nutrient availability, and carbon cycling through foraging and the deposition of waste. Yet, little is known about rodent diet specifically and how it may vary annually and seasonally. Here, we characterize the composition and stability in tundra vole (Microtus oeconomus) diet in northern Alaska using stable isotope analysis of fecal and hair samples collected over a seven-year period. Results from Bayesian stable isotope mixing models from both fecal and hair sample data show that tundra voles in northern Alaska predominately feed on rhizomatous sedges, Eriophorum vaginatum and Carex …

The Influence Of Lake Productivity On Methane Production And Ebullition From Temperate And Arctic Lake Sediments, Megan Wimsatt

Master's Theses and Capstones

Northern freshwater lakes (> 40°N) are an increasingly recognized major contributor of methane (CH4), a potent greenhouse gas, to the atmosphere. Climate warming and eutrophication acceleration threaten to increase CH4 emissions from these lake ecosystems, particularly in littoral (shallow lake edge) zones where ebullition (bubbling) is often a dominant flux pathway. Few studies have investigated the impacts of lake productivity on limnological CH4 cycling for a range of trophic classes and provided a comparison between different latitudes. Here, we analyzed chlorophyll α (chlα; proxy for lake productivity), other water quality parameters, sediment CH4 production rates, and ebullition rates at nine …

Quantitative And Comparative Analysis Of Dream Content In Parkinson’S Disease Patients Pre- And Postdeep Brain Stimulation, Sarvar Oreizi-Esfahani, Michael Staud

Posters

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder stemming from the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, resulting in impaired neuronal activation which primarily affects the body’s motor function1. Common symptoms include tremor, rigidity, akinesia and loss of balance.

PD also exerts significant effects on sleep patterns. The Default Mode Network (DMN), a series of hubs in the brain with increased metabolic rate during rest, are implicated in the process of dreaming2. Differential activation of these regions may alter the content and quality of one’s dreams2. PD has been shown to impact the function of the DMN and as …

Extending The Technology Acceptance Model: The Experiential Educator And Virtual Learning Technologies, Michael A. Dzbenski

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Virtual Reality (VR) and Virtual Learning Environments (VLE) are technologies that allow users to interact with virtual environments and can create and participate in digital educational experiences and simulations. Due to the VR and VLEs being relatively new technologies in education, acceptance, use, and finally adoption in a classroom environment lies with educators. The purpose of this quantitative survey study was to explore and identify factors that positively influence educator attitudes toward adopting VR and VLE technology. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was extended to determine if the experiential learning educator role profile correlates to educator attitudes toward the acceptance …

Assessing Experiential Learning In A K-12 Afterschool Makerspace: Using The Beyond Rubrics Toolkit, Stacy L. Dzbenski

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the efficacy of the Beyond Rubrics Toolkit (BRT) as an embedded assessment instrument within makerspaces. Conducted as a pilot study at two Boys & Girls Club sites during afterschool programming, the research aimed to address the following research questions: (1) What skills are Youth Development Professionals teaching and assessing through makerspace programming? (2) How is learning currently assessed in the BGCS makerspaces? (3) What is the Youth Development Professional's perception of the Beyond Rubrics toolkit as a method to assess learning in the makerspace? (4) How would the Youth Development Professionals characterize the student learning being assessed …

One Step At A Time: Duquesne University’S Eleventh Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory, Maria Mlinarcik, Meghan Phillips

Duquesne University Greenhouse Gas Inventories

The eleventh greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory was conducted for fiscal year 2023 (FY23), which began on July 1, 2022, and ended on June 30, 2023. Assembled by graduate assistants Maria Mlinarcik and Meghan Phillips at the Center for Environmental Research and Education (CERE), these findings were compared with those derived from the previous inventories to assess trends in Duquesne University’s GHG emissions. Furthermore, this inventory discusses options for reducing Duquesne’s carbon footprint in future years.

This inventory found that, compared to FY22, FY23 GHG emissions increased by 11.97%. FY21 experienced a 1.57% increase in total emissions when compared to …

“Taste And See . . .”: The Eucharist As Immersive Theatre, Vincent Lin

Yale Divinity School Theses

A ceremonial Eucharist bears striking resemblance to immersive theatre, both involving the creation of a delineated space, the prioritization of bodily senses, and emphasis on audience participation. These similarities are not accidental; rather, a ceremonial Eucharist is immersive theatre. Two key arguments are discussed: First, drawing on performance studies, we classify historical eucharistic liturgies through the lens of “doubleness,” moving beyond simplistic categorizations in previous literature. This approach reveals the contemporary Anglican liturgy as theatre, where the event of the Eucharist and the eucharistic elements (the bread and cup) “perform.” Second, utilizing immersive theatre research, we explore how immersive characteristics …

The Effect Of Direct Current Stimulation On The Plasticity Of Cerebellar Purkinje Cell, Emily Graves

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

The cerebellum plays an essential role in movement coordination and balance, and its cortex comprises three layers: the granule cell layer, Purkinje cell layer, and molecular layer. The axons of granule cells, parallel fibers, synapse onto the dendrites of the Purkinje cell. Purkinje cells are the primary inhibitory output of the cerebellar cortex to the deep cerebellar nuclei. Damage to the cerebellum or the related pathway can lead to cerebellar ataxia. Cerebellar ataxia can include abnormal extremity movements, eye and gait incoordination, and loss of balance. Non-invasive brain therapy, transcranial direct current stimulation (DCS), has shown potential benefit to patients …

Investigation Of Movement Coordination In Reaching Through The Modulation Of The Cerebello-Thalamo-Cerebral Tract By Cerebellar Tes In Awake Mice, William Johnston

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

Cerebellar ataxia is a neurological disorder that can be genetically or sporadically acquired. Ataxia is the loss of the ability to coordinate the range, rate, force, and direction of movements. Loss of gait stability, and reaching smoothness is progressively seen clinically. The non-invasive brain therapy called transcranial electric stimulation (tES) has been shown to have an impact on the behavior of humans with cerebellar dysfunction. However, the physiological and behavioral effects of tES are not well studied. Quantitative measurements were used in reaching behavior assays with head fixation using normal and ataxic mice before and after tES treatment. Frame by …

The Use Of Whole Blood In Increasing The Survivability Of Combat Wounded Troops From 1940 To 1953, Devin Sweet

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Humans have been experimenting with new ways to kill each other for millennia, and for just as long, doctors have been experimenting with methods to improve survivability of those wounded. The 20^th century was one of the bloodiest period in human history; war claimed over one hundred million lives. With the scourge of disease more easily managed, the medical communities came to address the one wound that historically cost most lives – bleeding to death. Shock and exsanguination can kill a person within thirty seconds to two minutes, and finding ways to mitigate that outcome has been the subject …

Exploring Auditory Thalamocortical Pathways In Autism Spectrum Disorder, Caitlin Dyer

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Thalamocortical tracts related to language have rarely been examined in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We examined the medial geniculate nucleus (MGN), Heschl’s gyrus (HG), and planum temporale (PT) volumes, and the connections from MGN to HG and MGN to PT, using MRIs from 39 children with ASD (20 with receptive language impairment, 19 without) and 20 typically developing controls, aged 5-17 years. In children with ASD without language impairment, MGN volume was positively correlated with receptive language scores. Additionally, the thalamus was smaller in children with ASD with language impairment, correlating negatively with receptive language scores in this group. Left …

War In The Borderlands: St. Tammany Parish In The American Civil War 1861-1865, Nicholas Gagliano

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Temple Of Familiars, Madeleine Grace Kelly

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

My paintings, etchings, and installation explore encounters with mystery in the natural world, especially through the flora, fauna, light, and water of the swamps around the Atchafalaya Basin. My practice explores kinship, reverence, and awe as an antidote to estrangement from the spirit of the land. I am influenced by artists and scholars engaging with the places that they inhabit and that inhabit them with a reverence and mystery of approach. My work invites viewers to engage with the memory that the water carries of our interconnectedness, and to remember that we are not separate from the natural world.

Bedeviled Beauty: My Journey Through White American Theater Institutions, J'Aila C. Price

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Game console: Oculus Quest

World: American Theater Institutions

Player: Minority

Place: United States

Level: “Ain’t no way.”

This thesis explores the contrast between the Westernized philosophies ingrained in my education and my identity as a Black female artist. It sheds light on the difficulties of pursuing higher education in the arts and the gaps that arise from limited exposure to culturally diverse Black resources, revealing the systemic issues in Western performance education. The paper also discusses the insights gained from my journey as a Black female artist, focusing on my thesis performance of Blood at the Root, which is …

Behavioral Health Professionals’ Perception Of Anxiety Disorders Amongst African American Clients, Chantel K. Gant

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Anxiety disorders are frequent and increasing across the United States including for ethnically diverse populations (Carter et al., 2012). There is a need for education in the community on anxiety disorders about indicators of anxiety, severity and therapeutic approaches that would be beneficial (Johnson & Coles, 2013). It is imperative to know the variation in anxiety for African Americans to aid in therapeutic resources and counseling designed for this population (Hopkins & Shook, 2017). Prior research includes more of a focus on behavioral health professionals’ perspectives in conjectural situations rather than actual clinical practice (Joy & Bartholomew, 2021; Lawrence …

Harnessing Eye And Face Movements: Bridging Technology And Human Interaction, Daniel Rubin

Master's Theses and Capstones

AbstractThe profound impact of non-verbal communication in the realms of psychology, virtual reality (VR), and automated systems; underscores, a critical inquiry: How can we effectively interpret and utilize non-verbal cues; for example, eye and head movements, to address current limitations in technology and ethics across various applications? This thesis explores the potential of eye and head movement techniques, as a transformative tool in enhancing diagnostic accuracy, user interaction, and ethical compliance in these fields. One significant contribution of my research is the identification and implementation methods of non-invasive diagnostic tools, in healthcare. Through, the advanced analysis of eye and head …

Electronic Health Records: Using Polarity Thinking To Explore The Relationship Between Technology And Nursing Practice, Debra Winckler

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

Building a robust information technology infrastructure has been recognized as integral in addressing national concerns about patient safety, healthcare quality, and healthcare costs. Federal efforts to promote the nationwide adoption and integration of electronic health records (EHRs) include the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009, which provided over $27 billion in federal incentives to healthcare organizations and providers to incorporate EHRs into healthcare practices. Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record Incentive Programs, initiated in 2011, were enacted to expand EHR functionality, encourage EHR system upgrades, and establish nationwide use of certified EHR technology. Subsequently, …

Causal Attribution Tendencies Of Early Childhood Practitioners And The Efficacy Of Attribution Retraining, Alex J. Faucheux

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Early childhood practitioners frequently attempt to identify the cause of outcomes experienced by their learners. This is sometimes referred to as causal attribution. Causal attribution may be affected by prior success and failure of a learner, the amount of effort exerted by the learner, the ability level of the learner, and knowledge of any disability associated with the learner, all of which can be considered controllable or uncontrollable, stable or unstable, and internal or external (Weiner, 1986; Woodcock & Vialle, 2011). As practitioners attribute cause to outcomes, they start to develop attributional tendencies; these tendencies, along with the cues and …

Reframing Addiction As A Coping Response: A Needed Shift In Modern Public Health Paradigms, Anthony King

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

What are the primary risk factors that compel one person towards addiction and not another? After decades of research, there is still no clear consensus. Some experts say addiction is a brain disease; others say it is a willful act, or even an outright crime. Nevertheless, the three research studies contained within this dissertation suggest an alternative, more parsimonious public-health-centered framework for viewing addictive behavioral patterns: as a biopsychosocial coping strategy for past and present stressors. In Study 1, this idea was examined by evaluating how symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were associated with problem gambling severity, different gambling …

Statistical Classification Using Selection And Ranking Methodologies With Statistical Learning, Jeong Jun Lee

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The subject of Statistical Classification is concerned with identifying and allocating future observations into one of the pre-categorized classes based on the characteristics of the objects. Typically, these decisions to classify and categorize the objects have been dependent on identifying a system of classification, and from there, determining attributes for sorting.

In past decades, from discriminant analysis, various methods have been developed for classification. In particular, the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and statistical learning theory has made it possible to consider improving the existing methods along with new developments and more comprehensive schemes in conjunction with data-driven …

Unraveling The Relationship Between Social Vulnerability Index And Covid-19 Prevalence In Southern Nevada, Andrea Lopez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The COVID-19 pandemic was a catastrophic global event that exacerbated public health issues and disparities, especially in socially vulnerable communities. Thus, this study examines areas classified by the CDC's Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) metric, which assesses vulnerable communities experiencing adverse events through sixteen social determinants that impact health. The purpose of this study will be to determine if (1) COVID-19 testing rates and/or COVID-19 vaccination rates mediate SVI and COVID-19 prevalence rates and (2) if COVID-19 testing rate and COVID-19 vaccination rates serially mediate SVI and COVID-19 prevalence rates. In order to achieve this, census tracts within Southern Nevada will …

Effectiveness Of A Virtual Simulation Program As A Novel Approach To Improve Clinical Judgment In Prelicensure Nursing Students, Monica Millard

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Problem: Limited clinical placement opportunities for practicing decision-making skills have widened the academic-practice gap. Research shows a disturbing decline in entry-level competency among newly graduated registered nurses. Innovative strategies like virtual patient simulation may foster decision-making skills and prepare prelicensure nursing students for practice. However, research is lacking in examining virtual patient simulation (VPS) as an effective approach for developing clinical judgment in prelicensure nursing students. The American Association for Academic Nursing has determined that clinical judgment is an essential nursing attribute. Moreover, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing developed the Next Generation National Council Licensure Exam based …

Dismantling The Stigma Of "Strong Black Girl" & "Strong Black Boy:" Cultural And Gender Differences In Trauma And Suicidality Among Black Adolescents, Tiffany Mosier-Hunter

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Trauma exposure has been linked to a plethora of negative outcomes, including suicidality. Despite the abundance of research on the effects of trauma, little is known about its relationship with suicidality among adolescents. Moreover, even less research examines cultural and gender specific risk factors among Black adolescents. This study was founded on the cultural model of suicide, and the gendering of suicide theory, suggesting that suicidality in minority populations is influenced by cultural experiences (i.e., traumas) and perceptions of suicide, as well as gender differences that dictate where Black adolescents fall on the suicide spectrum. Using archival data (e.g., YRBSS) …