Digital Commons Network^™

Investigating Workforce Development Gaps In Tribal Transportation Agencies, Benson Long Jr

Civil Engineering ETDs

Tribal transportation programs face challenges in recruiting and retaining qualified staff, prompting reliance on external consultants for key responsibilities. This study explores how workforce constraints and organizational structures influence tribal outsourcing decisions. Survey data from 57 tribes informed a logistic regression model examining how geographic isolation, population size, training access, and the presence of a transportation department affect preferences for internal work, actual task completion, and instances where tribes intended to perform tasks in-house but outsourced instead. Findings indicate that outsourcing is driven by limited internal capacity, including staffing shortages, lack of certified personnel, and training opportunities. Geography also plays …

Assessing Uranyl-Specific Dnazymes And Dna-Aptamers For Uranium Binding In Environmentally Relevant Waters, Ashley R. Apodaca-Sparks

Civil Engineering ETDs

The legacy of uranium mining affects many communities in the western United States, resulting in elevated levels of uranium in surface water. The ability to quickly and accurately detect uranium on site in affected communities can lead to real-time water quality analysis that informs risk assessment and remediation efforts. The objective of this work is to advance the application of biosensing technologies for the measurement of uranium in waters affected by mining legacy. The third chapter of this thesis compares ANDalyze by AlpHa Instruments, a commercially available uranium biosensor, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (an EPA-verified method for uranium …

Sensitivity-Informed Resonance Parameter Cross Section Adjustments, Matthew Juan Lazaric

Nuclear Engineering ETDs

This work details the process of developing several new features into the MCNP6.3 Monte Carlo code for use in uncertainty quantification and reduction. These new capabilities, which include the CLUTCH method of calculating k-eigenvalue cross section sensitivities and the Windowed Multipole method of calculating cross sections, are implemented and verified against previous implementations and existing cross section data, respectively. These capabilities are then combined to produce sensitivities of k-eigenvalue to resonance parameters, which are verified against direct perturbation sensitivity estimates. The resonance parameters are calibrated using linear Bayesian methods and the accuracy of the resulting cross section is evaluated via …

Representativeness And Sensitivity Analysis Of Accident Tolerant Fuel Cladding Behavior In Reactivity-Initiated Accidents, Melissa Andrea Moreno

Nuclear Engineering ETDs

Accident Tolerant Fuels (ATFs) such as FeCrAl are being developed to enhance safety margins in light water reactors during transients like Reactivity Initiated Accidents (RIAs). This dissertation evaluates the accuracy and representativeness of TRACE thermal hydraulic models for predicting FeCrAl C36M cladding behavior under steady state and transient flow boiling conditions. Benchmarking against University of New Mexico separate effects experiments shows that TRACE reproduces key thermal trends but underpredicts cladding temperatures near CHF by approximately 25 to 30%. A calibrated uncertainty and global sensitivity analysis, using Sobol indices, demonstrates that CHF and cladding temperature variability are dominated by mass flux, …

From Sparse To Precise: Modeling Beam Profiles Using Wavelet-Based Implicit Neural Network (Winn) For Linear Accelerator Commissioning And Quality Assurance, Maryam Ali Albuainin

Computer Science ETDs

Commissioning and routine quality assurance (QA) in radiotherapy require extensive measurements using bulky water tank systems, making the process time-consuming and costly. This research proposes an efficient framework for radiotherapy commissioning and QA by generating complete LINAC physics data from sparse measurements and developing a portable solid-water detector with embedded diodes for high-resolution dosimetry.

At the core of the framework is a Wavelet-based Implicit Neural Network (WINN) that reconstructs full measurement datasets from limited inputs while maintaining clinical accuracy. The model achieves gamma passing rates above 95% (1%/1 mm) and mean absolute errors below 0.5%, while reducing parameters by 99.46% …

The Drive Diaries: How Motivation Shapes Work And Performance, Christian D. Diaz

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Employee motivation remains central to organizational research, yet less is known about how employees personally experience the relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and performance. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory and Expectancy Theory, this qualitative narrative inquiry examined how employees describe their motivational experiences and their influence on workplace effectiveness. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 3 employees across diverse industries and analyzed using thematic analysis.

Four themes emerged: (1) autonomy as a primary driver of sustained performance, (2) recognition as a reinforcing factor, (3) organizational culture as either amplifying or diminishing motivation, and (4) motivation as evolving across career stages. Findings …

The Motivation Tapes: Employee Narratives Of Leadership That Matters, Jessica Gray

Masters Theses, 2020-current

This qualitative phenomenological study explored how employees describe their lived experiences at work. The purpose of the research was to understand the relational, emotional, and developmental dimensions that shape employees’ day-to-day workplace realities and the meanings they assign to those experiences. Four participants from diverse occupational backgrounds were interviewed using semi-structured protocols designed to elicit rich, descriptive accounts of their work environments, relationships, and sense-making processes. The findings reveal that participants shared experiences of supportive and hands-on leadership, opportunities for autonomy and ownership, and moments of connection, meaning, and long-term growth. Participants also described disruptions to these experiences. The implications …

Amplifying Strengths: A Phenomenological Exploration Of Elementary Teachers’ Culturally Proficient Practices With Newcomer Students Through An Appreciative Inquiry Lens, Mary Elizabeth Bradford

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of elementary educators working with newcomer students in a Southwest urban school district, with the purpose of identifying culturally proficient strengths that support student belonging and learning. Guided by an interpretive (hermeneutic) phenomenological approach and informed by Appreciative Inquiry, the study centered educators’ meaning-making rather than deficit-oriented perspectives. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with five elementary educators serving newcomer students across kindergarten through fifth grade. Analysis followed van Manen’s phenomenological methods and resulted in six interrelated themes: belonging before language; school as a cultural system; language as agency and identity; cultural …

International Human Rights Law And Extrajudicial, Summary Or Arbitrary Execution In Africa, John Mukum Mbaku

Loyola of Los Angeles International and Comparative Law Review

International and regional human rights instruments, as well as the laws of many countries, including those in Africa, consider the right to life to be a very important and fundamental human right. Human rights defenders believe that without this right, individuals cannot enjoy or realize the other rights and fundamental freedoms that are guaranteed by and enshrined in international and regional human rights instruments, as well as in many national constitutions. However, despite the protections granted to the right to life by both international and domestic laws, it remains threatened by many individuals and groups. Threats to the right to …

Córdoba V. Paraguay, Madeline Prokop

Loyola of Los Angeles International and Comparative Law Review

This case is about the abduction in Argentina of a minor by a parent. The child was taken to Paraguay without the father’s consent. It took more than nine years for Paraguay to return the child to Argentina. The Court found Paraguay in violation of several articles of the American Convention for the prolonged return proceedings.

Write To Lead: A Document Analysis Of Leadership Communication, Rosenda B. Minella

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

This qualitative study examined how executive leaders at an urban community college in the Southwestern United States used motivating language in written communication. Community colleges face increasing complexity, including enrollment declines, limited resources, and heightened expectations for student success. In this context, written leadership communication helps align organizational goals, build trust, and reinforce institutional values. Motivating Language Theory served as the primary coding framework, with findings interpreted through the lens of Authentic Leadership and informed by AACC Leadership Competencies. Using qualitative document analysis and an AI-assisted workflow to support coding consistency, the study analyzed publicly available executive communications produced over …

Statistical And Spectral Theory For Spatially Correlated Random Aperiodic Antenna Arrays, Thomas Edward Christian Jr

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Aperiodic phased arrays enable beam steering, interference suppression, and spectrum efficiency for 6G, radar, biomedical imaging, and distributed sensing. Minimum inter-element spacing and keep out zones induce spatial correlation, violating the i.i.d. element-position assumption behind classical probabilistic random array theory. This dissertation develops a unified probabilistic spectral framework for correlated (non-i.i.d.) arrays. Second moment power pattern analysis incorporates the pair-correlation function  and structure factor , recovering the i.i.d. limit when  and accommodating unequal excitations. Side lobe and main lobe fields deviate from Rayleigh/Exponential and are modeled by weighted Nakagami and Gamma-mixture distributions, parameterized via Monte Carlo. The blue noise spectral …

A Constructional Approach To Multimodal Linguistic Analysis, Fredy A. Mendieta Rodriguez

Spanish and Portuguese ETDs

This dissertation investigates the systematic organization of co‑speech gestures in referential communication, using data from Spanish‑speaking monolinguals and Spanish–English bilinguals. While traditional gesture research treats pointing as a universal phenomenon, the current analyses show that gestural productions display internal phonological patterning and context‑conditioned variability that parallels spoken constructions. Quantitative results demonstrate how referential distance and communicative context (find‑it versus misunderstanding situations) shape the selection of embodied phonological features—handshape, orientation, movement, and beats—revealing consistent associations between form and interactional demands. Qualitative analyses trace how gestural realizations reduce across discourse as shared understanding emerges. A new complexity metric, based on token frequency …

Examining The Glat As A Measure Of Ai Literacy, Hunter R. Castleton

Masters Theses, 2020-current

The current study examined the Generative AI Literacy Assessment Test (GLAT) as a promising test of AI literacy due to its content, which is grounded in relevant AI literacy theory, and its design as a cognitive measure of AI literacy. To examine the GLAT, data were collected from a sample of 543 graduating seniors at James Madison University (JMU) who took the GLAT as part of a longer series of tests. Their responses were first analyzed to assess the test’s item characteristics and internal structure. Following this initial analysis, a final item set was established to ensure that low-quality items …

Using Behavior Skills Training To Shape Paraprofessional Fidelity And Reduce Student Latency To Begin Non-Preferred Academic Tasks During Transitions, Maria C. Cole

Masters Theses, 2020-current

The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of behavior skills training (BST) to improve a paraprofessional’s implementation fidelity of evidence-based strategies targeting transition-related behaviors in a student with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A changing criterion design was used to evaluate whether a functional relation between BST and the implementation of a task-analyzed transition protocol existed. The staff participant was assessed across baseline, three phases of BST intervention, and a mini-reversal phase included to further assess experimental control. Student data were collected tangentially in further evaluating experimental control. The paraprofessional participant demonstrated improving implementation fidelity trends within and …

The Effects Of Behavior Skills Training To Teach A Clinician To Implement A Structured Work System, Megan E. Bowling

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Many children with autism spectrum disorder present with deficits in completing daily living tasks, which may be due to the sequencing of information required to complete these skills. Structured work systems present a support for children to visually organize and sequence events, though they are most used in the classroom setting. The study tested the effectiveness of behavior skills training to teach a behavior support clinician to implement a structured work system via least-to-most prompting. Data was collected on the clinician’s percent of accurate implementation, which was then analyzed across three daily living behaviors in a multiple probe design. Results …

Interprofessional Collaboration: A Survey Study Focusing On Pre-Service Professionals, Megan L. Bell

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Board certified behavior analysts (BCBAs) are bound by an ethical code to engage in appropriate means of interprofessional collaboration for the best interest of their clients. Training in this has been increased during graduate coursework to ensure BCBAs are intentionally following through on this notion to allow for stronger professional relationships with other related service providers and are holistically providing the best care possible for their clients. The goal of this survey was to better understand how these changes compares to other related services providers and their goals of collaboration, when working with individuals with disabilities. A survey was disseminated …

A Colonial Past Revisited: An Authethnography Of Outsider And Insider Identities In Indigenous Education Communities, Tara L. Deyoung

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

In the late 90s, at Rehoboth Christian school, a small private boarding school in northwest New Mexico, I had four different English teachers in my four years of high school. All but two of my teachers at that time would be considered outsiders to the community in which they taught. Teacher outsiders leave schools and districts at higher rates than insiders to a community; this is especially true for rural and remote areas (Hudson et al., 2020). The purpose of this autoethnographic study is to analyze my history as a cultural outsider and insider in relation to my core beliefs …

Millimeter-Wave Antenna Gain Enhancement Through Stacked Planar Substrates, Zachary Bergstedt

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

This work presents a new wideband millimeter-wave (mmWave) and sub-terahertz antenna design with flexible directivity through the integration of stepped horn antennas and transverse substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) slots for radar and communication applications. The work gives a theoretical and analytical basis for this filter-inspired approach to improving bandwidth and directivity, and presents design and results for a standalone stepped horn, a Ka-band antenna with a solid stepped horn and SIW feed, and W-band antennas with empty SIW feeds and stepped horns manufactured out of multiple planar layers. The realized antennas show bandwidth up to 40% and gain up to …

Hierarchical Safe Reinforcement-Learning Framework For Mission-Aware, Edge-Enabled Multi-Uav Iot Networks, Abee F. Alazzwi

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

This Ph.D. dissertation presents a unified Hierarchical Safe Reinforcement Learning (HSRL) framework for mission-aware, edge-enabled multi-UAV Internet of Things (IoT) networks. The work addresses the need for autonomous aerial infrastructures capable of delivering low-latency communication, scalable edge computation, and provably safe operation in dynamic environments. The dissertation develops three primary contributions. First, it formulates longhorizon drone base station placement and load balancing as a strategic actor–critic learning problem, enabling proactive adaptation to spatiotemporal demand variations. Second, it introduces a mission-aware multi-agent reinforcement learning controller for coordinated mobility, sensing, and computation offloading under latency and energy constraints. Third, it integrates a …

2026 Lynn University Commencement Program, Lynn University

Commencement Programs

The commencement exercises program for Lynn University's class of 2025. The ceremony, held on Saturday, May 16, 2026 at the Palm Beach Convention Center, included all graduating students (undergraduates and graduates).

The commencement speaker was was Bruce J. Himelstein, former Chief Sales & Marketing Officer of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and Loews Hotels.

Development And Preliminary Effectiveness Of Sel-Based Puzzle Media For Improving Emotional Regulation In Second-Grade Elementary Students, Kun Widya Nurfiani, Diana Septi Purnama

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

This study developed and evaluated the feasibility, practicality, and preliminary effectiveness of the Social Emotional Learning (SEL)-based Puzzle Expression Emotion media to improve emotional regulation among second-grade elementary school students. The study used a Research and Development design following the ADDIE model. Feasibility was assessed by subject-matter and media experts, practicality by classroom teachers, and preliminary effectiveness through a one-group pretest-posttest field trial involving 51 students from two public elementary schools in Surakarta. Data were collected through interviews, observations, validation sheets, practicality questionnaires, and an emotional regulation instrument. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively, followed by a paired-sample t-test and N-gain …

Saying “Yes, And” To A Changing Legal Profession Through Improv, Ben Bratman

The Journal of Law Teaching and Learning

As legal practitioners confront the potent impacts of society’s latest technological innovation, legal education can and should say “yes, and” to all the change and uncertainty by leaning into the teaching of human skills. That’s “yes, and,” as in the guiding principle of improvisational theater, or improv. As a form of embodied learning through play, improv exercises are a proven tool for building and refining fundamental human skills, often called the “soft” skills, within a low-stakes learning environment. They can and should be a part of any law school’s effort to graduate confident and skilled communicators who are strong team …

Divided By Truth: Legislative Consequences Of Presidential Signaling On Social Media, Christian D. Pereira

Bryant University Undergraduate Journal

How does presidential communication on social media shape legislative behavior in Congress? While presidents have traditionally been seen as capable of mobilizing coalitions through public appeals, this dynamic may no longer hold in the contemporary media environment. Focusing on posts from President Donald Trump’s platform, Truth Social, we examine whether presidential commentary referencing Congress affects subsequent legislative activity. Drawing on theories of agenda setting and elite signaling, we argue that visible presidential communication increases the partisan salience of issues and alters legislators’ incentives. Using an original dataset of Trump’s Truth Social posts merged with measures of congressional activity, we find …

Tracing Washback In Language Education: Theoretical Foundations And Policy Implications For Assessment Research-Practice Partnerships, Chia-Hsin Yin

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

Washback—the influence of testing on teaching and learning—has become a central concern in language education, with important implications for assessment design, classroom practice, and educational policy. This paper synthesizes foundational theories and empirical studies on washback, drawing on models by Alderson and Wall (1993), Bailey (1996), Green (2007), and others to examine how test effects operate across micro-level classroom practices and macro-level policy contexts. At the micro level, research on self-assessment, portfolio-based assessment, digital tools, and stakeholder perspectives illustrates how test formats, teacher agency, and learner interpretations shape instructional behavior and learning experiences. At the macro level, national policies, language …

Wanted: More Feminist Queer Medievalists In Tolkien Scholarship, Robin A. Reid

Journal of Tolkien Research

J.R.R. Tolkien’s fiction has been identified with the medieval world, and with medieval studies, from the beginning. In this presentation, I acknowledge the extent to which Tolkien scholarship is indebted to the medievalists who established the cornerstone upon which we have all built. Current publications in queer approaches to Tolkien and feminist approaches are growing, but queer scholarship tends to focus on male characters and feminist scholarship on (straight) female characters. What is currently missing in Tolkien scholarship, based on the bibliographic scholarship I have done in the past ten years, is work by feminist queer medievalist scholars and scholarship. …

Reviving The Sacred: Reintegrating Traditional Tantric Philosophies Into Modern Yoga And Meditation Practices, Cameron J. Geary

Denison Journal of Religion

No abstract provided.

Ai Tools For Research Teams, Sandra Desjardins

Library Class: Lunch & Learn

Join us for a fast-paced, practical session on using free and low-cost AI tools to save hours on your research workflow, from initial discovery to final synthesis. We'll have an overview of tools like Rayyan, ResearchRabbit, and Elicit.

Remaking Buford Highway: Immigration And The Struggle For Walkable Suburbia, Amit Kamma

Harvey M. Applebaum ’59 Award

Constructed according to a car-centric vision typical of American suburbs, one segment of Buford Highway outside Atlanta has become a corridor defined by immigrants who often walk and use public transit. These behaviors conflict with the existing car-focused infrastructure, compelling government actors to make the Highway more multimodal. Progress towards that goal is ongoing and precarious, demonstrating wider systemic challenges in U.S. planning and local governance.

Behind The Scores: How Federal Education Legislation Influenced Dayton Public Schools’ Special Education System For Students Of Color, Simran Kaur

Aurora

This paper analyzes the district special education system of Dayton Public Schools’ through federal legislation requirements and state-reported data to evaluate access, implementation, and equity. Findings show that while the district meets several procedural requirements at federal levels, students with disabilities (especially Black students) face limited access to general education environments, family engagement, and disability identification at a local level. Risk ratios reveal subjective disability categories, which is contributing to the district’s low Achievement Gap Closing rate through the state-wide report card.