Digital Commons Network^™

Confronting The Conflation: The Use Of Christian Nationalist Rhetoric At The Insurrection On January 6th, 2021, Sophia Barnes

West Chester University Master’s Theses

This project considers the rhetoric of Christian nationalism on display before, during, and after the insurrection at the United States Capitol on January 6^th, 2021. I will show how Christian nationalism on Jan 6^th can be framed using Jenny Edbauer’s ideas of rhetorical ecologies and Thomas Rickert’s ideas of rhetorical ambiance by considering the speakers at the insurrection and a pastor who has been publicly vocal about his motives. Next, I will consider the images used by major media outlets covering the insurrection and how they chose to frame the events visually by considering Kellie Sharp-Hoskins’s ideas …

A Uses And Gratifications Analysis Of Traditional Radio Strategies To Engage Listeners, Lauren Beachy

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Using the framework of the Uses and Gratifications theory, this study explores strategies that radio hosts use to engage traditional radio listeners. The analysis aims to understand the intent of radio jocks' words, categorizing what they say into different uses and gratifications: positive mood management, diversion, negative mood management, interpersonal relationships, personal identity, and surveillance. Through a content analysis of leading Philadelphia radio stations across a range of genres and time slots, 15 hours of radio were coded, five different genres within different time frames of the day. The analysis provides insight into the relationship between broadcasters and their audience …

Social Media Comments Of Top Athletes: A Gender Analysis, Madigan Mcgrath

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Sports are fraught with gender inequality and sexism. This research focuses on differences in public opinion regarding top athletes' personal social media. The study investigates gender differences in topic, gender differences in tone, gender differences in platform, and differences in sports. Additionally, it aims to explore the tone and topics of comments on Instagram and X. Using the methodology of content analysis, this study will examine comment tone (e.g. negative, positive, or neutral), as well as whether the topic of comments is sports-related or gender-related. Findings provide insight into gender differences in the treatment of athletes in the digital sphere.

Navigating Us Higher Education For First Year International College Students, Jaron Felder

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Imagine a world where you are a student navigating a culture unlike your own. This is a constant issue that most international college students face during their US acculturative first year transition. International college students examined in existing research experience societal and cultural factors impacting their academic transition such as gaining English language proficiency and domestic student social support (Yan et al, 2018). Language proficiency is important for international college students as they enter their first year because they must use their language competencies to learn, navigate everyday life, and fully assimilate to the domestic culture. In comparison to US …

Fandom “For You”: Understanding The Perceptions, Experiences, And Motivations Of Tiktok Creators In Anime Fandom, Noah Glose

West Chester University Master’s Theses

This study examines the perceptions, experiences, and motivations of TikTok content creators who actively create videos related to the topics and genre of anime. Specifically, this study aimed to examine the gratifications sought by TikTok’s anime creators, the platform-specific affordances offered to the anime creator, and the interplay between gratifications and affordances in affecting the themes of content produced by creators. A sample of 15 US participants who regularly create content in the anime fandom on TikTok were interviewed to better understand the central questions proposed. Inductive qualitative thematic analysis of data was performed, which implemented a multi-step coding process …

Identifying Youth Appeals In Alcohol Alternative Social Media Content Through Framing, Melina Oneal

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Proposed regulations for alcohol advertising prevent beverage companies from targeting people under the legal drinking age. However, similar regulations for alcohol alternative beverages are less explored, which could allow alcohol alternative products to create awareness for alcoholic beverages among youth. Alcohol alternatives beverages, including no-alcohol and low-alcohol products, are increasing in popularity and can function as compliments to alcoholic products to decrease the total alcohol volume consumed or as substitutes for alcoholic products. Framing theory can be operationalized through the Content Appealing to Youth Index, an index of content elements found in research literature to be appealing to youth, to …

Discordium: Existentialism And The Metapsychology Of Reality, Schyler Richards

West Chester University Master’s Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to introduce a phenomenological theory wherein the problem of disharmony, or what can also be viewed as the problem of reality, can be understood and, insofar as it is possible, resolved. I will attempt here to develop my theory of the phenomenon in terms of its relation to nine other concepts: reality, appearance, experience, the idea, essence, nature, existence, the will, and the psyche or “mind.” In the process, I will provide a general explanation of how my theory of the phenomenon is informed …

Road Salt Intrusion Drives Changes In Wetland Plant Communities In Great Marsh, Pennsylvania, Benjamin Langey

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Freshwater salinization, especially the use of road salts for deicing, poses significant threats to freshwater wetlands. The Great Marsh in Elverson, Pennsylvania, is a unique and valuable freshwater ecosystem, and the largest contiguous freshwater wetland complex within the highly developed Philadelphia suburban landscape. Recently documented water quality and vegetative community degradation within the Marsh could be attributed to the Pennsylvania Turnpike, present along the Marsh’s southern boundary. Constructed in the 1950s, the Turnpike is a source of road salts and pathway for invasive species, namely the salt-tolerant Phragmites australis. To investigate the effects of road salt intrusion on emergent …

The Efficacy Of Finetuning Large Language Models For Interpersonal Conflict Resolution, Matthew Boraske

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Since its introduction in 2017, the transformer architecture has revolutionized natural language processing, leading to the development of large language models (LLMs). Encoder-decoder transformers excel at tasks requiring deep understanding, such as summarization and question-answering. Decoder-only variants have been optimized for generating coherent, extended texts.

Despite their success in deterministic tasks like translation, LLMs have been less explored in ambiguous tasks such as interpersonal conflict resolution. This study addresses this gap by evaluating LLMs on four new datasets derived from the "Am I the A**hole" (AITA) subreddit, featuring discussions of interpersonal conflicts. These datasets challenge models with real-world data including …

New Hampshire, Liam Thomas

West Chester University Master’s Theses

New Hampshire is a concept album: a recording project inspired by Robert Frost’s (1874-1963) large poetic work of the same title. After reading Frost’s lengthy first poem (also titled “New Hampshire”) I felt an immediate connection between his texts and my musical style. Frost’s “New Hampshire” features many depictions of nature and creates mystery through its colorful, sometimes vague imagery that leaves interpretive space for the imaginative reader, which, in my opinion, is the mark of a great poet. As a reflection of Frost’s text, my album contains atmospheric, ambient music drawing influence from folk, Americana, rock, jazz, with the …

Thought Control Mediates The Relation Between Adverse Childhood Experiences And Body Dysmorphic Disorder Symptoms In Undergraduates, Alex Elnashar

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Purpose: Body dysmorphia (BDD) has been shown to possibly result from multiple environmental factors. However, the exact mechanism by which these environmental factors play a role has yet to be examined. The purpose of the current study is to examine the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and body dysmorphia symptoms through maladaptive thought control as a mediator.

Method: The current study collected data from 127 undergraduate students aged 18-25. A survey was given with questionnaires assessing demographics such as age, sex, and gender, as well as the frequency of ACEs, BDD symptoms, and obsessional beliefs. Pearson’s correlation analysis was …

The Jack Daniel’S Dialogues, Michael Grynberg

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

Jack Daniel’s Properties, Inc. v. VIP Products LLC threatened to upend the balance between trademark rights and expressive freedom. While not going as far as it might have, the opinion limits the ability of defendants to resist trademark claims that target artistic or noncommercial speech.

As important as this result is, we should not overlook a fundamental preliminary question. How could a dog chew toy that mocks Jack Daniel’s whiskey be the basis of a viable trademark infringement claim? Answering that question requires discussing deep issues within modern trademark law.

These antecedent questions were not directly before the Court, but …

Renewable Energy Stocks' Performance And Climate Risk: An Empirical Analysis, Lingyu Li, Xianrong Zheng, Shuxi Wang

Information Technology & Decision Sciences Faculty Publications

This article studies the relationship between renewable energy stocks’ performance and climate risk. It shows that publicly held renewable energy stocks underperform as a reaction to climate policy information releases, modeled by feed-in tariff (FIT) legislation announcements. The study examined stock price behaviors 2 days before and 30 days after FIT policy announcements. The stock sample used in the study has 3702 firm-day combinations, which included 180 cleantech firms and 32 events from 2007 to 2017. Based on the residual analysis of the sample’s abnormal return, it indicated that the FIT announcements are associated with significant declines in returns. The …

The Manifestation Of Elementary Teachers’ Mathematical Identities: An Explanatory Mixed Methods Study, Kyle Brun

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

In the most simplistic form, mathematical identities manifest in the statements, “I am good at math” or “I am not good at math”. Once established, individuals’ identities influence how they interact and approach mathematical problem-solving (Bishop, 2012; Boaler, 2013; Boaler & Selling, 2017). The purpose of this mixed-method explanatory sequential study is to explore a deeper understanding of how elementary teachers’ mathematical identities influence their beliefs about effective math instruction. Utilizing an explanatory sequential mixed-method design, a questionnaire was used for the initial quantitative analysis of teachers' mathematical identities. Analysis of survey submissions identified three unique mathematical identity profiles. Two …

Rediseño Del Localizador De Cajeros De Ing, Lara De Los Ángeles De Miguel Martín

Máster en Experiencia de Usuario UX

La banca cada día se centra más en trabajar por el diseño inclusivo y en mejorar la experiencia de los usuarios. Esto, sumado a la importancia creciente del diseño, provoca que la accesibilidad sea un tema actual y presente en muchas conversaciones.

Para fomentar el diseño inclusivo, es esencial pensar en la omnicanalidad, tratando de ofrecer medios diversos de uso, especialmente cuando se trata de un servicio utilizado por todos. Hay que considerar que la diversidad de clientes es altísima, por lo que la variedad debe estar garantizada. Además, cerrar el ciclo es de suma importancia para acompañar a los …

Can Machines Commit Crimes Under U.S. Antitrust Laws?, Aslihan Asil, Thomas G. Wollmann

The University of Chicago Business Law Review

Generative artificial intelligence is being rapidly deployed for corporate tasks including pricing. Suppose one of these machines communicates with the pricing manager of a competing firm, proposes to collude, receives assent, and raises price. Is this a crime under U.S. antitrust laws, and, if so, who is liable? Based on the observed behavior of the most widely adopted large language model, we argue that this conduct is imminent, satisfies the requirements for agreement and intent under Section 1 of the Sherman Act, and could confer criminal liability to both firms as well as the pricing manager of the competing firm.

“Killer Acquisitions” Reexamined: Economic Hyperbole In The Age Of Populist Antitrust, Jonathan M. Barnett

The University of Chicago Business Law Review

Major competition regulators, and substantial portions of the scholarly community, have rapidly adopted the view that “killer acquisitions” and “kill zones” constitute significant sources of competitive risk arising from incumbent acquisitions of emerging firms in digital markets. Based on this view, policymakers in the United States, European Union, and other jurisdictions have advocated for, and in some cases have taken, substantial changes to merger review policies that would erect significant obstacles to incumbent/startup acquisitions. A review of the relevant body of evidence finds that these widely-held views concerning incumbent/startup acquisitions rest on meager support, confined to ambiguous evidence drawn from …

Insider Abstention And Rule 10b5-1 Plans, David Rosenfeld

The University of Chicago Business Law Review

Company insiders will typically be in possession of material non-public information (MNPI) about their companies. In order to allow insiders the opportunity to trade, the SEC adopted Rule 10b5-1, which provides an affirmative defense to insider trading liability if the trades are made pursuant to a written plan or trading instruction entered into when the trader was not aware of MNPI. Over the years, there has been considerable concern that insiders were abusing Rule 10b5-1 plans by adopting plans just prior to trading, adopting multiple plans, or even terminating plans when they turned out to be unprofitable. The SEC recently …

The Ascertainable Standards That Define The Boundaries Of The Sec’S Rulemaking Authority, Bernard S. Sharfman

The University of Chicago Business Law Review

On the heels of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency, the “major questions” doctrine quickly came to be perceived as a significant impediment to the finalization of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s proposed rule on climate-related disclosures.

This Article presents a new argument against finalization, an argument that does not require the application of the major questions doctrine. This argument finds its authority in the policy objectives and the one policy constraint found in the statutes that underlie the proposed rule. These policy standards, referred to as ascertainable standards in the Article, not only …

Joseph Smith And Our Preparation For The Lord's Final Judgment, George L. Mitton

Interpreter Foundation Books

It is with pleasure that I share a few thoughts in connection with this compilation of my father’s published essays. I join others in our family in congratulating him on a lifetime of achievements and acknowledge the significant contribution of our mother Ewan Harbrecht Mitton in supporting this research and scholarship. During my formative years, Dad and

From Deference To Indifference: Judicial Review Of The Scope Of Public Health Authority During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Wendy E. Parmet

Saint Louis University Journal of Health Law & Policy

For most of American history, courts have granted public health officials significant deference in construing the scope of their own authority. This changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in the federal courts, where deference was replaced with skepticism as courts used the major questions doctrine to narrow the scope of public health powers. This Article examines this development and considers its implications for public health. Part II begins by recounting the long history of judicial deference to officials’ determination of the scope of their public health powers. Part III notes some of the problems with such deference and the pre-pandemic …

Authority To Improve Or Harm Health: The Public Health Front In A Decades-Long Battle Over Governmental Powers, Sabrina Adler, Sara Bartel, Heather Wong

Saint Louis University Journal of Health Law & Policy

Backlash to local, state, and federal responses to combat COVID-19 has resulted in a small but vocal cohort of legislatures and courts trying to change long-settled and foundational principles of public health decision-making. They have shifted authority away from experts and local decision-makers, limiting emergency response in ways that also impact day-to-day public health efforts. Considering some examples of other recent preemption efforts, it is clear that COVID-era backlash is part of a longer-term deregulatory agenda, often framed as an effort to keep “big government” out of people’s lives and to preserve individual freedoms. However, the impact of such deregulation …

The Model Public-Health Emergency Authority Act, Robert Gatter

Saint Louis University Journal of Health Law & Policy

The Uniform Law Commission recently approved the Model Public-Health Emergency Authority Act (MPHEAA or the Act or the Model Act). The MPHEAA grants governors specific and plenary powers to issue public health emergency orders while also ensuring executive branch transparency and accountability. The Act improves public health emergency preparedness by resecuring the legal foundation for states to respond effectively to future emergencies. However, more work is needed to enhance data collection and support vulnerable populations in emergencies.

This Article discusses the origins of the MPHEAA, key policy and drafting choices the Drafting Committee made in creating the MPHEAA, and the …

What Is A Public Health Lawyer Today? Acting For, Against, And Beyond Public Health, Scott Burris

Saint Louis University Journal of Health Law & Policy

Health in America is not looking good. Unique among countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the basic measure of national health—life expectancy—was declining even before COVID-19. Public health, both as a system of institutions and as a profession working to promote longer and healthier lives, is also struggling. The normal insularity of the field’s professional culture—including a lack of legal competency—helped undermine the response to COVID-19, which was dismal by any measure. At this difficult time, this Article considers three different ways public health lawyers can make a contribution to public health as a goal and as …

Teaching Dobbs As A Contemporary Case Study Of Federalism In Action And An Introduction To The Cross-Disciplinary Nature Of The Law, Antonia A.B. Miceli

Saint Louis University Journal of Health Law & Policy

With its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the U.S. Supreme Court ended the constitutional right to an abortion, overturning Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, and returned the issue of legal access to an abortion to the states. Prior to Dobbs, reproductive rights and the right to an abortion were firmly situated within the substantive due process and fundamental rights coverage of law school constitutional law courses. But this coverage often falls late in, or completely outside the scope of, the required constitutional law curriculum at U.S. law schools. This Article offers the …

Regulating The Pains Of Racial Discrimination, Alice Abrokwa

Saint Louis University Journal of Health Law & Policy

This essay examines the relationship between experiences of racial discrimination and pain, assessing how social, legal, and regulatory responses to racial pain in the United States can enable further discrimination and compound the underlying pain. The essay articulates a conceptual framework for understanding this relationship, contending that: racial discrimination can contribute to pain severity and sensitivity; patients of color seeking pain relief are subject to heavy social scrutiny, including from their medical providers; social scrutiny and regulatory restriction together limit patients’ lawful avenues for pain relief, including their access to controlled substances that are used to manage pain; patients who …

The Supreme Court’S Access To Court Decisions In 2023-2024, Jane Perkins, Amanda Avery, Arielle Linsey, Sarah Somers

Saint Louis University Journal of Health Law & Policy

The Supreme Court’s 2023–24 Term produced a number of controversial decisions, affecting everything from where unhoused people can sleep to the president’s absolute immunity. In this Article, we discuss significant decisions that have implications for access to court for civil litigants, focusing on a trio of decisions that curtail the power of administrative agencies. Also highlighted are decisions that address jurisdiction, standing and mootness, sovereign immunity, statutory construction, due process, and equal protection. We close with a brief preview of cases before the Court during the 2024–2025 Term.

Department And Individual Efforts To Amplify Prophetic Messages, Scott C. Esplin, Brad Streeter, Rory Bigelow, Aaron Shumway, David Peck

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

This panel focuses on Church Educational System efforts to follow Elder Clark G. Gilbert’s counsel to amplify prophetic messages. An amplifier takes an input source such as a microphone and increases its amplitude or size and sends it through an output source such as a speaker. Instructors can help students reduce background noise, or contradictory information from sources other than the Savior or prophets.

The Behavioral Origins Of Phylogenic Responses And Ontogenic Habits, W. David Stahlman, Kenneth J. Leising

Psychological Science Articles

An examination of innate behavior and its possible origins suggests parallels with the formation of habitual behavior. Inflexible but adaptive responses-innate reflexive behavior, Pavlovian conditioned responses, and operant habits-may have evolved from variable behavior in phylogeny and ontogeny. This form of "plasticity-first" scientific narrative was unpopular post-Darwin but has recently gained credibility in evolutionary biology. The present article seeks to identify originating events and contingencies contributing to such inflexible but adaptive behavior at both phylogenic and ontogenic levels of selection. In ontogeny, the development of inflexible performance (i.e., habit) from variable operant behavior is reminiscent of the genetic accommodation of …

Bs Data Science & Data Analytics, Ds 2024-25, Arkansas State University - Jonesboro

Bachelor of Science and Education

No abstract provided.