Digital Commons Network^™

An Analysis Of Confucian Themes In The Didactic Novel, Jake Cole

Pomona Senior Theses

In this thesis, a critical case analysis is made of the Book of Awakening (醒書). This book has been severely understudied, primarily because of its rarity. This study’s goal is to review this book’s contents, by extension contributing to the greater body of knowledge on Didactic Novels. I first give a brief overview of the historical context of Didactic Novels, briefly reviewing existing scholarship. Then, I cover the Book of Awakening’s layout, discussing the distribution of stories and performing preliminary quantitative analysis. Finally, I analyze the Book’s contents from a Confucian perspective, describing how eleven Confucian values are presented within …

Unwanted Medical Treatment Harms Patients: Taxonomy Of Healthcare Consent Infractions, Thaddeus Pope

Faculty Scholarship

Patients in the United States are subject to an ever-growing “avalanche” of unwanted medical treatment (UMT).  This is ethically, economically, and legally wrong. First, UMT constitutes a serious violation of patient autonomy and self-determination.  Second, it is waste (and often fraud or abuse) of scarce healthcare resources.  Third, but for rare exceptions, administering UMT contravenes settled legal rules and principles around consent and battery.

This article describe four types of unwanted medical treatment and how the law addresses (or fails to address) them.  The four types of UMT are (1) treatment over patient objections, (2) treatment with zero consent, (3) …

Civil And Criminal Justice Remedies For Intimate Partner Violence, Demetrice M. Lopez, Anika Ramos

Hunter Center Publications

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a persistent public health problem that impacts the physical and mental health of millions of people each year. The United States has historically relied on the legal system as the primary means of addressing IPV as a criminal or civil infraction. This chapter begins with a review of the history of IPV in the context of the legal system. It then considers the dynamics of IPV and its influence on the legal response. The chapter then looks at the broader impact of IPV and remedies for survivors in the justice system. Finally, it considers the …

A Formative Assessment Of Traditional Undergraduate Students’ Use Of An Ai Learning Platform In Stem Courses, Dane C. Joseph, Rick Muthiah

Faculty Publications - College of Education

A small to midsized university supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education by partnering with a reputable online learning company to provide students and faculty access to artificial intelligence powered textbook problem sets and chatbots. An in-house formative assessment study was conducted in Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 to understand how traditional undergraduate students engaged with the platform. Quantitative results suggests that the general population did not utilize it as much as initially expected. Qualitative findings imply that students might have preferred alternative platforms like ChatGPT, though this may have had nothing to do with the company itself. Overall, …

When Words Flow Like Water: How The Enbridge Line 3 Pipeline Environmental Impact Statement Failed To Prevent Hydrogeologic Harm In Minnesota, Carly Gutzmann

Journal of Earth and Life Science

For the aquifers of Minnesota, the environmental impact statement (EIS) was a promise of protection that never left the page. An environmental impact statement is meant to be an aid in the decision making process in order to ensure that projects consider potential environmental harms that may occur. However, they are often used instead as another regulatory box to check, rather than as active considerations when planning. As such, a project plan can be flawed from the start—if project developers only consider environmental impacts after they have already put considerable time, effort, and funding into their project as-is, they may …

Redness As Fact And Sensibility In Mindanao’S Abaca Ikat Cloth, Cherubim Quizon

Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work Publications

This paper proposes an approach to the color red as a central consideration in cloth making in the southern Philippines where thread is made from abaca (Musa textilis), a historically and economically significant plant in the banana family. It focuses on red dye derived from the root of the Morinda plant (Morinda citrifolia) and how it is utilized and theorized, both pragmatically and metaphorically, by indigenous women of Mindanao. Drawing on research that relies on ethnographic fieldwork and informed by early 20th century American museum collecting during a time of pacification, this paper frames a phenomenological query using mixed methods …

Citizen Engagement In Budget Simulation: Examining The Effectiveness Of Balancing Act Modules In Aligning Public Priorities And Allocation Choices, Frankline Muthomi

Public Administration Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study investigates the extent to which individuals exhibit consistency in their preferences during sequential budget simulation exercises, as well as the factors that shape these preferences. Grounded in behavioral and citizen participation frameworks, the analysis demonstrates that the simultaneous use of priority-setting and budget-balancing modules encourages participants to allocate resources in ways that reflect their previously articulated priorities. While instances of inconsistency remain common, preference consistency is associated with participants’ sustained support for their favored programs, their commitment to ensuring adequate resource allocation, and, to some extent, their willingness to finance these programs. The findings suggest that the integrated …

Virtual Reality In Education: A Thematic Literature Review, Aleksandra Mbuyi

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This literature review combines findings from approximately 40 academic papers on virtual reality in education for readers to gain a broad, structured, and organized understanding of the topic without having to read each of the 40 papers. While researchers define VR in slightly different ways, most definitions focus on VR's ability to create digital simulations of real or imagined environments (Makransky & Lilleholt, 2018). The review is organized around nine themes: conceptualization of VR, pedagogical foundations, instructional design, learning outcomes, learner experience, disciplinary applications, technological constraints, ethics and inclusion, and emerging trends. The findings suggest that VR shows the most …

Patient-Identified Reasons For Premature Termination: A Systematic Review, Jack N. Mizrahi M.S.

Selected Full Text Dissertations, 2011-

Premature unilateral termination has been estimated to occur in approximately 20% of patients seeking psychotherapy. Research has identified a variety of factors including patient, therapist and treatment variables that may contribute to psychotherapy dropout. There is currently quite limited research on patients’ perspective of premature termination, with much of our understanding based on therapist’s perspective. Although therapist perspectives are an important source of information regarding premature termination, therapist judgments about patient progress are often inaccurate, and therapists consistently struggle with foreseeing unilateral termination. In addition, therapists have been found to attribute premature termination more to patient factors than their own …

Significant Women: From Spiritual Narratives To Modern Advocacy, Mary Melissa Henderson

Doctor of Ministry

Significant Women addresses the need for congregational advocates who support and empower women in ministry. This advocacy is rooted in a renewed perspective on women’s roles within both Scripture and the modern church.

Research reveals that tradition, rather than theology, is the primary catalyst for gender limitations in the Church—often driven by a fear of disrupting established operations. Another key insight is that Jesus acts as the "antithesis of patriarchy," intentionally elevating and empowering women to carry the Gospel. While academic resources are plentiful, a significant "white space" exists for non-academic resources designed for laypeople and everyday churchgoers. Stakeholders most …

Good Grief: Implementing Solace And Support Of Bereavement Ministry Within A Resource-Constrained Church In Chicago, Illinois, Celeste Haynes

Doctor of Ministry

Grief is a universal human experience that occurs at some point in everyone's life. This body of work explores the various benefits of implementing a bereavement support ministry in a resource-constrained church in Chicago, Illinois. The research will outline how a bereavement ministry can offer emotional support, spiritual guidance, and provide educational resources, community building, outline a budget proposal, and a grant opportunities, partnership with local agencies, training for volunteers, and practical help to bereaved members in a church, as well as the bereaved community.

Bereavement is an inevitable part of the human experience, and churches have historically served as …

Synergistic Effects Of Salinization And Artificial Root Exudates On Soil Phosphatase Activity In Coastal Soil, Nicolina Lentine, Sarah E. Krisak, Dirk W. Vanderklein, Matthew S. Schuler, Nina M. Goodey

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Coastal soil salinization from rising seawater levels has adverse impacts on soil function, seed germination, and plant growth. Root exudates play a key role in supporting microbial activity, nutrient cycling, and plant health, yet little is known about the combined effects of salinization and the addition of artificial root exudates (AREs) on soils. We investigated the impacts of sodium chloride (NaCl) and AREs, alone and in combination, on soil microbial function and the growth and survival of Chamaecyparis thyoides saplings. In a three-by-three fully factorial matrix, the combined NaCl and AREs treatment increased soil phosphatase activity more than the additive …

Mitigating Data Privacy Risks In Political Micro-Targeting Through Gdpr-Compliant Federated Learning: Lessons From The Cambridge Analytica Controversy, Jingfan (Serena) Xiao

Marquette Intellectual Property & Innovation Law Review

Political micro-targeting employs granular data analytics to deliver hyper- personalized political messaging, raising fundamental tensions between electoral strategy, data privacy, and democratic accountability. The Facebook- Cambridge Analytica scandal exposed significant gaps in pre-GDPR data protection laws, highlighting the risks of unchecked algorithmic profiling in shaping voter behavior. However, as micro-targeting evolves under more sophisticated AI-driven systems, a pressing question emerges: should AI- generated political messaging qualify for First Amendment protection? This Article introduces the concept of speech certainty, arguing that speech must be intentional and cognitively understood by the speaker at the moment of articulation to warrant constitutional protection. Under …

Optimizing Efficiency In Joint Injections In An Outpatient Orthopedic Oncology Clinic Using Lean Six Sigma, William Alexander Byrd

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects - Archive

Prolonged in-room wait time in an outpatient orthopedic oncology clinic was identified as an important driver of dissatisfaction and operational inefficiency. Baseline in-room times in this setting were reported as M=96.2 minutes for patients receiving injections and M=92.9 minutes for those not receiving injections. This quality improvement project used Lean Six Sigma (LSS) DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) framework to streamline clinic workflow for the joint injection process. Over an eight-week period, four key interventions were introduced: a standardized order set for medications, pre-bundled supplies and portable supply toolbox, telephone pre-consenting of patients, and optimized scheduling of …

Advancing Menstrual Health And Hygiene In Rural Kenya: A Guideline Based Approach, Tessia R. Winnfield

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects - Archive

Objective: To develop an evidence-based clinical practice guideline for menstrual health management addressing menstrual education, teacher training, menstrual school absenteeism, male student engagement, pain management, and provision of menstrual kits with product options.

Design: This evidence-based practice guideline development project used the Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Framework and the Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice Model (JHNEBP). I conducted a systematic literature review and a critical appraisal to identify best practices for menstrual hygiene interventions in rural communities.

Setting: The guideline development occurred within an academic Doctor of Nursing Practice program focused on rural communities.

Participants: Seven stakeholders …

Carbon Storage In Headwaters Can Respond Rapidly To Climate Change, Maddie Benello, Carl Renshaw, Joshua Landis

Wetterhahn Science Symposium Posters

Headwater streams play a critical role in the global carbon cycle, serving as significant sites of carbon storage. While there have been recent efforts to quantify carbon storage in headwater streams in the western United States, there remains limited understanding of both the volume and timescale of carbon storage in northeastern forests which often have extensive logging and agricultural histories. Here, we quantify the carbon stock, residence time, and flux of a zero-to-first order headwater stream in Charles Downer State Forest (DF), VT using novel fallout radionuclide (FRN) chronometry. We find DF headwaters have a carbon stock of 66.2 Mg …

Set-Theoretic Reachability-Informed Model Predictive Control For Mechanical And Aerospace Systems, Jinaykumar Nitinkumar Patel

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Dissertations

Modern mechanical and aerospace systems increasingly operate autonomously in environments characterized by nonlinear dynamics, uncertainty, and safety constraints. In these settings, estimation and control methods based on nominal models and single-point trajectory predictions are usually insufficient to ensure safe and reliable operation. This dissertation uses a set-theoretic perspective, in which the system state, uncertainty, and admissible behavior are described by sets instead of point estimates. The key question is not only what the state is, but what set of states remains consistent with the dynamics, disturbances, control limits, and available measurements. This provides bounded descriptions of uncertainty and supports control …

Organizational Support And Burnout In Occupational And Physical Therapists: A Quantitative Correlational Study In The Acute Care Setting, Brenda Ballou-Boyd Mrs.

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Background: The United States is positioned for an upcoming healthcare crisis with an estimated deficit of 100,000 healthcare professionals by 2028 (Mercer, 2024). Burnout is well documented among the healthcare community and is a major contributing factor to an ongoing shortage of healthcare professionals, including occupational and physical therapists. Most prior research has focused on burnout from a personal level, but addressing burnout from an organizational level may be more effective in reducing this phenomenon among occupational and physical therapy providers.

Purpose: Despite the high levels of burnout reported, a substantial gap exists in research dedicated towards the …

Mitochondria In Local Control Of Programmed Cell Killing & Resilience, Rashna Sharmin

Biology Dissertations - Archive

Specialized cells are commonplace and defined by different compartments. Organelle transport across cell compartments is critical for cell function, as in morphologically complex neurons. Specialized cells can undergo programmed elimination, an essential facet of normal development. My central thesis question asks how intracellular transport of mitochondria, the cell’s energy producers, regulate fated elimination of complex cells. I explored this using the specialized tail-spike cell (TSC) of the roundworm C. elegans. The TSC dies embryonically through the novel ‘tripartite’ developmental killing program, Compartmentalized Cell Elimination (CCE).  In my study, I defined and characterized events at the CCE initiation compartment of the …

Protecting Wetlands In The State Of Texas: Assessing Gaps In Regulations, Knowledge, And Professional Roles And Responsibilities, Grace A. Moy

Landscape Architecture Masters & Design Theses

Wetlands rank among earth's most productive ecosystems, providing crucial ecological services such as hydrological regulation, water purification, and habitat support (US EPA, 2015). In Texas, however, rapid urbanization, inconsistent policy enforcement, and the absence of statewide protection frameworks of hastened wetland degradation (Brody & Kang, 2011). Without a robust state regulatory framework (Environmental Law Institute [ELI], 2020), these ecosystems face increasing threats from development and hydrological disturbances.

This thesis aims to identify regulatory and knowledge deficiencies that influence Texas’ current wetland protection status and to offer targeted professional recommendations for landscape architecture professionals to address these shortcomings in future public …

Visual Word Recognition And The Role Of Diacritics: Evidence From Arabic Vowelization., Maram Alharbi

Linguistics & TESOL Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the role of vowelization diacritics in Arabic visual word recognition and their contribution to early stages of lexical processing. Across writing systems, diacritical marks differ in their functional role and in whether they are part of letter identity, raising fundamental questions about how such features are encoded during word recognition. Arabic provides a particularly informative testing ground for these questions: vowelization diacritics in this language carry rich phonological information yet are systematically absent from the texts that skilled readers encounter daily. This interaction between the linguistic value of vowelization and its near-total omission in naturalistic reading positions …

In The Circle Of My Sistas: Blackmotherscholars (Re)Defining Scholarly Identity, Dawn Stephens Jenkins

Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Dissertations

This dissertation examines how Black mothers in doctoral programs develop scholarly identities at the intersections of race, gender, and motherhood within historically white academic spaces. Grounded in endarkened narrative inquiry, the study centers the lived experiences and collective reflections of BlackMotherScholars to interrogate how racialized and gendered mothering shapes scholarly becoming. The research responds to a gap in the literature that overlooks Black maternal experiences as sites of intellectual production and identity formation in doctoral education.

Findings indicate that Black mothering serves as an onto-epistemological foundation for scholarly identity development, shaping participants’ ways of knowing, research commitments, and sense of …

Emotional Intelligence In Blended Vs. Non-Blended Families With Childhood Trauma, Rose Johnson Rodriguez M.S.

Selected Full Text Dissertations, 2011-

This study examined whether family structure (blended vs. non-blended) influenced changes in emotional intelligence (EI) among adults, while controlling for baseline EI and childhood trauma. Participants were 420 adults (292 from non-blended families and 128 from blended families) who completed pre- and post-treatment assessments of emotional intelligence using the Assessing Emotions Scale and completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) at baseline. Multicollinearity diagnostics revealed some overlap between emotional and physical abuse on the CTQ, but no severe violations. The overall model was significant, F (7, 412) = 16.95, p < .001, R2 = .224, explaining 22% of the variance in EI change. Baseline EI significantly predicted change (p < .001), while CTQ subscales were non-significant. Family structure had a small but statistically significant effect on EI change, F (1, 412) = 4.79, p = .029, partial η2 = .011, with adults from blended families showing slightly greater increases in EI than those from non-blended families. Findings suggest that while family context may shape emotional growth, baseline emotional functioning remains the strongest predictor of change. Future studies should recruit larger samples to enhance power and explore the mechanisms underlying these associations.

Exploring The Romantic Relationship Experiences Of Adults With Adhd (A Qualitative Study), Daniella Bababekov M.S.

Selected Full Text Dissertations, 2011-

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder that affects approximately 2.5% of the adult population globally (APA, 2022) and can influence functioning across multiple domains of functioning, including romantic relationships. Fourteen adults currently in romantic relationships participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using Auerbach and Silverstein’s (2003) grounded theory method. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of adults with ADHD in romantic relationships, in order to inform interventions and strategies targeting the unique difficulties faced by this population and their partners. Findings suggest that ADHD influences romantic relationships through interconnected relational processes, including …

Know Your Worth: A Qualitative Study Examining Factors That Psychologists Consider When Setting Their Fees, Emily Rispoli M.S.

Selected Full Text Dissertations, 2011-

Fee-setting in psychotherapy is a routine yet complex aspect of clinical practice that shapes access to care, the sustainability of private practice, and the therapeutic relationship. Despite its importance, limited research has examined how psychologists determine their fees in modern practice. Existing literature has largely focused on ethical guidelines, economic considerations, and the meaning of money in therapy, with less attention to how clinicians navigate fee-setting in real-world contexts. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the factors licensed psychologists consider when setting and adjusting their fees in self-employed, out-of-network private practice. Fourteen psychologists (Ph.D. and Psy.D.) participated …

Comparing The Evolution Of The Advanced Practice Nurse Role: Insights From Switzerland And Kenya, Carole Mackavey, Sara Kohler, Eunice Ndirangu, Rachel Kimani, Constance Shumba, Bernard Mutwiri, Colette Henderson, Anna Jones

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

The article explores the evolution of Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) roles in Switzerland and Kenya, highlighting their development, challenges, and influence on healthcare delivery. Despite notable differences in income levels and healthcare infrastructure, both countries are committed to strengthening primary care through the deployment of APNs. Switzerland uses APNs to address provider shortages and improve chronic disease management, whereas Kenya uses them to increase access in underserved areas. A comparative analysis explores how regulatory frameworks, educational models, scope of practice, and health system priorities influence the adoption of advanced practice nursing (APN). Switzerland’s established healthcare system supports the integration of …

Everyone's Table: Growing Polycultural Leadership Through Mutually Facilitated Peer Learning, Joel Bert Zantingh

Doctor of Leadership

Despite multiculturalism being an official policy in Canada since 1971, significant challenges remain in achieving genuine belonging among immigrant communities, particularly within leadership structures. This project responds to the marginalization of diasporic and newer-to-Canada leaders within evangelically aligned Canadian organizations, focusing specifically on leadership culture.

Grounded in biblical and theological scholarship that advocates for unity amid cultural diversity, this project articulates a normative and interpretive framework rooted in the Christian theological tradition. It also integrates insights from sociological and organizational studies that examine power, ethnocentrism, and the psychological experiences of visible minorities within dominant cultural contexts. I found how implicit …

Women In Leadership Seminar Series, An Integrated Approach, Diane B. Tuttle

Doctor of Leadership

Need Problem Opportunity (NPO) Statement

Women of faith aspiring to leadership positions in the nonprofit sector need to be strategically equipped with specialized knowledge, experience, and interpersonal awareness.

Key Insights That Emerged From Research

When this journey began, I envisioned my project focusing on executive leadership transitions in nonprofit organizations. However, through interactive discovery in this doctoral program, I realized that the scope was too narrow. Women at different career levels wanted to learn, grow, and have opportunities to connect with other women. This led me to develop a seminar series intended for women interested in personal and professional growth. …

5.4.1. Cultivating Cross-Generational Leadership, Shela Ammani Sullivan

Doctor of Leadership

Need Problem Opportunity (NPO) Statement

In the current corporate landscape, there is a lack of effective leadership models for the developing Millennial and Gen Z leaders.

Key Benefits from Research

Research and prototype testing yielded several key discoveries. While digital formats such as vlogs and ePlaybooks offer accessibility and relatability, the strongest outcomes emerged from in-person engagement. Stakeholders’ feedback emphasized the importance of relational depth, experiential learning, real-time feedback, and recommended digital supplements to enhance accessibility and reduce costs. These findings confirm that leadership development initiatives must integrate adaptability with relational practice to achieve sustainable and meaningful impact. The project …

Beyond Rugged Individualism: A Narrative Intervention For Men Languishing In Isolation, Chad Edward Warren

Doctor of Leadership

My NPO (Need, Problem, or Opportunity) addresses the problem that an exceptional number of men in Northwest Montana languish due to prolonged social and emotional isolation.

Across my research, the key insight was that isolation is sustained not only by personal circumstances but also by the cultural narratives that form men’s identities and expectations. Stories function as “maps of meaning,” shaping what men perceive as strength, weakness, and the good life. In this context, rugged individualism, understood as a self-reliance and isolation narrative that prizes toughness and minimal dependence, can foster admirable grit while also reinforcing shame around vulnerability, help-seeking, …