Digital Commons Network^™

Shake Hands: A Challenge And A Statement On The Woman’S Role In American Society, Brynne Petty

AWE (A Woman’s Experience)

Nineteenth-century America was a time ripe with change. New inventions were created every day; many felt the call of Manifest Destiny and pushed for Westward Expansion; and the country endured a brutal civil war, all while enduring the growing pains of a young nation. Every decade delivered more opportunities for artists to create paintings that told of epic battles and the courage of men as they faced the wild frontier. Yet, somewhere in the midst of all this, the American ideal shifted. Many artists turned their efforts toward creating genre paintings that depicted the everyday lives of the middle and …

A Method For Assessing The Contribution Degree Of An Aviation Delivery System And Identifying Key Equipment, Xiaofeng Liu, Chengze Jiang, Xingyu Chen, Deyin Jiang, Bolin Shang, Bifeng Song

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Based on the delivery efficiency and delivery quality, a general aviation delivery system effectiveness evaluation model was constructed, and a calculation method of system contribution degree based on efficiency was given. By combining the system calculation experiment and simulation experiment based on agent-based modeling and simulation (ABMS), the design idea of the Monte Carlo simulation experiment for key equipment identification and equipment technology development trend analysis was sorted out, and the key equipment identification method based on ABMS and contribution evaluation was proposed. By taking the intercontinental long-range aviation delivery mission as an example, a variety of simulation experiments …

Numerical Simulation Of Water Tank Solidification In A Firefighting Aircraft Under High-Altitude Cold-Soak Conditions, Guanmian Liu, Zhihang Cheng, Hejun Qin, Kangzhi Yang, Qing Wen, Kun Gao

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: A systematic numerical simulation study was conducted to address the issue of internal water tank solidification in firefighting aircraft under high-altitude low-temperature conditions. Based on computational fluid dynamics methods, a solidification-melting model considering fluid-structure interaction heat transfer and phase change processes was adopted. Through reasonable simplification of the complex geometric model, a quasi-three-dimensional computational model suitable for engineering analysis was developed. The influence laws of key parameters, including high-altitude cold-soak temperature, ground initial water temperature, and cold-soak time, on the freezing characteristics of the water tank were investigated. Combining with the parameter influence laws, a safety criterion using the …

Uab Libraries News, 08/09 2026, Uab Libraries

UAB Libraries News

No abstract provided.

Webinar 3 Designated Eld Through Ebp, Slide Deck 8.19.26, Center On English Language Proficiency

Webinars

No abstract provided.

Investigating The Role Of Patient-Provider Interaction Quality And Illness Interference In Patients' Basic Psychological Need Fulfillment And Subjective Well-Being, Rebecca Erin Elwood

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Patient-provider communication occurs between patients and medical professionals. This type of communication is experienced by most U.S. adults yearly, and it can lead to positive health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of this type of communication in patient’s lives overall. Specifically, the study considered if good quality patient-provider communication is associated with people feeling an overall sense of autonomy, competence, relatedness, and an overall positive experience of their life. It also considered how much symptoms or treatment of health issues impact people’s lives. Data in the study was collected through an online survey with …

Drivers Of Employee Success And Productivity: Analyzing The Role Of An Executive Recruiting Intern, Hayden Raycher

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Undergraduate Honors Theses

For an experiential thesis over an internship experience in collaboration with the University of Arkansas and my advisor, Dr. Michael Popp, I collected data over a 9-month period relevant to my internship at Stout Executive Search, an executive recruiting firm. The purpose of the research was to explore the factors that influence productivity in a recruiting environment and provide quantifiable insights into the impact of different job-related achievements towards overall employee success. The research was initially designed to encompass evidence and commentary on training regimens and company culture, as well as job experience, with the latter becoming the sole focus …

Field Calibration Of Flow Over Tilting Weirs In Canals, Joseph E. Pugh, Timothy K. Gates, S. Karan Venayagamoorthy, Caner Kutlu

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Tilting weirs are widely used to regulate water levels in open channel irrigation systems and can also provide flow measurement capability that helps optimize irrigation efficiency and ensure equitable water distribution. This case study demonstrates adaptation of lab-based tilting weir ratings to field settings, where flow behavior is more complex. We compile and analyze an extensive data set derived from independent studies of five structures within three canal systems, featuring both lined and unlined channels with discharge ranging from 0.35 to 15 m3/s (12 to 530 ft3/s). Results indicate that lab-based rating equations can be calibrated to account for site-specific …

The Long Arc Of Global Citizenship: Historical Foundations, Modern Challenges, And Institutional Innovation At Rollins College, Wenxian Zhang

Faculty Publications

The concept of global citizenship can be traced back to the Greek and Roman periods in Western civilization, as well as to ancient Eastern philosophies. Representing both a prescriptive ideal and an aspirational faith in humanity, the notion is closely linked to the historical development of cosmopolitanism, transnationalism, and transnationality. This study first reviews the rich historical roots and core values of global citizenship, along with the growing need for global citizenship education in the modern era. It then highlights several influential individuals who strongly championed its principles, including theoretical physicist and Nobel Prize winner Albert Einstein and internationalist and …

Exploring Factors Related To Retention Of Young Soccer Officials, Jacob K. Tingle, Lynn L. Ridinger, David J. Hancock, Joseph Foran, Lucas Ribeiro

School of Business Faculty Research

Purpose/Rationale

The purpose of this study was to examine factors (needs and motivations) that contribute to retention of young soccer officials.

Design/Methodology/Approach

An online survey was distributed to soccer referees who received their first USSF officiating license as a juvenile.

Findings:

Correlational and regression analyses yielded five key findings: (1) Self-Determination Theory (SDT) principles are salient to retention; (2) Intrinsic Motivation and Sense of Community significantly impact retention; (3) variables across scales were highly correlated and had large effect sizes; (4) findings were similar across demographic variables; and (5) small increases to Relatedness and Choice had a large impact on …

Evaluation Of General Voronoi Diagram Decomposition For Harmonic Fields In Navigation Of Dynamic Environments, Franco Abullarade

Master's Theses

Harmonic potential fields provide provably minimum-free navigation, but any change to the workspace geometry invalidates the field and forces a costly global recomputation, typically restricting them to static environments. This thesis extends the harmonic map framework of Vlantis et al., which maps the free workspace onto a unit disk and uses an atlas of per-region transformations, to dynamic indoor settings. First, we replace their manually annotated room partition with an automatic decomposition based on the Generalized Voronoi Diagram, allowing the atlas to be built from an arbitrary occupancy grid in an automated way. Second, we introduce a localized repair procedure …

Effects Of Bidisperse Gold Nanoparticles On Near-Infrared Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (Sers) In Quick-Freezing-Induced Gold Nanoparticle Aggregates (Qfiaas), Elissa M. Dojka

Forensic Science Master's Projects

Gold nanoparticle (AuNP) aggregates formed via rapid freezing in liquid nitrogen exhibit strong near-infrared (NIR) plasmonic coupling. These quick-freezing-induced AuNP aggregates (QFIAAs) form moderately sized, colloidally stable structures that remain suspended for over three months, supporting a variety of analytical applications. Mechanistically, QFIAA formation arises from the confinement of nanoparticles and ions within advancing ice grain boundaries during freeze-concentration. This mechanical crowding promotes extreme physical proximity while simultaneously elevating local ionic strength, which screens electrostatic barriers to drive the assembly of dense, tightly coupled plasmonic networks.

This study investigates the plasmonic and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) behavior of bidisperse QFIAA …

Performing The Self Online: Gender, Identity, And Power In Content Economies, Sergio Germade Ii

Theses & ETDs

This study examines how identity is performed and stabilized within digital platform environments, where visibility becomes central to how the self is recognized and sustained. Drawing on a framework that treats identity as relational, performative, and shaped by algorithmic systems of attention, the study approaches digital selfhood not as a fixed expression of belief, but as an ongoing performance shaped by recognition, engagement, and repetition. Using a comparative case analysis of six creator archetypes across competing ideological orientations and gendered pairings, the study analyzes patterns of self-presentation, audience response, and engagement on YouTube. Through cross-case comparison, the findings show that …

The Difference In Social Media Coverage For Male And Female Athletes, Amanda Thomas

Communications and Digital Media Theses

Pulling back the curtain on the reality women athletes face when it comes to their social media coverage. Sports have been male-dominated since the start, but over the years women have become more and more involved in sports as they have their own teams and even sports. However, this issue lies with the overall support and coverage they are receiving from well-known Sports coverage networks. For this study, I looked at social media posts from ESPN, FOX Sports, and NBC Sports focused on the sports of Basketball, Baseball/Softball, and Tennis. In doing this study, I analyzed how many posts men …

The Effects Of An Educational Intervention To Enhance Knowledge And Awareness Of The Prevention Of Sexually Transmitted Infections Among College Students, Darcy Yates

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Purpose

The DNP student implemented a single group pretest-postest design underpinned by the Health Belief Model to address the PICOT question: Among a purposive sample of college students at a mid-west college (Population) to what degree does participation in an evidence-based intervention providing information about STIs (Intervention), compared with before that intervention (Comparison), result in to an increase in knowledge and awareness regarding STI infections and associated risks and treatment options (Outcomes) over a six-week period (Time)?

Methods

The pretest and postest scores of 15 students for the 27 items in the Sexually Transmitted Diseases Knowledge Questionnaire (STD-KQ) were evaluated. …

Occupational Health Hazard: Silicosis Policy In California's Engineered Stone Industry, Devany G. Rocha

Master's Projects and Capstones

This policy analysis evaluated the effectiveness of current California regulations that were enacted after the STOP Act was passed to address silicosis incidence rates against Australia's complete ban on manufacture, supply, processing and installation of engineered stone with greater than 1% crystalline silica content. Silicosis is a deteriorating fibrotic lung disease caused by the prolonged or massive inhalation of crystalline silica (Dynamed, 2023). To assess the scope of the problem under the STOP Act, we used data from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) surveillance from 2019 to present. We assessed incidence rates, mortality rates, and patient demographics. We …

Designing By Chance: Controlled Randomness As A Generative And Constructible Strategy For Architectural Façade Composition—A Case Study, Maruan Halabi

All Works

Façade design has long oscillated between repetitive order and visual disorder, and computational tools now make controlled irregularity easy to generate but hard to build; comparatively few studies follow a stochastic envelope from algorithm to a completed building. This paper examines controlled randomness as a deliberate, constructible strategy for façade composition. A parametric Grasshopper workflow erodes a square grid of wall modules through a seeded random-reduction rule—a deterministic, rule-based procedure that uses no machine learning or artificial intelligence—whose intensity increases up the building, producing a depth-modulated, quarry-like relief realized with one ordinary product—40 × 20 cm concrete blocks in four …

The Practice Of Targeted Budgeting And Its Alignment To The School District’S Strategic Plan, Geraldo Torres

Education Doctoral

This transcendental phenomenological study explores how budget officials in New York State perceive their roles and make resource allocation decisions in alignment with their school district's strategic plans, particularly in efforts to close achievement gaps among historically underserved student populations. Guided by Simon’s theory of bounded rationality, the study examines how decision-makers operate under real-world constraints such as limited information, competing priorities, and institutional pressures.

Persistent disparities in English language arts (ELA) proficiency, most notably among Black, Latinx, and students with disabilities, highlight the urgency of equity-centered budgeting. Through semi-structured interviews with school business officials (SBOs) and assistant superintendents for …

A Post-Incarceration Syndrome And Its Impact On Formerly Incarcerated Individuals: A Quantitative Examination Of In-Prison Services And Community Reentry Resources In New York City, Jorge Antonio Diaz

Education Doctoral

The United States incarcerates more individuals than any other nation, yet the effects ofincarceration remain underexamined in quantitative research. Although qualitative research has documented the traumatic sequelae of confinement, including post-incarceration syndrome (PICS), limited work has assessed the perceived adequacy of services available during incarceration, community reentry, and parole supervision. This study addresses that gap through a non-experimental, cross-sectional, descriptive quantitative design. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 31 formerly incarcerated adults using a 40-item researcher-developed tool, the Post-Incarceration Services Assessment Survey (PISAS), which examined perceived adequacy of in-prison coping services, community-based reentry resources, and parole officer support. …

New York City High School Alumni Perceptions Of A School-Community-Based Organization Partnership, Tasha Cooper

Education Doctoral

This qualitative phenomenological study explored how recent alumni of a New York City public high school described and interpreted their lived experiences with a school–community-based organization (CBO) partnerships through “Program X,” a college and career readiness program. Using semi-structured interviews, the study examined how eight public high school graduates perceived these experiences as influencing their educational decision-making and postsecondary aspirations. Findings revealed that Program X positively influenced the educational decision- making, college readiness, and career aspirations through individualized academic planning, SAT prep, financial aid workshops, college and career events, and mentoring. The participants reported increased motivation, self-efficacy, self-sufficiency, and confidence …

Understanding The Role Of Transformational Leadership In Supporting Well-Being Among Globally Educated Nurses And Contiguous United States Educated Nurses: A Quantitative, Correlational Study, Megan Shone

Education Doctoral

The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to understand the role of transformational leadership in relation to well-being among globally educated nurses (GENs) and contiguous United States, or mainland, educated nurses (CONUS-educated nurses). As internal and external pressures on healthcare systems intensify and impact the workforce, healthcare administrators and leaders must respond. This response must support elements of nurse well-being for both GENs and CONUS-educated nurses. The theoretical framework guiding this study was Transformational Leadership. This quantitative, correlational research design analyzed archival organizational engagement data from two acute care hospitals in New York State. The study examined professional satisfaction, …

Hkc07 - Bayesian Conspiracy Theorists? Equivocal Signals And Persistent Polarization, Javier A. Granados Samayoa, Timothy Hyde

Oberlin College Kasper Economics and Business Working Paper Series

Conspiracy beliefs are the subject of a rich literature in psychology, which explains them through personal dysfunction. The corresponding economics literature is scant. We offer a demand-side model of belief in specific conspiracy theories with no biases, misspecification, or strategic manipulation. A conspiracy, by its nature, generates equivocal evidence about its own existence, because the same strength that produces more to detect also produces better concealment. We model belief in a specific conspiracy theory as learning about the strength 𝑞 of a cabal, a stand-in for the secretly coordinating actors of any conspiracy theory. In the baseline the cabal influences …

Hkc08 - Neglect At Your Own Risk? Evidence On Risk-Taking Prevalence And Motives From The Field, Saurabh Bhargava, Timothy Hyde

Oberlin College Kasper Economics and Business Working Paper Series

We study risky choice in a field setting where employees choose among goal-reward contracts resembling financial lotteries and where we observe both choices and beliefs. We find risk aversion and choice heterogeneity far exceeding expected utility predictions and unexplained by prominent behavioral motives like overconfidence, nonlinear decision weights, and loss aversion. We propose and experimentally validate a heuristic explanation for risk taking involving contingency neglect during pairwise evaluation. The heuristic fits the field and lab data better than leading alternative models, uniquely predicts the belief distortions and framing effects we document, and offers a potential explanation for empirical insurance puzzles.

Valet Health And The Healthcare Digital Marketing Industry, Matt Merk

Theses & ETDs

This report presents an account of an internship completed at Valet Health, an online healthcare digital marketing service based out of The Woodlands, Texas. It starts out with an indepth analysis of the healthcare, digital marketing industry (which is what Valet Health is a part of) in which it outlines it’s different marketing strategies, its revenue and projected growth, different regulations, and guidelines included, and how many different tools (especially AI) greatly enhance the working of this industry. This report also covers major competitors in this industry and goes in depth on many different economic theories as well in healthcare, …

Brainerd Junior High Adaptive Reuse: Transitional Living For Foster Care Graduates, Gavin J. Watson

Honors Theses

Brainerd Junior High is being reused as a transitional living and working facility for foster care age-outs in need of assistance as they learn skills of independence and confidence. The first floor serves the community of Brainerd with a variety of commercial spaces, offering the graduates onsite places for employment. The upper levels serve as studio and 1 bedroom apartments for 24 residents, with shared laundry and community building spaces.

Adaptive Reuse Of Brainerd Junior High: Creating Third Spaces, Nathan S. Shevick

Honors Theses

This thesis project explores how the transformation of a local building in the community can bring people together through adaptive reuse. The Brainerd Junior High School was built in 1930 and designed by Chattanoogan architect R.H. Hunt, who has designed many significant buildings in the area such as the Medical Arts Building, 2nd Presbyterian Church, Lookout Mountain Hotel (Carter Hall, Covenant College), Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Memorial Auditorium, the Chattanooga Bank Building, and many other beloved buildings in the area. The Brainerd Junior High School building was expanded in 1956 and 1959 and changed ownership and became the magnet school, 21st …

Macomb Dental Society Journal Summer 2026

Journal of the Macomb Dental Society

In the Summer 2026 issue, the reader will find the following feature articles:

• Give Kids a Smile
• Dedicated Dental Sportsman’s Club - 2026 Pistol Shoot
• Macomb, Oakland, Genessee, and Detroit Golf Event

Also included are regular columns from the President, Executive Director and Editor, as well as news shorts and information on upcoming events.

Cartel Violence Fueled By Ghost Guns: A React Case Study, Collin Stigge, Isaac J. Moelter

Reports, Projects, and Research

On December 9th, 2021, Andrew Scott Pierson pleaded guilty to charges related to his key role within an arms trafficking ring which smuggled ghost guns to Cartel de Noreste (CDN) and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).1 Ghost guns are un-serialized firearms that are put together by components purchased either as a kit or as separate pieces. The operation involved Pierson and his close relatives and friends in a multi-state operation. Pierson and his network purchased the gun parts domestically in the United States across multiple states, made modifications, smuggled them across the US-Mexico border to finish construction, then sold …

Polyphenol Diet And Exercise As Neuroprotection From Effects Of Alzheimer's Disease, Michelle Morgan

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Healthy non-pharmacological lifestyle factors, such as regular physical exercise and a dietary supplementation, have been shown to significantly improve cognitive outcomes over time compared to a more sedentary lifestyle and poor diet. Furthermore, exercise may serve as a potential protective factor in attenuating the effects associated with cognitive decline that are characteristic of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Further, evidence indicates that certain diet interventions can also attenuate the effects of neurodegeneration and positively impact longevity. Supplementation of polyphenols, such as ellagic acid (EA), which are abundant in pomegranate juice, may help provide neuroprotective benefits and elicit a …

Economic Contribution Of The Agricultural Sector To The Arkansas Economy In 2024, Frank Seo, Luke Pullo

AAES Research Reports and Research Bulletins

This report is the nineteenth in a series that examines agriculture’s economic contribution to the Arkansas economy. The total economic contribution of agriculture (direct, indirect, and induced effects) on value added, employment, and labor income was estimated with the Impact Analysis for Planning System (IMPLAN) for the most recent year available, 2024.