Digital Commons Network^™

The Difference Of Self-Efficacy Between General And Special Education Teachers In Rural Elementary Co-Taught Classrooms: Quantitative Causal Comparative, Tilnisha Pritchard Rosser

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative causal-comparative study examined differences in teacher self-efficacy between general and special education teachers in co-taught classrooms within a rural school district in the southeastern United States. A convenience sample of 162 participants (99 special educators and 63 general educators) completed the short form of the Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale (TSES), which assesses instructional strategies, classroom management, and student engagement. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare student engagement scores, and a one-way ANOVA analyzed differences in instructional strategies, classroom management, and total self-efficacy. Findings indicated no significant difference in instructional strategies; however, special educators demonstrated significantly higher scores …

Describing The Lived Experiences Of Professional School Counselors: Providing And Advocating For Services To Address Childhood Trauma, Toawondia T. Underwood

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The professional school counselor’s role is to enhance student success by implementing a comprehensive school counseling program. Professional school counselors often focus on addressing the needs of students impacted by trauma, who exhibit increased absences, behavioral challenges, and diminished academic performance. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenology study was to understand the lived experiences of professional school counselors providing and advocating for services to address childhood trauma. The American School Counselor (ASCA) National Model served as the structural framework, and the theory guiding this study was Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory. The research engaged 15 practicing professional school counselors from …

Qualitative Evaluation Of Eeg Neurofeedback For Anxiety In Adults, Leah M. Jones

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Anxiety is one of the most prevalent mental health disorders globally, yet many treatment options are inaccessible, ineffective for some, or lack long-term efficacy. One treatment for with substantial research support is neurofeedback, though it remains categorized as an experimental treatment and is underutilized in clinical practice. The qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of adults who received neurofeedback treatment for anxiety. The purpose was to understand participants’ perceptions of neurofeedback’s efficacy and the interactive effects of neurofeedback and psychotherapy. Data were collected from two Oregon clinics that offer Neurofeedback and from students at Liberty University. An open-ended survey …

The Impact Of Psychological Well-Being, Gratitude, And Self-Efficacy On Resiliency In High School Students: A Predictive Correlational Study, Jennifer Nevard-Blanco

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative predictive correlational study was to examine the impact of psychological well-being, gratitude, and self-efficacy on resiliency in high school students in a northeastern state. This study is important because the promotion of positive psychological factors such as gratitude, self-efficacy, and psychological well-being have been identified as predictors of increased resilience, buffering the negative effects of stressors and adverse circumstances. The sample was composed of 110 high school students from a public school in the northeastern part of the United States. Data was collected using four self-report instruments: Ryff's Psychological Well-being 18-item scale, the Gratitude Questionnaire …

Public Safety Injuries: Treatment And Organizational Support Variations Experienced By Injured Employees, Patrick S. Daugherty Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Public safety employees work in an environment characterized by a greater risk of injury than the workplaces of employees engaged in other professions. The deterioration of trust in public safety workers has increased both the violence against them and their risk of injury, negatively affecting their retention and recruitment efforts. The effect is exhausted and overworked employees who answer an increasing call volume with less resources, resulting in greater stress and frustration. Frustration can be expressed with negativity and isolation toward accommodated employees while they attempt to recover from their injuries. This phenomenon raises the question of “What treatment variations …

Science Unleashed: The Influence Of Science Content Implementation Within Learning Management Systems, D'Aieriean Murray

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The qualitative, phenomenological study addressed the factors secondary science teachers face in implementing the science content in online LMS while continuing to teach in traditional classrooms. The research addressed the adequate training secondary science teachers may or may not have received in LMS and technology integration into the classroom. Utilizing Bruner's constructivist theory (1966) concerning the virtual classroom to recognize the imperativeness of educators in curriculum development to answer the question, "How are science teachers' experiences regarding the effectiveness of LMS and online learning?" While conducting a literature analysis, the most frequent themes were faculty readiness, transitioning to online education …

Therapeutic Day Treatment Counselors’ Perspective Of Parental Engagement And Involvement, Dominique Rose Lynn Woods

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study was to describe Therapeutic Day Treatment Counselors' (TDTCs) lived experiences with parental engagement and involvement (PEI) for TDTCs, within their professional collaborations in Virginia. The study focused on a specific aspect of TDTC’s lived experience: their perspective of PEI. Several theories were reviewed as a foundation for research development. Bronfenbrenner's (1979) Ecological Systems Theory has been an essential component of the research, as it emphasized that a child's development involves multiple elements of their environmental and social systems. Stroul and Friedman's (1986) Systems of Care Theory provided a foundation for understanding …

Psychological Safety And Its Impact On Teacher And Staff Morale, Yvonne R. Crace

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Psychological safety is a concept that has been around since 1965. Psychological safety exists when employees feel safe to share their ideas and opinions without fear of retaliation, retribution, or belittlement. Studies on psychological safety have mainly focused on businesses and corporations and work team learning behaviors. In recent years, it has become evident that psychological safety is needed in additional types of industries, including all stages of education, from primary to graduate school. In education, teachers and staff often feel isolated and have concerns about voicing their opinions which creates relational stress and conflict, thus lowering staff morale. This …

A Study Of The Relationship Between The Stress Responses From Rehearsal Preparations For Music Ensemble Performance Evaluations And Performing Arts Adolescents’ Working Memory, Gregory Thomas Minter

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The organization of memory retrieval is vital to the association between stress responses and negative educational achievements. These stress responses offer an opportunity to study the harmful consequences of prolonged strain on the developing brain, which may impair emotional restraint, self-control, and cognitive development. However, little research considers the fundamental notions of how stress responses from rehearsals for music ensemble performance assessments impact adolescent working memory. This mixed-methods study explored how rehearsal-related stress in music ensemble settings may affect adolescents' working memory. Participants included high school students in grades nine through 12 who participated in performing arts band ensembles. The …

Bridging The Gap: Does Individual Crossfit Open Performance & Event-Type Influence Crossfit Games Team Performance?, Anthony J. Mack

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Individual CrossFit Open (CFO) and CrossFit Games (CFG) performance factors, including physiological metrics, sex, competitive experience, and workout pacing strategies, are well established; however, there is a gap in the literature comparing CFO and CFG team performance. The purpose of this study was to examine whether individual CFO scores and event category (i.e., monostructural, gymnastics-skill, weightlifting, or work capacity) influence a team's final score at the CFG. Teams (n = 196) from the 2018-2024 CFG seasons were included in data collection. Data from CFO workouts (n = 28) and CFG team events (n = 62) were extracted from games.crossfit.com. Scores …

Synthetic Social Engineering Scenario Generation Using Llms For Awareness-Based Attack Resilience, Jade Webb, Faranak Abri, Sayma Akther

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Social engineering is found in a strong majority of cyberattacks today, as it is a powerful manipulation tactic that does not require the technical skills of hacking. Calculated social engineers utilize simple communication to deceive and exploit their victims, all by capitalizing on the vulnerabilities of human nature: trust and fear. When successful, this inconspicuous technique can lead to millions of dollars in losses. Social engineering is not a one-dimensional technique; criminals often leverage a combination of strategies to craft a robust yet subtle attack. In addition, offenders are continually evolving their methods in efforts to surpass preventive measures. A …

Untangling The Roles Of Pulmonary Vagal Afferent Subsets With Inhaled Irritants, Teresa Darcey

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The sensory nerves in the airways directly regulate critical defenses and indirectly regulate vital gas exchange. Airway function is largely controlled by the autonomic nervous system, and our understanding of its sensory regulation is directly connected to our ability to treat respiratory and cardiovascular pathologies. Airway sensory afferents are heterogeneous with respect to their electrophysiological properties, peptidergic capacity, and stimuli sensitivity, which at least in part dictate some of their various functions. There is evidence that embryological origin impacts reflex function: activation of the neural crest-derived population of sensory afferents has been shown to evoke the cough reflex whereas activation …

Fusion: A Web-Based Application For In-Depth Exploration Of Multi-Omics Data With Brightfield Histology, Samuel P Border, Sanjay Jain, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Spatial technologies examining the cell and tissue microenvironment at near single-cell resolution are revealing important molecular insights. However, few tools enable integrated, interactive analysis of spatial-omics with tissue morphology in the same functional tissue unit. Here, we present FUSION (Functional Unit State Identification in Whole Slide Images), a web-based platform for visualizing and analyzing spatial-omics data with high-resolution histology. FUSION provides workflows for assessing cell compositions, quantitative morphometrics, and comparative tissue analyses. We demonstrate applicability across spatial assays, including 10x Visium, Visium HD, 10x Xenium, Cell DIVE, and PhenoCycler, applied to healthy and diseased tissues from kidney, small intestine, lung, …

Evolutionary Loss Of An Antibiotic Efflux Pump Increases Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Quorum Sensing Mediated Virulence In Vivo, Sheryl E Fernandes, Humberto Ortega, Mylene Vaillancourt, Anna Clara M Galdino, Aleksandr Stotland, Kyu Shik Mun, Diane Aguilar, Yohei Doi, Janet S Lee, Elizabeth B Burgener, Jeffrey E Barrick, Jeffrey W Schertzer, Peter Jorth

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Antibiotic resistance is a threat to human health, yet recent work highlights how loss of resistance may drive pathogenesis in some bacteria. In two recent studies, we found that β-lactam antibiotics and nutrient stresses faced during infection selected for genetic inactivation of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa antibiotic efflux pump mexEFoprN. Unexpectedly, efflux pump mutations increased P. aeruginosa virulence during infection; however, neither the prevalence of mexEFoprN inactivating mutations in real human infections, nor the mechanisms driving increased virulence of efflux pump mutants are known. We hypothesized that human infection would select for virulence enhancing mutations. Using genome sequencing of clinical isolates, …

Health And Climate At Cop29: Advancing Integration And Bridging Research Gaps, Rupa R Patel, Yevheniia Varyvoda, Hiba Baroud, Philip J Landrigan, Aminata Kilungo

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Climate and health science is a rapidly growing, interdisciplinary field and holds importance during intergovernmental climate adaptation and mitigation policy negotiations. The 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) convened stakeholders for negotiations and scientific discourse. This viewpoint presents insights gained by the authors' participation at COP29 focused on health and climate. The authors analyze the evolving integration of health into the UNFCCC process, dissect the contributions and the role of the Research and Independent Non‑Governmental Organizations (RINGOs), a constituency to achieve this endeavor, and identify the key …

Explainable Large Language Model (Llm) Multi-Agent System Analyzer With Interactive Bayesian Reasoning Interface, Andrea Morandi

Defensive Publications Series

Conventional large language model (LLM)-based multi-agent systems suffer from a critical lack of transparency and explainability, making it difficult for users to understand why agents make specific decisions or how they interact with each other. To address these challenges, the techniques presented herein provide an Explainable LLM Multi-Agent System Analyzer that uses Bayesian networks to model agent interactions and provide an Interactive Explanation Interface with “Why” and “What If” capabilities. This system allows users to probe the multi-agent system’s decisions through natural language queries, generating explanations and simulations that reveal the underlying reasoning processes and causal relationships between agents.

Device Registration Key Retrieval

Defensive Publications Series

The present disclosure generally relates to device manufacturing, and more particularly to security keys for device registration.

Wearable Device As A Motion-Based Controller For A Game Application, Chang Yungsheng, Weihsiang Hung

Defensive Publications Series

Gaming on certain devices, for example mobile phones, can rely on on-screen virtual controls, which may result in a user's hands obstructing the display, accidental button presses, or inadvertent dimming of the screen. This disclosure describes a method for integrating a wearable device, such as a smartwatch, with a separate display device, such as a mobile phone or tablet, for game control. The system can use the wearable device's integrated Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) to sense a user's physical motions, position, and orientation. This motion data may then be transmitted to the display device to serve as input for controlling …

Artificial Intelligence Workload Orchestration And Execution In Software-Defined Vehicles, Eser Erdem, Markus Vill

Defensive Publications Series

This document describes techniques that enable a computing system to manage artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) workloads in software defined vehicles (SDVs) through a unified, modular operating system for SDVs. SDVs may take advantage of distributed processing and hardware abstraction through virtualization, using standardized interfaces (e.g., virtio) to allow applications to run on any compliant virtual machine (VM) or Electronic Control Unit (ECU) within the vehicle. For instance, the vehicle’s internal architecture may include a multi-node (or multi-VM) AI workload orchestration framework that distributes tasks to available hardware, supports dynamic service deployment, and facilitates updates. The computing system …

Differences In Nurses’ Perceptions Of The Work Environment, Joanne D. Muyco, Alexis Elizabeth Hayes

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Nurses play a critical role in delivering safe, high quality patient care. However, nurses continue to face staffing shortages, turnover, workplace violence, and challenging work environments. Research shows that work environments have a direct impact on nurses and the quality of care provided. Nursing leaders are in a prime position to advocate for healthy work environments that will sustain the nursing workforce and provide nurses with a workplace that is safe, empowering, and satisfying. This research study was part of a larger non-experimental descriptive study on healthy work environments. The study assessed how nurses in different professional roles within a …

Covid-19 Vaccine Acceptance And Hesitancy Among People Living With Hiv In Kenya: Lessons Learned, Sheila Shaibu, Constance Shumba, Peterson Kiraithe, Maureen Akolo, Eunice Wambui Ndirangu-Mugo

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

The roll out of the Covid 19 vaccine encountered vaccine hesitancy globally (Rahbeni et al., 2024). In East Africa approximately four out of ten people expressed hesitancy towards vaccination (Alie, Abebe, Negesse, Adugna, & Girma, 2024). By the end of 2023, only 21% of Kenyans had received the complete Covid primary series and only 4% had received at least one Covid dose booster vaccine (WHO, 2023). Although Covid 19 is no longer a threat, some variants may emerge (UN, 2023). People living with HIV (PLHV) are more vulnerable to COVID 19 infection and experienced worse clinical outcomes than others. Therefore, …

A Systematic Review Of Symptoms In Adolescents With Ckd, Rileigh M. Fagan, Janet S. Carpenter, Heather K. Hardin, Rebecca J. Bartlett Ellis

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background: Childhood chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects an estimated 15 to 75 children and adolescents per million worldwide. As a disease and symptom multiplier, childhood CKD is burdensome and leads to decreased quality of life. It is essential to explore current knowledge of the symptom experience in adolescents with CKD to help reduce burden and improve quality of life. The purpose of this systematic review was to explore the state of the science of the symptom experiences in children and adolescents with conservatively managed CKD.

Methods: This systematic review included articles identified through searches in Scopus, PubMed, Cumulative Index to …

Integrating Telehealth Simulations To Prepare Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Students, Michelle Spencer, Carly Edgar, Cara Young

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Introduction: Telemedicine improves patient care access and has a positive economic impact. In 2018, the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculty (NONPF) proposed integrating telehealth competencies into the advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) education curriculum. This project aims to implement telemedicine educational content addressing the telehealth competencies for the APRN student, including didactic and simulation components to enhance students’ competence and confidence with telemedicine care.

Methods: This quality improvement project implements an evidence-based approach to educate APRN students on telemedicine. The NONPF telehealth competencies are introduced to 37 family, pediatric, psychiatric-mental-health nurse practitioner, and clinical nurse specialist students enrolled in …

Implementation Of A Multidisciplinary Educational Assessment To Enhance Pressure Injury Prevention, Olivia Paige Manning, Tamara Oliver, Anne Schoening

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Purpose: To develop and implement a multidisciplinary, role-specific educational assessment aimed at identifying knowledge gaps and training needs related to HAPI prevention among key inpatient care teams.

Background: Healthcare-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) remain a significant challenge across inpatient settings, requiring collaborative, multidisciplinary prevention strategies. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that pressure injuries affect more than 2.5 million Americans a year resulting in 60,000 deaths. Education and role-specific knowledge among staff are critical components in addressing gaps in HAPI prevention.

Methods: A multidisciplinary HAPI prevention team at a midwestern Level I Trauma Center in partnership with Creighton University …

A Program Evaluation Of Pediatric Family Centered Rounding, Kristy Schmidt, Katherine Doyon

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background: Family centered rounding (FCR) is a pediatric evidence-based practice intended to bring healthcare teams, patients, and families together at the bedside in a collaborative approach to care planning. FCR emphasizes communication and shared decision-making between healthcare teams and families, leading to improved patient outcomes. Despite well-documented benefits of FCR, challenges such as inconsistent nursing participation, variability in practices, and workflow disruptions hinder implementation and sustainability of FCR

Aim: This program evaluation was designed and conducted at an urban pediatric hospital to assess the processes, perceptions, and impact of FCR. The overall quality of FCR and the strengths and barriers …

The Sibling Experience Of Pediatric Patients Discharged From The Picu: Qualitative Meta-Synthesis, Jessica Keller

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

A QMS was conducted to describe the sibling experiences of children discharged from the PICU to promote future research of the sibling experience and identify interventions for sibling support. The research question was: what are the experiences of siblings of children discharged from the PICU?

When a child is in the PICU, the family must face life-threatening diagnoses and difficult decisions. This stress impacts family dynamics shared by parents and children (Rennick et al., 2021). Siblings may assume additional responsibilities without having the support of their parents. Manning et al. (2017) identified siblings have unmet needs that are not fully …

Best Practices For Nurse Practitioners Caring For Patients With Non-English Language Preference, Jaypee Benitez Buhisan, Donna Martin, Elsie Duff, Terilyn Hunter

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Communication is paramount in any provider-patient relationship. In nurse practitioner roles, health teachings are provided to prevent and manage illnesses and promote health. Language discordance between patients and providers is a significant barrier for persons with Non-English Language Preference (NELP). Patients with NELP tend to delay accessing healthcare services, which is a challenge for primary care providers to perform their role as promoters of health. The purpose of our work was to describe best practices for nurse practitioners caring for persons with NELP. A narrative review of the literature was conducted, with librarian consultation. We used keywords, and MeSH terms …

Discharge Readiness Checklist Impact On 30-Day Readmission Rates In Gynecologic Oncology Patients, Kiara Whitney, Jeri Striplin, Jayne Dunlap

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Hospital readmissions remain a critical challenge in healthcare, particularly in oncology, where complex treatment regimens and post-discharge complications contribute to unplanned hospitalizations. These readmissions increase healthcare costs and negatively impact patient outcomes, quality of life, and institutional performance metrics. This quality improvement project evaluated the impact of a Discharge Readiness Checklist (DRC) on 30-day medical readmission rates among gynecologic oncology patients at an academic hospital. The primary objective was to determine whether implementing a structured discharge checklist would enhance patient readiness, improve care transitions, and reduce preventable readmissions.

A pre and post-intervention design over 9 weeks was used to assess …

Complete Issue-Volume 87, No. 3 And 4, Sean A. Scott, Justin Martin, William "Brother" Rogers, Will Bowlin, Charles W. Eagles, Jeffery B. Howell, Amanda Lyons Lanata, Ryan Reynolds, Christopher T. Slocombe, Whitney Snow

Journal of Mississippi History

No abstract provided.

Minutes Of The 2025 Mississippi Historical Society Annual Business Meeting, Mississippi Historical Society

Journal of Mississippi History

No abstract provided.