Digital Commons Network^™

Rural Peer Helpers Speak: How One Program Makes A Difference, Misty S. Whisenhunt

College of Education

The problem this mixed-methods convergent research study aimed to explore was the increasing incidence of rural high school students performing poorly academically, socially, and emotionally. This mixed-methods convergent research study aimed to examine one peer helper program as perceived by rural high school peer helpers. This research study aimed to answer the following research questions: (1) How do rural high school peer helpers perceive their experience as a peer helper? (2) What are the key elements of Thriveway’s Peer Helpers PLUS Program as perceived by rural high school peer helpers? (3) How effective is Thriveway’s Peer Helpers PLUS Program’s training …

Black Belt Football Players' Perceptions Of Their Football And Academic Environments, Paul David Kadle Jr.

College of Education

The achievement gap between rural and non-rural schools is persistent. This study examines the achievement gap problem by analyzing two groups of rural schools to better understand their ecologies and the inner workings of rural schools. Ecological Systems Theory is the framework from which this study operates while looking at the mesosystemic relationship between the microsystems of high school football teams and classrooms in the Black Belt and otherwise rural areas of Alabama and Mississippi. A non-experimental quantitative survey design was used to answer research questions that focused on the achievement gap between Black Belt and non-Black Belt rural schools …

Changing The Channel: How Queer Representation In Mainstream Media Influences Social Perceptions In Young Adult Viewers, Lillian Joy Myers

Master's Theses

This thesis investigates the impact of queer representation in mainstream film and television on young adult viewers, with particular attention to how these media portrayals influence social perceptions and cultural understandings of queerness and LGBTQ+ identities. While queer visibility in mainstream media has increased over the past two decades, the quality and complexity of that representation remain generally inconsistent and infrequent. Drawing on sociological theories of representation and cultivation, along with GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation)’s Vito Russo Test as a guiding framework, this study explores both the quality and impacts of LGBTQ+ media visibility. The purpose of …

Georgia Library Professionals’ Perspectives On Technology Competencies, Changwoo Yang, Xiaoai Ren

Georgia Library Quarterly

This report complements the quantitative findings published earlier in the “Survey Report on Technology Use in Georgia Libraries” in the Winter 2025 issue of Georgia Library Quarterly. This report presents the results of the following open-ended questions: 1. What are the top three technology skills required for your job in the library?, 2. What technology-related skills and knowledge do you consider essential for entry-level librarians?, 3. Which technology-related knowledge and skills do you consider essential to be incorporated into the MLIS curriculum?

The findings provide practical, evidence-based insights that can help LIS educators and institutions in updating LIS curricula …

Kennesaw State University Libraries Names New Executive Director, Courtney Gardner

Georgia Library Quarterly

No abstract provided.

Active Calculus: Single Variable, 2nd Edition, Matthew Boelkins, David Austin, Christina Safranski, Steven Schlicker

Open Textbooks

Active Calculus is different from most existing calculus texts in at least the following ways: the text is freely readable online in HTML format and is also freely available for in PDF; in the electronic formats, graphics are in full color and there are live links to java applets; there are live WeBWorK exercises in each chapter, which are fully interactive in the HTML format and included in print in the PDF; the text is open source, and interested users can gain access to the original source files on GitHub; the style of the text requires students to be active …

Local Adaptation In The Pinus Palustris Ground Layer, Jason Paul Joines

All Dissertations

Population survival or extirpation may be dependent on adaptation to local environmental conditions. I hypothesized that populations of species with large ranges would be locally adapted because of the variety of environments that different populations experience, that spatial patterns of local adaptation would correspond to patterns of endemism because processes driving local adaptation may also lead to speciation, and that the extent of local adaptation would be stronger in species with little gene flow among populations than in those with extensive gene flow because of the relative strength of selection necessary to overcome gene flow. I tested these hypotheses using …

Developing Guidance For The Use Of Floating Treatment Wetlands In Brackish Stormwater Ponds, Clare Escamilla

All Dissertations

Stormwater ponds are commonly used as a flood control strategy, particularly in coastal developments. Many coastal stormwater ponds are impaired with high nutrient levels that can lead to algal blooms, impacting the water quality of the pond and surrounding ecosystem. Floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) are one potential strategy that can be implemented in stormwater ponds to reduce high nutrient concentrations, however limited research has been done in brackish waterbodies. To determine the suitability of using FTWs in brackish stormwater ponds this research focused on (1) coastal resident perceptions of FTWs and (2) plants that can be utilized in FTWs deployed …

Understanding The Fluid Source During Alteration Of Former Oceanic Lithosphere In The Polygenetic Ingalls Ophiolite Complex, Washington, Usa, Zachary Russell Stevens

Masters Theses

The Ingalls Ophiolite Complex is an ophiolite of Jurassic age in central WA, USA. Much of the complex formed in a supra-subduction zone setting in a back-arc ocean basin during subduction of the Farallon plate beginning 192 Ma. Between formation and obduction, mafic and ultramafic lithologies experienced alteration in the presence of water, which previous studies inferred to be seawater. Previously published δ¹⁸O and δD data from the Ingalls indicates isotopic depletion possibly caused by interaction with meteoric water at current latitude (~47.5 °N). The current study reports new δD, δ¹⁸O, and Δ ′¹⁷O measurements from mafic and ultramafic lithologies …

Rural Secondary Principals’ Perceptions Of Their Role In Transition Planning For Students With Disabilities, Christina Natascha Ruffatti

Dissertations

The purpose of this instrumental case study was to investigate rural secondary principals’ perceptions of their role and challenges experienced in transition planning for students with disabilities. Transition planning for students with disabilities has been federally mandated since the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 1990), emphasizing positive postsecondary outcomes. However, limited research has existed on principals’ roles, particularly in rural contexts.

Participants included 11 principals from small rural districts across 5 regions in Colorado. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using a hybrid approach of inductive and deductive coding, guided by Kohler et al.’s (2016) Taxonomy for …

American College Of Rheumatology Guidance Statements For Addressing Mental Health Concerns In Youth With Pediatric Rheumatologic Diseases., Natoshia R. Cunningham, Ashley N. Danguecan, Samantha L. Ely, Yaa Amponsah, Alaina Davis, Suzanne Edison, Julia G. Harris, Jordan T. Jones, Alana Goldstein-Leever, Alison Manning, Anne Mchugh, Crystal Mui, Ekemini Ogbu, Nikki Reitz, Martha Rodriguez, Natalie Rosenwasser, Alyse Tankanow, Erin Treemarcki, Katherine Winner, Tamar B. Rubinstein, Andrea M. Knight, Carra Mental Health Workgroup

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

OBJECTIVE: Pediatric rheumatologic diseases (PRDs) are characterized by high rates of anxiety and depression known to impact health-related outcomes. We present guidance statements to assess and manage mental health concerns for youth with PRDs in pediatric rheumatology practice.

METHODS: Development of the guidance statements was initiated in 2019 and concluded in November 2023. It included (1) the formation of a task force (including pediatric rheumatologists, pediatric behavioral health providers, patients, and parents) led by two licensed pediatric psychologists and two board-certified pediatric rheumatologists, (2) iterative drafting of statements and rating of evidence based on the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine …

Indoor Air Quality Conditions And Respiratory Virus Detections In Elementary Schools—Kansas City, Missouri, February–March 2023, Olivia M. Almendares, Jasmine D. Ruffin, Luke Gard, Rangaraj Selvarangan, Anjana Sasidharan, Dithi Banerjee, Nibha Sagar, Amanda Hayes, Sydnie Petty, Brian R. Lee, Chris T. Young, Janelle Potter, Shannon Tilsworth, Jennifer Goldman, Jennifer E. Schuster, Hannah L. Kirking

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Background/Objectives: Respiratory viruses circulate year-round and can spread indoors via inhalation of airborne particles. Effective ventilation and filtration may reduce transmission, particularly in school settings where children and staff spend significant time. This study examines the impact of indoor air quality (IAQ) and ventilation in schools on respiratory virus detection.

Methods: During February 27 to March 30, 2023, we assessed the relationship between IAQ and respiratory viruses in two Kansas City, Missouri, elementary schools by collecting bioaerosol samples, student and staff nasal swabs, and monitoring IAQ across 10 rooms (six classrooms, two common spaces, and two nurses’ offices). We calculated …

Inhibitor Development And Clinical Characteristics In Children With Severe Hemophilia A In The Athn 8 Us Cohort Study., Courtney D. Thornburg, H Marijke Van Den Berg, Martin Chandler, Lynn Malec, Matthew Manuel, Carrie O'Neill, Michael Recht, Elizabeth Taggart, Shannon L. Carpenter, American Thrombosis And Hemostasis Network (Athn) 8 Investigators Study Group

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Clotting factor concentrate (CFC), used to treat and prevent bleeding in hemophilia, is rendered ineffective if clotting factor neutralizing antibodies (inhibitors) develop. Inhibitors occur most often in children, early in treatment. The American Thrombosis and Hemostasis Network (ATHN) 8: US Cohort Study of Previously Untreated Patients (PUPs) with Congenital Hemophilia, conducted in children born in 2010 to 2020 with severe or moderate hemophilia, was designed to determine the percentage of participants who developed a confirmed, clinically significant inhibitor within the first 50 CFC exposure days (EDs). Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate risk factors for inhibitor development in …

Navigating Stigma And Privacy: Health-Related Communication Among Bangladeshi Women, Nazmul Shajib

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Women in Bangladesh often silently bear the burden of stigma tied to their bodies, minds, and societal roles. This study examines the coping strategies women use to manage health-related stigma and their privacy while facing issues like reproductive health, mental health, and postpartum challenges. The study was conducted by utilizing in-depth interviews with 17 Bangladeshi women. Stigma Management Communication Theory (SMC) and Communication Privacy Management Theory (CPM) are the two frameworks that guided the study. The findings of the study reveal that stigma often silences women and threatens their social identities, and women feel that having a health problem means …

Onward, Christian Soldiers: The Material Rhetoric Of Becoming Fascist In Parachurch Scouting Organizations, Madeline Aubrey Studebaker

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis provides a material rhetorical analysis of Trail Life USA and American Heritage Girls, two Christian nationalist scouting organizations that aim to renew and restore their cultural dominance across America. In examining how these programs route children’s bodies through ritual and affective indoctrination, I find that a fascist becoming underpins these groups’ (re)production of perfect, patriotic children. The first chapter discusses how boys enrolled in Trail Life USA become fascist as self-defense against American boyhood’s perceived eradication. Trail Life USA restores masculinity through rituals of autogenetic sovereignty, returns to originality through homosocial and affective intensity, and invocations of exceptional …

Intention To Take Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (Prep) As An Hiv Preventive Medication: An Application Of The Health Belief Model And Theory Planned Behavior, Besuthu Nakekelwa Nkambule

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

South Africa (SA) has 7.7 million citizens (12.6% of its 2023 population) living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) as an antiretroviral medication for HIV-negative individuals is a promising HIV prevention strategy in SA that can help the attainment of an HIV free generation. PrEP offers greater than 90% protection against HIV acquisition. Despite SA’s efforts in increasing PrEP coverage for its citizens, primarily to those at substantial risk, its adoption remains relatively low. Structural barriers related to access, costs, lack of awareness, and, more recently, US funding cuts exacerbate the challenges of PrEP’s potential …

Expression Of Glycine Transporter 1 In The Rodent Basal Ganglia: Glial Vs. Neuronal, Rosa Atziri Perez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Glycine functions as an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system (CNS),and it is mainly involved in autonomic functions. The levels of extracellular glycine are regulated by two membrane transporters, glycine transporter 1 and glycine transporter 2 (GlyT1 and GlyT2, respectively). These transporters differ in function and localization within the CNS. For many years, studies suggested that only GlyT2 served as a neuronal marker; however, GlyT1 has been localized in neurons in recent studies. The expression of GlyT1 is widespread compared to GlyT2; hence, the main objective is to determine the nature of the expression of GlyT1 in areas devoid …

Humboldt County, Dennis Robert Sanchez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Danny Marquez, a police sergeant for the Los Angeles Police Department, takes his family on a vacation to Seattle, Washington. On the way, they stop in Humboldt County, and Danny is captivated by the beauty and serenity of this county. He imagines moving his family to Humboldt County and leaving the troubles of big city life behind. He applied for the position of Chief Inspector for the Humboldt Police. By the time he is hired, he loses both his son to Fentanyl and his wife to suicide. He is hired for the position but finds himself alone. He considers suicide. …

Longitudinal And Bidirectional Relations Between Problematic Social Media Use And Cognitive Failures, K. T. A. Sandeeshwara Kasturiratna, Andree Hartanto

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

With social media becoming increasingly pervasive in our daily lives, there have been heightened concerns that the distractions caused by compulsive and problematic social media use may lead to cognitive failures. While some preliminary work have explored the link between problematic social media use and cognitive functioning, most are cross-sectional, leaving it uncertain whether cognitive failures are a precursor or consequence of problematic social media use. To address this gap, the current study examines the bidirectional relationship between problematic social media use and cognitive failures. A sample of 252 young adults completed the Problematic Social Media Use Scale and the …

Research Nexus : Volume 28 - 2025, Office Of Research And Graduate Studies

Office of Research and Graduate Studies

• Researcher Spotlight
• Research Milestones & News
• Capacity Building Initiatives
• Upcoming Training & Webinars

Use Of A Preliminary Artificial Intelligence-Based Laryngeal Cancer Screening Framework For Low-Resource Settings: Development And Validation Study, Shao Wei Sean Lam, Min Hun Lee, Michael Dorosan, Samuel Altonji, Hiang Khoon Tan, Walter T. Lee

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Background: Early-stage diagnosis of laryngeal cancer significantly improves patient survival and quality of life. However, the scarcity of specialists in low-resource settings hinders the timely review of flexible nasopharyngoscopy (FNS) videos, which are essential for accurate triage of at-risk patients.Objective: We introduce a preliminary AI-based screening framework to address this challenge for the triaging of at-risk patients in low-resource settings. This formative research addresses multiple challenges common in high-dimensional FNS videos: (1) selecting clear, informative images; (2) deriving regions within frames that show an anatomical landmark of interest; and (3) classifying patients into referral grades based on the FNS video …

Role Of Social Media Mindfulness In Combatting Fake News Propagation, Gaurav Bansal, Fiona Fui-Hoon Nah, Jason B. Thatcher

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The dissemination of fake news by social media users is a key factor in the escalation of misinformation. Research suggests that social media networks are becoming increasingly homophilic, which leads to an overreliance on social media friends that contributes to the spread of fake news. However, little is known about how social media mindfulness can reduce the sharing of fake news. To investigate this research question, we conceptualized a social media mindfulness construct and developed the social media mindfulness scale. We also hypothesize that social media mindfulness lowers overreliance on friends’ knowledge, which increases skepticism about social media news that …

B.R. Wells Arkansas Rice Research Studies 2024, J. Hardke, X. Sha, N. Bateman

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Research reports contained in the publication may represent preliminary or only a single year of results; therefore, these results should not be read as a basis for long-term recommendations.

Several research reports in this publication will appear in other University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station publications. This duplication is the result of the overlap in research coverage between disciplines and our effort to inform Arkansas rice producers of all the research being conducted with funds from the rice check-off program. This publication also contains research funded by industry, federal, and state agencies.

Use of products …

Wildfires Classification In Canadian Boreal Forest: A Comparative Study Of Logistic Regression And Xgboost Models, Brandon Tran, Elijah James Duran, Mike Luu, Hesham Morgan, Surendra Maharjan, Wenzhao Li, Hesham El-Askary

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

In recent years, Canada has faced a growing number of wildfires. These events have devastated ecosystems, displaced communities, and posed severe health risks. To minimize the damage caused by such disasters, this study aims to develop an early warning system that predicts wildfire occurrences. Two machine learning models for binary classification of wildfire occurrence in Canadian wild forests, Logistic regression and XGBoost, will be compared and evaluated. The models are used to predict the likelihood of wildfire events based on various environmental and climatic factors. The models are evaluated using a 70-30 split validation approach and their performance is assessed …

How Do Ceos Communicate Their Activism For Social Change?: A Content Analysis Of Fortune 500 Ceos’ Activism Statements, Katharine E. Miller, Young Kim

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

The purpose of this study is to explore the social actions taken by organizational leaders in the pursuit of activism. In recent years, corporate leaders, namely CEOs, have garnered substantial public notice due to their activism and personal rhetoric around social issues, therefore attracting attention within organizational scholarship and practice. By applying the theoretical frameworks of framing, this study conducted a content analysis of activism statements (N = 199) from CEOs of Fortune 500 companies using a mixed-methods approach involving manual coding and computational methods (NVivo). By doing so, this study advances CEO activism communication research by identifying dominant …

Quantifying The Impacts Of Land Use And Land Cover Change On Urbanizing Agricultural Systems, Carli Beisel

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Western water supplies are increasingly stressed by the compounding impacts of population growth, urbanization, and climate change. Rising temperatures in Idaho are shifting precipitation patterns, with more falling as rain rather than snow. This reduces snowpack and the resulting snowmelt, which serves as the predominant water source for agriculture. At the same time, urbanization of agricultural land decreases surface permeability, replaces irrigated fields, and amplifies the impacts of climate change. The Treasure Valley, located in southwestern Idaho, has been rapidly urbanizing; urban land cover has grown by 52% from 1985 to 2021. Understanding how land use and land cover changes …

Exploring Communication, Connection, And Culture During Technology Implementation: An Autoethnography, Paula Bryant Blue

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Numerous studies have been undertaken on technological innovation in the classroom; however there is a lack of study on innovation at the organizational level and there is also a lack of focus on experiences of individuals leading the transformation. Individuals who are spearheading change can gain and offer valuable insights into their behaviors during the change process by reflecting on and examining their interactions, inclinations, and objectives. Furthermore, it is crucial to take into account the organization's culture and structure in order to comprehend how leadership operates throughout periods of change. This analytical and evocative autoethnography documents the experiences of …

Veterans Of Color At The Crossroads: Unraveling The Intersection Of Military And Racial Identity When Receiving Mental Health Care From White Providers In The Current Sociopolitical Context, Tabitha Alverio

Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of post-9/11 veterans of color (VoCs) who have received mental health services from White mental health providers (WMHPs) within the current sociopolitical context. Specifically, this study addressed two research questions: (a) How do VoCs describe their experiences of receiving mental health care from White providers in the current sociopolitical environment? and (b) How can White mental health providers improve their understanding of the identities of VoCs to provide greater quality of care, to improve treatment retention, and ultimately help to achieve better mental health outcomes for VoCs? Twelve …

Response Rates And Response Quality Of Online Course Survey For Deaf College Students: A Mixed-Method Study, Abdulaziz Abdullah M. Alqahtani

Dissertations

The purpose of the current dissertation study was to investigate how different delivery formats (written vs. sign language) of the course survey evaluation affect the response rate, psychometric properties and experiences of deaf and hard of hearing students taking course evaluation of total effectiveness. The following research questions guided this study:

Q1 To what extent do the different delivery formats of the online course evaluation of total effectiveness affect the response rate of DHH college students in KSA? (Quantitative question)

Q2 Do psychometric characteristics of the online course evaluation of total effectiveness differ by the design format of the online …

Teachers’ Perceptions On Success And Effectiveness Of Required Professional Development In A Midwest Middle School, Genevieve Kate Adams

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine how teacher voice could be meaningfully integrated into the structure and development of site based professional development. This participatory action research study investigated teachers’ perceptions of the structure, delivery, and impact of weekly, site-based professional development (PD) at a middle school in Northern Colorado. Grounded in a constructivist theoretical framework, the study sought to elevate teacher voice and promote collaborative reflection on how professional learning could be more relevant, responsive, and empowering. The study explored the following research questions:

Q1 What professional development structures do teaching staff view as beneficial to their …