Digital Commons Network^™

Breaking Up In The Digital Age: Examining The Relational Dissolution Model On Instagram, Alana Haupert

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Breakups can be an emotional time as individuals experience breakup distress and begin to explore the options and potential actions that are associated with relational dissolution on social media. This study seeks to explore how certain online behaviors, as they relate to stages of relational dissolution, affect breakup distress, relational uncertainty, social media engagement, and overall attitudes towards singlehood. Findings suggest that social media engagement plays a key role in exploring the phases of relational dissolution. Higher social media intensity linked breakup distress and behaviors of the social phase, or when individuals share information about a potential breakup. Grave-dressing behaviors …

A Value Sensitive Design Approach To Reimagining Parental Control Apps, Prakriti Dumaru

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Parental control apps are often used by families to regulate children's device usage and keep them safe online. However, existing tools focus on monitoring and restricting children, which can lead to tension and mistrust within families. This research takes a new approach by exploring how parental control apps can be redesigned to support positive family values, like encouraging open communication between parents and children and helping children self-regulate their behaviors. Through four in-depth studies, this dissertation looks at how these values play out in different real-life situations. It includes families with children on the autism spectrum, divorced households where parents …

Beyond The Click: Investigating Mental Models, Targeted Attacks, And Behavioral Interventions Against Clickbait, Ankit Shrestha

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Clickbait is misleading or exaggerated content on social media that tricks people into clicking on links by making them curious. For instance, posts that use headlines such as “This is the worst day to visit a restaurant”. These clickbait posts can lead to fake news, wrong information, and even harmful websites. Even though many people know clickbait can be risky, they often still fall for it. Existing tools to stop clickbait don’t always consider how people think, the situations they are in, or their different needs. This research looks at how people understand and react to clickbait, and develops different …

Restoring Balance: Choctaw Policy And The Environment In New Spain's Eighteenth-Century Frontier, Fior Daliso Garcia Lara

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

During the colonial period, Indigenous peoples in the Lower Mississippi Valley used their deep ecological knowledge to respond to imperial pressures. Eighteenth-century Louisiana was a contested borderland where Spain, France, and England vied for expansion through alliances, warfare, and trade with Native tribes. As European powers vied for control of the region, Native groups devised strategies to assert sovereignty over their territories and livelihoods. My dissertation examines the ecological history of the Choctaw and Spanish Louisiana from 1763 until the United States Indian Removal Act in the 1830s. It argues that imperial disputes over Indigenous lands compelled the Choctaw to …

A Multi-Modal Method For Synthetic Data Generation In Social Network Analysis, Hortencia Josefina Hernandez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Social network analysis (SNA) research is often rife with data collection pitfalls, frequently leading to incomplete and missing data. With the growing use of SNA-based research, researchers must address the challenge of missing data and synthetic data generation in these settings. Missing data occurs due to longitudinal non-response or lack of response to sensitive or difficult-to-answer questions. Synthetic data generation in SNA settings addresses the lack of representation that is often present in large-scale SNA studies. This dissertation investigates synthetic data generation methods to address these challenges and develops a novel algorithm that leverages information from multi-modal data, e.g., databases …

Improving Glycemic Control Mechanisms By Electrical Muscle Stimulation, Jehu Narh Apaflo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Introduction: Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) has emerged as a promising intervention for improving metabolic health in sedentary individuals with overweight or obesity. Its capacity to induce muscle contraction without voluntary movement presents a viable alternative to traditional exercise, especially in mobility-limited populations. NMES may serve as a non-invasive alternative to traditional exercise, especially in high-risk populations who face elevated type 2 diabetes incidence linked to hyperglycemia, obesity, and inactivity. This study investigated the impact of NMES on glycemic control and metabolic health in a sedentary, predominantly Hispanic, overweight or obese population. Methods: This study examined the acute and long-term effects …

Digital Twin For Real-Time Monitoring And Control Of Conveyor Systems Using Flexsim, Ai And Plc Integration, Jose Francisco Arvizu Astorga

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Modern manufacturing is making significant advancements by innovating and automating most processes. However, a major challenge remains: systems are constantly evolving and becoming more complex to analyze. Fortunately, a powerful tool can help, Digital Twin (DT) technology. This technology enables the analysis and optimization of processes like never before. A Digital Twin is a real-time virtual model of a physical system that continuously up dates with live data. One of its greatest features is the ability to create infinite scenarios, allowing hundreds of configurations to be tested virtually, risk-free, and without making any real-world changes that could disrupt ongoing operations. …

Decoding Anisotropic Porous Medium: A Synergy Of Lattice Boltzmann Modelling And Operator Learning To Predict Permeability As A Function Of Orientation, Soumya Shouvik Bhattacharjee

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Understanding the directional properties of porous media is essential for accurately predicting flow behavior, reactive transport, and fluid-solid interactions in systems ranging from geothermal reservoirs to energy storage devices and biological tissues. Directional variations in permeability - reflecting a medium's response to flow at different angular orientations - are particularly important for complex, inherently anisotropic geometries. In this study, we employ a Lattice Boltzmann (LBM) model to calculate directional permeabilities from porous media images subjected to varying flow inlet angles. Three classes of porous media were investigated: (1) synthetic media with circular grains, serving as isotropic baselines; (2) synthetic media …

Thermal Inkjet Bioprinting Of Human Fibroblasts Into Stem Cell Environment Leads To Stem-Like Gene And Protein Expression And Changes In Hippo Pathway Effectors Yap/Taz, Patricia Ablanedo Morales

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Thermal inkjet bioprinting (TIB) has emerged as a powerful tool with many potential applications, such as organ regeneration, drug testing, and cell differentiation, among others. Despite the forces and stress that cells are subjected to during the printing process, there is little research that investigates in detail the combined effects of the TIB process and the surrounding environment on cells. Furthermore, a cell's biological environment greatly influences its behavior. Therefore, understanding the effects of bioprinting on cells in a particular environment at a genetic level can provide clues regarding changes in cell characteristics. Bioprinting could potentially be used as a …

Learning English On The Border: Identities, Investment, And Imagined Futures In El Paso, Texas, Jennifer Lyn Mansour

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative study explores how adult English language learners living along the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas experience language learning, identity formation, and social positioning within a bilingual community. Drawing on Norton's (1995, 2013) theoretical frameworks of identity, investment, and imagined communities, the research investigates three central questions: (1) How does the relationship between English learners and the social world of a bilingual community on the U.S.-Mexico border impact their ideas about their possibilities for the future? (2) How does the use of English construct worlds that are different from those constructed in their first languages, and do learners …

Effects Of Environmental Stressors On Human Tissue-On-A-Chip Platforms, Andie Padilla

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

As space exploration begins to extend beyond low earth orbit, it has become increasingly critical to understand the interaction of the extreme environment of space flight with human systems. While it is known that space-travel induces a vast array of complications to cardiac, neural, musculoskeletal, and immune systems, the mechanisms by which these complications occur are poorly understood. Current research to study the effects of microgravity and radiation are limited to ground simulations, which rarely account for the multifactorial stressors experienced during spaceflight, or long duration studies aboard the International Space Station. Similarly, traditional two-dimensional (2D) models lack the ability …

The Alchemy Of Respect In The First-Year Composition Classroom, Raphael Ivan Reyes Juarez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In this research, I wanted to understand how respect in the First-Year Composition classroom was understood, applied, and negotiated by undergraduate students. Also, I proposed a concept called the alchemy of respect, which describes the transformations, addition of value to students' ideas, and the refinement of their abilities in the classroom. The study relied on three theoretical approaches: virtue ethics by John Duffy, community literacy by Linda Flower, and rhetoric of respect by Tiffany Rousculp. I found important concepts in their work, such as the analysis of morals in the decisions people make, the construction of communities across differences, and …

So Much Cooler Online: Social Media Usage By Agricultural Educators In Secondary Sbae Classrooms, Saydee C. Longhurst

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Social media has become a powerful tool in education, helping teachers connect with students and share information in new ways. Agricultural educators are using platforms like Facebook and Instagram to promote agricultural literacy and engage students in an online format. This study explores how high school agriculture teachers use social media, what challenges they face, and how comfortable they are using it. Through an online survey and analysis of social media engagement data, this research highlights the benefits and personal evaluation educators have when using these platforms. The results show that while social media helps teachers share resources and connect …

Three Essays On Entrepreneurial Orientation And Competitive Repertoire, Gang Fan

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

While scholars confirm the positive relationship between entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and firm performance with meta-analyses, the mixed findings with widespread effect sizes imply that this critical relationship in entrepreneurship literature deserves further inspection. In this three-essay dissertation, I integrate the entrepreneurial orientation literature with the competitive repertoire literature. Specifically, in essay 1, I develop a theoretical framework of EO, competitive repertoire, and firm performance through the lens of capability theory. In the second essay, I examine the moderating role of competitive pressure on the EO-competitive repertoire relationship with a sample of all U.S.-listed firms. Finally, I articulate and examine how …

Characterization Of Glyt1 Expression And Glycinergic Circuits, Laura Patricia Montes

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Glycine is one of the main inhibitory neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. Glycine is regulated by the glycine transporters 1 and 2 (GlyT1 and GlyT2, respectively) in the synaptic cleft. Both transporters participate in glycinergic inhibitory neurotransmission. Moreover, GlyT1 also participates in glutamatergic excitatory neurotransmission. GlyT2 is devoted to caudal regions of the brain and is used as a marker for glycinergic neurons. In contrast, GlyT1 is expressed across the brain in the rostrocaudal axis and is highly associated with GlyT1-positive glial cells. Data from our laboratory has identified GlyT1-positive neurons in the rodent brain. Therefore, we hypothesize that …

Judicial And Techno-Securitization Of Immigration: Narratives De Filosofia De Inmigracion Y Justicia, Mohammad Rubaiyat Rahman

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the thesis, I develop a philosophical account which is centered on immigration enforcement discrimination, surveillance and procedural justice. The thesis propounds two arguments. The first argument contends that the immigration enforcement of the United States (U.S.), including the use of surveillance technology, contributes to the structural injustice. The second argument is that the U.S. immigration surveillance and immigration enforcement should be qualified by procedural justice and constitutional democracy.

The thesis prioritizes the practice of the U.S. immigration policy, enforcement and how these promote structural injustice against non-citizens and citizens, specifically those who are Latinos living in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. …

Temporal Partitioning And Coexistence Among Four Sympatric Felid Species In The Northern Jaguar Reserve, Kylie Marie Rezendes

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Coexistence among sympatric carnivores is shaped by behavioral strategies that mediate competition and mortality risk in heterogeneous landscapes. Understanding how sympatric carnivores, such as felids, use space and time in relation to one another requires models that account for both spatial and temporal overlap across landscapes. Models incorporating time-to-event probabilities provide a powerful framework for detecting behavioral dynamics across shared landscapes. This study evaluated the spatiotemporal responses of two apex predators â?? the jaguar (Panthera onca) and mountain lion (Puma concolor) - and two mesopredators - bobcat (Lynx rufus) and ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) - across five years of camera trap …

Academic Experiences Of Historically Underrepresented Stem Students In Nontraditional Pathways, Karime H. Smith

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The college student population continues to diversify, with an increase in enrollment of women, minorities, and nontraditional students. Women account for 51% of all first-time students, while the Hispanic population will contribute 78% of the new labor force between 2020-2030. Efforts in diversifying STEM pathways for nontraditional students is a low-cost option that will keep the US economically competitive worldwide. Yet the 48% of STEM enrolled students tend to leave the degree within 6 years makes it difficult to replenish the workforce. The research on STEM and degree attainment focuses on high impact practices to engage students and early exposure …

Perceptions Of Healthcare Students And Educators On Ai And Ar In Immersive Learning: A Phenomenological Study Of Empathy And Self-Efficacy Development In Palliative And End Of Life Care, Thomas Joseph Soto

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

As healthcare education evolves to address emotionally complex scenarios such as palliative and end-of-life care, there is an increasing need to integrate both technical and emotional competencies into training. This interpretive phenomenological study explored how artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR)-enhanced immersive simulations shape healthcare students' empathy and self-efficacy. Grounded in Rogers' Client-Centered Theory and Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory, the research investigated the lived experiences of healthcare students and educators who participated in emotionally realistic simulations using AI-driven manikins and auditory AR features. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using a hybrid inductive-deductive coding framework, incorporating in-vivo …

Multi-Material Cell Clipping On The Gpu, Melanie Cassidy Walsmith

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The process of clipping a multi-material cell finds diverse applications across fields such as numerical simulations and computer graphics visualization. Computational fluid dynamics problem often combines multiple materials with different physical properties. The interfaces between those materials may be a part of the solution and evolve in time and can be non-aligned with the mesh. When volume conservation is crucial, interface reconstruction methods are used to approximate such material interfaces. They involve multiple steps, one of which is the process known as clipping. Clipping consists of intersecting and cutting a given cell with a material interface (represented by a line …

Predicting Case Clearance For Victims Of Anti-Transgender Homicide In The United States, Brittaney Alyssa Mann

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is a shortage of research exploring case clearance of anti-transgender bias homicides. This study will comparatively examine the similarities and differences in anti-transgender bias homicide cases with and without arrests at the victim, situational and incident levels occurring in the United States between 2013 and 2023. Data are extracted from the Bias Homicide Database (BHDB), the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP), and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). This project will address the gap in understanding case clearance of anti-transgender bias homicides, provide policy implications, and ideas to further the discipline’s understanding of the topic. Keywords: LGBTQIA+ victims, bias …

The Relationship Between Inclusive Classroom Practices, Stem Identity And Stem Interest In Latinx Secondary Students, Laura Corral Carrillo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Latinx students remain underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields despite representing a growing portion of the U.S. school population. Research suggests that inclusive classroom practices (ICPs) that affirm students' cultural and linguistic identities can play a critical role in shaping STEM identity and fostering interest in STEM pathways. This mixed-methods study investigated the relationship between ICPs, Latinx high school students' STEM identity development, and their interest in pursuing STEM careers in the Texas borderlands. The study employed a convergent design, integrating quantitative survey data from 52 students and qualitative interview data from four secondary science teachers. Quantitative …

Technology-Enabled Foreign Object (Fo) Prevention, Christopher Lee Colaw

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The aviation industry incurs $14 billion per year in cost due to Foreign Object (FO) damage and the prevention and resolution techniques associated with foreign object debris. While aircraft loss, material scrap and rework contribute to that cost impact, a traditional approach to aircraft design and manufacturing which is based on human performance is also a significant driver. Failure modes and effects analysis of human based aircraft manufacturing reveals that two of the largest risks are associated with unknown potential for FO creation and the inability to recall or objectively provide evidence of FO conformity for cases of inquiry, learning, …

Crossing Borders: Analyzing The Factors Contributing To Healthcare And Reproductive Preferences Among Residents Of The Texas-Mexico Border, Yamaris Michelle Cordero

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Crossing Borders: Analyzing the Factors Contributing to Healthcare and Reproductive Preferences Among Residents of the Texas-Mexico Border explores the complexities of healthcare access and utilization among border residents, particularly in the context of reproductive health. Through qualitative analysis of focus group discussions with promotoras - community health workers - this study identifies key factors influencing cross-border healthcare decisions, including economic barriers, cultural influences, and perceptions of quality. The findings reveal that high costs and limited insurance coverage in the U.S. drive many individuals to seek affordable healthcare and medications in Mexico, where pharmacies provide immediate, low-cost services without the need …

Mechanical Characterization Of M Plane (10-10) And C Plane (0001) Gallium Nitride Semiconductors Via Spherical Nanoindentation, Daniela Alejandra Duarte

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Gallium nitride's (GaN) mechanical characterization is essential for evaluating its performance and long-term dependability, especially when subjected to mechanical stress and irradiation. The design and optimization of GaN-based devices, which are extensively employed in high-power electronics and optoelectronics, depend on an understanding of these characteristics. Mechanical characterization allows for the evaluation of key characteristics, including stress distributions, representing the spatial variation of internal stresses under applied loading, and pop-in events, which correspond to abrupt displacements associated with the onset of dislocation nucleation and slip. These features are essential for understanding the anisotropic (direction-dependent) response of the material to external forces …

Line Outage Impact Factors: A New Approach To Line Outage Detection With Machine Learning, Daniel Flores

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Electric power systems have become one of our most critical infrastructures as we've grown dependent on electricity for everyday tasks. Ensuring power systems provide reliable service is a priority that can be affected by disturbance events. A common event is transmission line outages, where a line in the system becomes disconnected due to varying forms of physical damage. If an outage isn't detected in time, other lines in the system may overload, causing cascading failures that leave many customers without power. Therefore, having a power system that can automatically detect outages is crucial for reliability, as it promotes real-time response …

J Mich Dent Assoc August 2025

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Each month, The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association provides news, information, and features about Michigan dentistry to our state's oral health community and the MDA's 6,200+ members. It stands as the primary publication reaching Michigan dentists. The August issue marks the end of digital only publishing, as the MDA announced it will provide members a bimonthly print issue along with monthly digital distribution. This issue includes:

• A cover feature on the impact on the dental community of the recently adopted Big Beautiful Bill federal budget
• Mandibular Lingual Concavity Evaluation Using CBCT
• A reprinted clinical feature from New York on …

The New Professional: Tracking Success: Essential Kpis For Owners And Associates, Amrita Patel Dds

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

This article underscores the importance of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for data-driven success in modern dental practices. For new practice owners, essential KPIs include production, collections, and overhead ratio to ensure financial stability and operational efficiency. Patient flow metrics, such as new patient numbers and retention rates, are vital for growth. For both owners and associates, case acceptance rate reflects treatment plan conversion, and chair time utilization measures clinical efficiency. Other critical KPIs encompass hygiene production, patient satisfaction scores, online reviews, and accounts receivable aging. Associates can also track personal production and referral patterns for career development.

Effects Of Cultural Diversity On Project Performance, Likhith Somalaraju

Harrisburg University Dissertations and Theses

Cultural diversity emerged as a critical factor influencing team dynamics and performance in contemporary project environments. With globalization reshaping the structure of project teams, understanding how cultural diversity affected project outcomes was essential for project managers and organizations. This qualitative study examined the relationship between cultural diversity and project performance within diverse organizational settings. Specifically, the study explored how aspects of cultural diversity such as ethnicity, nationality, language, and values influenced project outcomes measured in terms of schedule adherence, budget compliance, quality standards, and stakeholder satisfaction. The research was grounded in Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory and Social Identity Theory, which …

An Evaluation Of Key Components Of Natural Resource Camps, Undergraduate Persistence And Success In Natural Resources, Brandy Bishop

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the key components that connect natural resource camps, undergraduate persistence, and overall success through gainful employment within the natural resource industry. The aim of this study was to assess early interest and attitudes towards natural resource career pathways and how education interventions shape students’ career outcomes thus leading to overall success. A longitudinal mixed method design was used combining Conservation Careers Camp survey data (n = 39) with institutional records for Forestry majors (n =655) in the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus. Quantitative data was analyzed through …