Digital Commons Network^™

July 2026 Nh Ece Research Consortium Newsletter, Jess Carson, Evan England, Harshita Sarup

New Hampshire Early Care and Education Research Consortium

The July 2026 NH ECE Research Consortium Newsletter includes a link to the newly released statewide ECE research agenda. Also find the latest research publications, Consortium resources, upcoming events, opportunities, and more.

Current Adoption Of The Prosthodontic Diagnostic Index For Clinical Care-A Cross-Sectional Survey Study, Esther O Kuyinu, Joseph B Breitman, Arthur Nimmo, Jay S Patel

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: To assess current utilization of the Prosthodontic Diagnostic Index (PDI), identify perceived benefits and limitations, and evaluate support for future updates.

Materials and methods: A survey regarding the use of the PDI was made available through email invitations to 68 US dental school prosthodontic/restorative department chairs (PD), 48 graduate prosthodontic program directors (GP), and 1834 private practice prosthodontists (PP) from the American College of Prosthodontists (ACP) member database. The results of this initial survey were inconclusive due to low response rates. The survey was also administered during the 2024 ACP Annual Session with an improved response rate for educators. …

His 127 Microhistories: A Lens Into The Past — Apartheid In South Africa Syllabus, Marta Millar

Open Educational Resources

The microhistory course introduces students to the study of history by exploring a particular event, individual, or issue, and its legacy. Students will read both primary source documents and modern texts to examine how the topic under consideration was shaped by, and in turn shaped contemporary culture.

This syllabus is for a course focusing on the history of apartheid in South Africa. Students will analyze the political, social, economic, and cultural aspects of the apartheid era. This includes understanding how segregationist policies developed in South Africa, what political transformations led to the implementation of the apartheid system, how different policies …

Neil L. Sobol, Neil L. Sobol

Faculty CVs

No abstract provided.

Examining Data Richness In Undergraduate Students’ Reflections: A Linguistic Analysis Of Three Data Collection Methods, Kirsten A. Davis, Anne Wrobetz

School of Engineering Education Faculty Publications

Researchers select data collection methods for a variety of reasons. In our research on experiential education programs, we perceived that when we collected students’ reflections using different methods, the data we received was different. However, we found few existing studies to help us characterize what was different across our data sets to inform our decisions about which methods to use. Thus, the purpose of our study was to compare data richness across three data sets from previous studies of engineering students studying abroad, each collected using a different method (written diaries, interviews, video diaries). We used linguistic inquiry as a …

System Integration And Validation Of The Cal Poly Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics Simulator Mk. Iv, Bricen S. Rigby

Master's Theses

The Cal Poly Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics Simulator (SADS) is an ongoing project that seeks to enable the simulation and validation of sensors, actuators, and control logic related to spacecraft attitude control. The SADS platform rests atop a spher- ical air-bearing device which allows for nearly frictionless rotation in all three axes. The orientation of the platform is controlled by four reaction wheels arranged in a pyramidal configuration. Over the past few years, there have been significant updates to the reaction wheel subsystem, as well as requests for a more capable central com- puter. Therefore, a new system architecture for the …

Deepfakes As Crisis Triggers: Experimental Evidence On Response Strategy Effectiveness, Responsibility Attributions, And Sharing Intentions, Alicia Mason, Mariah Laman, Tanner Glenn, Treyton Meyers

Faculty Submissions

The term deepfake refers to falsified media content created using artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to manipulate audio, video, or images. Deepfake news fabrications are designed to appear highly realistic, making it difficult for audiences to distinguish them from authentic content. Responding to deepfake-induced  reputational threats therefore presents a unique challenge for organizations. Despite the growing prevalence of deepfake technology, little experimental research has examined how different crisis communication strategies perform in mitigating the reputational and relational harm posed by deepfake-induced crises. Accordingly, this study seeks to (1) examine how exposure to deepfake news relates to public perceptions and affect toward …

Development And Implementation Of Educational Modules On Management Of Neonates With Critical Congenital Heart Disease In The Delivery Room (Learn-Chd)., Noorjahan Ali, Brenda Law, Alyssa R. Thomas, Philip T. Levy, Ruby Gupta, Summer Elshenawy, Danielle Reed, Leeann R. Pavlek, Jennifer Shepherd, Sharada H. Gowda, Molly K. Ball, Beth Ann Johnson, Chloe Joynt

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Neonates with congenital heart disease may require delivery room interventions beyond standard care. Because existing guidelines and educational programs rarely address these needs, we developed and evaluated targeted educational modules.

METHODS: Teams were randomized to online eLearning modules or directed readings. Individual pre-/post-knowledge scores were compared. Team performance was tested in simulated delivery scenarios including abruption, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, d-transposition of great arteries and congenital complete heart block.

RESULTS: 32 teams from 9 centers participated. The module group had improved knowledge scores (mean change 6% vs -0.3% e-Learning group, p = 0.01). Simulation performance was similar between groups …

Strategies To Improve Demand Planning And Operations Using Predictive Analytics Tools, Marcus D. Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Pneumothorax, Children's Mercy Kansas City

Clinical Pathways

No abstract provided.

Information-Aware Autonomy Through State Estimation, Control, And Observability, Andres Enriquez Fernandez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

State estimation is fundamental to autonomous systems operating in uncertain environments, where navigation, coordination, and decision-making depend on accurately inferring internal system states from incomplete and noisy observations. While classical estimation theory primarily focuses on reconstructing hidden states from available measurements, practical autonomous systems must also contend with sensing interruptions, communication constraints, limited computational resources, and nonlinear system dynamics that reduce the availability and usability of estimation-relevant information. This dissertation adopts an information-centric perspective on state estimation by introducing the concept of an Information Lifecycle, in which information is generated through system behavior, utilized by estimation algorithms under operational constraints, …

Program Development And Implementation Of Adaptive Fishing Program At Western Michigan University Center For Disability Services, Will Harahan

Capstone Projects

Participation in meaningful leisure occupations is an essential component of health, well-being, and quality of life. Unfortunately, individuals with disabilities continue to experience numerous physical, environmental, and social barriers that limit participation in community-based recreational activities. Recreational fishing has emerged as an inclusive outdoor leisure occupation that promotes physical activity, social participation, confidence, and emotional well-being when appropriate adaptations and supports are available. The purpose of this capstone project was to develop, implement, and evaluate an adaptive fishing program for participants enrolled in the Western Michigan University Center for Disability Services (CDS) Skill Building Program. Guided by occupational therapy principles, …

J Mich Dent Assoc July 2026

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Each month, the Journal of the Michigan Dental Association delivers news, information, and features about Michigan dentistry to our state's oral health community and the MDA's 6,200-plus members. It remains the main publication reaching Michigan dentists and is available worldwide through ADA Commons.

The July 2026 (Volume 108, No. 7) issue of the Journal is published in print format to provide updates and insights for Michigan's oral health community and MDA members. Print editions occur every other month beginning with January.

The July 2026 issue of the Journal of the Michigan Dental Association celebrates the 40th anniversary of the association's …

Automated Scoring Of Prosody In Oral Reading Fluency: Integrating Acoustic And Sentence/Chunk-Level Silence Features With Machine Learning, Kuo Wang

Education Policy and Leadership Theses and Dissertations

Prosody, the ability to read with appropriate variation in pitch, duration, pausing, and stress, is an important (and challenging to measure) dimension of oral reading fluency (ORF) and comprehension. ORF prosody is currently measured through human raters and rubric-based scoring systems (e.g., the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) or the Multidimensional Fluency Scale (MDFS scales). The rating process is labor and resource-intensive and introduces rater bias. Recent work has shown acoustic features to predict prosody ratings; however, their models had low generalization performance on cross-domain data (unseen passages and student samples).

The present study investigated the automated assessment of …

Allied Health Professions (Ahp) Engagement With And Leadership Towards Actionable Carbon Reduction Interventions To Meet The Nhs Net Zero Agenda:: A Consensus Study, Frances Slowie, Linda Hindle, Louise Davey-Hewins, Sarah Cooper, Clare Pettinger

School of Health Professions

Background: Climate change is one of the greatest threats to human health. The UK health and care system is responsible for 4%–5% of the country’s carbon footprint. Following an ambitious commitment to ‘Delivering a Net Zero NHS’, there is an ongoing urgent drive to advocate for proactive sustainability measures across the workforce healthcare practice areas. As the third largest workforce within the NHS, allied health professionals (AHPs) are crucial players in this net zero commitment. Implementing suitable carbon reduction strategies requires leadership and more clarity on the practical steps that AHPs can take specific to their unique skill set. Objective: …

2026 Final Insufficiently Reclaimed Sites Quality Assurance Project Plan (Qapp), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

In The Shadow Of The Steeple: A Theory Of Religious Hypocrisy, Justin Arthur Rice

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I explore how Christian doctrine and practice respond to the pressures placed upon them by the troubling reality of religious hypocrisy (RH). Assuming a teleological notion of social institutions, I argue that RH is best understood in relation to the Church as an institution, and that RH occurs when religious agents undermine or subvert their appointed role within the Church. RH consists in the conscious or unconscious charade of spiritual or moral virtue undertaken in one’s capacity as a member of a religious institution, grounded in a fundamental disparity between one’s thoughts, words, desires, motivations, or deeds, …

Physics-Informed Machine Learning For Predictive Digital Twins In Greenhouses, Hoang Kim Tran

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Greenhouses are widely used to create controlled environments for crop production, where indoor climate variables such as air temperature, relative humidity, CO2 concentration, radiation, and soil or substrate conditions directly affect plant growth, yield, energy consumption, and resource use. However, greenhouse climates are highly dynamic because they are influenced by complex interactions among outdoor weather, greenhouse structure, crop transpiration, heating systems, ventilation, screens, fans, irrigation, and other actuators. Building digital twins for greenhouses provides a powerful way to represent, monitor, and predict these climate dynamics. A predictive digital twin can simulate future indoor climate states based on current greenhouse conditions, …

Leveraging Data Science And Analytics For Next-Generation Transportation And Logistics: Literature Review And Regional Analysis, Kazi Humayra Shams

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The increasing integration of data science and analytics into next-generation transportation and logistics planning and operations offers improved system performance but requires managing and interpreting vast and complex datasets. The Arkansas Smart Transportation Research, Infrastructure and Data-Driven Engineering Systems (AR-STRIDES) program (NSF Award No. 2445877) is working to develop data science solutions and data-driven supply chain technologies for next-generation transportation and logistics systems. This thesis supports AR-STRIDES by providing a comprehensive literature review of recent literature studying data science and analytics in transportation and logistics systems and conducting a regional analysis of Arkansas to create a database of companies, higher …

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy For Toddlers In Japan: Comparing Outcomes For Children With And Without Autism And/Or Developmental Delays, Emily-Anne Sevilla Del Rosario

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for Toddlers (PCIT-T) is a toddler adaptation of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy designed to improve social-emotional development and parenting practices among children under two years of age. This study evaluated the effectiveness of PCIT-T among Japanese families and explored whether treatment outcomes differed between neurotypical toddlers and autistic children and/or children with developmental delays. Data was analyzed from 83 parent-child dyads who received PCIT-T in community-based agencies across Japan between 2018 and 2023. Results indicated significant improvements in children’s protective developmental factors, caregiver use of PRIDE skills, and reductions in Avoid skills following treatment. CARES skills did not …

Classical Liberalism And Property, Thomas W. Merrill

Faculty Scholarship

Classical liberalism is characterized by several key attributes. Its central normative criterion is the well‑being of the individual, not some aggregate like society or the nation‑state. Individuals are presumptively regarded as responsible actors, capable of judging their own best interests and accountable for their actions that interfere with the well‑being of others. Because individuals are presumptively regarded as responsible actors, there is a strong preference for imposing only minimal obligations on them through the power of the state, and these usually involve general negative duties that are universal in character, chiefly to forbear from using force or fraud to interfere …

Free Expression And Civil Rights On Campus: Consistency And The Kant-Rawls Heuristic, David M. Schizer

Faculty Scholarship

Universities learned hard lessons in the months after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. 2023. This painful and challenging time highlighted the urgent need to pursue two critical goals, which sometimes are in tension with each other. First, universities have to protect academic freedom and free expression. This is their life blood. Second, universities also have to honor their legal and moral obligation to combat discrimination, including antisemitism.

Yet this is easier said than done. Protecting free expression means allowing speech that is controversial and even offensive. But this speech can contribute to a hostile environment. So, in seeking both …

From Learner To Leader: Exploring Principals' Perspectives On Professional Learning, Development, And Mentoring, Eric William Kausch

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This purpose of this qualitative study was to examine veteran secondary school principals’ engagement in professional learning, development, and mentoring for the improvement of their leadership skills. While previous literature provides insight into administrative preparation programs, mentoring of novice leaders, and succession planning for those advancing their careers, there are fewer studies that discuss enhancing experienced principals’ leadership development. The study was guided by three research questions: (1) How do principals describe their experiences participating in professional learning and development? (2) What types of leadership experiences do principals engage in to improve their leadership skills? and (3) How does engaging …

Investigating And Comparing Special Education Teachers’ Perceptions Of Workload Manageability And The Relationship With Attrition, Kasey Sanders

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated special education teachers’ (SETs) perceptions of workload manageability and the relationship between these perceptions and intentions to quit. State-wide data from the Kansas State Department of Education showed a significant increase in the number of special education vacancies from a total of 161, or .03% in the 2019-2020 school year to 557, or 11%, in the 2024-2025 school year. Over the past four years, the number of special education teachers with a non-traditional license has increased from 312, or 6%, in the 2021-2022 school year to 427, or 8%, in the 2024-2025 school year (KSDE, 2025). Using …

Drawing Conclusions: Autonomy And Mental Maps In Denmark And The Faroe Islands, Erik Steven Breidinger

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation develops and tests a comparative heuristic device called optimal autonomy to explain when and how autonomous territories, or simply autonomies, become durable components of the global system of sovereign states. Drawing on a mixed‑methods case study of Denmark and the Faroe Islands, the study operationalizes optimal autonomy as a heuristic device using three interacting metrics: territorial delineation, national distinction, and state dependence. Using semi‑structured interviews with public officials and a mental‑mapping experiment with university students, this research shows that optimal autonomies are not made from single institutional designs but rather a dynamic equilibrium between maximal territorial delineation, medial …

Sigesn-Based Lasers On Silicon For Mid-Infrared Optoelectronics, Sudip Acharya

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Germanium-tin (GeSn) alloys represent a significant advancement in semiconductor technology, particularly for applications in the short-wave and mid-infrared (SWIR and MIR) spectral ranges. As a group IV material system, these alloys offer a unique combination of tunable optoelectronic properties and full compatibility with established silicon-based manufacturing processes. The controlled incorporation of tin into germanium enables the engineering of a fundamental direct bandgap, a critical feature that distinguishes GeSn from its indirect bandgap materials, silicon and germanium. This direct bandgap behavior which was demonstrated in high-quality single crystalline GeSn alloys around the year 2015 is the foundation for efficient light emission …

“We Have The Right To Education”: Exploring Student Experiences, Disability Policy, And The Need For Culturally Refined Awareness Raising On Inclusive Higher Education Within The English-Speaking Caribbean, Kadesha Treco

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Within the English-speaking Caribbean, research at the intersection of inclusive education policy and higher education (HIED) remains limited. Despite the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006) by countries across the region, the establishment of the CARICOM Special Rapporteur on Disabilities, and the creation of several pieces of national disability legislation, there is little evidence regarding the effectiveness of these initiatives at improving access to HIED. Therefore, this dissertation contributes to regional scholarship on inclusive education by examining how access to, and experiences within HIED institutions are shaped for students with disabilities. This …

Advancing Social Media Analytics And Personalized Generation Via Transfer Learning, Discourse-Aware Modeling, And Collaborative Modeling, Gibson Nkhata

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Social media platforms have become central to information exchange, shaping public opinion across social, political, and economic domains. However, the massive volume of user-generated content, combined with its informal, nuanced, and often noisy nature, presents significant challenges for automated analysis and generation. Tasks such as stance detection, rumor verification, and personalized content generation are further complicated by sarcasm, evolving discourse structures, and diverse user preferences. Addressing these challenges requires models that can effectively leverage linguistic nuance, conversational dynamics, and collaborative user signals. Transfer learning has emerged as a powerful paradigm for improving performance in low-resource and complex language understanding tasks. …

Identifying Muscle Health Deficits Among Older Adults With And Without Cognitive Impairment, Ray Guerreros Urbina

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Age-related declines in skeletal muscle health (SMH) and cognitive function are major contributors to disability, loss of independence, and reduced quality of life among older adults. Emerging evidence suggests that skeletal muscle and cognitive health may be interconnected through shared physiological mechanisms; however, the relationships between specific aspects of SMH and cognitive performance remain unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between SMH and cognitive performance among older adults and to determine whether SMH differs between cognitively healthy and cognitively impaired individuals after accounting for age and physical activity. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using …

Effectiveness Of Pcit With Toddlers In A Community-Based Sample: Special Considerations For Youth With Neurodevelopmental Conditions, Rebecca Scott Bradley

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The early caregiving environment serves as the context in which young children develop emotional regulation abilities. While supportive, responsive caregiving is crucial for helping children regulate their own emotions in times of stress, disruptions to the parent-child relationship may set the stage for poor emotion regulation throughout childhood. Emotional and behavioral problems, particularly in children with neurodevelopmental conditions, may stem from early difficulties with emotion regulation. If left untreated, emotion dysregulation in children can mark a trajectory towards continued social-emotional concerns and family disruption; as such, the toddler years represent an ideal time for intervention. Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for Toddlers …