Digital Commons Network^™

Ethically Implementing Ai To Maximize The Designer's Workflow, Victoria Lyons

Masters Theses

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a rapidly advancing technology that has impacted nearly every industry. Graphic design is certainly no exception. AI has provided designers with a multitude of exciting opportunities and new methods to improve their work. At the same time, AI has also created some complex ethical challenges for designers to navigate. AI has the potential to greatly increase workflow efficiency, bring in automation to repetitive tasks, and provide new creative potential, but it also introduces concerns about creative and artistic integrity, intellectual property laws, and transparency with the consumer.

The focus of this thesis research will explore how …

Don't Force Me To Explain: Rethinking Access Outside Of Compulsory Transparency, Rhea Ienni

Dissertations

My dissertation is concerned with better understanding the barriers disabled people encounter while attempting to procure access both at the institutional level, and in their everyday lives. Within disability and accessibility literature, there are many discourses on what disability is and what access means. However, there are few people who explore the harmful consequences of disabled people being forced to “prove” they are disabled to an ableist world to get their basic needs met, and my dissertation intervenes in this gap. Within current US policy, if a disabled person requires access support at the institutional level, they must provide medical …

Analysis Of Song Choice At An Anglican Church In The North West, Yvette Wong

Masters Theses

The rise of Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) in the last hundred years has gradually led to the so-called worship wars in the late twentieth century. While scholars (Lester Ruth, Ted Peter, and Vernon Whaley) note that the tension has several fronts, Ruth points out that the most obvious front line of combat in the wars was music on instrumentation, song repertoires between hymns and choruses, and the role of song in corporate worship. To keep the peace, many churches have settled for either one style of service, combined the two in the same service, commonly known as a blended service, …

Seasons That Speak: The Power Of Storytelling In Memoir, Pamela Snead

Masters Theses

Memoir bridges literature and lived experience, transforming personal history into shared meaning through storytelling. This creative-critical thesis examines memoir as a reflective narrative practice through which identity, resilience, and faith are shaped over time. Grounded in narrative theory and selected memoir readings, the primary site of inquiry is the original braided memoir Seasons That Speak, which explores faith, endurance, generational healing, and provision. The project also draws on world literature traditions to show how storytelling across cultures uses voice, structure, imagery, testimony, and reflection to preserve memory, question authority, and shape meaning. Through alternating scenes and reflective passages, Seasons That …

Interviewing Civilians For A Local Perspective Of Violent Extremism In West Africa, Benjamin Ellis

Masters Theses

This study examines how civilians in West Africa experience violent extremism, with the goal of informing more effective policy solutions. Using a qualitative research design, the study draws on a focus group conducted with ten participants from various countries in West Africa. Data was transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns in participants’ responses. Six major themes emerged: prolonged fear and restricted daily movement; economic and infrastructural disruption; psychological distress and uncertainty about the future; recruitment into extremist groups driven by complex factors; limited outsider understanding of local realities; and support for multidimensional responses rather than purely …

The Relationship Between Musical Aptitude And Multiple Intelligences In High School Music Students, Rachel Connor

Masters Theses

This quantitative correlational study examines the relationship between musical aptitude, measured by Edwin Gordon’s GIA assessments, and students’ predominant multiple intelligences (MIs), as defined by Howard Gardner. Although MI has been widely researched, little is known about how intelligence strengths relate specifically to musically adept students. High school music students at Fayetteville Christian School in Fayetteville, NC, were first assessed using the GIA to identify those demonstrating musical aptitude. Eligible students then completed the AMI R/ARCH Profile to determine their strongest MI. A correlational analysis examined whether specific intelligence strengths are commonly associated with musical aptitude. Grounded in Gardner’s MI …

Creating Trust: Strengthening Visual Communication Systems For Small Nonprofits, Jennifer R. Wenz

Masters Theses

This study explores how small nonprofits often fail shortly after they are created because of weak design practices and limited access to professional design tools and skills. Large organizations and nonprofits survive because they invest in strong branding, clear messaging, and long-term design strategy. Small nonprofits rely on volunteers with little to no design training which leaves them with inconsistent branding, unclear visual communication, and materials that fail to build the trust they need to survive. This project will examine the gap through research in the nonprofit areas of communication, visual psychology, accessible design systems, and case studies of successful …

What About R&B? The Undefined American Music Genre, Asha Brown

Masters Theses

The research presented in this thesis seeks to provide insight into the value and representation of R&B music in American culture, history, and scholarly works. To advocate for the accurate classification of Rhythm and Blues as a distinct musical genre? Data collected throughout the research process explores the sociological factors that influence tastes in particular music. While the American and music history of the thesis provide foundational evidence of the genre’s influence and relevance, input from research participants supports a hypothesis on the sociological aspects. The conclusion suggests that, though there are multiple factors to consider, many popular music genres …

Designing Clarity: A Framework For Nonprofit Branding, K. Caitlyn Crissler

Masters Theses

Nonprofit founders and leaders regularly face the challenge of communicating their mission clearly while working with limited budgets, limited design knowledge, and limited access to professional creative support. As a result, many organizations unintentionally waste time, money, and resources on inconsistent visual materials, unclear branding, and inefficient design processes. This thesis investigates how an accessible, streamlined design framework can empower non-designers in the nonprofit sector to make informed visual decisions, collaborate more effectively with designers, and produce communication materials that support their mission rather than hinder it. Utilizing a mixed-method approach , including a literature review of foundational design principles, …

To What Extent Do Different Types And Dosages Of Cannabinoids Have In Treating Anxiety Disorder, Lourdes Cristina Garcia Carrillo

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This mixed-methods study investigated the efficacy of various cannabinoid types and dosages in treating anxiety disorders among young adults (19–23), examining cannabis's role in regulating a deregulated endocannabinoid system. Fourteen participants tracked real-time anxiety symptoms, strain type, dosage, and affective states using the Releaf App. Quantitative analyses included repeated-measures ANOVA and Pearson correlation, complemented by quantitative content analysis of affect descriptors. Key findings revealed a statistically significant reduction in self-reported anxiety symptoms following cannabis use (p < .001, partial 2 = .97), supporting the hypothesis that cannabis can regulate a deregulated endocannabinoid system. No significant differences in anxiolytic effects were observed among Indica, Hybrid Indica/Sativa, and Hybrid Sativa/Indica strains. The optimal dosage for perceived anxiety relief appeared to be higher than initially hypothesized, with a moderate-to-strong association between dosage and anxiety relief (r = .662, p = .0099). Participants overwhelmingly reported positive affective states, such as "calm," "peaceful," and "relaxed," post-cannabis use, with no negative descriptors observed in the analyzed data. These results suggest that cannabis can serve as a short-term coping strategy for anxiety in young adults, leading to perceived emotional regulation.

Advances In Extraction And Detection Technologies For Veterinary Drug Residues In Food, Luo Qiaoqiao, Yuan Yufeng, Jia Yunzhu, Chen Qingya, Tan Fang, Zhao Xin

Food and Machinery

Veterinary drug residues constitute a global challenge that poses significant threats to food safety and public health. This review systematically summarizes recent advances in detection technologies for veterinary drug residues in food, with a particular focus on the performance characteristics and application status of sample extraction techniques (including liquid-liquid extraction, solid phase extraction, accelerated solvent extraction, QuEChERS, and magnetic solid phase microextraction ),as well as analytical methods (including chromatographic-mass spectrometric techniques, immunoassays, capillary electrophoresis, biosensors, and quantum dots -based approaches ). Comparative analysis reveals that accelerated solvent extraction (ASE ) and QuEChERS have emerged as mainstream pretreatment techniques owing to …

Effectiveness Of Cadre Training In Improving Knowledge On The Completion Of The Elderly Health Book In Sidoarjo, Lilik Djuari, Sulistiawati Sulistiawati, Linda Dewanti, Muhammad Izhar Yuliantama, De Farras King, Minarni Wartiningsih

Folia Medica Indonesiana

Primary healthcare in Indonesia faces challenges due to an ageing population since 2021. An elderly health book, published by Ministry of health, is an essential tool for recording, monitoring, and following up elderly health status. However, Health cadres have not yet fully understood how to fill in and use the book, resulting in suboptimal data quality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of cadre training to complete the Elderly Health Book (before and after training) in Sidoarjo Regency. A quasi-experimental study with a one-group pre-test and post-test design was conducted among 50 elderly health cadres which …

Learning In Infants Using Intrinsically Motivated Goal Conditioned Reinforcement Learning, T I Darsan

Master’s Dissertations

Traditional artificial intelligence models learn by passively digesting large datasets. In contrast, human infants discover skills by actively interacting with their bodies and environments without explicit external rewards. This thesis introduces the Composer Architecture, a machine learning framework designed to mimic this autonomous, open-ended development. The Composer architecture operates in a multi-stage loop, the latent model using Contrastive Learning Through Time (CLTT) to compress high-dimensional raw data from visual, proprioceptive, and touch sensors into a low-dimensional space. To preserve data relationships and prevent topological collapse, a Softmax activation forces these latent representations to lie smoothly on a probability simplex. A …

An Efficient Hierarchical Deployment Of Sensors For K-Coverage In Planner Wireless Sensor Network, Abhay Raj Singh

Master’s Dissertations

Ensuring reliable sensing coverage is a fundamental challenge in wireless sensor networks (WSNs), particularly when multiple sensors are monitoring each location to provide robustness against node failures. In this work, we address the problem of deterministic k-coverage in planar WSN by proposing a hierarchical triangular lattice-based deployment strategy that organizes sensor locations across di↵erent refinement levels and guarantees coverage of every point in the sensing domain by at least k sensors. Each lattice is three-colorable, and selective activation of color classes ensures adjustable coverage guarantees. We prove that activating a single color class at refinement level t guarantees at least …

Mark Justman V. Accenture Llp

2026 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Examining Technology Integration In Teaching Science In Secondary Schools In Nigeria, Williams Ahupa Iyango

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

K–3 General Education Teachers’ Experiences On Their Roles In Supporting English Language Learners, Sylvia Pollard-Ware

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Relationship Between The Use Of A Personalized Learning System And English Language Arts Proficiency In Grades Three Through Five At A New Jersey School, Rolanda Monique Terry

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Nursing Staff Education On Transgender Patient Care In A Nursing Home, Cyril Shan Madera Tena

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Dissecting The Discourse: Colin Kaepernick's National Anthem Protest And Conservative Media As Competing Racial Projects, Travis Moody

Master's Theses

This thesis examines the media portrayal of Colin Kaepernick’s protest against police brutality and racial injustice during the National Anthem in the 2016 National Football League (NFL) season. Using content analysis, I analyze why Colin Kaepernick protested in his own words and how conservative media outlets such as Fox News rearticulated and criticized his social justice stance as an unpatriotic denigration of the American flag and Star-Spangled Banner. As I further argue, social movements such as #BlackLivesMatter and the Colin Kaepernick-inspired “Take a Knee” movement represent a political project to inform racial discourse regarding racial injustice in the United States. …

Oral Cancer Numerical Index (Ocni): Development And Validation Of A Cytology-Based Risk Assessment For Oral Lesions, Michael P Mcrae, Nadarajah Vigneswaran, Alexander Ross Kerr, Spencer W Redding, Martin H Thornhill, Craig Murdoch, Paul M Speight, Rachelle Wolk, Kritika S Rajsri, Pooja Gaikwad, Nancy Ruel, Nicolaos J Christodoulides, John T Mcdevitt

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background/Objectives: Oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) require accurate risk stratification to identify patients at the highest risk for severe oral epithelial dysplasia (OED) or oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). We developed and internally validated the oral cancer numerical index (OCNI), a quantitative risk score derived from clinical features and deep learning-based brush cytology measurements.

Methods: This retrospective model development and internal validation study was conducted using data from the multicenter Grand Opportunity study. Prospectively recruited subjects with OPMD with complete data were divided at the subject level into a training set (n = 384) and a holdout test set …

Surviving And Thriving: The Indigenous Migrant, Danna Guzman-Rodriguez

Honors Theses

This literature and cultural study highlights the generation of children of indigenous immigrants and the relationship with their indigenous identity and culture. This unique experience is complex and encapsulates issues such as indigenous cultural survival, homogeneity, globalization, and lack of cultural identity. Exploring the Totonac community in La Chaca, Veracruz in Mexico, allows for a deeper explanation of this experience. Speakers of Totonac and other indigenous languages often migrate to countries such as the United States and carry such cultural ties with them. What happens to these ties after moving to a Western-dominated country where globalization favors English and Western …

Examining Teachers' Perceptions On How To Close The Ela Achievement Gap Among Black And White Students In Elementary Title I Schools In A Northwest Florida District, Caressa Renae Richardson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Young Adults Describe Their Lived Experiences Of Adverse Childhood Experiences Through The Lens Of A Secure Attachment, Martin Weinberger

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Demographic Congruence On The Therapeutic Relationship Among African American Therapists And Trauma Survivors, Patrice Ann Warren

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of African American therapists in forming therapeutic relationships with African American adult survivors of childhood sexual trauma. Although the therapeutic alliance is recognized as a critical component of trauma treatment, limited research has examined the role of demographic congruence in therapeutic relationships among African American trauma survivors. Guided by homophily theory, this study explored therapists’ perspectives regarding the influence of shared racial identity on trust, safety, cultural understanding, and therapeutic engagement. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 10 African American therapists who had experience treating African …

A Phenomenological Study On The Family Dynamics Of African American Heirs' Property Owners In The Southeastern U.S., Yolanda Nanette Robertson-Zellars

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to explore the lived experiences of African American heirs’ property owners in the Southeastern United States. Bowen’s Family Systems Theory (BFST) and the Theory of Resilience and Relational Load (TRRL) are the lens through which these experiences are viewed. Each theory provides applicable concepts that guide the query with the participants as they share their interpretations of the phenomenon. Furthermore, the study seeks to understand the biopsychosocial aspects of the interpersonal relationships that family members confront when addressing issues of co-tenancy as owners of inherited land. This hermeneutic phenomenological study employed a hybrid …

The Lived Experiences Of Black Women In Leadership Within Secondary Education: A Phenomenology Study, Tonya Meichelle Morrow

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of Black women serving in leadership roles within secondary education. Guided by Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory, which focuses on the interaction between personal, behavioral, and environmental factors, the study explored how these leaders navigate their role in secondary education. The central research question is: What are the lived experiences of Black women in leadership roles within secondary education? Using qualitative research methods, the study focused on public middle and high schools in the United States where Black women hold leadership positions, such as principal. assistant principal, dean …

Shame, Guilt, Resilience, And Intimate Relationships: A Descriptive Phenomenological Study, Tiara Schnese Anderson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This descriptive phenomenological study explored how shame and guilt among Christian CSA (Childhood Sexual Abuse) survivors influence resilience, intimate relationships, and social support in the United States. The central research questions examined how Christian CSA survivors experienced shame, guilt, and resilience over time; how these emotions affected intimate and romantic relationships; and how they shaped help-seeking behaviors in both clinical and faith-based contexts. Guided by Bowlby and Ainsworth’s attachment theory (1958), data collection involved semi-structured interviews with participants selected through purposive sampling to meet specific inclusion criteria. Data were analyzed using Giorgi’s (2012) descriptive phenomenological method, and eight essential constituents …

How Do Veterans Describe Their Experiences With Homelessness In Rural Areas Within Virginia?, V'Tessa J. Watson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Homelessness is a complex issue affecting individuals across the United States and can be understood as a significant public health concern. Veterans are not exempt from this crisis; in fact, veteran homelessness has increased nationwide since the pandemic. In Virginia alone, it is estimated that over 400 veterans are experiencing homelessness, although this figure remains approximate. Previous studies have failed to incorporate veterans’ perspectives on this issue; therefore, the purpose of this phenomenological study is to describe veterans' experiences of homelessness in rural areas throughout Virginia.

Twelve veterans participated in this study, which employed a semi-structured interview approach. A criterion …

A Link Between Emotional Intelligence, Age, And Diverse Learners, Christina Jedlicka Blake

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative comparative study explored the complex relationship between emotional intelligence (EQ) and Learning Differences (LDs), focusing on academic, social, and emotional development of adolescents diagnosed with specific learning disabilities (SLDs), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and high- functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study investigated whether differences in EQ exist between students with and without LDs and whether age influences EQ development. The 102 participants included male and female students in grades 6-12, ages 11-18, attending a Christ-centered college preparatory school. Students completed a 30-question EQ questionnaire during the researcher’s class time, and online surveys were coded to identify …