Navigating Study Abroad: Improving Western Michigan University Students' Understanding Of University-Approved Provider Programs Through A Website Redesign, Gillian Gold

Honors Theses

Study abroad is a valuable opportunity for students' personal and professional development and is offered in various study abroad models and frameworks, including university-run or externally-run. Western Michigan University offers various options, including Faculty-Led Programs, WMU Exchange Programs, Partner Study Abroad Programs, University-Approved Provider Programs, International Internships, and Independent Study Abroad Opportunities. The University-Approved Provider Programs option at WMU allows students to study abroad through a provider that could more directly meet their interests and goals due to the personalized options available. Despite the benefits of the University-Approved Provider Programs, participation in these programs is low. The information about this …

Strategic Substrate Modification As A Mechanistic Probe In Photoredox Catalysis: An Nmr And Quantum Yield Study, Michael J. Payne

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The mechanism of the photoredox-catalyzed allylic arylation of cyclohexene with 1,4- dicyanobenzene (DCB) using tris(2-phenylpyridine)iridium(III) and a thiol hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) co-catalyst has been the subject of ongoing mechanistic debate. Three competing pathways have been proposed: radical-radical coupling, radical addition, and fragment-radical-radical coupling. In this work, methyl-substituted cyclohexene derivatives are employed as mechanistic probes to interrogate product distributions and reaction efficiency using ¹H and 2D NMR spectroscopy and external quantum yield measurements. Quantum yields across all substrates remained below one, confirming significant loss to unproductive pathways and ruling out a chain mechanism. Among the derivatives, 1-methylcyclohexene was found to …

Agenda (4-24-2026), California State University, San Bernardino - Associated Students, Incorporated

Associated Students, Incorporated records

No abstract provided.

Staff Education On Early Sepsis Recognition For Medical-Surgical Nurses In The Acute Care Setting, Nadine Nzenga Udom

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In this staff education project, I targeted early sepsis recognition and response among medical-surgical nurses. The practice gap at the site was nurses’ limited knowledge of sepsis indicators and screening tools, which contributed to delayed escalation of care. The practice-focused question guiding the project was “Does educating medical-surgical nurses on early sepsis recognition and response improve knowledge of early sepsis recognition and response?” I applied the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation (ADDIE) and Johns Hopkins Evidence-Based Practice (JHEBP) models to design a structured sepsis education program for nursing staff. I searched for peer-reviewed literature via databases accessed through the …

Elected Sheriffs’ Election Process And How It Affects Their Behavior, Brian James Ardoin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Scholars have widely examined how electoral pressures influence the behavior of judges and prosecutors; however, less attention has been given to how elections affect law enforcement leaders. This quantitative study examined whether sheriff election cycles in Louisiana were associated with changes in law enforcement behavior. Louisiana parish sheriffs occupy a unique role as both elected officials and chief law enforcement executives, which may create incentives that influence enforcement priorities. Using secondary arrest data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation Uniform Crime Reporting program, this study analyzed parish-level arrest patterns from 2009 through 2019 to determine whether deputies’ arrest behavior differed …

Assessing Visual Analysis Skills With Board Certified Behavior Analysts: A Replication And Extension, Daniella Fronte

Thesis Projects

Visual analysis of single-subject data is a necessary decision-making method in the field of behavior analysis. This analysis helps practitioners evaluate the efficacy of their interventions and informs subsequent decisions to complete, continue, modify, or discontinue an intervention. The purpose of this study was to assess behavior analysts’ visual analysis skills and to evaluate whether using a decision-making flowchart increases correct clinical decisions. Talk-aloud data were used to analyze errors in behavior analysts’ decision-making. Additionally, the extent to which participants rated the flowchart’s significance and effectiveness was assessed. Four of 16 participants reached mastery in the baseline phase without access …

Anterior Cruciate Ligament (Acl) Injuries In Female Athletes: Implications For Prevention And Rehabilitation, Natalie Amm

Honors Theses

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are among the most common lower limb injuries and pose significant physical, psychological, and long-term functional challenges for athletes. Additionally, research has suggested that females are up to eight times more likely to experience an ACL injury than their male counterparts. This increased risk is multifactorial with risks including anatomical structure, neuromuscular control, strength deficits, and hormonal fluctuations. However, the elevated risk of ACL injuries in female athletes may not solely be caused by biological differences, but also due to training programs and sports being designed around male athletes. This pushes us to change the …

Expression And Purification Of Mayaro Virus Nsp2 Protease, Emma Grace Tourville

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

Draft Uniform Federal Policyquality Assurance Project Plan Addendum, Hydrogeologic, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Public Policy Design In Georgia Child Support And Fatherhood, Troy Gathers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Child support policy in the United States has been widely studied as a method to ensure financial responsibility; however, existing research has identified concerns regarding enforcement practices and their disproportionate impact on African American noncustodial fathers in Georgia. Limited qualitative research examined how Georgia fathers experience and interprets these policies, creating a gap in understanding how policy implementation influences paternal engagement. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine how African American noncustodial fathers in Georgia perceived the child support process and to explore how modernization of enforcement policies might improve paternal engagement. Guided by policy feedback theory, this …

Staff Education To Improve Knowledge Of Evidence-Based Engagement Strategies To Reduce No-Show Rates, Jerrica Luster

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High no-show rates in outpatient mental health settings remain a persistent barrier to effective care delivery, negatively affecting continuity of care, patient outcomes, and access to services. In the identified practice setting, inconsistent use of evidence-based engagement strategies beyond standard reminder practices contributed to missed appointments. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice project was to evaluate whether a structured staff education intervention on evidence-based engagement strategies would improve staff knowledge as a foundation for enhancing appointment adherence. A quantitative pre- and posttest design was used to evaluate knowledge change following the intervention. Participants included outpatient mental health clinic …

Promoting Maternal Well-Being: Occupational Therapy In Pregnancy And Postpartum, Nora Udrys

Capstone Projects

Navigating pregnancy and the postpartum period can be a complex experience for women. There is a lack of diverse information, accessible resources, and support during this phase of life. Hormonal levels fluctuate not only during pregnancy but after giving birth as well, contributing to significant physical, emotional, and cognitive changes. Some of these changes may create barriers to meaningful participation in daily occupations, contributing to feelings of isolation, mood disruptions, and decreased overall well-being. Occupational therapy has a unique role in supporting women through pregnancy and postpartum by helping them navigate these transitions through a holistic, client-centered lens. The purpose …

Sexuality And Intimacy: Education On Ot Approach, Abby Stritzinger

Capstone Projects

Providing proper education on sexuality and intimacy is important for increasing comfort when addressing sex and intimacy with individuals in the professional field.  “Sexual health requires a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, as well as the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination and violence. For sexual health to be attained and maintained, the sexual rights of all persons must be respected, protected and fulfilled” (WHO, 2006a). Creating occupational therapists (OTs) that are comfortable addressing this topic is extremely important for the OT profession to continue to maintain its holistic, client-centered …

Linguistic Dual Hesitant Hypersoft Set And Their Application With Decision Making In Medical Diagnosis And Treatment, B. Sathiyapriya, V. Pankajam

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

This study presents Linguistic Dual Hesitant Hypersoft Set (LDHHS) for Analysing Medical Diagnose. In LDHHS, linguistic terms are combined with Dual Hesitant logic to handle uncertainty and vagueness in Decision-Making. The Hypersoft Set extend traditional soft sets by handling multi-attributes and interdependent parameters in Decision-Making. In the context of LDHHS can be used to categorize and assess different aspects of Aggregation and using Decision-Making in Medical Diagnose. In this study the development of this framework, its application and its potential impact using a Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) case study to illustrate its effectiveness.

Neutrosophic Quadruple Metric Spaces And Neutrosophic Quadruple Normed Spaces, Memet Şahin, Arif Sarıoğlan, Amanzholova Alina Bolatkyzy

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

This study establishes fundamental results in the emerging domains of neutrosophic quadruple metric spaces and neutrosophic quadruple normed spaces. Building upon the recent definition of neutrosophic quadruple metric spaces, the first primary contribution is the development of fixed-point theory within this generalized framework. Specifically, we formulate and rigorously prove an analogue of the Banach contraction principle tailored for neutrosophic quadruple metric spaces. Furthermore, we establish additional fixed-point theorems applicable in this context, extending foundational results from classical metric spaces and simpler neutrosophic structures to handle the increased complexity and uncertainty modeled by quadruple-valued neutrosophic sets. The second major contribution involves …

Reminders App Execution, Alexander Gardner

Harrisburg University Other Works

This poster highlights the creation of an Android mobile application for reminders. This app is titled It's Time, Remind! Developed with the Flutter SDK and SQLite for the local database. Firebase Authentication was utilized for user account registration, login/ logout, and profile management. Users can additionally choose to use the app without an account. Users are able to view, create, and delete reminders and notes. Reminders also notify at specified times.

Learning The Notes: Developing Absolute Pitch, Emma Joyce

Student Publications and Presentations

Absolute pitch (AP) is the ability to identify or name a musical pitch without the aid of a reference tone. Although the concept has been known for centuries, the processes of its development remain unclear. Researchers have proposed a variety of explanations, yet despite advances in neuroscience and cognitive psychology, there is still no agreement on whether AP results from natural ability or learned experience. By understanding neurological and developmental research, reviewing existing literature, analyzing case studies, and evaluating current theories, this paper aims to identify gaps in previous research and suggests a new approach for developing AP in young …

Reassessing Additive Diversity Measures: Dawson's Negro Folk Symphony In A Brass Audition Context, Daniel Combs Jr.

Student Publications and Presentations

There is a notable gap in representation of American composers—especially historically underrepresented African American composers—on most symphonic brass audition lists used today. Audition repertoire shapes what orchestral musicians study, and educational institutions also prioritize a nearly exclusively Eurocentric canon to produce audition-ready musicians. As a result, engagement with Black American composers in symphonic culture remains limited. Recent scholarship by Brandon Farnsworth suggests that one commonly used method of addressing this issue—including a requirement that auditionees find and include works by underrepresented composers—further masks structural inequity rather than changing it. In this context, William Dawson’s Negro Folk Symphony (1934, rev. 1952) …

“Tolling For The Outcast”: A Therapeutic Jurisprudence Consideration Of The Relationship Between The Americans With Disabilities Act, Death Row Conditions, And Capital Punishment, Michael L. Perlin, Esq., Talia Roitberg Harmon, Maren Geiger, Chelsea Henning

San Diego Law Review

The press has regularly reported on the level of abysmal conditions on death rows in those states that have retained capital punishment. Death-row prisoners are often incarcerated in solitary confinement, and are subject to much more deprivation and harsher conditions than other prisoners. As a result, many experience declining mental health, and it has become clear that persons with mental illness are disproportionately put to death. Some litigants have turned to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as a potential source of relief; the Supreme Court’s decision in Pennsylvania Department of Corrections v. Yeskey underscored that the act’s language “unmistakably …

The Role Of Cannabinoid Receptors In Punishment-Driven Risky Decision Making, Sharoderick C. Lowe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Risky decision-making is a feature of mental health disorders such as substance use disorder and schizophrenia and is often linked to alterations in the brain’s cannabinoid system. However, how cannabinoid signaling regulates punishment-based risky decision-making remains unclear. To address this question, we assessed the effects of multiple cannabinoid drugs on risky decision-making in male and female Long-Evans rats using the Risky Decision-Making Task (RDT). Following training, rats received varying doses of Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC; CB1/CB2 receptor partial agonist), ACEA (CB1 receptor agonist), Rimonabant (CB1 receptor inverse agonist), and AA-5-HT (FAAH inhibitor that increases endocannabinoid tone). THC did not alter risky choice …

Development Of Research Direction At The Hospital General De México In The Last Two Decades, Juan C. Lopez-Alvarenga, José D. Carrillo-Ruiz, Galileo Escobedo, América Guadalupe Arroyo Valerio, Miguel Fonseca-Sanchez, Gustavo Acosta-Altamirano

School of Medicine Publications

No abstract provided.

Long Overdue: Modernizing Virtual Currency Taxation, Matthew Tarasen

San Diego Law Review

In March of 2014, the IRS issued guidance classifying cryptocurrency as property for most tax purposes, at a time when the total cryptocurrency market capitalization was roughly 6.5 billion dollars.  Over ten years later, that figure has grown to four trillion dollars.  While taxpayers can now purchase coffee at Starbucks with certain cryptocurrencies, such purchases trigger capital gains reporting, treating the transaction effectively as a taxable disposition of property, despite its economic function as a medium of exchange.  Although cryptocurrencies have gained prevalence in commerce and have even been briefly recognized as legal tender in some foreign jurisdictions, the IRS’s …

Impact Of Optimized Afos On Functional Outcomes In Children With Spastic Cerebral Palsy., Teresa Pierce, Alyssa Laforme Fiss, Mark Geil, Karl Barner

PCOM Scholarly Works

Purpose

This study aimed to compare the immediate functional impact of wearing ankle foot orthoses (AFOs) designed using the Optimal Segment Kinematics and Alignment approach to Rehabilitation (OSKAR method) versus wearing standard ankle foot orthosis (AFO)-footwear in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy.

Methods

Ten participants, ages seven to 13 years, from local pediatric clinics in a large suburban area participated in the study. Each participant wore both types of orthoses in a randomized order. This was determined by participants choosing a sealed envelope containing a sticker indicating which orthosis to be worn for the first data collection. Participants were …

Interview No. 1818, Julianna Esparza

Combined Interviews

Julianna Esparza reflects on growing up in Segundo Barrio and how those experiences shaped her identity, activism and nonprofit work. This interview preserves personal memories and reflections about community transformation, education, and activism.

Inhibition Of Cyclophilin D Rescues Cardiac Function And Bioenergetic Defects Caused By Neonatal Hypoxia, Jonathan R. Burris, Gisela Beutner, Min Yee, Bartholomew V. Simon, Michael F. Swartz, Kathryn B. Boudreau, Ethan D. Cohen, Chaitanya A. Kulkarni, Prottoy Hasan, Hongyue Wang, Karen L. De Mesy Bentley, György Hajnóczky, George M. Alfieris, Eric M. Small, Paul S. Brookes, Michael A. O'Reilly, George A. Porter

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Increased oxygen levels at birth regulate myocyte bioenergetic and structural maturation controlled by mitochondrial cyclophilin D (CypD). We evaluated mechanisms of neonatal hypoxic cardiac dysfunction by exposing neonatal mice to 12% oxygen and studied cardiac bioenergetics, myocyte maturation, and function. Hypoxia decreased the activity/assembly of electron transport chain complex I, uncoupled oxidative phosphorylation, increased proliferation, decreased differentiation, increased ventricular mass, and decreased cardiac function. CypD inhibition rescued most hypoxia-mediated effects and increased cardiac function. In conclusion, neonatal hypoxia alters cardiac bioenergetics, myocyte maturation, and cardiac function through CypD-dependent pathways, providing potential therapeutic targets for neonatal cardiac dysfunction.

Investigating The Synergistic Effects Of Mental And Physical Exhaustion On Learning And Attention In Emergency First Responders: An Eye-Tracking Study, Kayla Page

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Exhaustion is known to impair cognitive functioning and performance, yet its effects on learning during video-based instruction among first responders and military service members remain underexplored. This study examined how mental, physical, and combined exhaustion independently influence learning outcomes and visual attention in a physically active sample drawn from military, public safety, and emergency service roles. Visual attention was measured utilizing eye tracking, focusing on fixation duration (FD) and fixation rate (FR). Participants completed instructional tasks under each exhaustion condition, allowing comparison of learning and gaze behavior across fatigue states. Results indicated that mental and physical exhaustion were associated …

From Bars To Bytes: Ai, Digital Dignity, And The Fight For Incarcerated Youth’S Futures, Karima M. Almazroui

International Journal of Human Rights Education

Over 1.4 million youth enter detention annually, confronting what scholars term a digital death sentence, exclusion from the literacies and infrastructures that underpin education, employment, and civic participation. This empirically grounded mixed-methods study investigates how artificial intelligence (AI) in carceral education either reinforces surveillance or enables rehabilitation, demonstrating that outcomes depend less on algorithmic sophistication than on the ethical, pedagogical, and governance contexts in which AI is deployed.

Drawing on comparative data from the United States, Japan, Norway, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the research integrates cross-national policy analysis, 78 semi-structured interviews, quantitative outcome measures, and participatory action research …

Human Rights Education, Racism And Early Childhood Education In Brazil: A Systematic Review, Ana Tereza Ramos De Jesus Ferreira, Juliene Madureira Ferreira

International Journal of Human Rights Education

Brazil was the last country in South America to put an end to the 388-year slave trade. To justify the trade of people from Africa, a series of actions were taken to dehumanize the Black  population, namely racism. Thus, the culture, religion, clothes, and phenotypical characteristics of Black people were considered inferior to those of the White race, and this continues to impact the lives of the Black population, which suffers from social inequality, low-quality education, and low-paid jobs up to this day. Therefore, this review aims to investigate Brazilian literature on activities in early childhood education (ECE) to fight …

Using Vortices To Probe Bose-Einstein Condensate Flow, Ian A. Iucker, Mark Edwards

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

We present a model for probing the flow of a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) trapped in a double-target potential. A target potential BEC contains a disk-shaped condensate surrounded by a ring condensate. A double-target BEC consists of two overlapping target BECs. Flow can be induced in one ring of the double-target BEC and will persist in that ring if left undisturbed. When a barrier potential is applied in the overlap region it is possible for this flow to transfer to the other ring. The mechanism for this transfer can be probed by imprinting a small vortex at a point along the …

Assessing Decision Making Under Risk And Dynamic Task Environments In Humans, Dylan J. Cato

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

This research evaluates the theoretical foundations of recent embodied and enacted decision- making models(Baker., et al  2022) , specifically investigating whether "urgency" serves as a domain-general mechanism for reward-rate maximization. Across three experiments using a reward-performance contingency, we compare traditional decision-making frameworks with urgency-based theories to determine how participants navigate task demands and whether optimality assumptions hold (Reynaud, et al 2020). A primary focus involves testing whether motor excitability increases directly with evidence, or if "higher-level" deliberation occurs in parallel with se Using the Generalized Drift-Diffusion Model (GDDM) framework via PyDDM  (Shinn, et al 2020), we will …