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The Attitude Toward Tzadikim In The Zionist Doctrine Of R. Issachar Teichtal, Igor Turov

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

A prominent Orthodox Jewish thinker and an ardent adherent of Hasidism, Rabbi Yissachar Shlomo Teichtal became a proponent of establishing a refuge for the Jewish people in Eretz Yisrael during the final years of his life. This article examines how these convictions influenced his stance on the ideology of the Tzaddik's authority over the Hasidic community. The study demonstrates that Teichtal’s numerous contradictory statements regarding this subject can be effectively categorized into two groups. The first includes assertions justifying the Tzaddikim’s lack of loyalty to the Zionist project. The second consists of harsh accusations against Hasidic leaders for betraying the …

Graduate School : Doctoral Dissertation Proposal Approval Form

Academic Affairs – Policy Library

No abstract provided.

The Vulnerable On Campus: Financial Independence Of College Students, Jing Jian Xiao, Nilton Porto, Luiz Cruz, Ting An

Human Development and Family Science Faculty Publications

College years are a critical transition period from financial dependence to financial independence for young adult college students but research on financial independence of this population is limited. The purpose of this exploratory, mixed-method study is to identify types of young adult college students in terms of financial independence. With data from a sample of college students at a public university in the U.S., cluster analyses show four distinct clusters regarding their funding sources for education: parental dependent, scholarship dependent, loan dependent, and self-dependent. These clusters show differences in student characteristics. Among them, self-dependents and loan dependents are the most …

An Unexpected Messenger: Albert Camus On Human Solidarity And His Call To Christians, Jonathan Krause

Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers

No abstract provided.

Civil Litigation Notes, Arthur S. Leonard

Other Publications

No abstract provided.

Integration Of Ders Volt-Var Dynamic Constraint Into Time-Coupled Optimal Power Flow For System Stability, Shadrack T. Asiedu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The transition toward power systems with higher levels of inverter-based generation requires operating models that account for the dynamic support available from distribution-connected resources. Although inverter-based DERs can provide fast reactive-power support through functions such as Volt–VAR control, conventional optimal power flow models generally represent these resources as static power injections. In addition, transmission-level dispatch commonly represents the downstream distribution system as an aggregated load and does not explicitly consider the voltage at the point of common coupling. Consequently, an OPF solution may satisfy the transmission-bus voltage constraints while producing an operating point at which the downstream DERs do not …

A Structured Review Of Emerging Prompt Instability Indices (Piis) To Evaluate The Reproducibility Of Prompt-Driven Image Segmentation Models., Adib Shafipour, Deevakar Rogith, Zulfiia Ditto, Hien V Tran, Katie Stinson, Toufeeq Ahmed Syed

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Prompt-aware image segmentation has introduced new flexibility by allowing models to incorporate user-provided cues, such as points, boxes, or text prompts, to guide object delineation across diverse imaging domains. This flexibility introduces a fundamental challenge: ensuring segmentation results remain reproducible when prompts are altered. Minor variations in prompts produce substantially different outputs, raising concerns about the reliability and scientific validity of research and clinical applications. This paper conducts a structured review of emerging Prompt Instability Indices (PIIs), quantitative measures developed to assess the reproducibility of prompt-driven segmentation models. A systematic search of PubMed and arXiv (2020-2025) identified relevant studies, analyzed …

A Simple Guide For Researchers And Institutional Review Boards (Irbs) To Protect Data Integrity In Online Human Subjects Survey Research, Julie Simpson

Integrity in Research and Scholarship

Researchers have used the internet to collect data for over two decades. More recently, however, online research has become a target for fraudulent respondents, particularly when researchers offer monetary incentives for participation in a study. This guide will briefly outline the evolution of internet-based human subjects research, explore the current environment for online data collection from human participants, outline strategies for researchers and Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) to help minimize and identify fraudulent responses and protect data integrity in online surveys, and discuss the challenges of balancing data integrity with research participant welfare.

A Simple Guide To Responsible Authorship And Publication, Julie Simpson, Patricia B. Condon, Bonnie Brown, William C. Clyde, James J. Connell, Ramonda Kindle, Nathan A. Schwadron, John E. Sparrow, Xueting Sun, Engin Taze, May-Win Thein, Anita R. Tucker, Karen T. Van Gundy, James Wible

Integrity in Research and Scholarship

This guide examines the following aspects of responsible authorship and publication practices:

1. The significance and goals of publication
2. Publication mechanisms and responsible practices
3. The importance and guiding principles of authorship
4. The definition and responsibilities of an author
5. Responsible writing practices

Please note that throughout this document there are links to examples of concepts/issues within certain disciplines for illustrative purposes. The examples may not be relevant to all disciplines so check guidance specific to the applicable discipline before proceeding. This guide was adapted from an online training module that was part of the University of New …

“I Can’T Just Talk It. I Have To Live It”: The Roles, Needs, And Recruitment Of Recovery Home House Managers, I Niles Zoschke, Kathryn R Gallardo, Hannah L N Stewart, Serena A Rodriguez, Danielle Gillespie, Sheryl A Mccurdy, J Michael Wilkerson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Recovery homes are an increasingly important recovery support service for people with substance use disorders, yet limited research has examined the roles of house managers or how individuals are recruited into these positions. This study examines how house managers understand and enact their roles, how recovery home operators recruit for these positions, and how the demands and sustainability of the role are perceived in practice.

Methods: We conducted a qualitative thematic analysis of interviews with 29 operators and staff working in 10 Level II and Level III recovery homes across five Texas cities.

Results: Findings indicate that house managers …

Nasal Cavity Microbial Makeup And The Influence On Psychiatric Symptoms Following Fire Exposure In Firefighters, Paul Grunsted, Chao Xu, Amanda Janitz, Jessica Reese, Janis Campbell, Tasha M Santiago-Rodriguez, Sara J Javornik Cregeen, Joseph F Petrosino, Jooyeon Hwang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Firefighters experience high levels of occupational stress and trauma, increasing their risk of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although microbial communities may influence brain function and behavior through neural pathways, the nasal microbiome remains understudied. This study examined associations between nasal microbiome characteristics and psychiatric symptoms among firefighters.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 34 firefighters recruited from Texas fire stations. Participants completed validated questionnaires assessing depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Nasal swabs were collected before and after fire suppression and 16S rRNA sequencing was used to characterize microbial communities. Alpha and beta diversity, relative abundance, and …

Understanding Practices Of Lactation And Infant Feeding Together With Women With Hiv: The Uplift Observational Study Protocol, Christiana Smith, Emily Anne Barr, Karen Hampanda, Mark Trumbull, Hulin Wu, Jennifer Mckinney, Sarah Buisson, Carly Hoffmann, Ciarra Brown, Angela B Hutchinson, K Rivet Amico, Ifeyinwa V Asiodu, Elizabeth J Mcfarland, Margaret A Lampe, Preetam A Cholli, Olga Varechtchouk, Allahna Esber, Athena P Kourtis, Lisa Abuogi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: There is a limited understanding of infant feeding decisions, practices, and outcomes for women living with HIV (WLHIV) and their infants since U.S. guidelines were updated in 2023 to support breastfeeding for virally suppressed women on antiretroviral treatment.

Methods and analysis: The Understanding Practices of Lactation and Infant Feeding Together with women with HIV (UPLIFT) study is a convergent mixed-methods, multisite, observational study designed to address key knowledge gaps. Twelve US sites will begin enrollment in early 2026 to accomplish three core activities (CA). In CA1, we explore infant feeding decision-making and experiences via in-depth interviews with pregnant/postpartum WLHIV …

Correction: Feasibility Of Conducting A Pilot Randomized Trial Of A Mindfulness-Based Intervention Among Sheltered Young Adults Experiencing Homelessness, Diane Santa Maria, Paula Cuccaro, Erica Sibinga, Kimberly Bender, Ethel Jacko, Widumini Liyanage, Jennifer Jones, Stanley Cron

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

This corrects the article "Feasibility of conducting a pilot randomized trial of a mindfulness-based intervention among sheltered young adults experiencing homelessness" in volume 16, 1649664.

Algorithmic Medicine And The Duty To Disclose: Informed Consent Through The Lens Of Radiology, Lee Rodriguez

Michigan Law Review

Informed consent is the law’s mechanism for protecting patient autonomy by requiring disclosure of facts that bear on the decision to accept or refuse care. Artificial intelligence now helps decide what is medically true for patients, yet informed consent law still assumes that diagnostic judgment is rendered by a human mind whose reasoning is at least in principle communicable. Radiology has become the leading setting for this tension. AI systems triage worklists, flag suspected abnormalities, and anchor first-pass impressions in ways that guide radiologists’ attention and, in practice, can coauthor diagnostic conclusions while remaining invisible to patients. When patients are …

Macroinvertebrates As An Indicator Of Water Quality At A Constructed Marsh, Amelia Jensen

IdeaFest 2026

My project is to test to see if macroinvertebrates are a good indicator of water quality. I will need to sample at each 2 marshes, West Pond and Brackish Pond, for macroinvertebrates using a D-Frame net and a bucket. At each location, I will collect 8 macroinvertebrate samples, with 4 taken to the right of my starting point and then 4 to the left. In addition to macroinvertebrates, I will also be collecting pH, dissolved oxygen, and salinity from the water as well. To be able to classify the macroinvertebrates I will be using shallow bins to place the invertebrates …

Superintendent Accountability In High Achieving School Districts: A Qualitative Multiple Case Study In The State Of Washington, Kristin Lind Jacobs

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The primary goal of a school district is to promote and support student academic achievement. Superintendents of public school districts across the United States should therefore be held accountable for student performance within their districts. Establishing a successful public school district requires interconnected relationships among the superintendent, the school board, accountability structures, and evaluation processes.

The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to understand how superintendent accountability, in regard to student achievement, was conducted and accomplished by school boards who believe they hold the superintendent accountable for student learning. This study focused on school boards governing high-achieving school …

Winding Roads: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study Of Female Educational Leadership, Nicole Casper

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The experiences of female superintendents were examined in this study to provide insight into the commonalities in their leadership journeys within public school organizations. A phenomenological, qualitative approach, aligned with Moustakas’s (1994) framework, was used to explore participants’ shared experiences. Comprehensive interviews were conducted with 17 female superintendents serving during the 2022–2023, 2023–2024, and/or 2024–2025 academic years in the states of Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. Through phenomenological reduction, three overarching commonalities emerged: (a) barriers, (b) challenges, and (c) supporting factors. The findings illuminate how organizational, societal, and gendered influences interact to shape female leadership advancement toward assistant superintendent or …

Reducing Door-To-Ekg Time In The Emergency Department, Halie Dearman

IdeaFest 2026

Delayed electrocardiogram (EKG) acquisition in emergency departments (ED) represents a preventable patient safety crisis disproportionately affecting women, Black patients, older adults, and non-English-speaking patients. Using the Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice, this quality improvement project addresses door-to-EKG (D2E) times exceeding the ACC/AHA 10-minute benchmark in a rural northern California ED. Three evidence-based interventions are proposed: culturally tailored community education on atypical acute coronary syndrome symptoms, a standardized nurse-driven triage EKG protocol with dedicated equipment, and institutional adoption of D2E time as a formal quality metric. Evaluation includes EHR timestamp audits, demographic disparity analysis, and longitudinal mortality review. Timely EKG acquisition …

Beyond Words: The Horse-Human Encounter In Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy For Residential Substance Use Treatment, Leah Finch Lungren

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP) has emerged as a promising experiential therapeutic intervention, yet the lived experience of adults participating in EAP within residential substance use disorder (SUD) treatment settings remains underexplored. This hermeneutic phenomenological study examined the lived experience of 12 adults who participated in EAP groups during residential SUD treatment across three treatment facilities in the United States. The primary research question was: What is the lived experience of participating in EAP for adults in residential SUD treatment? Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed through iterative hermeneutic interpretation guided by van Manen’s (1990) existential framework.

Six themes emerged …

Integrating Hippotherapy Into Interprofessional Aphasia Rehabilitation: A Feasibility Pilot Study, Bethany H. Wenger

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Background and Significance: Stroke remains a leading cause of disability in the United States, affecting over 2.5 million individuals annually. Stroke-related motor and communication deficits often co-occur, increasing challenges for recovery, increasing social isolation, depression, and dependency. Hippotherapy has emerged as a novel treatment approach for neurorehabilitation; however, its application within interprofessional models for individuals with stroke-related motor and communication impairments remains underexplored. This study examines the feasibility, fidelity, and acceptability of an interprofessional intervention using hippotherapy for adults with chronic post-stroke aphasia, the purpose of which is to generate methodological guidance for future controlled trials.

Methods: A non-randomized, single-group …

Instructor Created Video: Differences In Perception Of Administrative Support In Respiratory Care, Brian Daniel Cayko

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Background: The recent proliferation of online education has highlighted the need to reduce transactional distance and increase the community of inquiry presence between the instructor and students and between students. This quantitative non-experimental study examined the differences in perception of administrative support for instructor-created video (ICV) between faculty and administrators within Commission on Accreditation of Respiratory Care (CoARC) higher education programs of Respiratory Care. Methodology: The Difference in Perception of Administrative Support (DPAS) survey was utilized to collect data from 93 valid participants through a snowball sampling method. Analysis was performed using an independent samples t test and Cohen's d …

An Exploratory Analysis Of The Role Of Sex In Load Carriage, Rachel E. Perez, Dustin R. Slivka, Brent C. Ruby

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Axially loaded weight may impose a metabolic demand equivalent to that of fat mass (FM) during load carriage. Males (M) typically have a lower body fat percentage than females (F), resulting in metabolic demand differences during load carriage that may be mitigated by accounting for FM in pack loads. PURPOSE: To determine whether normalizing pack load to FM equalizes metabolic cost across sexes during load carriage. METHODS: Twenty-eight participants (14M, 23 ± 5 y, 1.81 ± 0.07 m, 78.7 ± 10.0 kg, 12.7 ± 5.4% body fat, VO₂peak 4.18 ± 0.54 L·min^-1; 14F, 22 ± 4 …

Bridging The Gap: Evaluating Gnss-Derived Total Water Storage As A Groundwater Monitoring Tool In The Colorado River Basin, Michelle Lee Barton

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Groundwater resources in the Colorado River Basin are critically stressed yet remain under-monitored and under-regulated, creating urgent need for reliable, continuous observations at multiple spatial scales. This study evaluates the performance of the University of Montana Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) terrestrial water storage dataset as a tool for bridging groundwater monitoring gaps across the Upper and Lower Colorado River Basins between 2006 and 2024. We compare GNSS-derived total water storage and groundwater storage estimates against NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite observations and in-situ groundwater well measurements at regional and sub-regional scales. We employ a Bayesian autoregressive …

An Ecology Of Small Sorrows: Small Animals And The Fragile Ecosystems Inside Us, Haley H. Yarborough

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In An Ecology of Small Sorrows, Haley Yarborough uses a series of personal essays to explore how encounters with small life shape her understanding of herself. This collection is inspired by many talented writers — Lucy Cooke’s insights into animal biology, Andy Weir’s humor and knack for explaining complicated topics, Ben Goldfarb’s insightful exploration of the overlooked, and Sabrina Embler’s beautiful, poetic reflections on the natural world.

These essays touch on how small animals serve as mirrors for us, through our experiences with illness, loss, insecurity, and survival. While a lot of modern media emphasize larger, charismatic species to tell …

Characterizing Regional Human Necromicrobiome Communities In A Semi-Arid Desert To Inform Postmortem Interval (Pmi) Estimation, Georgia Rane Swelstad

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Accurate estimation of the postmortem interval (PMI) remains challenging in forensic anthropology, particularly in arid and high-elevation environments where decomposition processes and insect activity are highly variable. Postmortem microbial succession has emerged as a promising alternative framework for PMI estimation. However, the effects of climate and elevation on microbial decomposition dynamics remain insufficiently characterized.

This study examines skin-associated microbial succession in human remains decomposing at the Forensic Investigation Research Station (FIRS) in western Colorado, a semi-arid, high-elevation environment. Microbial samples collected from five anatomical sites during the early postmortem interval are analyzed using 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing, and …

Are You Safe From Tsunami, In A Worst Case Scenario, Magnitude 9 Subduction Zone Earthquake In Humboldt County?, Melanie Michalak

IdeaFest 2026

Humboldt County is located above a major plate boundary called the Cascadia Subduction Zone. Every several hundred years, the plate interface ruptures, causing a magnitude 8-9 earthquake, and disrupts the seafloor and water column, resulting in tsunami waves that will surge onshore in low-lying coastal areas. This interactive poster visually explains how tsunamis form, tests participants' understanding about tsunamis, and presents up-to-date tsunami hazard maps in Humboldt County. We seek to debunk common myths and misconceptions, and educate and empower our community to prepare for a local tsunami event.

Unmuted: An Augmentative And Alternative Communication User’S Experience In Accessing And Engaging In Mental Health Care, Kanbi Faith Knippling

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Communication accessibility is a critical yet underexamined factor influencing access to and engagement in mental health care for individuals who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Existing literature suggests that AAC users experience significant barriers to obtaining communication-accessible mental health services, including limited provider preparation, communication-related assumptions, and broader structural inequities. Despite growing recognition of these concerns, little research has explored how AAC users experience and navigate mental health counseling or how communication accessibility shapes participation in care.

This single-case study explored communication accessibility within the context of an adult AAC users' experiences accessing and engaging in mental health counseling. …

Trauma-Informed Peer Support For Legal Record Review Pilot Project, Jasmine Rafferty

IdeaFest 2026

This pilot project explores a trauma-informed peer-supported approach to legal record review for justice-impacted students in higher education. Using frameworks such as Critical Action Research, Slow Research, Disability Justice, and Abolition Feminism, our team collectively engages lived experience to support healing and challenge systems that create barriers. Our work highlights systemic gaps that disrupt student internship placements, causing further harm. Through relational and restorative practices, we normalize experiences, address stigma, and develop peer-led tools to reduce retraumatization and increase equitable access to education.

Off To The Festival! The American College Theatre Festival Region 7, Evan Pierce

IdeaFest 2026

Through the theatre department, I was able to attend the American College Theatre Festival this spring. This was my fourth year attending. It is a wonderful way to get to know students from other colleges as well as professionals in the industry. It is so much fun being surrounded by other people as passionate about theatre making as you for an entire week. Even more of a bonus, you get to explore a new town too! This spring, we went to Pasco, Washington. I attended workshops, saw invited productions, and participated in late night activities like the tech theatre showdown. …

Resilience By Design: Evidence From The Richmond Resilience Initiative, Research Institute For Social Equity Rise, Morgan Woodle Phd, Albert Okwei, Yali Pang, Nakeina E. Douglas-Glenn

Research Institute for Social Equity

This report presents a programmatic evaluation of the Richmond Resilience Initiative (RRI), a guaranteed income program designed to support economic stability among Richmond Residents experiencing financial hardship. The evaluation focuses on participants in Cohort Two and Cohort Three, examining program impacts over the two-year periods during which participants received cash transfers. Guaranteed income (GI), the provision of recurring, unconditional cash transfers, has grown in popularity as a significant policy innovation for addressing economic insecurity and inequality in the United States.