Digital Commons Network^™

Is Health Deserved? Personal Autonomy, Framing, Ethical Intimidation, And The Politicization Of Healthcare In The United States V. Japan, Ava C. Azucenas

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Is health deserved? Is your health owed to you? What does this mean, and whose responsibility is it? I argue that American culture’s use of  personal autonomy, “framing”, and ethical intimidation has stunted the improvement of both political and legal structures. This is evident in the politicization of the ‘for-profit’ healthcare system in the United States. American policymakers frequently weaponize moral foundations in order to coerce voters into supporting or opposing certain healthcare policies derived from the principle that some people are more "deserving" of health than others. This calculated “framing” of health concepts has deeply politicized such an ethical …

Investigating Creative Possibility Using Automated Composition, Kian Drees

Undergraduate Honors Theses

As a constructive method, Johann Joseph Fux’s theory of counterpoint defines a space of musical possibility for contrapuntal composition. I developed a computational method for generating melodies to systematically investigate selected properties of this space. My program recursively generates a tree of all possible cantus firmus melodies of a specified length or all possible first species counterpoints on a given cantus firmus, starting with an empty root node and adding child nodes representing possible musical notes at each step until the specified length is reached. I then investigated several properties of the generated melodies, such as the approximate relationship between …

The Supreme Court And Climate Law: A Qualitative Analysis, Tanner Blackington

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper seeks to explore the Supreme Court’s understanding of climate justice and its evolution over time. I begin with an explanation of the context on climate law, climate change, and the Supreme Court as an institution. I situate the study in the literature on judicial restraint, institutional barriers, and the powers of the Supreme Court as focal points. Then, drawing on a sample of 20 Supreme Court opinions issued between 2007 and 2025, I offer an empirical analysis which reveals the Supreme Court’s feelings of confinement within the boundaries of federalism and balancing power with the Legislative and Executive …

Technology’S Historical Impact On The Wealth Management Business And How Advisors Plan To Evolve Around Career Challenges Posed By Artificial Intelligence, Nick George

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The past few decades have molded our contemporary financial experiences and have forced financial advisors to plan for a career-altering pivot in the near future. Over the last fifty years, wealth advisors have seen dozens of incidents known as “extinction-level events”, described as the two-way path a consultant faces when new technological advancements occur. We used data collected from real-world financial advisors, client service associates, and academic publications to assess the next big turning point of the industry, Artificial Intelligence, and how it both differs and relates to other developments of this caliber within the industry, such as the rise …

Database: A Poetry Collection, Lara Dominique D. Solante

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Poets wield their pens to respond to various societal or cultural stimuli—including politics, art, science, and more. Today, artificial intelligence (AI) is an exponential development that has become a leading topic of discussion. This project, titled Database, is a collection of poems that interrogates the tensions that exist between humanity and technology through the use of modern imagery, such as robots and virtual reality. These poems also examine the once distinct markers of humanity that characterized classical poetry, including emotion and sensory experiences, and reframes them within a contemporary context, giving technology and artificial consciousness a voice. Although this collection …

A Comparative Study Of Haiti And The Dominican Republic, Hannah Merritt

Program in Community Action (PICA)

Situated on the same Caribbean island, Haiti is currently the poorest country in the western hemisphere with a negative GDP growth rate, while the Dominican Republic boasts one of the fastest rates of GDP growth in Latin America. Currently, the Haitian capital Port-Au-Prince is controlled by local gangs, with civilians being forced out of their homes and massacred. The Dominican government has voiced that it feels as though cries for help to the international community have been ignored, and Dominican taxpayers are left to bear the brunt of a failing state next door. Back in 2024, the Dominican government was …

A Timely Warning: Clock Drawing Errors In Young Adults And The Long-Term Validity Of Cognitive Screens, Alastair Smith, Sarah Salo

School of Psychology

Objective: The clock drawing test (CDT) assesses multiple cognitive functions, including visuospatial construction and executive planning, and it is a core feature of many cognitive screens. Recent evidence indicates that young adults may experience difficulties producing an accurate response and we present a closer examination of generational differences in CDT performance in the context of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), where a notable failure rate was observed in our young adult respondents. Method: A total of 165 younger adults (18–35 years) and 53 healthy older adults (65–93 years) completed the MoCA as part of a larger study. CDT performance was …

Active Brazing Of Single Crystal Al2o3 To Kovar Alloy With Agcuzr Filler Metal, Anthony M. Mcmaster

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

Brazing provides high strength and hermetic joining between metal, ceramic, and composite materials. Origins of the brazing process trace back to 3000BC, yet the technique continues to maintain relevance and demand across aerospace, medical, electronic, optical, and mechanical engineering. Here, single crystal Al2O3 (sapphire) was joined to Kovar in a single step via an AgCuZr active braze filler metal. The microstructure of the completed joint was investigating using microscopy and spectroscopy techniques. A unique braze chamber, paired with an optically clear top substrate (sapphire), allowed further investigation into the dynamics of the active braze process via in situ video monitoring. …

Theatrical Roles: An Introduction To Theatre, Gibson A. Cima

Faculty Books & Book Chapters

 

Theatrical Roles: An Introduction to Theatre is an open educational resource (OER) created by Gibson Alessandro Cima for Introduction to Theatre at Northern Illinois University. Published through the Humanities LibreTexts platform under a Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license, the textbook is designed as a free, accessible alternative to traditional introductory theatre textbooks.
Rather than organizing theatre history around a conventional Western canon, the OER approaches theatre through the major collaborative roles involved in production: playwright, director, performer, designer/technician, and audience. The structure emphasizes theatre as a collective human practice rather than a linear history of great men and canonical …

Physics-Informed Diffusion Models For Left Ventricular Blood Flow Reconstruction, Yuxuan Xu

Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Independent Study

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of mortality worldwide, and timely diagnosis depends on imaging tools that can reveal the mechanical state of the heart in real time. Echocardiography is the primary bedside imaging modality for cardiac assessment, but it only provides sparse, one-dimensional Doppler velocity measurements whose accuracy is highly sensitive to probe position and beam angle. Reconstructing full three-dimensional blood flow fields for the left ventricle from sparse 1D velocity measurements is an ill-posed problem, where current traditional clinical methods are insufficient.

This report documents contributions made during the Spring 2026 semester in the Kong Lab at Washington …

In Re: Bps Direct Llc

2026 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Elevated Plasma Cholesterol Improves Sepsis Outcome By Promoting Hepatic Metabolic Reprogramming, Qian Wang, Jianyao Xue, Ling Guo, Dan Hao, Misa Ito, Rianna Reese, Bin Huang, Congqing Wu, Xiang An Li

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Background – Sepsis is a life-threatening condition with high mortality and limited therapeutic options. This study investigated the association between plasma cholesterol levels and sepsis survival and explored the mechanisms by which elevated cholesterol confers protection. Methods – We analyzed 2, 787 sepsis patients from the MIMIC-IV database, comparing cholesterol levels between 28-day survivors and non-survivors and assessing mortality risk using multivariable Cox regression. To test causality, C57BL/6J mice were fed either a high-cholesterol diet (HCD) or a regular diet (RD) before cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Results – Survivors had significantly higher cholesterol than non-survivors (median 135 vs. 126 …

Perceptions Of Correctional Staff Regarding Coping Strategies Used By Juvenile Female Offenders, Angela Pagano Johnston

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Educating Staff On The Use Of Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 Screening Tool, Adetayo Adebayo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Establishing The Division Interprofessional Council By Using Magnet Principles, Warisara Manuel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Primary Grade Teachers’ Perspectives Regarding Time Devoted To Mathematics Instruction, Obiageli Udeme

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

New Mobile Medical Programs And Problems Encountered During The Start-Up Phase, Michael Robin Gardner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Improving Human Visual Search: Enhancing Lung Cancer Nodule Detection In Medical Images, Christopher Khajira

Masters Theses

Human visual search involves the identification of relevant signals within information-rich environments, which is a fundamental problem in visual perception. While detection accuracy and response time are commonly used to evaluate performance in visual search, these measures do not reveal the underlying cognitive and computational structure that produces observable behavior. A key challenge lies in distinguishing between competing processing architectures, particularly in complex visual domains where different models can produce similar behavioral outcomes. This study addresses this challenge by developing a computational experimental framework for analyzing visual search behavior using System Factorial Technology (SFT). The experimental framework integrates naturalistic medical …

Missional Hospitality: A Contextualization Of God’S Hospitable Mission For New Lisbon Christian Church, Jonathan Willmore

DMin Project Theses

The town of New Lisbon, originally called Jamestown, has been home to Restoration Movement churches. The first congregation began in 1839, not long after the town’s official incorporation and renaming as New Lisbon. It unfortunately died out in the decades that followed, and not much is known about its history. The second is called New Lisbon Christian Church (NLCC) and was planted in 1893.1 The records indicate that NLCC changed Senior Ministers approximately every three years, until the 1970s, when a pastor stayed at New Lisbon for nine years. That minister was the longest tenured until the most recent one …

Draft Final Annual Operations And Maintenance (O&M) Report: Butte Treatment Lagoon (Btl) System – 2025, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

4-H Exhibit Hall Packet For The 2026 North Haverhill Fair, Extension

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Staff Education On Improving Primary Care Depression Screening With The Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Patience Amune

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Effective Strategies Leaders Of Nonprofit Organizations Use To Engage Volunteers, Amy Kathleen Ramirez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Developing An Effective Clinical Supervision Structure In An Outpatient Mental Health Group Practice, Kourtney Dockery

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Correction: Berezowski Et Al. Biomarkers In Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Systematic Review And Immunohistochemical Validation Study, Brett Berezowski, Robert Boothe, Billy Chaplin, Sharon J Del Vecchio, Zakariya Fares, Tyrone L R Humphries, Keng Lim Ng, Taylor Noonan, Hemamali Samaratunga, Aaron Urquhart, David A Vesey, Simon T Wood, Glenda C Gobe, Robert J Ellis

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

This corrects the article "Biomarkers in Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Immunohistochemical Validation Study" in volume 17, 2588.

2026 North Haverhill Fair 4-H Animal Packet, Extension

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Panorama, Qian Shen

MFA in Visual Art

This thesis examines the uncanny, bodily, grotesque, and metamorphic states of beings that exist between human and non-human forms. In my sculptural practice, I approach the body not as a fixed or self-contained object, but as a fluid, unstable, and continuously transforming condition. Working primarily with wool, foam, silicone, wax, latex, and metal, I use material interaction, fleshy quality, gravity, and open-ended processes to generate forms that appear unresolved, bodily, and in the middle of becoming. These sculptures often suggest skin, organs, wounds, hair, membranes, or other bodily elements, yet they resist clear identification and remain suspended between attraction and …

Comprehensive Analysis Of Spray Development And Low Temperature Combustion Characteristics In A Cvcc With Nvh Of Renewable Aerospace Fuels: Hefa & Ft Synthetic Kerosene (S8) Compared To Jet-A & Ulsd, Coleman Norton

Honors College Theses

A comprehensive analysis was conducted to research the viability of Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA) and S8 Synthetic Kerosene fuels as a drop-in replacement for conventional petroleum-based fuels, Jet-A and ULSD (Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel). Global transportation remains heavily dependent on liquid fossil fuels, while renewable aerospace fuels offer a promising pathway to reducing life cycle greenhouse gas emissions and pollution. However, the combustion performance and long-term feasibility of these fuels remain insufficiently characterized. This study performed a thorough assessment of each fuel's thermophysical and combustion properties. Thermophysical characterization encompassed viscosity, freezing point, energy density, spray atomization, and volatility. …

Advanced Machine Learning Methods For Seismic Hazard Applications: Ground Motion Modeling And Magnitude Estimation, Najme Alidadi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Seismic hazard analysis depends on reliable prediction of ground motion intensity and accurate estimation of earthquake magnitude. Data-driven approaches have gained attention as potential complements to traditional regression-based and waveform-based methods. This dissertation investigates the role of advanced machine learning frameworks in improving both ground-motion modeling and moment-magnitude estimation. The study first examines the current state of machine learning applications in ground motion prediction and identifies key methodological challenges, including model validation, residual behavior, and physical consistency. Building on this context, new machine learning-based GMMs are developed for small-to-moderate induced earthquakes in Central and Eastern North America. The models are …

Skill Yard, Shannon Jones

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Juvenile crime is rising in many U.S. communities, amplifying stress, anxiety, and safety concerns for teens—especially in high-crime neighborhoods where supportive spaces are scarce. This thesis examines whether environmental design practices in teen-focused third spaces—specifically lighting, materials, and restorative views—can measurably reduce stress, anxiety, and violence among youth. Grounded in environmental sociology, trauma-informed design, and biophilic theory, this study centers on creative third-space design that locates maker spaces for cooking, coding, woodworking, welding, and ceramics within a calm common area and an outdoor setting.

The proposed design integrates skill studios, creative labs, and maker spaces connected to shared commons and …