Digital Commons Network^™

Effectiveness Of Various Leg Muscle Training Methods On Increasing Leg Muscle Strength, Pradana Frans Surya M., Anggi Setiorini, Suryani Agustina Daulay, Helmi Ismunandar

Jurnal Keolahragaan

Lower limb muscle strength is crucial for functional human activities, providing body stabilization, maintaining posture, and enabling various movements. Insufficient training can hinder muscle protein synthesis, leading to diminished strength in the lower limbs. Regular training, particularly resistance exercises, is essential for improving this strength. Numerous training methods have been developed, such as resistance training, plyometric exercises, bodyweight exercises, isolation training, movement-based practices, and technology-assisted techniques, though their relative effectiveness remains a topic of ongoing evaluation. This literature review aims to assess the effectiveness of various lower limb strength training methods across diverse populations, including adolescents, athletes, and older adults. …

Multiple Baseline Single-Case Study: Narrative Resiliency Intervention For Couples With Adverse Childhood Experiences, Emma Elizabeth Allen

Theses and Dissertations

A multiple baseline single case study design was used to examine the effects of a narrative and resiliency-based intervention for couples with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Using piecewise multilevel modeling (MLM), the study evaluated changes in depressive symptoms, dyadic coping (DCI), and growth and empowerment measure (Emotional Empowerment Scale [EES-14] and 12 Scenarios [12S]) across waitlist and treatment phases. Five couples (10 individuals) participated in up to 17 waves, with staggered baseline and treatment lengths across dyads. Results indicated significant fixed effects of the 12S subscale for growth and empowerment during the treatment phase. There were no statistically significant fixed …

Rabbits On Water, Harley Shiner

Honors Program Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

Matrescence: An Emerging Concept For Birth Worker Practice, Kelsey B. Green

DNP Qualifying Manuscripts

The maternal mental health (MMH) crisis, affecting up to 25% of birthing individuals, is exacerbated by significant gaps in perinatal support. While birth workers are uniquely positioned to provide care, they often lack specialized training beyond basic screening checklists to address the complex transition to motherhood, defined as matrescence. This clinical innovation proposal outlines a matrescence-informed educational curriculum, guided by the Comprehensive Model of Mental Health during the Perinatal Period. The intervention is designed to build tangible, implementable skills, training birth workers to: (1) operationalize matrescence as a psychoeducational tool to normalize distress; (2) use clinical differentiation to distinguish the …

Developing Research Question And Writing Questionnaires Activities, Lauren B. Neal

Teaching Repository of AI-Infused Learning

Students draft a research question based on their own experience, then use a conversation with ChatGPT to refine and edit the question. Later in the semester, students develop questionnaire items to address this research question and use ChatGPT to improve the questionnaire items.

Baudelaire And Manet Remake, Barry J. Mauer

Teaching Repository of AI-Infused Learning

Use AI to remake either a painting from Manet or a poem from Baudelaire (or both!) in any medium: experimental writing, video, poster, song, etc.; the creativity is in your prompt. In addition, write an essay of 4-5 pages explaining and justifying your remake, describing the process and interpreting the results.

Crafting Competency-Based Nursing Assessments With Ai: A Practical Workshop, Sarah Llewellyn

Biennial Convention (CONV)

In an age where competency is the expected learning outcome across degree levels in nursing programs, faculty members must update or develop new, authentic assessments that better meet this expectation. But updating and developing assessments can be a time consuming process. Faculty members’ time is at a premium, so this interactive session will delve into using the most current AI tools that can effectively support faculty members through this process.

Generative AI tools provide opportunities for increased productivity and brainstorming.^1,2 These tools can be used to draft licensure-style questions based on lecture materials and course content, format assessments for …

Awareness Under Anesthesia: A Scoping Review Of Risk Identification And Detection Strategies, Martin Nyguen

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

A Review Of Cutaneous Viral Infections And Their Potential Role In Neurologic Diseases, Valeria Duque-Clavijo, Hung Q Doan, Stephen K Tyring

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Cutaneous viral infections, defined as viral pathogens that either primarily affect the skin (e.g., herpesviruses, enteroviruses) or frequently produce dermatologic manifestations despite systemic tropism (e.g., HIV, SARS-CoV-2), can trigger systemic inflammatory and neurotropic responses that extend their impact to the nervous system. A growing body of evidence suggests that viruses with dermatologic manifestations may play a significant role in the pathogenesis of neurologic disorders.

Summary: Although individual viruses have been studied in isolation, the skin-brain axis in viral infections remains incompletely characterized. This review synthesizes existing knowledge and highlights gaps in understanding the mechanisms linking cutaneous viral infections to …

December 2025 Graduate Council Minutes, University Of Nebraska At Kearney Graduate Council

Graduate Council Minutes

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of High-Fidelity Simulation On Graduate Nursing Students’ Knowledge And Confidence In Septic Shock Management, Shaden Mustafa

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The purpose of this quality improvement (QI) Doctorate of Nursing (DNP) project was to create and evaluate the impact of high-fidelity simulation-based training (SBT) on graduate nursing students’ knowledge and confidence in diagnosing and treating septic shock. Outcomes were measured with pre- and post-simulation tests featuring competency questions and Likert-scale confidence ratings.

Accordingly, the two research questions guiding this project were: (1) How effective is high-fidelity simulation training in improving students’ knowledge and competence in managing septic shock? (2) How effective is high-fidelity simulation training in enhancing students’ confidence when caring for patients with septic shock?

Septic shock was selected …

2025 Advent Hymn Devtionals, Joshua Fields, Michael Hendrickson, Mark Squire, Nicholas Totenhagen, Matthew Shipman, Trevor Flanick, Nathan Tritch, Harvey Peters, Stephenie Hovland, Ethan Baumbach, Isaac Conrad, Cory Willweber, Stephen Christian, Caleb Zeckzer, Isaiah Mudge, Jonathan Pietrowski, Karl Jacobson, Ross George, Harrison Hulse, Matthew Sauer, Nathaniel Pekari, James Gramzow, Wil Welch, Derek Carey, David Johnson

Other Student Publications

The 2025 Advent Hymn Devotionals presents a collection of Advent hymn devotionals, offering meditations, prayers, and scriptural references tied to specific stanzas of several traditional Christian hymns. The overall structure is organized around a daily reading schedule from late November through Christmas Eve, assigning a specific hymn stanza to a different seminary student, indicated by their name and institution. The included hymns, such as "Savior of the Nations, Come," "Comfort, Comfort Ye My People," and "O Come, All Ye Faithful," focus on the themes of Christ's incarnation, humility, victory over sin and death, and the call for repentance during the …

Pria: Process Risk Identification And Analysis, Raymond Fasano

Nuclear Engineering ETDs

This dissertation proposes and evaluates two approaches, with-in a Process Risk and Analysis (PRIA) framework, that advance data-driven hazard discovery in complex cyber-physical systems. First, a transferability-based clustering method groups subspace-identified segments into operational modes, prioritizing cross-predictive performance over raw feature proximity. Second, a Neural Switching Linear Dynamical System (NeuralSLDS) model anchors learning in identified state-space models with Bayesian residuals, calibrated predictive uncertainty, and context-aware operating mode transitions. Together, these methods generate physics-informed, probabilistic world models that can support model-in-the-loop analysis of hazardous trajectories. The approach is validated on a simulated point-kinetics reactor and a centrifugal chiller dataset, demonstrating coherent …

Acid And Sequential Acid–Alkali Extraction To Mitigate Enzyme Activity And Off-Flavors In Chickpea Protein: Implications On Structural, Functional, And Bioactive Properties, Kavitha Lakshmipathy, Sukanya Poddar, Nikitha Modupalli, Scott Lafontaine, Md Mahfuzur Rahman

Food Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Chickpea proteins offer significant nutritional and functional benefits in food products; however, their utilization is often restricted by off-flavors, primarily for lipoxygenase (LOX) and lipase activity. This study aims to develop a novel extraction method by combining acid (pH 2.0) extraction with the conventional alkali (pH 9.0) method to inactivate enzymes and enhance protein quality. Acid-extracted proteins exhibit the highest purity (83.4%), albumin content, and structural flexibility (46.65% random coil). Both acid and sequential acid-alkali-extracted proteins significantly reduced LOX (0.75 and 0.88 U/g) and lipase (0.10 and 0.08 U/g) activity. Acid extraction significantly lowers volatile compounds such as hexanal (0.0409 …

Validating The Use Of Natural Language Processing And Text Mining For Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Programs And Criminal Justice Articles, Cyril S. Ku, Katheryne Pugliese, Jared R. Dmello, Morgan R. Peltier, Robert Green, Sheetal Ranjan

Department of Justice Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Hospital-based violence intervention programs (HVIPs) are a form of community violence intervention designed to address trauma resulting from violent injuries. This public health approach has been implemented across the United States since the 1990s, with numerous qualitative and quantitative studies evaluating its effectiveness. Manual systematic reviews by domain experts have helped identify major themes and research gaps. While these reviews are valuable for synthesizing the existing literature, thisprocess can be time-consuming and labor-intensive, given the vast amount of research in public health and criminal justice. To meet the urgent need for accessible insights into the violence-related literature, more efficient methods …

Barriers And Challenges Faced By Minority Women Faculty Being Promoted At Hbcus, Denise Lorriane Young

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

This mixed-methods study examined the barriers and challenges faced by minority women faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in their pursuit of academic promotion and career advancement. Grounded in Black Feminist Theory, the research employed an explanatory sequential design with 56 survey participants and three in-depth interviews across six HBCUs in the southern United States. The study addressed three research questions examining systemic barriers, intersecting identities, and cultural perceptions affecting promotional opportunities. Quantitative findings revealed significant barriers across career-related (M = 3.21) and educational-related (M = 2.47) dimensions, with notable differences between academic disciplines. Qualitative analysis identified five …

The Origin Of Cultural Programs At Whittier College, Laurens Chao

Whittier City & College Historical Research

No abstract provided.

Making Space For Learning: Textile Based Learning Resources For Material Reuse, Mary-Evelyn Mcconkie Howell

Instructional Psychology and Technology Graduate Student Projects

This paper outlines two textile-based learning resources that I created for Making Space Thrift (MST), a community-focused creative thrift store in Utah. MST expressed a need for instructional materials that promote intentional material use, support customer well-being, and strengthen ties with their community. To address these needs, I conducted interviews with stakeholders and local textile hobbyists to understand what learning resources would benefit MST. As a result, I created two projects. The first is called Making Peace with Materials, an interactive, decision-based digital experience housed on the MST website. This resource helps learners navigate the emotional, practical, and sustainable …

Challenges And Succession Planning Among Beginning, Young, And Minority Farmers In Tennessee, Christian Alexander Smith

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

Tennessee has over 77,300 farms covering 10.8 million acres that counts for about forty-one percent of the state’s 26.4 million land acres (DeLong et al., 2023). However, access to land for young, beginning, or minority farmers who need farmland and starting their farm enterprise journey can be challenging. The challenges identified by farmers in general in the U.S. range from factors of production such as financial resources, labor, management, and physical resources. Land prices and insecure leasing terms have also been identified as factors that affect farm land ownership (Horst & Gwin, 2018). This study highlights and discusses the challenges …

Impact Of Cover Crops On Soil Hydraulic Properties And Water Dynamics, Sabin Shrestha

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

Cover cropping has emerged as a climate adaptation strategy in sustainable agriculture to enhance agroecosystem resilience against weather extremes such as floods, droughts, and erratic rainfall patterns. But how well cover crops (CCs) can buffer crop yields against weather variability depends on their ability to regulate improvements in soil hydrology. Through a global meta-analysis of 1007 pairwise observations from 146 studies spanning across 34 countries, we investigated the overall effects of CCs on six key soil hydraulic properties and further examined how environmental and management factors moderate these overall responses. Results showed that CCs significantly improved total porosity by 7.7%, …

The Impact Of Teacher Effectiveness Factors On Student Achievement: A Case Study, Renita Joy Perkins

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative, correlational study examined the relationship between teacher, evaluation scores and student achievement using Tennessee's Educator Acceleration Model (TEAM) evaluation system at Spencer Elementary School in rural Van Buren County. The study analyzed data from nine teachers across grades 3-5 and 150 students, investigating correlations between TEAM evaluation scores, Level of Effectiveness (LOE) ratings, and student performance on Tennessee Ready assessments in mathematics, English Language Arts, and science. Key findings revealed a counterintuitive experience-performance paradox: while teacher years of experience positively correlated with evaluation scores (r=.422, p<.001) and LOE ratings (r=.132, p=.024), it negatively correlated with student English Language Arts achievement (r=- .174, p=.039). The study demonstrated strong internal consistency within the TEAM evaluation system, with significant correlations between LOE scores and teacher evaluation ratings (r=.375, p<.001). However, only weak correlations emerged between teacher evaluation scores and student achievement outcomes, with a slight positive relationship found only in English Language Arts (r=.165, p=.049). The research revealed robust cross-subject correlations in student achievement (r=.706, p<.001), suggesting that effective teaching impacts learning holistically rather than in subject specific ways. These findings challenge assumptions about the predictive validity of observation-based evaluation systems and highlight the complexity of measuring teaching effectiveness. Implications for educational leaders include reconsidering the relationship between teacher experience and effectiveness, implementing differentiated professional development based on evaluation data rather than years of service, and developing more nuanced approaches to using evaluation systems that integrate multiple measures of teacher impact on student learning outcomes.

Power Resilience In Utah's Water Sector: A Survey Of Stakeholder Practices, Preferences And Potential, Tyler Christopher Peterson

Theses and Dissertations

Drinking water and wastewater services are vulnerable to disruptions because they rely heavily on the electric grid. As a result, power outages can lead to water outages, creating cascading failures that compromise sanitation, firefighting, healthcare, and daily routines. Although an important topic, there are little to no studies of water and wastewater power resilience at a geographic or state level. In this study we investigate the extent of existing backup power and renewable energy integration as well as the motivations and barriers around their power resilience. We collect our data through semi-structured interviews with staff at 19 urban and rural …

The Cowl - V. 89 N. 10 - December 11, 2025

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Vol. 89 No. 10 - December 11, 2025. 24 pages.

Mechanical Quality Of Hemp Fiber As Influenced By Tillage, Cover Crop, And Nitrogen Management In Regenerative Organic Systems, Parinaz Heydar, Alyssa Pierce, Gabriella Fioravanti, Ronald Kander

School of Design and Engineering Papers

Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is an emerging crop for renewable fiber materials. For farmers, finding a balance between agronomic performance and economic return is crucial, especially when targeting specific markets like the textile industry, which values not just fiber quantity, but overall quality. This field study, conducted at the Rodale Institute in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, assessed the effects of tillage (till vs. no till), cover crop (with cover vs. no cover), and nitrogen (N) rate (0, 50, 100, 150 kg ha⁻¹) on hemp fiber yield, N concentrations in leaf and stalk, and mechanical performance under regenerative organic conditions. Fiber mechanical …

Emg-Guided Human-Machine Interaction Training Develops New Intermuscular Coordination Patterns In Stroke: A Pilot Study, Gang Seo, Manuel Portilla-Jiménez, Michael Houston, Jeong-Ho Park, Hangil Lee, Sheng Li, Yingchun Zhang, Hyung-Soon Park, Jinsook Roh

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Stroke survivors often experience impaired upper extremity motor function due to abnormal muscle synergies. This pilot study evaluated the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of electromyography-guided human-machine interaction training designed to expand the repertoire of intermuscular coordination patterns and improve upper extremity motor function in chronic stroke survivors.

Methods: Four chronic stroke survivors with mild-to-moderate upper extremity motor impairment and three age-matched healthy controls participated in a six-week electromyography-guided training intervention. Participants practiced selectively activating one elbow flexor muscle while suppressing another (brachioradialis or biceps brachii). Throughout the course of the intervention, the effect of the training on intermuscular coordination, …

Guide To Utilizing Liahona Project Related Materials, Yoshihiko Ariizumi

Spiritual Proficiency

💡 Transforming Revelation into Power: The Liahona Extraction Project Guide

To establish the foundation of "Witts Psychology" (a psychology of thinking and acting with the Spirit), over 400 hours were spent analyzing 4,000+ Japanese Liahona articles in approximately three months. This intensive "Liahona Project" transformed knowledge about faith into immediately usable, practical tools.

Key Deliverables (Digital Repository):

• Core Phenomenological Data: Over 350 pages of research data compiling extracted insights.

• 37 "Practical Principles & Action Plans": Five core principles and specific action sets derived from the data using AI.

• 37 Sacrament Meeting Talk Scripts: Principles restructured into compelling, 7-minute speeches.

• Spiritual …

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Self-Connection As A Mediator Between Exercise And Well-Being, Lauren Esmay

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Scientists and health professionals have established the connection among physical activity and overall wellbeing. In more recent years, scholars have also researched the correlation among increased self-connection with increased overall well-being. Nevertheless, insignificant data has been gathered to investigate the impact of predictor variables upon the connection between exercise and wellbeing. This research study examined the mediating effect of self-connection among the relationship between exercise and wellbeing. The current study’s purpose was to gain better insights on how self-connection predicts a person’s physical activity, contributing to comprehensive insights how exercise habits may predict a person’s wellbeing by using a cross-sectional …

Educator Experiences With Implementing Every Student Succeeds Act Equity Mandates For Students With Autism, Jameelah S. Lewis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Educating students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in under resourced schools remains a persistent equity concern in the United States. This study addressed a gap in the existing research, as prior studies have examined special education policy and school-level implementation challenges, but few have explored the experiences of general education teachers implementing inclusion in low-socioeconomic public schools. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore the barriers general education teachers encounter in providing equitable education and their recommendations for improving inclusion. The study was guided by Ingram and Schneider’s (1993) social construction theory, which explains how marginalized groups …

Reflecting On Ai Use Through Syllabus Statement Development, Jason Blomquist

Biennial Convention (CONV)

As artificial intelligence (AI) tools become increasingly prevalent in higher education, nursing faculty face the complex task of developing comprehensive course policies that address both the opportunities and challenges these technologies present. This presentation provides guidance for crafting effective AI policies via course syllabi through faculty reflection on course content, pedagogy, and enhancing active learning.

Faculty will learn a structured practice for developing AI syllabi statements that align with course objectives while preserving essential nursing competencies. The practice framework addresses five critical elements: clear policy articulation, pedagogical rationale, specific usage guidelines, transparency requirements, and integration within existing academic integrity policies. …

Integrating Ai Tools For Literature Searches: Implementation In An Evidence-Based Practice Course, Ryoko Kausler

Biennial Convention (CONV)

This interactive session presents practical strategies for incorporating AI tools in undergraduate nursing research/evidence-based practice (EBP) education, specifically focusing on literature search processes. EBP is fundamental for safe and effective patient care, yet nurses often struggle with implementing EBP in their daily practice.^1,2 Over 50% of nurses rely on Google searches or peer advice rather than scholarly databases, highlighting the critical need to strengthen research competencies beginning at the undergraduate level.³ Similar to practicing nurses, undergraduate nursing students struggle with foundational EBP skills, particularly in efficiently searching and critically analyzing research literature.^4,5 It is essential to develop …