Digital Commons Network^™

Performance Evaluation Of Highly Modified Asphalt-Based Binders In High Friction Surface Treatment: Comparative Study With Epoxy-Based System, Alireza Roshan, Magdy Abdelrahman, Mohyeldin Ragab

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

High Friction Surface Treatments (HFSTs) are frequently used to increase skid resistance and reduce collisions, particularly in crash-prone zones, including horizontal curves and intersections. Epoxy-based binders traditionally have been the sole option for HFSTs, but their drawbacks, such as high costs and compatibility challenges, have led to the search for substitute binders, including asphalt-based options. This study investigates the comparative performance of highly modified asphalt-based binders, including polymer-modified, mastic, and highly modified emulsions, in HFST applications using two aggregate types, Calcined Bauxite (CB) and Rhyolite with different gradations, with an emphasis on their frictional properties, durability, and resistance to polishing. …

Double, Double, Toils And Troubles: Analyzing The “Magical” Relationships Between University Leaders’ Personality Traits And Their Self-Efficacy In Leadership Situations, Fay Ludvine Boudreaux

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This present study investigated the relationship between higher education leaders’ personality traits and their self-efficacy in leadership situations. A total of 151 leaders employed across the nine institutions within the University of Louisiana System completed a survey that prompted them to identify their personal values, traits, and skill sets, as derived from the online Pottermore quiz, the official Harry Potter Hogwarts House sorting instrument. This niche personality metric was chosen to cater to higher education’s evolving landscape, as it welcomes an influx of Millennials into leadership positions. Participants’ responses were eventually recoded to “sort” them into their respective Houses: Gryffindor, …

Isolation And Identity Beyond Borders: An International Student’S Journey Of Playing Agatha In The Moors, Himshree Neupane

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This thesis examines the experience of portraying Agatha in Jen Silverman’s The Moors, a dark comedy set in the 19th century that combines gothic elements with modern themes like love, power, isolation, and identity. It explores the connection between Agatha’s character and the play itself, both of which are dark and complex. By drawing on Beyond Stanislavski’s “transient now” method and the Practical Aesthetic acting technique, I reflect on how these approaches shape my portrayal of Agatha, a character who embodies strength, confidence, and manipulation, yet also reveals vulnerability.

The thesis follows the journey from the play’s …

Flatter Or Annihilate, A Focus On The Act Of Collaboration In A Production Of Jen Silverman's Gothic Comedy The Moors, Madison C. Smith

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This Thesis is an exploration of the methods of collaboration employed while directing a production of Jen Silverman’s The Moors at The University of New Orleans. I will discuss my work as the director, leading a team of designers that included both faculty and students, as well as working with a cast of actors whose skill set ranged from professional performers to an actor making their stage debut. I will examine various methodologies of collaboration and directing I employed throughout the process, determine in what areas I was successful or not, as well as the overall response to the production.

Character Development And The Fear Of Failure: Finding Huldey In Jen Silverman's The Moors, Caylee Sanders

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines my process of developing the character of Huldey in Jen Silverman's play The Moors, directed by Madison Smith. I discuss the steps I took, the techniques I studied, the challenges I met, and how I faced and fought the fear of failure. In this production, I also studied characters from a few films suggested by our director for inspiration.

This paper also includes background information on the playwright, their inspirations for The Moors, including Charlotte Brontë’s letters, and historical information about the place and period in which it is set. I lay out my experience throughout the …

Illinois State University, One Hundred And Sixty-Sixth Annual Commencement, May 2025, Illinois State University

Commencement Programs

Illinois State University

One Hundred and Sixty-Sixth Annual Commencement

May 2025

The Right To Grow Old, Jamal Greene

Faculty Scholarship

This chapter considers the status of a constitutional “right to grow old” under the US Constitution. Understood as a “positive” right – ensuring a certain minimum quality of life to people as they face the challenges of aging – such a right may seem unavailing given the austerity in respect to such rights that many lawyers associate with the US constitutional tradition. This chapter shows this view to be premature, at least. Unlike the kinds of positive rights overtly rejected in prior cases, such as rights to certain forms of social welfare or to racial equality, a right to grow …

Interfacial Defect Properties Of High-Entropy Carbides: Stacking Faults, Shockley Partial Dislocations, And A New Evans-Polanyi-Semenov Relation, Samuel E. Daigle, Stefano Curtarolo, William G. Fahrenholtz, Jon Paul Maria, Douglas E. Wolfe, Eva Zurek, Donald W. Brenner

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Using first principles calculations, {111} intrinsic stacking fault (ISF) energies in groups IVB, VB, and VIB high-entropy transition metal carbides (HETMCs) are shown to be predictable from an optimized rule of mixtures based on the atomic arrangement near the stacking fault. A composition-independent linear relationship is demonstrated between the ISF energies and the unstable stacking fault (USF) energies along the (112¯){111} γsurface slip path. This relationship represents a new application of the Evans-Polanyi-Semenov principle by treating the ISF and USF energies as analogous to the heat of reaction and transition state barrier in chemical reactions. Further, a full defect energy …

Intermediate Stage Densification Kinetics Of High-Entropy Ceramics During Spark Plasma Sintering, Steven M. Smith, William G. Fahrenholtz, Greg E. Hilmas, Stefano Curtarolo

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The intermediate stage densification kinetics of (Hf, Nb, Ta, Ti, Zr) B2 and (Hf, Nb, Ta, Ti, Zr) C were studied using a Coble creep rate model. (Hf, Nb, Ta, Ti, Zr) B2 was synthesized by boro/carbothermal reduction and (Hf, Nb, Ta, Ti, Zr) C was synthesized by carbothermal reduction. Both ceramics were densified by spark plasma sintering at 1700–1850°C. The activation energies for densification were 575 ± 53 kJ/mol for the high-entropy boride and 646 ± 4 kJ/mol for the high-entropy carbide. The densification mechanisms were grain boundary diffusion for the high-entropy boride and lattice diffusion for the high-entropy …

Effects Of Processing And Microstructure On The Oxidation Of Zrb2-Sic In Co2, Marharyta Lakusta, Jeremy L. Watts, William G. Fahrenholtz, David W. Lipke

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Oxidation kinetics and oxide scale microstructures were compared for ZrB2-30 vol% SiC composites fabricated by hot press sintering of powders and by pressure less sintering of additively manufactured billets. Oxidation in CO₂ was conducted at temperatures up to 1400 °C with durations up to 900 h. All specimens exhibited parabolic oxidation kinetics. Materials with similar composition but different processing histories exhibited differences in oxidation behavior that become evident at extended durations (200–900 h) and higher temperatures (1200–1400 °C). Oxidation rates generally increased with grain size, e.g., at 1000 °C for 200 h, oxide scale thickness increased from 36 to …

A Case Study Of Intercultural Competence And Perceived Career Coaching Effectiveness In Higher Education, Robert C. Ellis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As the cost of a college education continues to increase dramatically, both policymakers and the general public have begun to question the return on investment in higher education. In response, post-secondary institutions have substantially invested in their career development offices in an effort to improve graduate career outcomes. Among the most widespread of the career services offered to college students is career coaching, which the literature supports as having a substantial impact on increasing starting salaries and job offers for new college graduates. Despite being more likely than their peers to utilize their institution’s career development offices, college graduates belonging …

In Search Of Real Truth And Accurate History: Protecting And Resisting Whiteness In Education Policy Discourse, Rachel Piontak

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research examines whiteness in education policymaking through a three-article dissertation, contributing to the broader understanding of how whiteness manifests across education policy and legislative discourse. The first article presents a comprehensive scoping review of critical whiteness studies (CWS) in education policy research. Using CWS tenets such as whiteness as property and colorblind racial ideologies, the analysis identifies themes of manipulated discourse, the economics of whiteness in education, and the protection of whiteness. This study anchors the second and third studies, which examine whiteness ideologies at play within the education policymaking discourse of the American Southeast. The second article addresses …

Maria Sabina And The Wise Ones, Robin Bruce

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Maria Sabina was born Maria Sabina Magdalena Garcia in 1894, in the principality of Huautla, located in Oaxaca, Mexico. She’s known as a healer and poet, though she would most likely refer to herself as a woman doctor, whose language becomes beautiful with the help of the psylocibin mushroom, which she affectionately refers to as little saints or holy children. In 1953, American banker, R. Gordon Wasson and his wife, pediatrician Valentina Pavlovna, were the first non-Indigenous people to witness one of Sabina’s ceremonies. Novice ethnomycologists and anthropologists, the couple traveled to Southern Mexico to witness a ceremony in which …

Creating A Sense Of Home: Hispanic Students At Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Eva Cordero

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) provide critical access to higher education for Hispanic students, yet their designation is based on enrollment rather than active support for student success. The purpose of the study was to describe and explore the sense of belonging for Hispanic students at a select Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) with a high percentage of Hispanic students. Using photo voice, document analysis, and semi-structured interviews, the study identifies five key themes: (1) agency in belonging, (2) club participation, (3) fostering a sense of value, (4) institution and institutional agents, and (5) scholarship and funding. Findings underscore the need for HSIs …

Meeting The Challenge: The Relationship Between Students’ Educational Gains And Teacher Full-Time Versus Part-Time Status, Dorissa Kaufman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the effect of instructor status—full-time versus part-time—on student Educational Functioning Levels (EFLs) in adult education centers across Arkansas from 2018 to 2023. Given that funding for these centers is directly tied to student performance, determining the most effective type of instructor is essential. The research examines programs like GED, English Language Learners (ELL), Integrated Education and Training (IET), and Workforce Alliance for Growth in the Economy (WAGE), addressing challenges such as a high number of adults without high school diplomas. Employing a regression model for analyzing EFL gains, the study seeks to provide actionable insights for hiring …

Investigating The Impact Of Gear Up Arkansas On College Readiness And Post-Secondary Enrollment In The Delta, Erika Mcmahan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluates the impact of the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) Arkansas initiative on improving college readiness and postsecondary enrollment among low-socioeconomic status (SES) students in the Arkansas Delta, a region marked by systemic educational inequities and persistent poverty. Framed by Opportunity Gap Theory, this quantitative, quasi-experimental research addresses two questions: (1) How does GEAR UP participation influence postsecondary enrollment compared to nonparticipants? (2) Do participants achieve higher ACT scores than nonparticipants? Using data from 491 students across high-poverty schools, the study employs logistic regression to assess enrollment rates and multiple regression to analyze …

Contrastive Learning Techniques For Fraud Detection, Vinay Madanbhavi Shashidhar

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Detecting fraud in computing platforms involves identifying malicious user sessions, often using deep learning models, but several challenges hinder effective deployment. Attackers can craft diverse malicious sessions that closely resemble normal ones, complicating the learning of robust decision boundaries. While supervised contrastive learning offers a promising solution through class-specific clustering, its potential remains underexplored. Real-world datasets typically contain few labeled malicious sessions and many normal ones, creating an open-set anomaly detection challenge. Costly expert annotation further limits labeled data, especially for smaller organizations, leading to Positive Unlabeled (PU) learning and noisy label learning issues. Organizations are increasingly turning to LLMs …

Shaping Minds, Shaping Future: Analyzing K-12 Climate Change Education Policy Preferences In Arkansas, Nataliia Borozdina

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Climate change education in K-12 public schools is a highly debated and divisive policy issue, particularly in politically conservative states such as Arkansas, where ideological divisions often dominate and shape public attitudes and policy preferences. This dissertation examines the attitudes, preferences, and behavioral intentions of three key stakeholder groups, namely the policy elites, general public, and educators toward climate change education policies in K-12 public schools in the state of Arkansas. While political party affiliation is an important factor, this study explores a more nuanced relationship by considering the interplay of Cultural Theory, risk perception, trust in government, climate change …

The Rhetorical Use Of The Lower Classes In Three Primary Accounts Of The First Crusade, John Hannon

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study analyzes the rhetorical use of the lower classes in three primary accounts of the First Crusade: Albert of Aachen, the Gesta Francorum, and Raymond of Aguilers — specifically with an eye towards the proper maintenance of the order of society through everyone performing their assigned role. Through a close reading of these three texts this study demonstrates how the three authors engage with and uphold versions of the idealized three orders model of medieval society. Though there is nuance between each source, broadly, each of the authors presents the lower classes as a force that needs to …

Sibling Groups And Family Adaptability And Cohesion Among Emerging Adult Women, Julianne M. Post

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined how sibling group size is related to family adaptability, cohesion, and individual resiliency outcomes during emerging adulthood. Using Bowen's Family Systems Theory and Olson's Circumplex Model, the research investigates sibling subsystems as sites where systemic imbalances are first experienced within families. Data from 124 college students revealed that larger sibling groups were associated with marginally higher disengagement and chaos resulting in decreased perceived social support, suggesting resiliency implications for youth growing up within larger families. While sibling size didn't directly predict mental health, family dynamics significantly mediated the relationship between sibling composition and resiliency outcomes. Demographic factors …

Community Perceptions Of A Crisis Response Collaboration: A Community Survey Of Attitudes Towards Police And The Crisis Intervention Response Team., Meghan Anspach

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examined community perceptions of the Fayetteville Police Department (FPD) and its Crisis Intervention Response Team (CIRT), focusing on how racial minorities and individuals from lower socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds view these professionals and their roles in crisis situations. The research also aimed to determine whether perceptions of the collaborative effort through CIRT influenced views of the FPD. Previous research has explored perceptions of police, social workers, and co-response teams individually, but a gap remains in understanding how community members feel about the collaboration between police and social workers and whether these perceptions influence their views of the police. …

Perceiving School Success: A Phenomenological Study Of Asian Indian Parents, Scott Nozik

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological qualitative study aimed to explore how Asian Indian parents at East Ridge Elementary School perceived student success. The research sought to understand their experiences, their views on student success, and the factors they perceived as supports or barriers to achieving that success. Interviews with 14 Asian Indian families revealed four major themes: Positive School Experiences, Academic Programming, Holistic View of Education, and Parental Engagement. While communication emerged as a central element, it was not categorized as a theme but rather as a supporting factor. The study found that parents expressed satisfaction with the school’s cultural inclusivity and sense …

The Effects Of Wwii Service On Black South African Soldiers, 1939-1950, Zachary Wilmoth

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the experiences and motives of black South African soldiers who were a part of the Native Military Corps during the Second World War. It argues that these Black South African soldiers gained a growing sense of racial consciousness as a result of their service and corresponding experiences. In doing so, this thesis challenges previous historical interpretations of the Native Military Corps that have perpetuated the notion that Black veterans gained little political or racial understanding as a result of their service. Previous historians have predominantly relied on archival governmental records to substantiate their claims. However, such source …

The New Normal: A Qualitative Study Exploring The Experiences Of Today's Academic Nursing Faculty, Lisa R. Scott

Dissertations and Theses

There is a long-standing shortage of academic nursing faculty. This shortage limits the ability of nursing colleges to expand student enrollment, creating a barrier to addressing the nation’s need for well-trained nurses. Despite decades of targeted interventions, the faculty shortage remains a pressing challenge for nursing education and the broader healthcare system. This qualitative study examined the lived experiences of academic nursing faculty navigating dynamic educational and healthcare landscapes. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 12 full-time, doctorally-prepared faculty members with at least six years of experience, the study explored how participants responded to rapid technological advancements, increasing diversity, the long-term …

Relationships Between The Social Deprivation Index And Mental Health Outcomes In Sexual And Gender Minority Adults, Bea Twilbeck

Honors Theses

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations include individuals who identify as non-heterosexual and/or whose gender identity does not align with their sex assigned at birth. SGM populations experience higher rates of social deprivation—disadvantages including socioeconomic factors and living conditions—compared to non-SGM groups. While the current body of research highlights the negative health impacts of social deprivation, no work has yet assessed the extent to which SGM status moderates associations between social deprivation and mental health symptoms. This study aimed to fill that gap by examining associations between social deprivation and mental health symptoms, as well as whether this relationship varies …

The Effects Of Covid-19 On Educators In South Mississippi, Alexis Papp

Honors Theses

This study was focused on discovering what may have caused educators in kindergarten through 8^th grade classrooms in mid-south Mississippi to leave or consider leaving the profession as it relates to the COVID-19 pandemic within different content areas. Participants identified issues within the system that diminished their abilities to educate their students effectively and this diminishment was related to the pandemic. Research from “Mississippi Teachers Are Eyeing the Exit” (Ballard, 2023) and “Teachers’ Dissatisfaction during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Factors Contributing to a Desire to Leave the Profession” (Gillani, 2022) showed that teachers were having strong difficulties during the pandemic …

Archival Literacy Principles As Facilitated By University Websites: A Webometric Content Analysis, Abigail Bowers

Honors Theses

Archival literacy, the skills and knowledge one needs to effectively utilize an archive or special collections, is often taught to undergraduate students during one-shot instruction sessions or semester-long courses. For users who do not attend these sessions, archives may be inaccessible due to a lack of archival literacy. In the digital age, one way for institutions to bridge the gap between archives and users who do not attend these instruction sessions is by creating websites that align with principles of archival literacy.

This study utilizes a webometric content analysis methodology to analyze how well the homepages of institutions of higher …

Divine Condemnation And Psychological Flexibility: Viewing Psychological Distress Through A Religious Lens, Abby Chittenden

Honors Theses

Recent research has shown the widespread prevalence of psychological distress. Religion can operate both as a resource as well as a problem or barrier to good mental health. Given that some individuals attribute mental distress to religious or spiritual causes, such as punishment from God or demonic involvement, this research examines how these beliefs influence emotional regulation and mental health outcomes. The study surveyed 1,304 participants, including 686 undergraduate students and 618 online participants, to assess their religious attributions, psychological flexibility, and level of distress. The results indicated that those in the general sample who viewed their mental health struggles …

Transcendental Blooms: Margaret Fuller And The Radical Language Of Flowers, Jenna Mcclain

Honors Theses

Situated between the literary periods of American Romanticism and Transcendentalism, Margaret Fuller’s writings vary in their topic and medium, offering a unique fusion of literary style as well as a refined yet radical social perspective. Fuller’s work frequently employs flowers as tools for communication rather than as mere symbols, with flowers acting as transmitters of Fuller’s philosophical message in her many sketches and poems. In “The Magnolia of Lake Pontchartrain,” one of her most famous prose sketches, Fuller explores flowers in a nuanced way that exemplifies how floral representations function more like characters than objects in her work. While scholars …

Filipino Music In The Sphere Of Multicultural Music Education: A Survey Of Preservice Teachers, Lauren Johnson

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore how preservice music teachers (i.e., students who are preparing to become music teachers) viewed diversifying music curricula, specifically regarding music from the Philippines, an archipelagic nation in Southeast Asia. Additionally, this research explored preservice music teachers’ cultural identities and how those identities influenced their beliefs and opinions about teaching. “Culture” was defined by Merriam-Webster (n.d.) as “the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group.” Although there is a diverse population of students throughout schools in the United States, limited research has been conducted about incorporating …