Digital Commons Network^™

Usa V. John Perkins

2025 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

“They Are Fat And Want Special Treatment For Being Fat”: Backlash To And Lay Theories Of Fat Activism, Flora Blanchette-Oswald, Minh Duc Pham, R. J. Harr, Alexandra Garr-Schultz, Kimberly E. Chaney

Faculty Publications

Fat activism is a movement that seeks to acknowledge and eliminate the oppression of fat people. The movement and those who participate face significant backlash, yet fat activism is understudied. We sought to understand lay theories about fat activism; that is, how everyday people think about the goals and motivations of fat activism, and people who engage in fat activism, to understand how these perceptions shape support for and backlash toward fat activism. In Study 1 (N = 294), we qualitatively elucidated lay theories of fat activism in a US nationally representative sample. We identified lay theories that both …

Addressing Hiv And Substance Use Health Disparities Among Racial/Ethnic Minority Individuals, Jamie V. Saunt, David L. Hussey

Faculty Scholarship

Purpose of Review: Advances in HIV testing, prevention, and treatment, alongside increased awareness and harm reduction efforts for substance use disorder (SUD) have improved care and treatment access over the past decade. However, racial and ethnic minorities with SUD and HIV or at risk for HIV still face disproportionately high health disparities. Understanding and addressing the reasons behind these disparities is crucial. Recent Findings: Structural and systemic barriers continue to negatively impact minoritized communities, due to lack of access to care, mistrust, and feelings of ostracization. Disconnected systems for HIV and SUD treatment complicate combined care. Delays in HIV diagnosis …

Social Belonging In Post-Resettlement Refugees: The Role Of Aid Organizations In The United States, Jessica Jean Byers

Theses and Dissertations

Since 1975, an estimated 3.6 million refugees have entered the United States (USA Facts, 2024). The months and even years following resettlement can be difficult and isolating for refugees. Previous research has shown that creating connections with others can enhance well-being, feelings of security, and self-reliance, all of which are especially needed for vulnerable populations such as refugees (Archambault et al., 2022; Giovanetti et al., 2022). Using the theory of social network analysis and semi-structured, in-depth interviews with aid organization leaders, this study seeks to understand the relationship between refugees and aid organizations during the post-resettlement phase. It also explores …

A Long Non-Coding Erna Forms R-Loops To Shape Emotional Experience-Induced Behavioral Adaptations, Rose Marie Akiki

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Emotional experiences often evoke neural plasticity that supports adaptive changes in behavior, including maladaptive plasticity associated with mood and substance use disorders. These adaptations are supported in part by experience-dependent activation of immediate-early response genes, such as Npas4. We discovered that a conserved, long non-coding enhancer RNA (lnc-eRNA) transcribed from an activity-sensitive enhancer produces DNA-RNA hybrid R-loop structures that support 3D chromatin-looping of the enhancer and proximal promoter and stimulus-induced, rapid Npas4 gene induction. We also show that this Npas4 lnceRNA and its R-loops are required for the development of behavioral adaptations produced by chronic psychosocial stress or cocaine exposure, …

Contingency Management For Opioid Use Disorder Buprenorphine Treatment Engagement: 3-Month Outcomes, Shelby Renee Goodwin

Theses and Dissertations

Individuals with opioid use disorder exhibit difficulty sustaining prolonged buprenorphine treatment engagement. Contingency management (CM; incentives) may serve to increase the reinforcing value of treatment itself, but most buprenorphine CM studies delivered incentives more frequently than in typical outpatient practice. This study sought to compare CM with treatment as usual (TAU; regular clinic procedures) in visit attendance and adherence (defined as urine samples positive for buprenorphine and negative for other opioids) in new outpatients at a hospital opioid treatment clinic. Participants (46 per group) were randomized to either CM or TAU and monitored by medical record for 12 weeks; for …

Vertical And Horizontal Turbidity Variation Across Coral Reef Habitats In Derawan Island: An In-Depth Analysis Using Aaq Rinko Water Quality Profiler, Fajar Dwi Pamungkas, Masita Dwi Mandini Manessa, Supriatna Supriatna, Feby Efriana, Farida Ayu, Novi Adi Susetyo, Kuncoro Teguh Setiawan, Dino Gunawan, Mutia Kamalia Mukhtar, Kintan Maulidina, Muhammad Haidar

Jurnal Geografi Lingkungan Tropik (Journal of Geography of Tropical Environments)

No abstract provided.

Trade Openness And Spatial Inequality In Developing Countries: Case Study Of Asean-4, Rosalia Marcha Violeta, Vedy Ardine Sahetapy, Garda Maharsi, Mohamad Dian Revindo

Jurnal Kebijakan Ekonomi

Trade openness is widely associated with stronger medium- to-long-term economic growth, yet its distributional consequences within countries, particularly in developing economies, remain contested. This paper examines the relationship between trade openness and spatial inequality in four major ASEAN economies, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines, over the period 2012–2019. Spatial inequality is measured using Theil’s Index based on provincial-level GDP per capita, while trade openness is proxied by the trade-to-GDP ratio. Employing pooled OLS and fixed-effects estimations, the analysis controls for key structural factors such as economic development, population size, urbanization, government expenditure, and the number of spatial units. The …

The Impact Of Childhood Sexual Abuse On Resilience And Empathy In Adulthood: Exploring Psychological Outcomes And Interrelationships Among Adult Survivors, Helen Dao

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

Background: Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a traumatic experience that can have lasting psychological impacts on its survivors. Resilience and empathy are crucial for the recovery and social functioning of CSA survivors. However, the relationship between CSA and these constructs remains complex and not fully understood. Purpose: This study aimed to determine whether significant differences exist between individuals who have experienced CSA and those who have not. Additionally, the study also investigated the relationship between empathy and resilience. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 36 adult participants, including CSA survivors and non-CSA participants. The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale was used …

The Lived Experience Of Immigrant Parents Raising First-Generation Adolescents In The United States, Hala Mohamed Hassan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Immigrant parents experience challenges raising adolescent children, including cultural adaptation, language barriers, and generational differences, and how these impact adolescent development in bicultural contexts. Relatively little is understood about immigrant parents raising first-generation adolescents. The purpose of this study, grounded in Baumrind’s parenting style theory and Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, was to explore the lived experiences of immigrant parents raising first-generation adolescents in the United States using a qualitative phenomenological approach. This study employed semistructured interviews with 12 immigrant parents of first-generation teenagers aged 13-19, with data analyzed thematically to identify patterns and themes in participants’ experiences. Key findings revealed the …

Effect Of Cycle Coaching On Middle School Math Achievement, Lauren Wilson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in this project study was that 96% of middle school students at the local district did not meet proficient level on the math state assessment (MSA). School leaders implemented coaching cycles grounded in the theory of action for teacher coaching to enhance teacher knowledge and practice and to improve student achievement; however, the effectiveness of this intervention was unknown. The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the difference in MSA scores between middle school students whose teachers participated in cycle coaching and students whose teachers did not, while controlling for the previous year’s MSA score. …

Perspectives Of Probation Officers On Training To Support Women Who Commit Co-Occurring Crimes, Cynthia Stephens

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The lack of understanding about probation officers’ (POs’) training views, especially concerning female offenders, reduces training and reentry effectiveness for female criminals. This study investigated POs’ perspectives on their training to assist women with co-occurring offenses by developing a practical intervention framework to improve reentry outcomes. The labeling and dual-role relationship theories served as the theoretical foundation to answer the research question, which involved identifying the perspectives of POs on training to support women with co-occurring crimes. A phenomenological design and in-depth face-to-face PO interviews were appropriate to answer the research question. Thematic analysis occurred to identify key concepts revealed …

Narratives Of Black College Students With Disabilities: Experiences With Disability Services Attending Predominately White Institutions (Pwis), Sade Beaulieu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Literature exploring the stories of Black college students with disabilities is sparse. Given the lack of this population’s storied experiences, disability counselors on college campuses may not be effectively accommodating, integrating, and engaging these students, providing adequate and necessary support to them. The purpose of this Qualitative study was to give a voice to marginalized Black college students with disabilities who have been underrepresented in the literature. Critical Race Theory (CRT) and narrative inquiry (NI) served as the theoretical and conceptual frameworks to guide this study. The research question focused on how Black college students with disabilities describe their experience …

Unearthing The Hidden Transcript In Greta Gerwig’S Little Women (2019), Madison Vath

Honors Theses

In her film adaptation of Little Women (2019), Greta Gerwig expounds upon the subject of womanhood through her version of the character Jo March, specifically with the film’s portrayal of emotions and Jo’s authorship journey. Gerwig peels away the layers of the novel’s public transcript, as stated by anthropologist James C. Scott, centering instead the hidden transcript which suggests that a woman cannot thrive in a patriarchal society without community and connection with other women. The methods for my research include close reading, theoretical frameworks from feminist criticism and anthropology, and the use of secondary academic sources.

A Conductor’S Guide To Selections For The Treble And Satb Choir: Music Of Franz Schubert, Johannes Brahms, Benjamin Britten, Percy Grainger, And Will Todd, Savannah Fallis

Research Papers

These extended program notes contain research, analysis, and rehearsal considerations for selections across multiple choral concerts, including February 8, March 12, and December 10, 2024. The objective for this research and performance is to incorporate varied works from multiple musical eras appropriate for high school and community singers, including the Classical, Romantic, 20th Century, and Modern eras. Focused on a theme of life and Christmas, the repertoire includes: Franz Schubert’s Magnificat, D. 486, Johannes Brahms - 12 Lieder and Romanzen, Op 44, No. 9, 10, and 12, Benjamin Britten’s Ceremony of Carols No. 3 and No. 6, Percy Grainger’s “I’m …

The Development Of Consensus Recommendation To Improve Practice Harmonization For Sickle Cell Disease Through The National Alliance Of Sickle Cell Centers, Julie Kanter, Melissa Frei-Jones, Deepa Manwani, Marsha Treadwell, Mohan Madisetti, Robin E. Miller, Seethal A. Jacob, Sana Saif-Ur-Rehman, Andrew O'Brien, Sophie Lanzkron

Cardeza Foundation for Hematologic Research

Introduction SCD remains the most common inherited blood disorder. Due to a lack of strong evidence, the management of sickle cell is often anecdotal, local to individual centers, states, and countries. Even in areas of practice with high-level data to improve practice, implementation has not been consistent. The historical lack of an agreed-upon national registry has compounded this problem and resulted in a lack of comparative effectiveness data to identify areas of deficiency and improve practice. These barriers have resulted in centers developing local policies and procedures, often with limited communication with other centers, resulting in disparate and inconsistent care. …

Disability-Related Diversity In Occupational Therapy: A Scoping Review, Molly Whitlow, Allison Singh, Johana Cedillo, Brady A. Harrison, Sydney Wondra

Posters and Presentations: Occupational Therapy

No abstract provided.

Social Support And Treatment Outcomes Among Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis And Persons Living With Hiv In Nigeria, Abiodun Olusegun Hassan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An estimated 40% of people with tuberculosis (TB) are missed due to underdiagnosis, and among those previously treated TB cases, about a quarter develop drug-resistant TB in Nigeria. The emergence of multi-drug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) is stalling the effort towards TB’s control and eradication. Few studies have examined the impact of the psychosocial effect and support systems for TB, particularly for MDR-TB. In this quantitative, cross-sectional study, the predictive relationship between social support given to MDR-TB patients and their treatment outcomes was examined using secondary data of 594 MDR-TB cases enrolled between January 2018 and December 2021. The theoretical framework for …

Far Fetched Tales: How The Throne Of Glass Series By Sarah J. Maas Reconstructs “Cinderella” As A Fictional Criticism On Modern Society, Lily Daher

English

This thesis focuses on the analysis of the relationship between the Throne of Glass series written by Sarah J Maas and its roots in fairy tales. By using three different variations of “Cinderella” including versions by Charles Perrault, the Grimm Brothers, and Angela Carter. In comparing the three foundational texts to Maas’ adaptation, it highlights the importance of fairy tales adapted to the Young Adult genre.

There are five roles within the original fairy tale that are present within the first Throne of Glass novel that introduces the series as a fairy tale adaptation. These roles include the heroine, the …

Case Report: Myeloid Neoplasms With The T(3;12)(Q26.2;P13.1)/ Mecom-Etv6 Translocation: Report Of Two New Cases And Review Of The Literature, Soumya Mikkilineni, Juan Pablo Pineda-Reyes, Lindsay Wilde, Andres Ferber, Zi-Xuan Wang, Stephen Peiper, Guldeep Uppal, Md, Jerald Gong, Jinglan Liu

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

The MECOM (MDS1 and EVI1 complex locus) gene, located at 3q26.2, encodes an oncogenic transcription factor implicated in multiple signaling pathways. Rearrangements involving MECOM/3q26.2, including inversions, translocations, insertions and cryptic chromosomal changes, are observed in myeloid neoplasms and are associated with high-risk disease features and poor clinical outcomes. The translocation t(3;12)(q26.2;p13.1) is a rare genetic event, resulting in a fusion of the MECOM gene at 3q26.2 with the ETV6 gene at 12p13.1. To date, only 78 cases of hematologic neoplasms harboring t(3;12) have been reported in the English literature, primarily as case reports or case series. T(3;12) has …

Normalized And Directional Interplay Scoring For The Interrogation Of Proteoform Data

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Histone proteoforms, often presenting multiple co-occurring post-translational modifications (PTMs), are central to chromatin regulation and gene expression. A proteoform is a specific form of a protein that includes variations arising from genetic changes, alternative RNA splicing, proteolytic processing, and PTMs. Genome-indexed histone proteoforms define the histone code, influencing cellular phenotype by dictating DNA interacting partners. Understanding the dynamics of histone proteoforms is essential for elucidating chromatin-based regulatory mechanisms. Advances in middle-down and top-down proteomics enable accurate identification and quantitation of thousands of proteoforms in a single run. However, the resulting data complexity presents significant challenges for analysis and visualization. Here, …

Bright And Photostable Yellow Fluorescent Proteins For Extended Imaging, Shiqun Zhao, Francisco A Blanco, Anne C Lyons, Raquel Merino-Urteaga, John F Ahrens, Nathan A Nguyen, Haixin Liu, Zhuohe Liu, Gerard G Lambert, Nathan C Shaner, Liangyi Chen, Kimberley F Tolias, Jin Zhang, Taekjip Ha, François St-Pierre

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Fluorescent proteins are indispensable molecular tools for visualizing biological structures and processes, but their limited photostability restricts the duration of dynamic imaging experiments. Yellow fluorescent proteins (YFPs), in particular, photobleach rapidly. Here, we introduce mGold2s and mGold2t, YFPs with up to 25-fold greater photostability than mVenus and mCitrine, two commonly used YFPs, while maintaining comparable brightness. These variants were identified using a high-throughput pooled single-cell platform, simultaneously screening for high brightness and photostability. Compared with our previous benchmark, mGold, the mGold2 variants display a ~4-fold increase in photostability without sacrificing brightness. mGold2s and mGold2t extend imaging durations across diverse modalities, …

K-Mer Analysis Of Long-Read Alignment Pileups For Structural Variant Genotyping, Richard A Gibbs, Fritz J Sedlazeck

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Accurately genotyping structural variant (SV) alleles is crucial to genomics research. We present a novel method (kanpig) for genotyping SVs that leverages variant graphs and k-mer vectors to rapidly generate accurate SV genotypes. Benchmarking against the latest SV datasets shows kanpig achieves a single-sample genotyping concordance of 82.1%, significantly outperforming existing tools, which average 66.3%. We explore kanpig's use for multi-sample projects by testing on 47 genetically diverse samples and find kanpig accurately genotypes complex loci (e.g. SVs neighboring other SVs), and produces higher genotyping concordance than other tools. Kanpig requires only 43 seconds to process a single sample's 20x …

Voces, Poemas E Historias, Miguel García, Teresa Buzo Salas

World Languages & Cultures: Faculty Bookshelf

This collection includes Spanish poems written by students enrolled in elementary- and intermediate-level Spanish courses at Georgia Southern University. These poems were written between Fall 2020 and Spring 2024 and counted as the students’ final written projects.

Esta colección incluye poemas en español escritos por estudiantes inscritos en cursos de Español de nivel elemental e intermedio en la Universidad de Georgia Southern. Estos poemas fueron escritos entre el otoño del 2020 y la primavera del 2024, y contaron como el proyecto final escrito.

Tools For Studying Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection With Fluorescence Microscopy, Margaret Dianne Mitrovich

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) poses a significant burden in the United States, particularly among young children, older adults, and those with underlying health conditions. Despite recent progress in vaccine availability, there are still aspects of RSV infection that we do not understand, including mechanisms of viral entry and assembly. To address this challenge, we develop tools that are compatible with existing, widely available fluorescence-based imaging systems. Specifically, we develop a fluorescent RSV system harboring a fluorescent reporter and tags on the surface proteins using site-specific labeling. This engineered viral strain maintains strong replication kinetics, labels with high efficiency, and allows …

Findings From A Qualitative Analysis: Social Media Influencers Of Color As Trusted Messengers Of Hpv Vaccination Messages, Amelia Burke-Garcia, Erin Cutroneo, Dasha Afanaseva, Kayla Madden, Angela Sustaita-Ruiz, Preethi Selvan, Estefany Rivera Sanchez, Amy Leader

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Despite HPV vaccination reducing the prevalence of cervical cancer by 90%, vaccination rates remain lower among communities of color due to vaccine hesitancy and mistrust in traditional public health messengers. The emergence of social media influencers, a newer kind of messenger, presents a unique opportunity to share immunization messages in new ways with a variety of communities. This paper reviews the qualitative findings from a study aimed at assessing influencers' perceptions of and approaches to sharing messaging about the HPV vaccine.

METHODS: Guided by several theories (Theory of Planned Behavior, Narrative Theory, and Opinion Leader Theory), the study team …

Understanding Strain-Level Dynamics In Gut Commensal-Pathogen-Host Interactions, Anna Louise Deveaux

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The human gut microbiome is a consortium of trillions of bacteria, archaea, fungi, and viruses that colonizes the gastrointestinal tract and promotes health under homeostatic conditions. This microbial community trains the immune system, modulates inflammation and anticancer immunity, promotes cardiometabolic health, enables nutrient extraction, and prevents pathogen overgrowth. The latter function manifests through colonization resistance, in which microbes occupy spatial and nutritional niches thereby excluding pathogens from the community entirely, and through limiting pathogen population growth if colonization occurs. These roles are facilitated by complex host-microbe and microbe-microbe interactions that underlie differences in susceptibility to microbiome-mediated infectious diseases. The strain-level …

Immersive Extended Reality (I-Xr) In Medical And Nursing For Skill Competency And Knowledge Acquisition: A Systematic Review And Implications For Pedagogical Practices, Jennifer M.B. Fugate, Michaela J. Tonsager, Sheila L. Macrine

Faculty and Staff Publications

Simulation has evolved from basic practice to Immersive Extended Reality (I-XR). This systematic review examined 56 published studies on the impact of I-XR, including virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR), on the education of medical and nursing students, specifically their skill competency, and knowledge acquisition. The results demonstrate the significant potential of I-XR in healthcare education, with 42.5% of VR studies, 42.9% of AR studies, and the single MR study also demonstrating greater improvements in clinical skills and knowledge acquisition compared to non-immersive (non-I-XR) training conditions. In contrast, only 2.5% of VR studies and 7.14% of …

Can Whistleblowing Improve Organizational Effectiveness? Evidence From Financial Reporting Misconduct, Hong Kim Duong, Sadok El Ghoul, Omrane Guedhami, Emmanuel Sequeira, Zuobao Wei

Faculty Publications

Background

While whistleblowing (WB) has attracted growing research interest in recent years, several critical WB-related issues remain underexplored.

Purpose

This study examines the impact of external WB allegations on a firm’s organizational capital (OC). Such allegations often indicate management’s failure to address employee concerns internally, spotlighting potential deficiencies in internal reporting systems, employee communication, training, and trust in organizational fairness. To mitigate reputational damage, restore employee trust, and prevent future incidents, we posit that WB firms respond by increasing OC investment.

Research Design

We employ a difference-in-differences approach, comparing OC changes in WB-targeted firms with those in a propensity score-matched …

Responsible Sharing Of Qualitative Research Data: Insights From A Pioneering Project In The United States, Heidi A. Walsh, Meredith V. Parsons, Jessica Mozersky, Aditi Gupta, Albert M. Lai, Annie B. Friedrich, James M. Dubois

2020-Current year OA Pubs

No abstract provided.