Digital Commons Network^™

Investigating Dimensions Of Social Vulnerability To Wildfire: A Case Study Of Western Montana, Ella Brodowski

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Communities across the US are facing increased wildfire risks due in part to historic fire suppression efforts, a warming climate, and an influx of people residing in wildland urban interface (WUI) landscapes. Because of these increasing risks, there have been growing concerns about the social factors that can increase individual and community vulnerability to wildfires. This research adds to the discussion of social vulnerability by examining how people living in a geographic area with heightened wildfire risk think about the ways in which people can be more or less vulnerable to wildfires. Using semi-structured interviews, round table discussions, and field …

The Animated Frontier: Fluctuations Of Power Across Time And Space In Flows Of U.S. And Japanese Animated Media, Kendall Belopavlovich

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This project critiques the historical and contemporary relationships between the U.S., Japan, and marginalized groups through the lens of animation. The U.S. and Japan share a complex history, from the opening of Japan during the Edo period to events like Pearl Harbor and the atomic bombings, which shaped their present-day alliance. Furthermore, the U.S. and Japan are the central nodes in flows of animation, where both nation states have dominated the global market at various points in animation’s history. Today, Japan's soft power in media is significant, and the flow of power between these nations has influenced media forms and …

Examining Video-Based Learning In Higher Education, Kay (Catherine) L. Tislar

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Instructional video has proliferated recently due to the explosion in popularity of TikTok and YouTube. However, most videos are not developed using principles derived from research and instructional design theories that have been tested with content presented in other types of media (de Konig et al., 2018). Many of these principles are based on the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning, including research on the seductive detail effect; seductive details are “interesting but irrelevant details that are added to a passage to make it more interesting” and have been shown to harm learning (Harp & Mayer, 1997). This has motivated the …

Patient Handling Interventions And Their Role In Reducing Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Healthcare Workers, Ashley L. Hawke

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are prominent among healthcare professionals, especially those who perform manual patient handling tasks. Assistive devices (e.g., slider sheet, gait belt, mechanical lift) have been used for patient handling. However, the effectiveness of these devices in reducing MSD risk factors is varied. Additionally, the relationship between healthcare workers’ acceptability of patient handling devices and organizational policies that facilitate or hinder widespread implementation is not well understood. The goal of my dissertation was to conduct a comprehensive analysis of existing patient handling devices and their role in mitigating MSD risk among healthcare workers. For Study 1, I conducted a …

Identifying Patterns In Avian Plasma Metabolites For Use In Comparing Between-Site Differences In Habitat Quality, Katherine A. Brouwer

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Habitat loss and degradation are especially important considerations for migratory songbirds, since they depend on a variety of distinct habitats within different life phases (such as breeding, wintering, and migration) that are widely dispersed across a spatial scale. Additionally, abundance of migratory songbirds has been in severe decline, making habitat maintenance and recovery of particular interest as a research avenue. Identifying high quality habitats across a bird’s annual range is therefore of increasing importance and represents fundamental information for guiding management decision making. Free-floating metabolites found in blood are frequently used to determine short-term mass changes in birds and have …

Indigenous-Industrial Heritage: Centering Indigenous Voices In Minnesota's Iron Range, Larissa A. Juip

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Industrial heritage refers to the material remains, sites, landscapes, and practices associated with industrial and extractive activities. As a field, it has historically been concerned with the conservation, management, and interpretation of industrial sites and activities and forms a central narrative within Minnesota's museums. Yet such accounts often privilege object-centered narratives while silencing the presence, knowledge, and contributions of Indigenous and Descendant communities, obscuring their enduring relationships to extractive landscapes. In recent decades, critiques of traditional industrial heritage approaches have identified gaps in the discipline related to the exclusion of marginalized populations, including Indigenous Peoples. Minnesota is home to eleven …

Confidence-Based Knowledge Distillation To Reduce Training Costs And Carbon Footprint For Low-Resource Neural Machine Translation, P. J. Wall, Rejwanul Haque, Maria Zafar

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

No abstract provided.

Unveiling Explainable Ai In Healthcare: Current Trends, Challenges, And Future Directions, Abdul Aziz Noor, Awais Manzoor, Muhammad Deedahwar Mazhar Qureshi, M. Atif Qureshi, Wael Rashwan

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

This overview investigates the evolution and current landscape of eXplainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) in healthcare, highlighting its implications for researchers, technology developers, and policymakers. Following the PRISMA protocol, we analyzed 89 publications from January 2000 to June 2024, spanning 19 medical domains, with a focus on Neurology and Cancer as the most studied areas. Various data types are reviewed, including tabular data, medical imaging, and clinical text, offering a comprehensive perspective on XAI applications. Key findings identify significant gaps, such as the limited availability of public datasets, suboptimal data preprocessing techniques, insufficient feature selection and engineering, and the limited utilization …

The Relationship Between Backgrounds And The Perception Of Tones In Mandarin, Abigail Franks

Honors Program Theses

No abstract provided.

Investigating The Effectiveness Of Traditional Vs Hybrid Time Series Models In Operational Planning., Cristina Priolo

ICT

This study conducts a systematic comparison of traditional and hybrid time series forecasting models for operational planning in a SaaS company, using large multichannel, multilanguage datasets aggregated at six-hour intervals. Classical models (ARIMA, SARIMA, ETS) are evaluated against hybrid models (ARIMA-ANN, SARIMA-ANN, ETS-ANN) to assess their ability to capture both linear and nonlinear patterns. Forecasts over a three-month horizon were evaluated using RMSE, MAE, and MAPE, with hyperparameter optimization applied to all models. Results show that hybrid models, particularly ARIMA-ANN and SARIMA-ANN, outperform traditional models in predicting volatile and high-volume data, while traditional models remain competitive for stable datasets. These …

Acoustic Analysis Of Vowels In Foreign-Accented English, Hannah Nedder

Honors Program Theses

No abstract provided.

Leveraging Epigenomics And Transcriptomics To Develop High-Dimensional Biomarkers Of Neuroinflammation, Steven C. Pike

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Neuroinflammation is a critical physiological phenomenon implicated in most neurological disorders, either as a cause or a consequence of pathology. Our understanding of neuroinflammation is limited by the inability to directly profile the cells of interest. Thus, developing biomarkers of neuroinflammation is clinically urgent as we know neuroinflammation correlates with patient outcomes and treatment success. The recent advances in “omics” technologies, particularly epigenomics and transcriptomics, provides the opportunity for high-dimensional profiling of biospecimens for potential biomarkers. Within this dissertation, I demonstrate that biomarkers obtained from “omics” platforms can detect neuroimmunological phenomena in clinical and preclinical settings. In chapter one, DNA …

Transforming Lives For Eternity: 2025-2030 Strategic Plan, Southern Adventist University

Strategic Plans

Southern Adventist University's 2025-2030 Strategic Plan.

The Inevitability Of Adaptability – Comparative Contributions To Understanding Originalism, Anna Conley

Emory International Law Review

What can comparative law teach us about originalism as a constitutional interpretation method? After synthesizing existing comparative analyses, this article seeks to redefine comparative law’s role in understanding originalism. When defining originalism strictly to require adherence to fixed original meaning, originalism is not used by courts anywhere in the world. Instead, courts use history purposively to understand the intent behind constitutional text as one of many methods of interpretation. Comparative works suggest historical constitutional interpretation has a complex relationship with rights, politics and culture.

Comparative law can provide not only descriptive understandings of originalism but also interrogate its mandate that …

Congolese Refugee Narratives Of Belonging, Grief, And Cultural Continuity In Appalachia, Kayla Davis

Theses and Dissertations

This research examines the communicative challenges that Congolese refugees face after resettlement, particularly as they strive to reconstruct a sense of belonging in the United States that reflects their experiences in either their home country or secondary countries where they endured protracted displacement in refugee camps. Narrative qualitative research methods were used to conduct interviews with five Congolese refugees in Appalachia. Through qualitative thematic and lexical analysis derived from the interviews, the study reveals patterns of linguistic isolation, community continuity, and emotional displacement. A key finding is that participants often conceptualize community not as a geographic entity, but as an …

The Effect Of Distance On Persuasion In International E-Mail Marketing Campaigns, Peter Magnusson, Stanford A. Westjohn

Marketing Faculty Publications

We investigate the relative effectiveness of different persuasive appeals in international e-mail customer acquisition marketing campaigns. We conducted three separate experiments, including two lab experiments and one field experiment, to examine the impact of different persuasive appeals on customers. Our research specifically focuses on consensus and authority-focused persuasive appeals. Our findings consistently show that when there is a small cultural distance between the seller and potential buyer, consensus appeals are more effective. On the other hand, when there is a large cultural distance, authority appeals are more effective.

On Marriage, Children, And Other Expectations: The Feminist Absurd In Rachel Cusk’S Outline, Nadine Koochou

Helene Lafrance Library Undergraduate Research Award

This article is a literary analysis of Rachel Cusk's Outline. In it, Koochou argues that all of the characters in the novel are grappling with the absurdist idea that life lacks any inherent meaning, that the universe is God-less and without empathy. Thus, the characters try, to varying degrees of success, to create their own sense of meaning in life. This philosophical questioning is especially exemplified by the ambivalent stance the characters take towards supposedly sacred structures in society, such as marriage and childrearing. In doing so, Cusk writes a novel that joins theories of feminism and absurdism, suggesting that …

Bridging Digital Literacy Gaps With Ai-Driven Semantic Search Technologies, Bin Hu, Hong Xie, Ifrah Malik, Noman Sohail, Qiyang Chen, Razaz Waheeb Attar

Department of Information Management and Business Analytics Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This study examined how digital literacy influences user interactions with artificial intelligence–driven semantic search engines compared with traditional keyword-based search systems. The authors assessed whether an artificial intelligence–driven search enhances efficiency, query quality, and user satisfaction across varying digital literacy levels, in particular complex information retrieval tasks. Sixty participants, categorized into three digital literacy groups (beginner, intermediate, and advanced) on the basis of the European Commission’s Digital Competence Framework, completed six search tasks (three simple, three complex) using both traditional and artificial intelligence–driven search engines. Performance was measured by task completion time, query quality, and user satisfaction. Statistical analyses (analysis …

Did You Know That Having A Deaf Mom Can Be A Social Issue?, Cameron Hayden-Davi

Celebrating Writers and Writing in our Communities

No abstract provided.

Occupying All Sides Of The Desk: A Feminist Methodological Approach To Teaching, Research, And Mentoring, David Powers Corwin, Siri Lalukota, Angelica Lovelace, Lindsay Lowry

Journal of Feminist Scholarship

This article focuses on a curriculum research collaboration among students (high school, undergraduate and graduate) and faculty to create college-level courses that focus on feminist media studies. As a reflection and extension of our work, we tell our polyvocal story of this collaboration while arguing that this work is a feminist methodology that could be used in pedagogical and other academic and public contexts.

A Conversation On Feminist Digital Humanities, Jessica Frazier, Tamar Carroll, Shweta Sachdeva Jha, Leandra Zarnow

Journal of Feminist Scholarship

The forum below came into being out of a curiosity to learn more about feminist scholars’ creation and use of digital humanities projects, platforms, and media to forward their research and teaching. Participants discussed the possibilities and perils of feminist digital humanities projects as they shared their unique experiences and perspectives. Larger trends in the conception, design, and operation of feminist digital humanities are visible in the conversation that follows—notably all three participants expressed a desire to work with digital media as a means of producing and sharing feminist knowledge and resistance narratives with broader audiences.

Feminist Digital Center: Building An Online Hub For Undergraduate Feminist Scholarship, Julie Shayne, Tessa Denton, Denise Hattwig

Journal of Feminist Scholarship

This paper is about The Feminist Digital Center (FDC). We begin by briefly theoretically situating our project in discussions of feminist and open pedagogy, high impact practices, and digital scholarship. Next, we discuss how the FDC came to be, institutionally and digitally, with particular emphasis on the assignments students did to fill the site. We close with why the site matters. We hope readers will attempt some version of this project at your institutions and find value in the model we share.

Elucidating The Role Of Hydrogen At C-In2o3/A-In2o3−X Interface, Julia E. Medvedeva, Mariana I. Bertoni

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations and hybrid functional electronic structure calculations are employed to determine the formation, the structural and electronic properties, and the dynamics of covalent (In-OH) and ionic (In-H-In) hydrogen defects at crystalline-In2O3/amorphous-In2O3−x interface. This comprehensive computational study considers (i) various interstitial and substitutional hydrogen site locations within the crystalline, amorphous, and interfacial regions; (ii) several oxygen-to-hydrogen ratios; and (iii) possible defect charged states. The results reveal hydrogen's inability to fully passivate the undercoordinated under-shared in atoms in amorphous highly substoichiometric oxide, giving rise to the formation of deep electron traps even in net-charge neutral structures. These trap …

Papers Of James E. Hamilton Arc2025-003 - Finding Aid, Ats Special Collections And Archives

Finding Aids

No abstract provided.

Papers Of Burrell D. Dinkins Arc2025-004 - Finding Aid, Ats Special Collections And Archives

Finding Aids

No abstract provided.

Latina Triunfadoras: Testimonios And Consejos Of Latina Superintendents In California, Marisela Kinn

LMU Theses and Dissertations

The current dissertation examined the leadership of six Latina leaders in the executive role of the superintendency, presenting valuable testimonios (M. A. Martinez et al., 2017) that detail the early educational and familial experiences shaping the Latina superintendents’ journeys to the superintendency. The qualitative study used the community cultural wealth framework (Yosso, 2005) and a feminista perspective grounded in Chicana/Latina feminist epistemology (Delgado Bernal, 1998) and Latina leadership (Bordas, 2013, 2023) to explore the leadership principles employed by the six superintendents. The study revealed three significant findings. First, Latina superintendents’ parents instilled a work ethic of perseverance, hard work, and …

Human, Greg Pronovost-Carlson

Celebrating Writers and Writing in our Communities

No abstract provided.

Bruen: The Court's Announcement Of The Historical Analogy Test And The Aftermath Thereof, Michael Partrick

Wyoming Law Review

The United States Supreme Court’s history of analyzing firearms restrictions has seemingly always led to ambiguities and confusion in lower courts. This was especially true after 2008, when the Court decided District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570 (2008). In the years following Heller, lower courts across the country applied different standards to determine the constitutionality of firearms restrictions. The Court granted certiorari in New York State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n v. Bruen, 597 U.S. 1 (2022) to establish the proper test for determining whether a firearm regulation is constitutional. This test is based on U.S. …

Legislating Morality: The Historical Consequences Of The Mann Act On The American Public, Chance J. Harper

Wyoming Law Review

The Mann Act, officially titled the “White Slave Traffic Act of June 25 1910,” was a product of a time of immense social, ethnic, and political change. The Mann Act was presented as the solution to “white slavery”— an imagined crisis where white-American girls were forced into prostitution. This crisis was attributed to the influx of traditionally “othered” ethnic groups, which shocked the nation and prompted sweeping action by politicians to protect white-American values and culture in the name of stopping forced prostitution. In addition to perceived threats to American values, fears of immigrant power as a voting block and …

Author Biographies

Obsculta

No abstract provided.