Digital Commons Network^™

Assessing Repetitive Loss Factors In Miami-Dade And Broward Counties, Fl, Rebecca Clark

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

This dissertation examines repetitive loss factors in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, Florida. It focuses on physical building characteristics and socioeconomic characteristics in an historic analysis of claims data from 1977 through 2014. Later, the focus is on predicted areas, or “hotspots” where climate-change induced sea level rise in conjunction with increased storm activity may cause increased flooding in the future. The study employs various statistical models, including Poisson and negative binomial regression modeling, spatial regression modeling and hot spot analysis to analyze FEMA property claims data and socioeconomic indicators.

The first part investigates the relationship between building characteristics and flooding …

Entrepreneur's Family Status, Strategy, Performance, Zdenka Cumano

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

This research aims to illuminate the relationship between marital status and entrepreneurial performance among entrepreneurs, focusing on the implications for female entrepreneurs. While existing studies have predominantly examined gender-related challenges, such as disparities in access to financial and social capital, the role of marital status has received limited attention. Drawing on Becker’s seminal work (1965, 1974) on time allocation and human capital investment, this study argues that entrepreneurs face distinct risks and resource constraints compared to employees, who benefit from organizational risk-sharing and stable income. In contrast, entrepreneurs bear the full burden of market uncertainty and opportunity costs, making personal …

Whispers From The Islands Preserving And Reinterpreting Caribbean Myths Through Augmented Narratives, Tatyanna Gay

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

This thesis explores the role of design as a contemporary medium for preserving, reinterpreting, and disseminating Caribbean cultural myths through visual storytelling. Focusing on using Augmented Reality (AR) and paper sculpture, this research examines how immersive technologies can bridge the gap between oral traditions and digital innovation to safeguard intangible heritage. Centering Caribbean folklore, specifically myths such as the Chickcharney, the Lusca, and the La Diablesse, this work analyzes these stories' historical, symbolic, and social functions within Caribbean identity formation and collective memories.

Drawing on interdisciplinary frameworks from mythology studies, design history, and visual culture, the project investigates how AR …

Assessing Trophic Pathways In The Southern Indian River Lagoon Using Fatty Acid Markers, Joedeelee Rigdon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

The Indian River Lagoon (IRL) comprises over 200 Km of the Florida’s east coast and is a bar-built estuary making up one of the most biodiverse estuarine environments in North America. Toxins produced by increasingly frequent harmful algae blooms in the IRL are found throughout the food web, from zooplankton to fish, to apex predators. The impact of species characterized as harmful algae can be traced using fatty acid markers, as phytoplankton and algae that make up HABs produce characteristic poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), which have conservative ratios between trophic levels. This study measured the fatty acid composition of two …

Motherhood: An Orphan Of American Politics A Comparative Analysis Of State Actors As Institutions, Kristina Ramskyte-Juszczak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

The political geography of America is relatively unique in the world: the United States is a powerful and wealthy country, but also consists of sub-national actors that retain significant legal powers within their own borders. The political actors in America, at both this smaller level and at the larger Federal level, have uniquely strong institutional power to shape the social and civic life of their citizens. Despite their absolute significance to the survival of their societies, mothers and mothers’ rights have largely been ignored or taken second place to other political issues. As many countries in Europe and other regions …

Embodied Liminality: The Ritual-Drama Nexus In Pan-Tribal Native American Dance And Theatrical Performances, Oscar Pereira

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

This study examines the intersection of ritual, drama, and liminality in pantribal Native American dance performances, emphasizing embodied liminality as a performative process shaping cultural continuity, identity transformation, and communal reinforcement.

Using an interdisciplinary methodology that integrates archival research, visual anthropology, and qualitative analysis, this study investigates three case studies: (1) the Ghost Dance movement as a liminal ritual of resistance and cultural revitalization; (2) pan-tribal powwows as sites of embodied liminality and cultural revitalization, and (3) contemporary Native American theater, analyzing theatrical plays through the lens of liminality, visual anthropology, theater and performance methodologies.

Examining embodied liminality in historical …

Examining The Relationships Among Land Surface Temperature, Surface Urban Heat Islands, Land Cover, And Societal Impacts In The Miami Metropolitan Statistical Area, Alanna D. Shapiro

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

Surface Urban Heat Islands (SUHI) and Land Surface Temperature (LST) are important to study because they can have large impacts on human and environmental health and well-being. The research described in this dissertation includes three separate but related studies of SUHI and LST. The first study evaluates historic LST trends in a multiscalar view and examines the impact of environmental and socioeconomic explanatory variables on LST. Results show that NDVI and impervious surfaces are significant explanatory variables for the dependent variable LST. The rate of change (RoC) of each of the regression models ranges between 0.29oC/decade and 1.56oC/decade. The second …

Applications Of Deep Learning And Signal Processing In Acoustics, Oceanography, And Biometrics, Ali Abdulmajeed Altaher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

This dissertation examines multidisciplinary methods in marine research, computational modeling, and artificial intelligence. This dissertation tackles significant issues in ecological monitoring, ocean dynamics forecasting, and assistive technology via three independent but interrelated research streams.

The first study examines the localization and distribution of marine organisms along Florida’s East Coast via passive acoustic monitoring methods. The research analyzed more than 65,000 audio recordings to delineate the geographical distribution of several marine creatures, such as black drum, toadfish, Sei whales, North Atlantic right whales, dolphins, and false killer whales. A novel automated detection and localization model was developed, using an adaptive matching …

Annual Security Report For Calendar Year 2024, Illinois State University Police Department

Clery Act Annual Security Report

Illinois State University Police Department Annual Security Report

Invasive Fungal Disease In Solid Organ And Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Recipients, United States, Jeremy A W Gold, Kaitlin Benedict, Elizabeth Sajewski, Tom Chiller, Meghan Lyman, Mitsuru Toda, Jessica S Little, Luis Ostrosky-Zeichner

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Updated benchmark data on invasive fungal disease (IFD) in solid organ transplantation (SOT) and hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) recipients are necessary to increase clinical recognition and inform treatment and prevention strategies. We estimated IFD incidence and potential risk factors in transplant recipients in a large US commercial health insurance database.

Methods: We observed patients who received SOT or HCT during 2018-2022 until IFD development, disenrollment, or database end date (July 31, 2023). We calculated incidence (per 1000 person-years) and time to IFD development, comparing demographic features and underlying conditions for IFD versus non-IFD patients.

Results: Overall, 9143 patients received …

Perspectives Of Healthcare Providers And Patients With Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma On Treatment Priorities And Novel Therapies., Sikander Ailawadhi, Yelak Biru, Solène Clavreul, Maite San Miguel, Nicolas Cormier, Yvonne Efebera, Maximilian Merz, Anna Sato, Cathy Zeanah, Jack L Watkins, James Farrell, Erinn Hoag Goldman, Rakesh Popat

Oncology Articles

PURPOSE: With novel therapies including chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy and bispecific antibodies (BsAbs), healthcare providers (HCPs) face complexities managing treatment for patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). This study, among the largest surveys on RRMM, examined unmet needs in care access, barriers to novel therapy use, and treatment decision-making.

METHODS: This survey-based study (March-June 2024) enrolled 2284 participants (patients: 1301; HCPs: 983) across 7 countries. Patients with >1 relapse/progression and HCPs managing ≥3 patients were included. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Χ

RESULTS: For patients, treatment priorities included slowing disease progression (second line [2L], 47%; third …

Virtually Assisted Home Rehabilitation After Acute Stroke (Vast-Rehab): A Descriptive Pilot Study For Young And Underserved Stroke Survivors, Emily A Stevens, Neha Muraly, Carolyn P Da Silva, Lorie Richards, Aylen Sosa, Heather Smith, Allyson Seals Richard, Shehzeen Manji, Mary E Russell, Sean I Savitz

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: The objective of Virtually Assisted home rehabilitation after acute STroke was to offer a fully remote telerehabilitation intervention to stroke survivors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Participants were recruited from acute care, inpatient rehab, or provider/self-referral if they had a stroke within the previous year, prestroke modified Rankin Scale < 3, were recommended to participate in rehab, and had internet access. Exclusions were: prior injury/diagnoses that impacted functional level, life expectancy of less than six months, or safety concerns. Outcomes were within one week prior to initiation and within one week after completion of telerehabilitation sessions. Video call sessions were completed 1-2 times a week for 12 weeks. Occupational therapy, physical therapy, and/or speech therapy were provided. Analyses involved descriptive statistics; qualitative comments were aggregated and analyzed for broader themes. Twenty participants were consented.

Results: Of the 20 participants (39-71 years old, 35% White, 50% female), 12 completed study activities, five completed exit interview; 10 demonstrated improvement on National Institute of Health Stroke Scale from a mean of 5.6 at baseline to 2.7 at end of study, six demonstrated improvement in modified Rankin Score …

The Future Of Parkinson’S Care: A Need To Expand Access, Sana Aslam, Anjail Z Sharrief, Samantha K Holden, Michelle Fullard, Jodi S Holtrop, Anna M Maw, Amy W Amara

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Parkinson's disease (PD) affects over one million Americans, with prevalence expected to double by 2040, creating rising challenges for healthcare systems. While neurologist-led care, particularly by movement disorder specialists (MDS), is associated with improved patient outcomes, only a small fraction of PD patients access this level of expertise. Many, various, barriers lead to delays or missed opportunities for advanced treatments such as deep brain stimulation and infusion therapies. This Perspective article issues a call to action for improving referral pathways and care coordination in PD, addressing both clinical and systems-level gaps. We propose several pragmatic strategies, including the development of …

Ecological Resources Of A Heavily Modified And Utilised Temperate Coastal Embayment: Cockburn Sound, Peter J. Mitchell, Daniel E. Yeoh, Kurt N. Krispyn, Claire N. Greenwell, Sorcha Cronin-O’Reilly, Delphine B.H. Chabanne, Glenn A. Hyndes, Danielle Johnston, David V. Fairclough, Claire Wellington, Alan Cottingham, Gary Jackson, Jeffrey V. Norriss, Matias Braccini, Hector Lozano-Montes, Chandra P. Salgado Kent, Erin Clitheroe, Alissa Tate, James W. Penn, Marion Massam, Neil R. Loneragan, James R. Tweedley

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Coastal environments and their associated biota provide numerous environmental, economic and societal services. Cockburn Sound, a temperate embayment on the lower west coast of Western Australia, is immensely important for the State and adjacent capital city of Perth. However, urbanisation and associated terrestrial and marine development has the potential to threaten this important ecosystem. This study collated published and unpublished data to review the current state of the ecological resources of Cockburn Sound and describe how they have changed over the past century. Post-WWII, the embayment began undergoing pronounced anthropogenic changes that limited oceanic water exchange, increased nutrient load, modified …

Creation And Use Of Sbs’S The Boat; Principles For The Co-Creation Of Online Interactive Learning Environments For Innovative Digital Pedagogy, Prue Miles, Kylie Boltin

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Teachers and students rely more on online-learning environments than ever before, including open, trusted and high-quality online learning resources produced by public broadcasters. For educators, this represents both an inspiration and challenge in the wake of new techologies and online learning environments. This article is a case study of one such online learning environment created by Australia’s multicultural broadcaster, the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), an adaptation of Nam Le’s award-winning short story, “The Boat” (2008). SBS’s The Boat (2015) is an immersive online experience that explores a refugee perspective and is accompanied by SBSLearn online learning materials. The Boat (2015) …

Teacher Wellbeing And Teaching Excellence In Higher Education: Exploring The Interplay Through The Lens Of The Perma Framework, Anna Golab, Tom Barratt, Jaime Yong, Tanzim Afroz

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Recognising the pivotal role of teacher wellbeing in fostering teaching excellence, this paper explores the intricate relationships in the context of higher education. Employing an abductive, qualitative methodology and expanding the use of the PERMA framework to in the realm of higher education, this paper investigates the associations between teachers' perceptions of excellence to five elements of wellbeing: positive emotions (P), engagement (E), relationships (R), meaning (M) and accomplishment (A). Drawing insights from a case study of an Australian business school, the findings of this paper reveal dynamic interactions among these elements. Contextual variations give rise to virtuous or vicious …

Implementing Gross National Happiness In Bhutan As A Development Model And Governance Tool – Perspectives Of Policy Influencers, Tashi Dorji, Angus Morrison-Saunders, David Blake

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Bhutan’s development philosophy of Gross National Happiness (GNH) prioritises the collective wellbeing of its people over economic growth through a multidimensional index that informs policy. While GNH has received global recognition, persistent challenges in conceptual clarity and practical implementation are argued and debated. This qualitative study examines the role and utility of GNH as a development model and its implementation as a multifaceted governance tool in Bhutan. The findings reveal that GNH is conceptualised in diverse ways, ranging from personal happiness to a more generic communal philosophy. While its strengths lie in its culturally grounded framework, key limitations include a …

Abusing The International Solidarity Principle: Human Rights, International Solidarity, And The Eu's Bilateral Migration Deals, Jamal Barnes, Samuel M. Makinda

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The international solidarity principle is a crucial legal norm of international society. It helps guide state conduct and facilitate cooperation among international actors to respond to global challenges and uphold human rights. The European Union (EU) and its Member States have argued that their bilateral agreements with non-EU countries to prevent irregular migration to Europe is a demonstration of international solidarity that fulfils their obligations to asylum seekers and refugees. However, the EU's interpretation of international solidarity in these arrangements has been contested. This article argues that the EU has strategically interpreted the international solidarity principle to fit in with, …

Hybridity And Safety: The Lived Experiences Of Market Vendors In Urban Settlement Communities In Lae, Papua New Guinea, Wilma Langa, Verena Thomas, Jackie Kauli, Laurie Buys

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

In most developing countries, informal economies–such as those that operate through urban markets–commonly support city dwellers’ livelihoods. However, public perceptions of safety and informality in urban markets have often focused on apparent deficiencies, resulting in a limited understanding of the dynamics and resilience of such spaces. There has been limited consideration of the perspectives of those who work within these spaces every day and the support structures they create for themselves. Drawing on focus group discussions and interviews with vendors and other actors at one market, Awagasi market in Lae City in Papua New Guinea, we argue that the history …

An Ethnography Of Love Jihad: The Governance Of Interfaith Marriages In Times Of Hindutva, Snehal Sharma

Theses and Dissertations--Gender and Women's Studies

My doctoral research focuses on the violations of human and citizenship rights of women and religiously marginalized communities (based on religious differences) in the backdrop of right-wing movements in India. I assess the Hindu nationalist propaganda named “love jihad” to demonstrate the way it weaponizes religious exogamy. This propaganda legitimizes violence against Indian religious minorities and women as it claims that marriages between Hindu women and Muslim men are acts of terrorism against Hindus with the sole aim of increasing the Muslim population using Hindu women's bodies. I have used ethnographic research methods to explore the legal process of interfaith …

A Review Of Research On Engineering In K-12 Science Education, Allison Antink-Meyer, Ryan A. Brown, Margaret E. Parker, Jennifer Smith

Faculty Publications - College of Education

The purpose of this study is to explore trends in interrelated engineering education and science education research within six science education research journals across the first decade since the release of the Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards. Journals were selected using a combination of impact factors and random sampling. The resulting qualitative systematic review exposes trends that arose and fell among science education journals and scholars as reflected in 141 articles published between 2011 and 2024 in the Journal of Research in Science Teaching, Science Education, the International Journal of Science Education, School Science …

Scrupulosity: A Comprehensive Review Of The Research, Julie M. Painley

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation presents a comprehensive analysis of the current research on scrupulosity, a subtype of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) characterized by intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors related to religious and moral concerns. The dissertation identifies key similarities and differences from OCD, and directs focus to thematically related yet unsubstantiated theoretical work in psychology that helps elucidate the core features and etiological factors of scrupulosity as differentiated from other OCD subtypes. The study addresses the critical dearth of research on scrupulosity, aiming to fill significant gaps in the literature regarding its historical context, varied presentation and prevalence in different cultural contexts, and …

Professional Development Needs In Educational Support For The Waldorf Teacher, Leah M. Mrozinski

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

In the past few years of immersion into the Waldorf world through both my work and my educational pursuits, I have recognized that there is an absence of basic special education knowledge in the practice of Waldorf education. My research sought to answer the question: What topics of educational support are most relevant and needed for Waldorf teachers and trainees today? My literature review explored best practices in special education and Waldorf education and connections with polyvagal theory. More specifically, it includes a basic review of special education law, best practices in special education, how a Waldorf education meets the …

Seeds In A Pluriverse: Visakha Society For The Protection And Care Of Animals Inclusive Praxis Toward Self-Determined Just Socio-Ecological Territories, Priya Tallam

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

My dissertation focuses on my thesis question: How might an NGO’s grassroots efforts in urban Visakhapatnam, India, propagate living justly with animals we encounter and severely Othered humans, beyond attitudes of guardianship, mitigating universalized harms to nature and society? In a transdisciplinary approach examining grassroots programs, my phenomenological study breaks down an animal advocate’s assertive practices of—inclusivity and decolonialized lived norms, which persistently transcend cultural antagonisms of caste, ability, gender, sex, class, and form/species—toward creating just pluriversal multispecies communities in Visakhapatnam. Universalized urbanization across the planet has driven irreversible socio-ecological transformation marked by record ecosystem decline. Sustaining the urban via …

21st-Century Stewardship: Infusing Environmental Education With Global Citizenship, Ava Y. Goodale

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

In today's interconnected world, where socioecological issues transcend political borders, integrating environmental stewardship education with global citizenship education offers valuable opportunities for student empowerment. The goal of this multi-article dissertation was to conceptualize and operationalize 21st-century stewardship in educational settings. Twenty-first-century stewardship is a pedagogical approach that recognizes the limitations of environmental stewardship education as it is traditionally taught and is defined in Chapter II as an updated stewardship model that is infused with global citizenship’s multiscalar perspectives, global compacts, and layered identities to achieve its maximum impact in our interconnected world. This goal was first accomplished in Chapter II …

Education For Sustainable Development: An Assessment Of Australian And Canadian Business Schools, Eduardo Ordonez-Ponce, Mehran Nejati, Rahatulaain Ahmad

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose: This study aims to investigate whether and how business schools in Australia and Canada advocate for education for sustainable development. Design/methodology/approach: This exploratory study used a sequential mixed methods design, using a combination of qualitative content analysis and thematic analysis. During phase 1, sustainability reports developed by Australian and Canadian business schools (SIP reports), which are signatories to the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), were reviewed using qualitative content analysis methods. Following that, a thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with nine representatives from selected business schools from Australia and Canada were conducted to triangulate and interpret the findings …

Still Hungry, Not Enough: The Past, Present, And Future Of Food Tourism Scholarship, Eerang Park, Sangkyun Kim

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This paper provides a state-of-the-art critical review of past and current food tourism scholarship and offers key insights and directions to establish a more comprehensive perspective on the field. The food tourism scholarship evolved, transformed, and progressed from earlier intellectual discussions and scholarly discourses on ‘food in tourism’. Through a rapid transition from ‘food in tourism’ to ‘food for tourism’ and ‘tourism for food’ as the current status quo, this paper proposes four directions for future food tourism research. These are: the application of contextualism philosophy with particular attention to the localities and peculiarities of emerging and/or new food tourism …

Finding Their Place: How Teachers Can Become Part Of Their Rural Communities, Mary-Anne Macdonald, Sarah Booth, Kirsten Lambert, Christina Gray, Terry Ngarritjan Kessaris, Takeia Beard

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The tyranny of distance is often perceived as the greatest challenge for teacher retention in rural and remote schools in Australia. Perhaps more accurately, it is the tyranny of placelessness. In this paper, we explore the role of place-connectedness and racial literacy in shaping the interactions of 21 primary and secondary teachers with the social space and place of one Western Australian remote town. Data were collected through interviews and focus groups and analysed with an emergent approach. We propose three levels of place-consciousness to describe the depth of awareness, skill and integration with which a teacher might connect to …

A Moving Cause: Travel Notes Towards Pilgrimage As Creative Writing Process, Elizabeth Reid Boyd

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Pilgrimage Studies is a growing field across the arts and humanities, yet pilgrimage writing is not established as a distinct genre. In this article I share my exploration of pilgrimage as a creative writing process and potential genre. As a social scientist and a creative writer, my approach is qualitative and interdisciplinary, drawing upon an on-the-ground social constructivist perspective and definitions of genre as social action. This includes an ethnomethodological account of my practice that distils ten narrative and thematic elements in the pilgrimage writing process. These elements hinge on the leitmotif of pilgrimage writing being ‘a moving cause’, with …

Proximity To Cancer Rehabilitation And Exercise Oncology By Geography, Race, And Socioeconomic Status, Kathryn H. Schmitz, Kathryn Demanelis, Mary E. Crisafio, Mary A. Kennedy, Anna L. Schwartz, Anna Campbell, Jessica Gorzelitz, Kelley C. Wood, Christopher M. Wilson, Raymond L. Scalise, Alex Vincent

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Cancer rehabilitation and exercise oncology (CR/EO) have documented benefits for people living with and beyond cancer. The authors examined proximity to CR/EO programs across the United States with respect to population density, race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and cancer incidence and mortality rates.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2022–2023. Online searches were initiated to identify CR/EO programs. Geocoding was used to obtain latitudinal and longitudinal geospatial coordinates. Demographic data were abstracted from the 2020 5-year American Community Survey. Cancer incidence and mortality data were obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. US 2013 Rural-Urban Continuum …